[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S192-S193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, before I make my remarks, I commend the 
Senator from South Dakota and underscore what the Senator said 
regarding the SKILLS Act passed by the House of Representatives.
  I am the ranking member of the labor subcommittee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions. Six years ago the Workforce Investment 
Act expired in its authorization, and for 6 years it has languished in 
the bowels and in the heart of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives, going unauthorized.
  During that same 6-year period of time between 2008 and today, 
America has experienced terrible unemployment, terrible job loss, 
terrible increases in unemployment, and extensions of that 
unemployment.
  The Senator from South Dakota is exactly correct: If we were doing 
our job and reauthorizing programs in the law today--such as the 
Workforce Investment Act--and training people for the skills of the 
21st century and the jobs of the 21st century, we wouldn't be talking 
about unemployment compensation, we wouldn't be talking about the great 
tragedies of America. We would be talking about America's greatest 
prosperity. So I commend the Senator from South Dakota for pointing out 
what is critically important for us to recognize as Members of the U.S. 
Congress.
  I come to the floor, though, to talk about the Affordable Care Act, I 
will tell a couple real-life stories which came to me by email. But 
before I do, my job is to do what the people of Georgia want me to do. 
I have office hours when I am home. I answer my own phone calls. I try 
to respond to the concerns they have. I try to see that people get 
referred to the right place.
  Since January 1, I have dealt with almost nothing but the Affordable 
Care Act--or ObamaCare--and the consequences of that act, and what 
effect it is having on the American people and the people of Georgia--
and, in particular, on the two great promises used on the floor of this 
Senate to sell that legislation to the American people: One, if you 
like your policy, you can keep it; and, if you like your doctor, you 
can keep him or her. Both were clear, unequivocal promises.
  I will tell two stories today that came to my attention which 
illustrate how it was not true. And these are just two of many stories. 
The first is from Jane.

       Congressman, This is not my story but my friend's story, 
     Steve. . . . He has suffered with multiple myeloma for more 
     than 10 years. This is a disease that usually kills within 5 
     years of being diagnosed. But with the excellent health care 
     he has been able to receive through his health care program 
     he has had access to the Mayo Clinic and a myriad of drugs. 
     Now he has been told that his plan will be cancelled since 
     the plan does not meet the minimum standards set forth in the 
     ACA.
       Now he can no longer continue his treatments because the 
     various plans have deemed the drugs he needs to stay alive as 
     experimental. WOW! Really that is just awful and not enough 
     is being said about this government take over of our lives is 
     affecting those that are critically ill.

  And what about the promise made that if we liked our plan we can keep 
it? Steve doesn't have a plan, but he still has multiple myeloma.
  This story comes about the promise that: If you like your doctor, you 
can keep them. This is from Felicia in Alpharetta, GA, a story I hear 
more and more as I travel my State:

       My husband and I are both currently paying individual 
     health care policies as he currently has a small business and 
     I used to own one. He is on a Kaiser HMO and I am on a PPO 
     with Blue Cross Blue Shield. We have

[[Page S193]]

     both received numerous letters with conflicting information 
     regarding changes to our current policies. We are reasonably 
     intelligent people and yet we cannot figure out what is 
     actually happening with our health care nor do we believe the 
     government has any clue what is happening with this new 
     legislation. Also, in comparing an equivalent Obama care 
     policy to my current policy, I have only 10% of the doctors 
     available in network to what I currently have and of course, 
     my doctors are not in network. Please STOP and REPEAL this 
     ridiculous legislation. I DO NOT SEE ANY EVIDENCE that the 
     government can improve our current health care, only EVIDENCE 
     that it has caused much confusion, created wasted time, 
     wasted money, and driven Americans crazy!

  These are two emails sent to me out of many more I could be reading. 
But it is important for us to understand the impact the Affordable Care 
Act is having on the American people and the people of my State. In 
fact, I will share my personal experience from just over the Christmas 
holidays.
  In December, I enrolled through the DC health care plan to buy my 
health care because all of Congress was moved into the DC health 
exchange to comply with the ObamaCare legislation. I worked hard to try 
and match the same care I had before under plan 105 Blue Cross/Blue 
Shield under the government health care. I couldn't find exactly a good 
enough match of PPO, but I came close--close in everything except 
premium. The premium went up 20 percent. And I think most of the 
American people--certainly people of my age--are realizing the same 
type of experience where premiums are going up and up.
  I would suspect the reason for the Executive order to extend next 
year's open enrollment date beyond the election is in part because the 
administration suspects what I suspect; that is, the realities of less 
enrollment than thought, and fewer young people going into coverage 
than thought is going to mean higher premiums, less access, and less 
affordability.
  But let me share another story which is really poignant. Fortunately, 
I was able to help, but when I found out, it broke my heart. It is a 
story about my grandson Jack and his speech therapist.
  Jack is a great kid, a highly intelligent kid, but had some speech 
problems and so had a special speech therapist named Dr. Tim. Over the 
Christmas holidays I got to meet Dr. Tim, and we were talking about his 
job, what he does as a speech therapist, and about Jack and all of his 
improvements.

  Dr. Tim turned to me and said: I don't want to burden you with my 
personal problems, but my youngest daughter has cystic fibrosis and has 
had it into her teenage years; and I have had health care coverage up 
until a week ago, when I was notified my health coverage would no 
longer pay for the drugs it takes to keep her alive.
  For anybody in this Senate or in America who understands cystic 
fibrosis, it is a terrible debilitating disease of the lungs and people 
never used to live to the age of 21. But because of medicine, health 
care, and breakthroughs in pharmaceutical therapy, people live past the 
age of 21. In fact, we have a Georgian who lived into his 50s before he 
passed from cystic fibrosis. But they cannot live if they don't have 
the pharmaceutical therapy. And there are no substitutes and there are 
no replacements.
  This doctor lost his health care reimbursement for pharmaceuticals 
for cystic fibrosis in part because of the judgments and the 
applicability of the Affordable Care Act. To his credit and to the 
credit of the health care system and the insurance industry, he was 
able to in part replace it but not nearly as close to what he had on 
the policy before.
  These are just a few stories about Americans who are experiencing 
terrible problems because of the change in our health care system.
  The promises we made are not being kept. The promises that were made 
to sell the Affordable Care Act to the American people and to the 
Congress of the United States are not being kept. It is important for 
us to understand that cannot stand. And if what happens next year 
happens as I think it will, costs will skyrocket again for the American 
people, access and affordability will go away or will not be nearly as 
good as it is, and we will have taken a health care system which was 
the envy of the world and turned it into a health care system that is 
the biggest problem in the world.
  I want things to work. I want to help the American people. I want 
them to have access to affordable health care. I want them to have 
access to their doctors and to be able to keep their policy. We need to 
work toward that as we go through the tragedies of the implementation 
in 2014 of the Health Care Act--ObamaCare--which today is America's No. 
1 personal problem for the average American citizen.
  I am grateful for the time, and I yield back the remainder of my 
time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.

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