On this day, seven years ago, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. I did not have the chance to vote for it then, but today, I will vote to protect the progress it has achieved.
The unfortunate thing about the health care debate, any debate in Washington for that matter, is that the people often get lost in the politics of it.
Too often politicians do a lot of talking and not enough listening.
Since being sworn into the 115th Congress on January 3rd, I have done my best to listen to the people I represent. I tell them we may not agree on everything, but your voice, and your concerns, they matter to me, and I make my best effort to ensure that they walk away from a discussion feeling like they were heard.
I am voting against the GOP’s Health Care plan and it is not a vote I take lightly.
I know that the way the ACA stands today, it needs some work to ensure that it is a truly universal health care system. We need to ensure that premiums go down, that we address the “coverage-gap” that is effecting the state of Florida specifically, and that we address the needs of small businesses trying to insure their employees, while keeping a full staff.
I am committed to working with my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to make the Affordable Care Act work better, but this plan proposed by Republicans doesn’t solve those issues. What it does is immediately threaten the health care coverage of over 65,000 people in my district alone.
People like Sean and Angie, who have six children, five of whom have special needs. One of their children who is deaf was able to undergo surgery to give her hearing in one ear, a surgery they say was not possible before the ACA.
Another one of their children is blind, but because of the ACA she has the possibility of undergoing a cornea transplant. There is no question that under this new plan, their children’s future looks different. They know that a lot of the benefits and services their children receive will be cut completely.
This is what they told me: "We do not get "Handouts", like some in the GOP might accuse us of. We are just trying to make our children's lives better."
This is just one story out of the several hundred I have heard from families who rely on the ACA. For their family, and others, I will vote to protect it.
When I took the Oath of Congress, like the other oaths I have taken in my life, I promised to protect and serve, and I believe this my vote does just that.
U.S. Rep. Val Demings is a congresswoman from Florida's 10th congressional district.
