Insurance plan they would promise would remain intact, and our friends across the aisle claim the coverage been expanded, individuals who never had Quality Health care before is have access. Wish that were two bru but its not. I wish my colleagues and i didnt hear from neighbor after neighbor to accept a. C. A. Insurance who avoids medical care all together because their deductible is hy. But we do hear from them because americans are suffering as insurance providers flea from the not so free market. You see, coverage doesnt mean access to care. We have heard too often that individuals may have Health Coverage but cant use it because their premiums and deductibles are too high because they cant afford the care. What good is the coverage does a woman who has earns 22,000 a year and has 5,000 deductible . What good does it do to say we want to grow the economy and create jobs when american businesses are struggling to keep their doors open due to the Obamacare Mandate . We have witnessed insurers dropping out of the exchanges and seen premiums climbing while consumers are left with less and less choice. Five states have one option and nothing guarantees their residents will keep that much. Obamacare has hijacked the free market and has taken some americans liberties with it. Exchanging freedom, choice, selfdetermination at the hands of big brothers leaves us too often without security. We know obamacare was designed to keep a single payer system inevitable and to the extent a single payer system means a zero choice system, the prophecy is already coming true. Families cant save for retirement or save for a mortgage because premiums suck up their budget. People who want a p. P. O. Cant because their county only offers h. M. O. Plans. Veterans find obamacare has given more federal funding to more abledbodied americans. A young mother who wants to take care of her young son to the Family Doctor postobamacare cant because she cant find a provider that will take their new insurance. Ms. Ivey was work for a Small Business. Their family went to the individual market where a midlevel plan took 65 home runs of her monthly gross income even after small federal subsidy. Unabled to afford insurance through her employer, she returned to the federal exchange where she obtained a plan whether neither her nor her childrens doctors would accept the Affordable Care act destroyed the Insurance Market along with the benefits that competition and innovation offer all of us. The American People deserve better. Obamacare replaced our doctors with bureaucrats because thats what socialized medicine does. And the American Health care act is our last chance to get off the federal ferris wheel before were locked into a Health Care System that takes us nowhere and offers neighbors nothing but heartburn. The American Health care act guts the most egregious provisions of obamacare, rolls back taxes, helps make quality care accessible and affordable. Mr. Speaker, its one of the reasons i came to congress was to repeal and replace obamacare and rein in our nations bloated ballooning entitlement system. The American Health care act does that and for the first time making major reforms to an entitlement program, medicaid. It rolls back the Medicaid Expansion under obamacare, one of the fundamental pillars, and it makes structural changes to the program to makes sure it only goes to the individuals where its intended to help. The American Health care act has states to lets states choose between the per capita cap and increases growth rate to cover disabled and the elderly medicaid populations. The bill enacts patients under reforms and creates a patient and state fund to help stabilize Insurance Markets that have contracted during obamacare. Over the course of the last several weeks, we have worked in this house to strengthen the bill. We have listened to feedback from constituents, neighbors, stakeholders and each other. Importantly, coverage for individuals with preexisting conditions is maintained as a baseline within the bill. N amendment from the macarthur protects individuals with preexisting conditions from being denied coverage. States can seek a waiver. Individuals with preexisting conditions will not be left out to dry. In fact, there are conditions attached to the waiver that ensures states use funds provided by the bill should they receive the waiver to set up highrisk pools for those very individuals. With the addition of the upton amendment, the bill provides 108 billion to help states Fund Programs such as highrisk pools. Mr. Speaker, my home state of georgia has a very different need than california. Thats why i think it makes sense to give states more say in what works for their population. Our plan does this but it do so in a way that ensures protections exist for vulnerable populations. The rule provides for representative mcsallys legislation to ensure members of congress and their staff are treated the same as all americans. I fully support this bill and firmly believe elected officials should be required to live under the same laws as those elected to represent. President trump has made his support of the American Health care act and its strengthening amendments are clear and i stand with him in supporting this legislation to gut obamacare and rescue the American People. Mr. Speaker, average premiums rose by 40 or more in 11 states just this year. The statistics and the stories speak for themselves. We must act to dismantle obamacare and the American Health care act does that. I support the rule before us today to provide further improvements to the bill and look forward to supporting both the rule and the underlying bill. