Speaking before the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann insisted she has a "duty as a believer in Christ" to repeal the Affordable Care Act before "it literally kills."
"Let's repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens," she said.
Bachmann said "vulnerable" people in society would pay more and get less as a result of the federal healthcare reform law during a speech thanking Texas Rep. Michael Burgess for continuing to fight the legislation.
"I believe, as part of my duty as a believer in Christ and what he has done for me, that we should do for the least of those who are in our midst," Bachmann said. "That's my personal belief and my personal conviction,
After she yielded the floor, Burgess thanked the Republican congresswoman for participating in the discussion.
"You have a way of saying these things that none of the rest of us are capable of," he told her.
Bachmann did not offer specific details on what would lead to deaths, but said mothers and sick children would suffer if they lost coverage previously offered by the father's employer, saying, "Daddy had a job -- his daddy provided health insurance."
She went on to say that those who purchase health insurance through the exchanges established under the federal reform would pay more and get less, but she did not offer figures to back up her assertion.
Just a day before Bachmann made her remarks, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law the health care exchange crafted by lawmakers in Minnesota. During the signing ceremony, officials explained that 1.3 million Minnesotans are expected to use the online website MNsure to purchase insurance policies and access subsidies and tax credits.
About 300,000 Minnesotans who are currently uninsured are expected to find coverage through MNsure, which will be available for use on Oct. 1. Officials said they estimate residents who use the tool will save as much as 34 percent, or about $500 per family, on premiums since insurance companies will have to actively compete for business.
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