Before the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) had one prayer.
During Thursday's House Oversight & Government Reform Committee hearing on security issues with the health care law, Cummings described a time he went to the House floor early and sat in the front row.
"I said, 'God, do not let me die before I vote for it,'" Cummings said.
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Cummings pointed to his own district in Baltimore, Maryland, which houses a globally recognized medical center in Johns Hopkins Hospital. He explained that his prayer stemmed from seeing so many sick people outside the facility who were unable to receive treatment inside.
During the same hearing, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner announced that 7.3 million Americans have paid for Obamacare on national and state health exchanges. While that number doesn't reflect the total enrollment tally, due to a computer system issue, Cummings still thanked her team for its role in the progress.
"This is a can-do nation, and we need to definitely do when it comes to the health of every single American," Cummings said.
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