releases: https://web.archive.org/web/20140301101250/http://orourke.house.gov/media-center/vote-explanations/explanation-of-votes-on-aca
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://web.archive.org/web/20140301101250/http://orourke.house.gov/media-center/vote-explanations/explanation-of-votes-on-aca | Explanation of Votes on ACA | 2013-11-15 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Democrat | House | TX | Beto O'Rourke | O000170 | web.archive.org | legacy | I am deeply disappointed in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare). The incompetence of the website rollout is indefensible and the broken commitment made repeatedly by the President that we could keep the health insurance we had is unfair and undermines the success of this law. El Paso, more than nearly any other community, has a vested interest in making the ACA and our health care system as a whole succeed and that will continue to be my goal going forward. If successfully implemented, the ACA will mean people with preexisting conditions can get quality insurance; it means those who have it will not go bankrupt because they become ill; and it means that many of the 200,000 El Pasoans who currently do not have insurance will be able to afford it. Their health outcomes will be better as a result and the rest of us will not have to pay the cost of covering uncompensated care when these individuals get sick and receive costly emergency room care. However, there is much work to be done to ensure the law works for our community. For example, we have one of the lowest doctor/patient ratios in the country. The ACA does not address this. Nor does it address the fact that El Paso has the longest wait times to see a doctor in the country. These issues, and its impact on small businesses, independently insured individuals and others who may suffer unintended consequences, must be addressed. As part of my efforts to fix the law, I voted for a proposal (Motion to Recommit to H.R. 3350) to allow insurers to offer previously cancelled individual policies that do not meet the ACA’s requirements, including provisions that prevent insurers from dropping coverage when someone becomes ill or capping the amount of coverage the policy provides. This would make good on the President’s promise to Americans that if they like their insurance, they can keep it. I voted no on another proposal, H.R. 3350, which would have opened up these non-compliant policies to everyone, not just those that already had them. This would equal a return to the broken insurance system that the ACA seeks to address. If it became law it would mean that premiums would jump for everyone, including many in El Paso, and it would threaten important reforms, including allowing children to stay on their parent’s insurance until 26 and ending discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. In short, H.R. 3350 threatens the viability of the entire ACA, both the good and the bad parts. That would not just mean a political victory for the law’s opponents, it would mean that the people I represent who are currently insured would be stuck with higher premiums and those who are uninsured would still not be able to gain access to adequate healthcare. I will continue to work with members of both parties to fix the Affordable Care Act and improve health care access for all El Pasoans. I appreciate hearing from all of you who have contacted me to express your opinions, both positive and negative, on the ACA and they will continue to inform my efforts in Congress. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |