Breathe On.
>> IN THE
>> IN THE >>> IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING
ELSE GOING ON, THE WHITE HOUSE
ANNOUNCED THEY WANT TO TALK AWAY
HEALTH CARE FROM TENS OF
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS.
THEY WILL NO LONGER DEFEND ANY
PART OF OBAMACARE IN THE COURTS.
THEY WANT TO KILL THE WHOLE
THING.
THING. ENDING THAT WALL WILL THROW 21
MILLION AMERICANS OFF THEIR
HEALTH INSURANCE.
HEALTH INSURANCE. ENDING THAT LAW WILL MEAN 133
MILLION AMERICANS CAN BE THROWN
OFF THEIR COVERAGE OR DENIED
COVERAGE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A
PREEXISTING CONDITION OF SOME
KIND ENDING THAT LAW MEANS THAT
YOUNG AMERICANS WILL NO LONGER
BE ABLE TO STAY ON THEIR
PARENTS’ HEALTH PLAN UNTIL 26.
THIS STUFF IS POPULAR.
RIGHT?
RIGHT? ARE YOU ON MEDICARE?
DO YOU KNOW SOMEBODY ON
MEDICARE?
MEDICARE? GETTING YOUR DIABETES CHECKS FOR
FREE?
FREE? THIS WILL GET RID OF THAT.
GETTING RID OF THIS LAW WILL
COME WITH VERY BIG HUMAN AND
POLITICAL COSTS.
POLITICAL COSTS. YOU CAN TELL THAT PARTLY FROM
THE WAY DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGNED
MORE ON SAVING HEALTH CARE THAN
ON ANYTHING ELSE AND THERE BY
CONNECTICUT
CONNECTICUT CONTROL OF CONGRESS AND THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TRYING TO
HAUL THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACRE
OUT BACK OF THE BARN WHILE TRUMP
AND REPUBLICANS WERE FIGURING
OUT AN APPROACH TO TRY TO KILL
IT, HOUSE DEMOCRATS WERE SAME
SIMULTANEOUSLY OFFERING THEIR
PLAN TO MAKE THE COVERAGE BETTER
AND MORE AFFORDABLE FOR MORE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. DEMOCRATS RAN ON THIS LAST YEAR
MORE THAN THEY RAN ON ANYTHING
ELSE.
ELSE. THEY WON ON THIS AND NOW THEY
ARE WORKING ON THIS AND THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS GOT
MORE AGGRESSIVE AGAINST THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, AGAINST
HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE THAT
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ENJOYING FOR
YEARS THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN
BEFORE.
BEFORE. JOINING US NOW IS CONGRESSWOMAN
LAUREN UNDERWOOD, A REGISTERED
NURSE AND NEWLY-ELECTED MEMBER
OF CONGRESS AND RAN STRONGLY ON
SUPPORT FOR THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT.
ACT. CONGRESSWOMAN UNDERWOOD, REAL
PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING TIME FOR US
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> YOU’RE A MEMBER OF CONGRESS
THAT RAN ON SAVING AND
STRENGTHENING OBAMACARE.
STRENGTHENING OBAMACARE. LAST YEAR BEFORE YOU WERE SWORN
IN THERE WAS THIS FEDERAL JUDGE
IN TEXAS THAT STRUCK DOWN THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND THAT
RULING WAS APPEALED AND THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS AGREEING
WITH THE TEXAS JUDGE.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THIS
MOVE BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
AND HOW SERIOUS DO YOU THINK IT
IS?
IS? >> I THINK THAT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION JUST CAN’T TAKE A
HINT.
HINT. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT,
RACHEL, THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
CLEARLY SPOKE IN THE NOVEMBER
ELECTIONS WHEN THEY SENT ME AND
MY COLLEAGUES HERE TO PROTECT
OUR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE AND
MAKE IT MORE AFFORDABLE.
THEIR ACTIONS LAST NIGHT WERE
UNCALLED FOR AND THEY ARE REALLY
ALARMING BECAUSE WE KNOW THIS
TOUCHES THE LIVES OF SO MANY
AMERICANS AROUND THE COUNTRY
COUNTING ON THIS REALLY
IMPORTANT HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
TO LIVE HEALTHY, WELL LIVES.
>> YOU CONGRESSWOMAN ARE NOT
FROM A SUPER BLUE STATE.
YOU’RE NOT FROM A PLACE THAT
DEMOCRATS REALLY DON’T HAVE TO
COMPETE.
COMPETE. YOU’RE FROM A PURPLE DISTRICT.
YOU FLIPPED YOUR SEAT FROM RED
TO BLUE.
TO BLUE. I WONDE WHEN YOU WERE
CAMPAIGNING ON THIS ISSUE, WHEN
YOU WERE DOING THE SHOE LEATHER
WORK IT TOOK TO WIN THIS SEAT,
HOW MUCH THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT
YOUR POTENTIAL CONSTITUENTS
RAISED WITH YOU, WHETHER WORRIES
ABOUT HEALTHCARE REFORM OR
CONCERNS ABOUT HEALTH CARE AND
HEALTH CARE COSTS WERE SOMETHING
THAT YOUR DISTRICT WANTED TO PUT
FRONT AND CENTER.
