Spanberger Votes to Protect Coverage for Central Virginians with Pre-Existing Conditions, Votes with Bipartisan Majority to Reject the Administration’s Efforts to Invalidate the Affordable Care Act and Undermine the U.S. Healthcare System

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger pushed back against the ongoing, partisan healthcare sabotage that has caused premiums and uninsured rates to rise across the country. She also spoke on the floor of the U.S. House in opposition to efforts to take way healthcare protections from Central Virginians with pre-existing conditions.

Spanberger voted in support of a bipartisan resolution to condemn the administration’s active legal campaign to gut the existing healthcare law. The Spanberger-cosponsored resolution—led by U.S. Representative Colin Allred (D-TX-32)—would fight to preserve protections provided under the current healthcare law—including protections for those with pre-existing conditions, prevention of lifetime coverage caps, and the ability for children to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan until the age of 26.

Following the bipartisan vote, Spanberger spoke on the floor of the U.S. House to outline how the administration’s efforts—if successful—would wipe out critical healthcare protections for Central Virginians. Click here to watch her full speech.

Below is a transcript of her full remarks:

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Last week, the administration asserted that the Affordable Care Act should be invalidated in federal court.

If this efforts succeeds, protections for those with pre-existing conditions would vanish. Approximately 51 percent of Central Virginians under the age of 65 have a pre-existing condition.

If this effort succeeds, we would see the return of caps on lifetime coverage—and those over 65 could be forced to pay higher Medicare premiums.

If this effort succeeds, we would lose the ability to keep our children on our insurance plans until the age of 26.

In Virginia, we just saw Medicaid expansion become law—and this would be upended as well.

If efforts to scrap our healthcare system succeed, Medicaid expansion would be completely gutted, and with it our ability to deal with the opioid epidemic across our state.

If efforts to scrap the healthcare law succeed, Medicaid expansion in Virginia would be gutted.

Right now, we need a bipartisan push to stabilize and fix our healthcare system—not a hyper-partisan lawsuit focused on settling old scores. Central Virginians deserve better.

We are here to solve problems, and if there is a problem with our healthcare system, we should fix it—not upend our system, not hurt those with pre-existing conditions, not get the rid of the prohibition on lifetime caps, and not eliminate  a provision that allows young people to stay on their parents’ insurance.

This is why among the other efforts in our body, I am proud to cosponsor efforts to protect pre-existing conditions and to cosponsor the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Healthcare Affordable Act of 2019.

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Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will encourage courts nationwide to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA). Spanberger spoke out strongly against the administration’s renewed push to dismantle the U.S. healthcare system.

Following the administration’s announcement, Spanberger helped introduce legislation to lower health insurance premiums, protect Central Virginians with pre-existing conditions, and stabilize the ACA. The Spanberger-backed bill would improve and expand healthcare affordability—and the legislation would also strengthen tax credits, improve marketplace stability, and stop insurance companies from selling junk insurance plans.

Background

Spanberger has continued to push for legislative efforts to stabilize the healthcare marketplace and preserve protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Last month, Spanberger urged U.S. House committee leaders to prioritize strengthening the ACA and to build a strategy that increases access to affordable healthcare coverage.

Spanberger is also fighting to lower the high costs of prescription drugs in Central Virginia. Earlier this year, she helped introduce legislation to address the prescription drug affordability crisis. The Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act would allow the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate prescription drug prices within Medicare Part D to help lower costs.

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