[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               OBAMACARE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, families across the country have been 
hurt by ObamaCare's rising costs and limited choices, and we continue 
to hear the stories from constituents back home.
  My own home State of Kentucky was once championed as a success story 
by ObamaCare supporters. That is hardly the case today. Too many 
Kentuckians are watching their insurance premiums grow higher and 
higher. They are struggling to meet deductibles so high that their 
insurance is almost useless. They are watching their friends and 
neighbors lose their plans or access to family doctors. They sit around 
the kitchen table and try to budget for their family's future. They 
know one thing for sure: The promises of ObamaCare have failed them.
  ObamaCare promised lower costs, but premiums have skyrocketed. It 
promised families could keep their plans or doctors, but many have seen 
their options, in fact, limited. Kentuckians want to see lower costs, 
more choices, and better care. But after 7 long years of rising costs 
and diminishing options, ObamaCare has not delivered, and the people of 
Kentucky are demanding change. They have been loud and clear in their 
distaste for ObamaCare.
  Like other Members here, I have received letters, emails, and phone 
calls. I have met with constituents directly who are feeling the pain 
of higher costs and fewer choices.
  Consider this mom in Kentucky. She is facing a higher cost of health 
insurance, and she literally doesn't know what to do. Here is what she 
said:

       My family is being pushed out of the middle class by the 
     ObamaCare law. How can we pay almost $1,200 a month on health 
     insurance?

  Listen to this veteran and father from Louisville. After his plan was 
discontinued, he tried to buy insurance through ObamaCare, only to find 
that his children's pediatrician wouldn't accept it. This dad worries 
that unless something is done, he will be ``one of thousands of 
Kentuckians that will find that they do not have insurance options.''
  I have heard from many constituents expressing similar frustration, 
disappointment, and anger about the outcomes of ObamaCare. They 
expected the law to deliver on its promises, but, instead, they paid 
more and received less.
  This year the cost of insurance premiums in Kentucky spiked up to 47 
percent. These price increases are a direct result of instability 
injected into the market by ObamaCare. Families across Kentucky are 
scrambling to find ways to fit the extra expenses into their budgets.
  To make matters worse, the choices that families once had for health 
insurance continue to disappear. Nearly half of the counties in 
Kentucky only have one option for a health insurance provider on the 
exchange, and, when there is only one choice, there is really no choice 
at all.
  For the people of Kentucky and for people across the country, repeal 
means relief. The time to act is now.
  However, our friends on the other side of the aisle are doing 
everything they can to stop us from fulfilling our promise to help the 
American people. Instead of continuing to push their political agenda, 
I urge them to help us. I ask them to listen to the American people, 
who are demanding change. A recent Gallup poll showed that 8 out of 10 
Americans wanted to see ObamaCare significantly changed--significantly 
changed--or completely replaced.
  It is time to admit it. ObamaCare has failed. This partisan 
experiment is hurting more than it is helping. It is time to finally 
move past it and replace it with something that works. The repeal 
resolution is the first step to bring relief to hardworking Americans 
and to prevent health insurance markets from imploding. Next, we need 
to work together to replace ObamaCare with health care policies that 
actually work for families. Once we repeal ObamaCare, we can use the 
stable transition period to deliver on another promise.
  I would encourage colleagues on both sides to offer their input as we 
work to lower costs, increase choices, and promote better care. But one 
thing is certain. Republicans will continue to follow through on our 
promises and act on behalf of our constituents to bring relief from 
ObamaCare.

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