EC from DC - July 19,2013

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I recently got the opportunity to get a firsthand look at the progress taking place at the once abandoned Bancroft School inside Kansas City's Green Impact Zone (GIZ). GIZ is a 150-square-block area in the heart of Kansas City undergoing a massive transformation. An important part of that is the $14 million makeover underway at Bancroft, in cooperation with Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation, and many others.

The building is slated to open in November of this year, and will offer 50 LEED Platinum affordable apartments, a gymnasium, office space, youth and senior activities, job training, financial counseling, and wellness services.

The school was built in 1909 and closed in 1999. This project marks a very unique public-private partnership to reinvest and reinvigorate the neighborhood. Not only is this project creating new jobs, and helping to keep people on the job, it is also revitalizing a pride in and hope for the entire area.

This week, for the 38^th time, the House of Representatives spent this week voting to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act.

Again and again we are focusing on something that has no hope of going anywhere. Instead of creating jobs, growing the economy, and strengthening the middle class, we are wasting time on a misguided effort to dismantle a program that is helping millions of people across the country.

I want to share with you new numbers that outline specifics on the hundreds of thousands in Missouri's Fifth District already benefiting from the Affordable Care Act.

This analysis was prepared by the Minority staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and shows the following for Missouri's Fifth District:

• 6,900 young adults now have health insurance through their parents' plan.
• More than 7,500 seniors in the district have received prescription drug discounts worth $9.7 million, an average discount of $580 per person in 2011, $640 in 2012, and $900 so far in 2013.
• 112,000 seniors are now eligible for Medicare preventive services without paying any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles.
• 195,000 individuals, including 42,000 children and 81,000 women, now have health insurance that covers preventive services without any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles.
• 143,000 individuals are saving money due to ACA provisions that prevent insurance companies from spending more than 20% of their premiums on profits and administrative overhead.
• Up to 43,000 children in Missouri's Fifth District with pre-existing health conditions can no longer be denied coverage by health insurers.
• 233,000 individuals now have insurance that can't place lifetime limits on their coverage and will not face annual limits on coverage starting in 2014.
• Up to 125,000 individuals who do not have health insurance will have access to quality, affordable coverage without fear of discrimination or higher rates because of a preexisting health condition.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is about lower costs and better coverage. It's that simple. From young adults to seniors to children with pre-existing conditions, people in my district are saving money, receiving critical protection, and finally getting some peace of mind when it comes to health care.

They gathered in front of my office in Kansas City, chanting, holding posters, and hoping to create an awareness about the negative impacts of chained CPI (Consumer Price Index) on Social Security. The Alliance for Retired Americans brought close to 100 people to rally support for their effort and I was pleased to receive a "Retiree Hero Award" from the group - for a 100% score in standing up for retired Americans.

The CPI is a formula that analyzes how common prices for certain items, like food, change over time. The chained CPI is a slightly different formula that assumes consumers will switch to lower priced items as prices of other items increase. As a result, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for Social Security, using the chained CPI mean fewer dollars. There is no doubt that we must get our fiscal issues under control in this country, but doing so on the backs of our retirees, by using chained CPI, is not the way to go.

I was so pleased to welcome 90-year-old Loyse Adell McClunie and her family to Washington recently. The McClunie family had a reunion in the nation's capital to celebrate Loyse's birthday. She tells me she is thrilled to finally see the White House and the Capitol. She also says she is extremely blessed to have come so far, from her days of picking cotton as a child, and her family's struggle just to afford food. It was a reunion filled with new sights and sounds, while surrounded by the love of family. Happy Birthday Loyse.

I see it time and time again. No matter what happens, or lately, what doesn't happen, in Congress, we always blame the other political party. Even if our caucus or our conference blew it, our "talking points" blame the opposition. It reminds me of a story.

A Member of Congress, having some concerns, made an appointment to see a psychiatrist. On the day of the appointment, the Member walked into the psychiatrist's office with half of a hollowed out watermelon on his head, like an army helmet. In each nostril, was a Spanish olive. When the psychiatrist saw him, he thought, "this is going to be one for the text books." Watermelon on his head, olives in his nose, the Member sat on the couch and said, "Doc, I've got to talk to you about a colleague who I think has a serious problem."

The United States Congress can sometimes be like this. Despite our own actions, we point the finger at someone else and declare "them" to be the only problem. It was my fellow Missourian, Mark Twain, who said, "…in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane."