Statement on the GOP's Attempt to Repeal the Affordable Care Act

Statement

On Wednesday, Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01) released the following statement after the House voted 244 to 185 on H.R. 6079, the Repeal of Obamacare Act. Hanabusa voted against the measure.

The Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law on March 23, 2010, was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. The GOP has voted more than 30 times to limit or repeal the ACA since taking control of the House.

"I voted no, and I will continue to vote no on attempts to weaken or repeal the Affordable Care Act," said Hanabusa. "It is time to respect the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court and allow the Affordable Care Act to provide the benefits it was intended to provide.

"I will continue to stand up for the millions of young adults across America--6,000 in Hawaii alone--who receive health insurance through their families' plans. I will defend seniors who are getting relief from the Medicare donut hole and the women who no longer have to worry about discriminatory practices in health care, and I will fight to protect the tax credit for small businesses that helps them offset the cost of insurance.

"The Affordable Care Act already benefits people in Hawaii and across America. 17 million children with pre-existing conditions now have health insurance. 54 million Americans are now receiving free preventative care services. 105 million Americans no longer have to deal with lifetime caps. Hawaii residents with Medicare have saved more than $14.5 million on their prescription drugs. What would we tell them, how would we explain ourselves, if we allowed the law to be repealed?

"Opponents of the law have tried to politicize it, but it is really about people. It is about the mother who worries that her child's cough is getting worse. It's about the son whose father can't afford the drugs he needs to control his high blood pressure, or his diabetes. It is about the family worried that a single serious illness could leave them bankrupt. My vote was not about politics. It was about the well-being of ordinary, everyday people."

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