Berkley Opposes Attempts to Defund Health Care Reform

Statement

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today expressed her opposition to a series of amendments to the GOP spending bill that would block funding for implementing the comprehensive health care reform law that is now in place.

"The American people have told us time and again that they are desperate for jobs, and Congress must focus on getting our economy back on track and our constituents back to work. But rather than putting forward a plan to create much-needed jobs, the GOP has instead proposed a spending bill that recklessly slashes jobs and takes away countless benefits Americans have received since the passage of The Affordable Care Act," said Berkley. "Repealing this legislation will be devastating to patients' rights, which is why I voted against the amendments to the GOP spending bill seeking to defund health care reform.

"If health care reform is blocked, more than 129,000 people with pre-existing conditions in my Congressional District stand to lose their health insurance. As many as 3,000 young people in Las Vegas who are unable to find work because of the economy would no longer be eligible for coverage on their parents' health care plans. And 90,000 seniors in Southern Nevada alone would lose the preventative health care benefits provided under The Affordable Care Act,"Berkley said.

"Republicans are taking away all of these benefits in the name of deficit reduction. But the Congressional Budget Office stated that repealing health care reform will cost $210 billion over 10 years. Rather than strengthening the economy, getting people back to work and going after wasteful spending, this GOP spending bill explodes the national debt and ignores the critical need for job creation. Now is the time to work together to move our country forward, not turn back the clock on patients' rights,"said Berkley.

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