Today, Congressman Steve Rothman (NJ-9) voted against a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which passed the House by a vote of 244-185. Congressman Rothman released the following statement:
I continue to be shocked and disappointed that at a time when millions of Americans remain out of work, Republicans in the House are wasting time with their 31st attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Republican legislation we consider today has no chance of passing the Senate, or being signed into law by President Obama. It is a politically motivated and misguided attack on a law which has made historic gains for millions of Americans to date and tens of millions more in the future -- a law that the Supreme Court rightfully upheld.
The Affordable Care Act has made marked improvements in the lives of my constituents. Already, millions of Americans are receiving important benefits from the new law: insurers can no longer abandon people when they get sick, up to 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health coverage, 6.6 million young adults can remain on their parent's insurance policy until their 26th birthday, and 5.3 million seniors who find themselves in the Medicare "donut hole" coverage gap are receiving 50% discounts on their prescription drugs. When the law is fully enacted in 2014, 30 million uninsured American citizens will have access to affordable health insurance, with many millions more enjoying more affordable health care than they have today. Our nation cannot afford to go backwards on health insurance reform.