Rep. Kelly Supports ‘Keep Your Health Plan Act’ on House Floor
Rep. Kelly: “Mr. President, just keep your promise.”
WASHINGTON — Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) delivered remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives today in support of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act, of which Rep. Kelly is a co-sponsor. The legislation was passed by a bipartisan majority vote of 261-157.
Rep. Kelly’s remarks:
“I rise in strong support of H.R. 3350. … This is a piece of legislation that protects the people, not a political party, not politicians, not presidents who don’t keep promises.
“This is a letter I got from Melissa and Riley in Pennsylvania, [a mother and daughter] in Hermitage, PA. Riley is a college student paying for her own education. She’s working part time at minimum wage at a local grocery store, paying what she calls ‘an affordable 70 dollars per month’ for health care coverage. Now, because of the Affordable Care Act, her hours at the store have already been cut back. Now, to add insult to injury, she’s been notified by the insurance provider that because of Obamacare, she will be canceled after another year, and that she’s going to be forced to choose a plan that costs triple what she’s paying now.
“Riley’s mom Melissa also sent a letter to our office, a letter of desperation, stating that her health insurance provider – the one she’s always relied on – has now informed her that she will no longer be covered after November 25th. In her letter to our office, Melissa writes: ‘When my daughter or I purchase our own health care in an attempt to be self-sufficient in this country, we are penalized, not rewarded.’
“Mr. President, just keep your promise. I can’t believe for three years we’ve told people, ‘You can keep these policies; you don’t have to worry about it — period. If you liked your doctor, you can keep your doctor — period.’ And now we find out that it was all just talk — and that’s what this country is fed up with. They’re tired of the talk that comes out of Washington. They want to have people start representing them. That’s what we’re here to do — both sides of the aisle, ladies and gentlemen, bother sides of the aisle.
“It’s time to stop the spin. And I really feel sorry for the people who sit in the gallery here. We need to put seatbelts in — this room spins so fast sometimes, it’s hard for them just to walk straight when they walk out of here. But I will tell you what: Our party will continue to commit ourselves to doing what’s right for the American people.”
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