[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REPEALING AND REPLACING OBAMACARE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now on another matter, let me begin 
with a statement of the obvious. ObamaCare is a disaster, an absolute 
disaster. Just one in five Americans say their families are better off 
since it went into effect. More actually say they are worse off. And, 
really, is it any wonder?
  Americans were promised that costs would go down, but in fact they 
skyrocketed. Americans were promised choice, but it shriveled. We have 
been warning that choices would continue their downward decline under 
the ObamaCare status quo, and that is just what we saw this very week. 
One large national insurer announced it was being forced from the 
marketplace altogether--meaning thousands, including many in Kentucky, 
will lose their current health plans, thanks to ObamaCare.
  The CEO of another major insurer predicted more insurers would soon 
follow--meaning thousands could find themselves without a single choice 
of health coverage, thanks to ObamaCare. This partisan law has entered 
a ``death spiral,'' the CEO warned, and ``it is not going to get any 
better; it's getting worse.''
  This should be a wake-up call to the do-nothing crowd on the left. 
ObamaCare isn't working. It isn't sustainable, and it is going to 
continue attacking the middle class until it is repealed and replaced.
  We have already begun the process here in Congress. We are going to 
continue working hand in hand with the administration to get it done. 
In the meantime, there is much the administration can do to help bring 
calm out of the chaos from ObamaCare's broken promises. That is 
especially true of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who 
was finally confirmed after weeks of unprecedented obstruction from 
across the aisle.
  We saw a great example yesterday of what he can do to help stabilize 
the insurance market and protect consumers. The commonsense reforms he 
issued can help put downward pressure on costs and help prevent the 
fraud and abuse that ultimately hurt everyone. I commend him for taking 
these important first steps. They will help provide relief for 
Americans as broader efforts are made to address the underlying 
concerns with ObamaCare.
  The status quo on ObamaCare is simply unsustainable. Congress will 
continue working to repeal and replace it with commonsense, step-by-
step reforms. As we do, I hope the administration will continue using 
its existing authority to protect Americans from the unnecessary harm 
of this broken law.

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