[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 72 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2593-S2594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Republican Healthcare Bill

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, House Republicans have revived their 
efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
  As a reminder, the original effort to repeal the Affordable Care 
Act--characterized by some as the TrumpCare bill--was so unpopular that 
it had to be withdrawn from the floor of the U.S. House of 
Representatives. That is because, after the Congressional Budget Office 
took a look, it would have taken away health insurance from 24 million 
Americans.
  Think about that for a moment. The Republican answer to ObamaCare--
the Affordable Care Act--was to remove health insurance protection and 
coverage from 24 million Americans. It would have devastated the 
Medicaid Program. The Medicaid Program, of course, is one that is 
easily characterized as a health insurance program for those who are in 
low-income categories, but that statement doesn't tell the real story.
  For example, in my State, half of the children who are born in 
Illinois are covered by Medicaid. Their mothers and the kids are 
covered by Medicaid. So when it comes to new babies, particularly in 
low-income families, Medicaid provides the prenatal care, delivery, and 
care after the child is born, but the most expensive part of the 
Medicaid Program is the help it gives to senior citizens--mothers and 
grandmothers who are in nursing homes who have only a little bit of 
savings, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid cover their medical 
expenses. The Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act would 
have decimated the Medicaid Program across the United States. It would 
have increased costs for the average person for health insurance by 
$3,000, and particularly for people in upper ages--I guess I fit in 
that category--these folks would have seen a change in the calculation 
of premiums.
  The Affordable Care Act protects premiums so they cannot be more than 
three times the lowest premium for any individual. The Republican 
approach said: Let's make that five times. If it goes up to five times, 
it can mean almost doubling the premiums paid by many senior citizens--
those approaching, I should say, being senior citizens, from 50 to age 
65.
  It also would have cut off funding for women's health centers, all 
while providing a massive tax cut for upper income, wealthy people and 
big businesses, including tax cuts for drug companies. What a deal--to 
eliminate health insurance for 24 million Americans, to devastate the 
Medicaid Program, to increase the cost of health insurance for the 
average individual, to cut off funding for women's health centers in 
order to give a tax cut to wealthy people and drug companies.
  The new bill does all those things as well--and then something I 
didn't think was possible. The new version of the Affordable Care Act 
repeal Republicans are now considering in the House allows insurance 
companies to impose--get this--an age tax and charge seniors 
significantly higher premiums than younger people. It says that 
insurance plans do not have to cover hospital visits, prescription 
drugs, maternity care, substance abuse treatment, or mental health 
services.
  The Affordable Care Act defined these as essential services so, if 
you are buying health insurance, you know you are buying that kind of 
protection. Well, Republicans have said: That is too much insurance for 
people. We ought to let them buy stripped-down versions of health 
insurance that may be cheaper. The obvious question, What happens to 
those people when they need coverage for substance abuse treatment? 
What if that son or daughter in high school begins an addiction to 
opioids, leading to heroin, and now your health insurance plan saved 
you money by not covering it or didn't cover mental health counseling?
  It guts protections for people with preexisting conditions. Is there 
a person alive who doesn't know someone or have someone in their family 
with a preexisting condition? That used to be grounds for denying 
insurance coverage or charging outrageous premiums. We did away with it 
with the Affordable Care Act.
  It is back, my friends, with the new Republican approach to the 
repeal of affordable care. It allows insurance companies to once again 
charge unaffordable premiums if someone in your family has a history of 
asthma, cancer, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
  Republicans made these changes to win the votes of the most extreme 
conservative Members of the U.S. House, the so-called Freedom Caucus. 
What they are fighting for is for freedom from individuals getting 
protection when it comes to healthcare. These changes may appeal to a 
handful of extreme people who conveniently see their health insurance 
policies--their personal policies--protected under their bill, but 
these sorts of approaches don't appeal to anyone in the medical 
community.
  Who opposes the new Republican repeal of the Affordable Care Act? The 
American Medical Association--that would be the doctors--the American 
Heart Association, the American Nurses Association, the American 
Association of Retired Persons, as well as every major medical and 
patient group out there. Every one of them opposes the changes proposed 
by the Republicans in the House to our healthcare system.
  Of course, we have a bottom line that we measure proposals against. 
We go to the Congressional Budget Office, and we say to them: What 
impact will this have?
  No one has sent this bill to the Congressional Budget Office, and no 
report has been given. So we don't know the impact on premiums of this 
new version. What is going to happen to seniors, to middle-income 
families?
  Ramming through a bad bill that will harm Americans just because the 
President wants to have something to say on the 100th day of his 
Presidency is a bad idea. It is time to stop this

[[Page S2594]]

madness. It is time for Democrats and Republicans to sit down and talk 
seriously about improving our current system.
  The Presiding Officer is from the State of Louisiana and is a medical 
doctor. He has joined on the Republican side with Senator Collins of 
Maine to open this conversation. Thank you. We should have this 
bipartisan conversation--not about repeal but repair, what we can do to 
make this better and fairer and more affordable while preserving 
quality healthcare for Americans. Thank you for your leadership in 
this. We have talked about it, and I want to continue the conversation.
  This notion coming over from the House is unacceptable. I hope that 
many people will tell the President and tell those who support it that 
this is no way to celebrate 100 days--by taking health insurance away 
from 24 million people.