>> THE PEOPLE ACROSS NORTHERN
ILLINOIS KNOW WE FOUGHT TO SAVE
OUR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE IN THE
SUMMER OF 2017.
IT WAS BECAUSE OF OUR ACTIVISM
AND OUT REACH AND CONTINUED
ADVOCACY THAT WE HAVE THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT THAT REMAINS
THE LAW OF THE LAND TODAY.
AS I WAS CAMPAIGNING, I HEARD
FROM FAMILIES THEIR DRUG PRICES
WERE TOO HIGH.
PREMIUM PRICES WERE TOO HIGH AND
SACRIFICING TO PAY THEIR PREMIUM
AND COULDN’T AFFORD TO USE THEIR
COVERAGE AND SEE A PROVIDER.
I HAD DENTAL HYGIENESTS TELL ME
SHE HAD TO DECIDE BETWEEN HEAT
AND HEALTH CARE THIS WINTER AND
HER TEENAGE SON WAS STRUGGLING
WITH THAT TYPE OF DECISION
BECAUSE HE KNEW HOW IMPORTANT
HEALTH CARE WAS FOR HIS MOM’S
HEALTH AND HIS OWN.
WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS.
THESE ARE VITAL PROTECTIONS THAT
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE COUNT ON
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. AND THE IDEA THAT IT COULD JUST
BE UNILATERALLY TAKEN AWAY BY A
PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION THAT
IS CHOOSING NOT TO DEFEND AN
EXISTING LAW IN THE BOOKS THAT
BENEFITS, AS YOU SAID, MILLIONS
OF AMERICANS, 21 MILLION
AMERICANS HAVE COVERAGE THANKS
TO THE ACA BUT CONSUMER
PROTECTIONS EXTEND TO THE WHOLE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THESE PREEXISTING CONDITION
PROTECTIONS, KEEPING THEIR KIDS
ON THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS
AND HAVING THE BENEFIT OF
PREVENTIVE CARE, FREE SCREENINGS
AND VACCINATIONS, CONTRACEPTIVE
COVERAGE.
COVERAGE. ALL THESE ASPECTS INCREDIBLY
POPULAR THAT NOW ARE UNDER
THREAT BECAUSE THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT IS NOT DEFENDING THE
LAW.
LAW. HOWEVER, HOUSE DEMOCRATS FROM
THE VERY FIRST DAY THAT WE WERE
SWORN IN IN JANUARY, WE VOTED TO
PROTECT AND DEFEND THIS LAW.
>> I KNOW CONGRESSWOMAN, ONE OF
THE REASONS I WANTED TO TALK TO
YOU TONIGHT IS I KNOW PART OF
THAT HOUSE DEMOCRATIC EFFORT TO
NOT JUST SAVE OBAMACARE BUT ALSO
TO I KNOW IT’S PART OF THAT
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC EFFORT TO NOT
JUST SAVE OBAMACARE BUT TO
YOU’LL TOO
YOU’LL TOO ACTUALLY EXPAND ON IT WHILE THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS COMING
GREAT GUNS THE OTHER DIRECTION.
I KNOW YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A BILL
THAT’S PART OF THAT, AND I KNOW
A LOT OF FRESHMAN MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS DON’T GET ANYWHERE NEAR
LEGISLATION THAT HAS A CHANCE OF
PASSING, YOU HAVE BEEN RIGHT UP
THERE WITH STUFF THE DEMOCRATS
HAVE MADE A PRIORITY.
CAN YOU JUST TELL US WHAT THAT’S
ABOUT?
ABOUT? >> TODAY WE UNVEILED A PACKAGE
THAT WILL IMPROVE THE AFFORDABLE
CARE ACT.
CARE ACT. MY BILL, HR-1868, WOULD ALLOW
FOR AMERICANS WHO NEED ACCESS TO
THE ADVANCED PREMIUM TAX CREDITS
TO BE ABLE TO QUALIFY FOR THOSE
SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE MORE
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE.
NO AMERICAN UNDER THIS BILL
WOULD PAY MORE THAN 8.5% OF
THEIR TOTAL INCOME ON PREMIUM
PRICES.
PRICES. THAT WOULD LOWER PREMIUM PRICES
FOR 10 MILLION AMERICANS AND
WOULD ALLOW AN ADDITIONAL 9
MILLION FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO GET
ACCESS TO COVERAGE.
WE’RE TALKING NEARLY 20 MILLION
PEOPLE WHO ARE IMPACTED BY THIS
CHANGE IN OUR BILL.
>> DEMOCRAT OF ILLINOIS,
FRESHMAN MEMBER OF CONGRESS, I
REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. AS ALWAYS, ANY TIME YOU WANT TO