Sen. Kaine to deliver a floor speech against Affordable Care Act this afternoon

At approximately 4:50 p.m. today, Tuesday, Sept 19, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions (HELP) Committee, will deliver a floor speech against the Graham-Cassidy amendment to repeal the Affordable Care Act,.

Kaine said in a news release that the amendment “would make millions of Americans pay more money for less health care and would particularly hurt people who rely on Medicaid including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and people with mental health and substance use disorders.”

Kaine said the Graham-Cassidy proposal will hurt Virginia, slashing Medicaid by an estimated $1.2 billion in the first seven years alone and threatening protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Kaine has participated in this month’s HELP Committee hearings on bipartisan solutions to stabilize the health insurance marketplace and lower premiums.

He and U.S. Senator Tom Carper have introduced a reinsurance bill to stabilize the individual market and lower premiums.

Prior to the failed health care vote in July, Kaine had long called on the Senate to abandon secret negotiations and follow a transparent, bipartisan process by holding committee hearings with doctors, patients, and experts to improve the health care system for all Americans.

Since joining the HELP committee in January, Kaine has been a key voice on efforts to improve the health care system, leading a letter signed by 13 Democrats to Senate Republican leadership asking them to drop outright repeal efforts and work across the aisle, the news release said.