[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 22, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REPEALING AND REPLACING OBAMACARE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have all seen the headlines. We have 
all heard the heartbreaking stories. We have all watched as health 
insurance markets have edged closer to collapse, and we have noticed a 
common theme. ObamaCare is failing in Kentucky and around the country.
  In my home State, insurance premiums increased by up to 47 percent. 
As insurers flee the market, nearly half of the counties in my State 
have only one option for an insurer on the exchange.
  Many families' deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses have 
skyrocketed to a point that their plans are too expensive to actually 
use. In other words, they have health insurance but not necessarily 
healthcare. The legacy of ObamaCare is one of increased costs, 
diminishing choices, and broken promises.
  In four elections in a row, Kentuckians have overwhelmingly rejected 
this failed law. The pain caused by ObamaCare is real for millions of 
Americans. Listen to this small business owner from Versailles. She 
wrote to my office asking for relief. Here is what she said: ``The 
first year of ObamaCare, our monthly premiums tripled,'' she wrote, and 
now, ``our current plan will be discontinued . . . at the end of the 
year.''
  ``This is prohibitive for us. We are getting desperate and 
discouraged.''
  Unfortunately, stories like hers are hardly unique--not in Kentucky 
and not across America--because too many are suffering under ObamaCare. 
ObamaCare is a direct assault on the middle class, and it will continue 
to get worse unless we act.
  Both in Congress and in the administration, we are working to fulfill 
our commitment to the American people. We remain committed to the 
repeal and replacement of ObamaCare with healthcare policies that 
actually work. When the House finishes its work on ObamaCare repeal 
legislation, I look forward to taking it up here in the Senate. The 
administration will continue working to deliver relief and stabilize 
health markets, as well. Americans are ready for a better way forward 
after the failure of ObamaCare, and I would urge all of my colleagues 
to work together so we can deliver it.

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