WASHINTGON, DC—Today, the House of Representatives voted to consider legislation to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, the House Leadership was unwilling to allow amendments to preserve key provisions of health care reform, many of which have already taken effect.
Congressman Dave Loebsack, along with Representative Peter Welch, offered an amendment to ensure that if health care reform is repealed, free preventive care for both seniors on Medicare and Americans on private health insurance would be preserved. This provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is already in effect, is key to reducing the long term costs of health care, keeping Iowans healthy, and promoting personal responsibility in maintaining one’s health by eliminating co-pays for preventive care in both private insurance and Medicare. This common-sense amendment was not allowed to come to the House Floor for a vote.
"Eliminating co-pays for preventive care is critical to helping Americans live longer, more productive lives and reigning in future health care costs. By providing free access to preventive care we can work to prevent diseases like breast cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s and allow anyone concerned about their health to check up on it,” Loebsack said. “Unfortunately, the House Leadership refused to allow my common-sense amendment to preserve Iowans’ access to preventive care to come to the Floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. As a result, Americans could be denied access to care that could keep them healthy throughout their lives and a provision that would reduce the future costs of health care for our country could be repealed.”
Loebsack also cosponsored amendments to preserve provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions, allow young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26, extend the solvency of Medicare by an additional twelve years, close the prescription drug “donut hole” for seniors, and maintain tax cuts to small businesses to provide health care to their employees. None of these amendments were allowed to come to the Floor for a vote.
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