We must protect access to health care for everyone

This week Congress took the first step toward unraveling the Affordable Care Act – landmark legislation that has provided more than 20 million Americans, including more than 30,000 Delawareans, with affordable, reliable and comprehensive health insurance coverage.
 
At the end of a seven-hour series of votes on the Senate floor on Wednesday evening, my Republican colleagues voted to jumpstart the process to repeal the ACA, even though Congress has no plan to replace it for the millions of Americans that rely on the law for basic health services every day. 
 
I voted “no” to repealing the Affordable Care Act. That’s because, if the ACA is repealed before replacement health care legislation is enacted, the uncertainty and drastically slashed funding to states will send shock waves through our economy, do lasting damage to our entire health care system and put American’s lives at risk. In Delaware, it’s estimated that our hospitals would collectively lose more than $1 billion in federal funding. All the while, millions of Americans and tens of thousands of Delawareans will lose Medicaid eligibility and access to the affordable and high-quality health care they rely on.
 
We cannot afford a reckless path that leaves millions of Americans in the lurch and doctors, hospitals, health centers, insurers and states with no recourse. I stand ready and willing to consider changes to our health care system that build on the progress made under the ACA and provide more comprehensive, affordable, high-quality health care coverage to more Americans and their families. And I remain committed to standing up and fighting for the people and families who are concerned about the future of their health care today.

God bless.