WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) released the following statement on his vote against H.R. 45, which would attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  This is the 37th time that the House of Representatives has voted on repealing the ACA since it became law in 2010.

Congressman Peters said, “I was not in Congress when the ACA was passed, and like almost everyone, I recognize that the law is far from perfect.  The ACA does a lot of good to achieve the goal of increased access, like allowing kids to stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26, prohibiting insurance companies from denying children with a pre-existing condition, and closing the prescription drug ‘donut hole’ for seniors.  However, we are far from achieving its other goal – affordability; we must do more to reduce health care costs.

“It is a folly to think this law will actually be repealed in the Senate, or that the President would agree to start again from scratch.  And nobody thinks the health care system prior to ACA was anything but broken.  Now, as Speaker Boehner himself recognized after the election, and after 36 failed attempts to repeal the ACA, the ACA is ‘the law of the land.’  It’s time to stop the politics of pretend solutions like a 37th repeal vote and get Congress to do real work. 

“We need to control increasing health care costs by doing more to support payment incentives for all providers to improve patient care, increase incentives for preventive care and wellness programs, encourage investment in medical innovations and technologies that will lower costs, and increase competition in the system.

“I continue to push to repeal the ACA-created Medical Device Tax, which stifles innovation and hurts San Diego. I also have serious concerns about the effectiveness and implementation of the Health Insurance Tax and the Independent Payments Advisory Board. These are some of the problems, recognized by members on both sides of the aisle, we should be fixing today.

“This week the Department of Defense announced that 650,000 civilian employees would be furloughed. Many families and small businesses in San Diego County will be affected. It is shameful that we spent two days this week on a bill that will never reach the President’s desk when we have real work to do to eliminate the sequester, balance our budget, and make changes to the ACA that will provide immediate relief to families and businesses.”

###