Congresswoman Shea-Porter Votes against Plan to Repeal the Affordable Care Act, Introduces Amendment to Preserve ACA Protections for Seniors and Americans with Disabilities

Washington, D.C. –  Today, Congresswoman Shea-Porter voted against House Republicans’ plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without even a replacement plan. In an attempt to protect some of the people who will be harmed, Shea-Porter submitted an amendment to protect seniors and those with disabilities.

“Today’s vote by House Republicans sets in motion a dangerous and irresponsible plan to strip health care coverage from millions of Americans, including 118,000 people in New Hampshire. They broke their promise to American families – there is no replacement. New Hampshire families deserve better: Congress should work to build on the progress we’ve made so far, making health care more accessible and more affordable, instead of going back to the days before the ACA, when thousands of Granite Staters were locked out of coverage.

I am also profoundly disappointed that the Republican leadership in the House rejected my attempt to protect seniors and those with disabilities. Speaker Ryan is using procedural gimmicks to force repeal legislation through the House and destroy what we have accomplished: coverage for people with preexisting conditions, Medicaid expansion, adequate coverage for women and seniors, and no-cost preventive health care screenings and services. Protections for millions of Americans are being jeopardized for political purposes,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter.

Shea-Porter’s amendment stated that nothing in the Budget Resolution should allow for the denial of care based on patient age or disability. Unfortunately, the Rules Committee refused to allow the House to vote on this common-sense proposal to protect our seniors and those with disabilities.

Shea-Porter has been a fierce advocate for keeping and improving the health care law. She successfully led the fight to close the Medicare Part D doughnut hole and save seniors thousands on prescription drug costs. While the House has voted repeatedly to destroy the law’s critical protections for all Americans, Shea-Porter has consistently voted to improve the law instead.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act would strip coverage from 118,000 people in New Hampshire, and 13,000 people in the state could lose their jobs. In New Hampshire, the ACA:

• Required insurance providers to cover the 600,000 New Hampshire residents with preexisting conditions
• Lowered the uninsured rate by 43%
• Saved seniors an average of $1,047 on prescriptions
• Provided substance abuse treatment services for 7,500 people
• Covered 9,000 young adults on their parents’ health insurance

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