119,660 African Americans are uninsured: In Dallas County, 23.8 percent of African Americans are uninsured placing it in the 16th percentile among all counties in the nation.vi High rate of diabetes: Dallas County has a rate of diabetes prevalence that is more than 13 percent higher than the national average, at 9.4 percent of the population.vii High rate of heart disease: Dallas Countys heart disease mortality rate of those under age 75 is 71.0 per 100,000 people 8 percent above the national average.viii High rate of stroke: Dallas Countys stroke mortality rate of those under age 75 is 14.9 per 100,000 people 26 percent over the national average.ix
Reps. Jeb Hensarling, Kenny Marchant, Michael C. Burgess, and Pete Sessions
Reps. Hensarling, Marchant, Burgess, and Sessions have been wasting time playing political games to try and repeal health care 144 times without even a plan to replace it.x And even though their constituents would benefit from the law, Reps. Hensarling, Marchant, Burgess, and Sessions keep trying to sabotage the law from working: Rep. Hensarling: Mr. Speaker, you cannot improve the health care of a nation by impoverishing its children. The American people dont want it. It's personal.xi Rep. Marchant: This approach is wrong, as all Americans should be exempt from this disastrous health care law.xii Rep. Burgess: Make no mistake about it: its bad from start to finish.xiii Rep. Sessions: Im pleased that House Republicans acted today to dismantle ObamaCare piece-by-piece while we continue to fight for a full repeal.xiv Democratic Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson and Marc Veasey, who also represent Dallas County, recognize that Obamacare is the law of the land and that its their job to make sure it works for their constituents and that they understand how to take advantage of its benefits: Marc Veasey: I believe all Americans deserve access to quality and affordable health care. I am committed to ensuring the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is fully carried out and that constituents in the 33rd District receive needed care and services to lead productive and healthy lives. xv Eddie Bernice Johnson: Over the past three years, my constituents have already been seeing lower costs and better coverage.xvi
Ibid. Ibid. iii Ibid. iv Ibid. v Census Bureau, "American Community Survey," 3-year estimates 2008-2010. Accessed using American Fact Finder: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml (last accessed July 2013). vi Ibid.
i ii
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Interactive Diabetes Atlases, 2009, http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/atlas/ (last accessed July 2013). viii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke Tables, 3 -year estimates 20082010, http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DHDSPAtlas/reports.aspx (last accessed July 2013). ix Ibid. x Based on internal calculations of 39 separate roll call votes to repeal, defund or otherwise dismantle the Affordable Care Act from January 1, 2011 through July 17, 2013. This includes one voice vote for which no recorded vote was taken. xi Jeb Hensarling, Hensarling on Obamacare: Lets repeal it today, replace it tomorrow, 21 January 2011, http://hensarling.house.gov/news/press-releases/2011/01/hensarling-on-obamacare-lets-repeal-it-today-replace-ittomorrow.shtml (last accessed July 2013). xii Kenny Marchant, Marchant Votes for Full Repeal of Obamacare, 16 May 2013, http://marchant.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=334333 (last accessed July 2013). xiii Michael Burgess, People Wont Know How Bad Obamacare Is Until 2014, 21 March 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUwiPlefC0E (last accessed July 2013). xiv Pete Sessions, All Americans Deserve Relief from Obamacare, 17 July 2013, http://sessions.house.gov/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2f27214e-1a2c-43d6-98b2-0df21b78cc6c (last accessed July 2013). xv Marc Veasey, What Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Means for TX -33, http://veasey.house.gov/resources/health-care (last accesses July 2013). xvi Eddie Bernice Johnson, Statement, 19 July 2013, http://ebjohnson.house.gov/press-releases/congresswoman-eddiebernice-johnson-releases-statement-highlighting-the-benefits-of-the-affordable-care-act-for-the-30th-congressional-district/ (last accessed July 2013).
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