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore does the gentleman half the time to the minority, 30 minutes . Mr. Collins did i in my opening statement, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore so ordered. And the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern well, thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank my friend from georgia, mr. Collins, for the customary 30 minutes. I want to ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks and i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore without objection, and the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. Mr. Mcgovern thank you. Pathetic that is the word to describe this process and this bill. If the American People could sue congress for malpractice, my republican friends would be in deep trouble. How could you do this . How could you do this to the American People . How can you do this to the people you represent . You are taking away essential health care protections. You are allowing Insurance Companies to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions. Youre supporting a bill that will throw 24 Million People off of their health care and cut medicaid by 880 billion to give 1 trillion tax break to the wealthiest people in this country. What is wrong with you guys . Todays rule selfexecutes three of the newest republican amendments to the Republican Health plan. This means without any sort of debate or discussion whatsoever the palmer, macarthur and upton amendment also magically pass the house. What i find so hard to believe about this latest backroom deal is they actually make this bill worse. I didnt think that was bad, mr. Speaker. To shore up support among this chambers most conservative faction, they made a deal with President Trump to gut protections for individuals with preexisting conditions and to eliminate essential Health Benefits like Maternity Care, Mental Health treatment and Prescription Drug coverage, just to name a few. These are among the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care act. And the American People wereably outrage and they showed up to thousands of town halls to express their anger and there were some on the republican side who actually listened. They had the courage to stand up and say no. But when Republican Leaders came up short in their whip count, representative upton ran to the white house and concocted a deal with President Trump to try to win back votes. His amendment adds a measly 8 billion spread out over five years and an attempt to soften the devastating impact this bill will have on millions and millions of americans with preexisting conditions. 8 billion over five years sounds like a lot, but when we are talking about an entire country it really isnt. But dont take it from me. Robert graybois from a conservative center said, and i quote, the 8 billion amount is a pittance spread out over five years. Its a fifth of a pittance, end quote. This is not a leftwing organization. This is an organization founded by the koch industries, the koch brothers. My friends love the koch brothers. Whats more, an additional 2 billion will be needed over the decade to adequately fund highrisk pools. So this amendment is billions upon billions upon billions of dollars short. And as the center for American Progress points out, the upton amendment and let me quote will have almost no effect, end quote. Now, my colleagues who have been won over by this should be ashamed of themselves. Were supposed to fix problems and help people, not merely settle for political cover that could be used in a press release. 8 billion to cover a 200 billion shortfall. Back where i come from we call that being a cheap date. I guarantee you your constituents are going to figure this out and they will not be happy. So to socalled moderate republicans who have contorted themselves this week to try to find a fix to the damage being done to the people with preexisting conditions, i have breaking news. I have a magic bullet fix if republicans really want to protect people with preexisting conditions. Are you ready . Brace yourselves. Dont change the law. Everyone is already protected by the Affordable Care act, including people with preexisting conditions and those who struggle to find Affordable Care. And let me say to my colleagues, to claim or imply that this republican plan covers preexisting conditions is a lie. Plain and simple. Now, let me say a few words about the process thats been used to bring this bill to the floor. It has been a disaster from start to finish with secret negotiations, backroom deals and bribes to buy off factions within the republican conference. There have been no hearings on this bill whatsoever. And the Republican Leadership couldnt even slow down long enough to receive a score from the c. B. O. I have one simple question whats the rush . Wait a week and get a c. B. O. Score. Why is that such a radical idea . Mr. Speaker, are Republican Leaders jamming this bill through to apiece donald trump . Are they concerned that a new appease donald trump . Are they concerned that a new c. B. O. Score will show what is true, that this bill will be devastating to the people of this country, force even more people to lose their health care, especially to older, sick and lowincome americans . Or maybe, mr. Speaker, Republican Leaders are worried their colleagues will go home over the week over this weeklong break and actually hear from