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2.21.17 -- ACA rally/presser with SEIU

REMARKS
Good morning.
Good health care is a basic human right. I have always believed this and when President
Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, I felt we had, as a nation, recognized this
simple fact.
And lets be very clear: We know that the ACA has been a monumental success.
We know that tens of millions of people among them our friends and neighbors -- who
were uninsured just a few short years ago now have access to quality health care.
And we all know that our core belief -- that everyone is entitled to health care is under
attack.
During the Obama presidency, the House Republicans voted more than 60 times to repeal
the ACA. President Trump and his allies in the House and Senate keep talking about repeal.
They talk about replace. And the most giving among them may do us the huge favor of
simply referring to revise.
So lets ask a couple of questions:
Do they want to return to the days of insurance companies denying coverage due to
pre-existing conditions?
Will those of us who have adult children -- many of whom are buried in college-
related debt -- be able to keep them on our policies until they turn 26?
Should we force people in need back into the emergency rooms for the most basic
healthcare needs?
About 480,000 of our Cook County residents are covered under various ACA plans.
And about 140,000 of those are covered under our own CountyCare Medicaid expansion
managed care plan. Many of them were uninsured and under-insured prior to the ACA.
Repealing the ACA or dramatically changing the Medicaid eligibility criteria would likely
have a devastating impact on CountyCare. Youll hear more from Dr. Shannon in a
moment.
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Repealing, without a reasoned or deliberate approach to fixing whatever perceived

shortcomings there are in the ACA, would introduce chaos into our broader health care
system.
The ACA has changed the face of healthcare. It has had a positive impact on our
communities and our economy, and most importantly it has provided dignity to the
patients we serve.
Many of us take our health insurance for granted, yet millions never knew that security.
For too long, too many of our neighbors have relied on emergency rooms for healthcare
because they had no alternative.
So today, it is perfectly reasonable to ask those who would destroy a system that has done
so much for so many Whats Your Plan?
We cannot and should not go backwards. We must protect this basic human right.
Thank you.
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