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

As Prepared for Delivery

Mr. Chairman, I’m wondering something about the Affordable Care Act. Do you know if it covers treatment for déjà vu? There seems to be a mass outbreak of that on Capitol Hill when it comes to the ACA; here are some of the symptoms:

Between the health subcommittee and the oversight subcommittee on which I’m ranking member, we’ve held over 40 hearings on the ACA since it became law in 2010.

We have been through six years of repeated votes to repeal and undermine the law.

We’ve seen any number of Administration officials interrogated by hostile members of Congress about their work to implement the law. These same officials have been the target of countless letters requesting briefings and documentation of every aspect of their work.

Despite the hours and hours spent on these efforts, House Republicans have nothing to show for it.

Instead 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.

And today will be more of the same.

We had two hearings this Congress on the ACA’s state insurance marketplaces. But we will hear again today about how some states struggled to set up exchanges and make them work as efficiently as possible.

We had a hearing earlier this Congress about the co-ops, and I’m sure we will hear again from the Majority today that many co-ops have failed or are facing challenges.

I’m not denying that these are issues worthy of congressional attention. But what we will not hear from the Majority are meaningful solutions to these challenges—despite the fact that many experts say they exist. More interestingly, I am guessing, we will hear nothing about how the law is reforming the delivery of health care to millions.

Highlighting solutions or making important course corrections requires a willing Congress. And at this point, Republicans aren’t willing to admit to the public that that the law has helped millions of people and simply needs fixing rather than being repealed. So far, they’re doing so only in private – in conversation with me, among others. It’s my hope that after the elections, we can all be more straightforward about what needs doing to get the ACA on the right course.

In the meantime, let me take a moment to share just some of the major accomplishments we’ve seen as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

Since the passage of the ACA, the United States has experienced historic reductions in its number of uninsured. The CDC reported last week that the uninsured rate is at a historic low – the lowest level in four decades. That is an accomplishment.

Since the passage of the ACA, 20 million previously uninsured Americans now have coverage. This includes millions of young adults who can now stay on their parents’ plans until age 26, which will result in a cost savings for millions of families. That is an accomplishment.

Since 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. That is an accomplishment.

Since 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. This ultimately saves taxpayers money and helps patients gain access to better care instead of flooding emergency rooms when they get sick. Another accomplishment.

Since the passage of the ACA, the price of health care has increased at the slowest rate in more than half a century. Its increase is now in single digits as opposed to the double digits I remember discussing with this Committee not that long ago. That is an accomplishment.

In short: the law has benefited millions of our constituents, and this Congress has a duty to share this news with the American people. It is irresponsible to ignore these successes and focus only on the shortcomings that the majority chooses to parade without end.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, everyone in this room knows I am a fervent supporter of Congress’s oversight role, and I am proud of my position as Ranking Member on the Oversight Subcommittee. And I strongly believe that Congress can use its oversight powers to do an immense amount of good.

But I cannot support the type of oversight we are seeing today. It is not being undertaken for the purpose of finding meaningful solutions to the problems we are uncovering. These ACA hearings only highlight failure without an eye towards fixing a problem or improving the law.

I 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.

But I would like to conclude on a more positive note. The Affordable Care Act has made tremendous achievements through its enactment. It has helped millions of hardworking Americans and children get access to care they never had in their lives. But implementing this law and solving this health care challenge has not been easy and this law is not perfect. It has hit snags and will continue to face hurdles.

I 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.