{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://degette.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/opening-statement-of-rep-diana-degette-ranking-member-subcommittee-on", "Opening Statement of Rep. Diana DeGette Ranking Member Subcommittee on Health and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations; Joint Hearing on The Affordable Care Act on Shaky Ground: Outlook and Oversight  September 14, 2016", "2016-09-14", "2016", "2016-09", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Diana DeGette", "D000197", "degette.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As Prepared for Delivery\nMr. Chairman, I\u2019m wondering something about the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0 Do you know if it covers treatment for d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu?\u00a0 There seems to be a mass outbreak of that on Capitol Hill when it comes to the ACA; here are some of the symptoms:\nBetween the health subcommittee and the oversight subcommittee on which I\u2019m ranking member, we\u2019ve held over 40 hearings on the ACA since it became law in 2010.\u00a0\nWe have been through six years of repeated votes to repeal and undermine the law.\u00a0\nWe\u2019ve seen any number of Administration officials interrogated by hostile members of Congress about their work to implement the law.\u00a0 These same officials have been the target of countless letters requesting briefings and documentation of every aspect of their work.\u00a0\nDespite the hours and hours spent on these efforts, House Republicans have nothing to show for it.\u00a0\nInstead of conducting good-faith review of the issues followed up by thoughtful, targeted legislation to improve the law -- as Congress did on previous major pieces of legislation like the Medicare Part D program -- this Congress has used its oversight powers to highlight failures while offering no solutions.\u00a0\nAnd today will be more of the same.\u00a0\nWe had two hearings this Congress on the ACA\u2019s state insurance marketplaces.\u00a0 But we will hear again today about how some states struggled to set up exchanges and make them work as efficiently as possible.\u00a0\nWe had a hearing earlier this Congress about the co-ops, and I\u2019m sure we will hear again from the Majority today that many co-ops have failed or are facing challenges.\u00a0\nI\u2019m not denying that these are issues worthy of congressional attention.\u00a0 But what we will not hear from the Majority are meaningful solutions to these challenges\u2014despite the fact that many experts say they exist.\u00a0 More interestingly, I am guessing, we will hear nothing about how the law is reforming the delivery of health care to millions.\u00a0\nHighlighting solutions or making important course corrections requires a willing Congress.\u00a0\u00a0 And at this point, Republicans aren\u2019t willing to admit to the public that that the law has helped millions of people and simply needs fixing rather than being repealed.\u00a0 So far, they\u2019re doing so only in private \u2013 in conversation with me, among others.\u00a0 It\u2019s my hope that after the elections, we can all be more straightforward about what needs doing to get the ACA on the right course.\nIn the meantime, let me take a moment to share just some of the major accomplishments we\u2019ve seen as a result of the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0\nSince the passage of the ACA, the United States has experienced historic reductions in its number of uninsured.\u00a0 The CDC reported last week that the uninsured rate is at a historic low \u2013 the lowest level in four decades.\u00a0 That is an accomplishment.\nSince the passage of the ACA, 20 million previously uninsured Americans now have coverage.\u00a0 This includes millions of young adults who can now stay on their parents\u2019 plans until age 26, which will result in a cost savings for millions of families.\u00a0 That is an accomplishment.\u00a0\nSince the passage of the ACA, with implementation of the marketplaces and Medicaid expansion, more than 12 million additional individuals have been able to enroll in the Medicaid and CHIP programs.\u00a0 That is an accomplishment.\nSince the passage of the ACA and the expansion of Medicaid, uncompensated care costs for hospitals have been reduced by an estimated 7.4 billion dollars.\u00a0 This ultimately saves taxpayers money and helps patients gain access to better care instead of flooding emergency rooms when they get sick.\u00a0 Another accomplishment.\u00a0\nSince the passage of the ACA, the price of health care has increased at the slowest rate in more than half a century.\u00a0 Its increase is now in single digits as opposed to the double digits I remember discussing with this Committee not that long ago.\u00a0 That is an accomplishment.\u00a0\nIn short:\u00a0 the law has benefited millions of our constituents, and this Congress has a duty to share this news with the American people.\u00a0 It is irresponsible to ignore these successes and focus only on the shortcomings that the majority chooses to parade without end.\u00a0\nFinally, Mr. Chairman, everyone in this room knows I am a fervent supporter of Congress\u2019s oversight role, and I am proud of my position as Ranking Member on the Oversight Subcommittee.\u00a0 And I strongly believe that Congress can use its oversight powers to do an immense amount of good.\u00a0\nBut I cannot support the type of oversight we are seeing today.\u00a0 It is not being undertaken for the purpose of finding meaningful solutions to the problems we are uncovering.\u00a0 These ACA hearings only highlight failure without an eye towards fixing a problem or improving the law.\u00a0\u00a0\nI believe the collective staff hours and Member attention we have given to this topic have been a missed opportunity and a sad chapter for this Committee.\nBut I would like to conclude on a more positive note.\u00a0 The Affordable Care Act has made tremendous achievements through its enactment.\u00a0 It has helped millions of hardworking Americans and children get access to care they never had in their lives.\u00a0 But implementing this law and solving this health care challenge has not been easy and this law is not perfect.\u00a0 It has hit snags and will continue to face hurdles.\u00a0\nI hope the role this Committee will eventually play will be not to focus exclusively on failure, but improve the law and also the lives of the millions of Americans who send us here to do our work.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://degette.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/opening-statement-of-rep-diana-degette-ranking-member-subcommittee-on"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8638440631330013, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}