their constituents who overwhelmingly oppose this effort to repeal the Affordable Care act. Honestly, i dont know how my republican friends can defend this terrible, closed, authoritarian process. Its an absolute disgrace, so id urge my colleagues to vote no on this bill, or better yet, i urge my republican colleagues to do what they did a couple weeks ago and pull this disastrous bill. With that i reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts reserves his time. The chair will receive a message. Mo mr. Speaker, a message the messenger mr. Speaker, a message from the senate. The secretary mr. Speaker, i have been directed by the senate to inform the senate has agreed to h. J. Res. 66, joint resolution disapproving the rules submitted by the department of labor relating to savings arrangements established by states for nongovernmental employees. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Collins i reserve, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore reserves his time. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, im delighted to yield one minute to the gentleman from kentucky, the distinguished Ranking Member of the committee on budget, mr. Yarmuth. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for one minute. Mr. Yarmuth i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the question every member of congress should be asking themselves today is, who in the world is better off because of todays bill . Its not the 24 Million People the c. B. O. Says will lose their Health Coverage if this bill becomes law. Its not the seniors who will be priced out of the market by an age tax or millions of families that will see their health care gutted by the more than 800 billion cuts to medicaid. Nd its not the 881,000 nonelderly adult 881,000 nonelderly adults in kentucky who will face reduced care. So who is better off . Well, certainly corporations and millionaires who will see nearly 1 trillion in tax cuts from this bill. And at least in their minds, a few republican members who are so desperate for some type of political victory theyre willing to risk the health and wellbeing of their constituents to ram through a bill without hearings, analysis or most alarmingly any sense of morality. Thats the cruel tradeoff my republican colleagues have decided to make. Our families deserve far better. I urge my republican colleagues to exercise better judgment and vote no on this bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from kentucky yields back. The gentleman from massachusetts reserves. And the gentleman from georgia reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, i am not sure my colleagues are aware of this because were moving so quickly here. I want to flag an oped in the hill. She points out in the latest version of this legislation, rape can once again be categorized as a preexisting condition as it often was before the Affordable Care act. Id like to ask unanimous consent to enter her column entitled Health Reform will make sexual assaults sicker. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Mcgovern i yield one minute to the gentlelady from washington, ms. Delbene. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from washington is recognized for one minute. Ms. Delbene this bill hurts middleclass families and disrupts our Health Care System and its only gone from bad to worse. Stripping protection fathers 133 million americans with preexisting conditions isnt just wrong, its inhumane. Nobody should go bankrupt trying to get the medical care they need to stay alive. This isnt about politics. Its about human decency and who were as americans. Its about people like jackie a cancer survivor who said the Affordable Care act saved her life. She wrote to me saying, my cancer recurd but i was covered. I was able to complete my treatments without having to worry about how to put food on the table or being left to die. Because of the a. C. A. , i survived. We all have stories like this in our districts, but some of my colleagues arent listening. I hope they find the courage and the wisdom to vote no on this dangerous legislation. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, im delighted to yield one minute to the gentleman from texas, mr. Castro. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Republicans over the last few months have said that they would fundamentally change health care in the United States. And its clear today that they have. They have made it much worse. I want to highlight one provision that allows for states to permit insurers to get rid of essential Health Care Benefits and charge people more who have preexisting conditions. Think about that for a second. In my home state of texas, the governor and other state leaders have already turned their back on so many people. Allowing foster care children to sleep in state offices. Allowing sex trafficking and Human Trafficking victims to go to jail because there is nowhere else to put them. You should ask yourselves, what will your leaders do . Will they allow insurers to charge you more for preexising condition like diabetes, cancer, and asthma . Do you think and do you trust that they are going to dot right thing by you . Because today do the right thing by you . Because today this plan allows them to abandon you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from georgia. Mr. Collins thank you, mr. Speaker. At this time i think one of the interesting things is discussed is the criticism of this. I think just a reminder, mr. Speaker, what happened seven years ago w