House bill delivers on our promises

Excerpts from House Speaker Paul Ryan’s speech on the House floor in support of the American Health Care Act:

There is a fundamental — and urgent — choice at the heart of this debate. We can continue with the status quo under Obamacare. We know what that looks like. It means even higher premiums, even fewer choices, even more insurance companies pulling out, even more uncertainty, even more chaos.

Look at what has happened in Iowa this week. As is the case in so many areas in this country, Iowa is down to one insurer. That is not a choice.

But now that one insurer is saying it will have to pull out of 94 of the 99 counties in Iowa. So tens of thousands of Iowans will go from one option to no options. That is not a choice. It is a crisis.

What protection is Obamacare if there is no health plan to purchase in your state? This is the direction Obamacare is rapidly heading. So we can continue with this status quo, or we can put Obamacare behind us. End this failed experiment.

Let’s make it easier for people to afford their insurance. Let’s give people more choices and more control over their care. Let’s make insurance companies come in and compete for your business. Let’s return power from Washington to the states. Let’s help people get real peace of mind. Let’s put the patient — not the bureaucrats — at the heart of the system.

This bill does all of these things. It delivers on the promises we have made to the American people. Yes, many of us have been waiting seven years to cast this vote. But many of us are here because we pledged to cast this very vote. To repeal and replace Obamacare. To rescue people from this collapsing law.

Are we going to meet this test? Are we going to be men and women of our word? Are we going to keep the promises that we have made? Or are we going to falter?

After all this — after seeing what is happening in Iowa and around the country — are we going to leave this collapsing law in place, knowing all the turmoil this country will face? My answer is no.

So let’s take the next step to put Obamacare behind us. Let’s pass this bill to build a better health care system for American families. Let’s pass this bill to leave this country better than we found it.