[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 79 (Monday, May 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        American Health Care Act

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, last week our colleagues in the House 
made a first necessary step to delivering on our promise to repeal and 
replace ObamaCare and to restore individual choice for a health 
insurance product that people choose that fits their actual needs, 
rather than one mandated by Washington, DC. They passed the American 
Health Care Act, a bill that provides relief to Americans all across 
the country. With the passage of the AHCA in the House, we have a way 
forward to do away with government mandating one-size-fits-all 
healthcare.
  Now that the House has passed this legislation, it is up to the 
Senate to do our job and to keep our promises. To be specific, the 
promise President Obama made when the Affordable Care Act was passed--
actually, he made many promises multiple times--proved not to be true. 
So in many ways, when President Obama promised that if you like what 
you have, you can keep it; that if you like your doctor, you can keep 
your doctor; that if you like your plan, you can keep your plan--none 
of that was true, we have now learned.
  I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that ObamaCare--the 
Affordable Care Act--was sold under false pretenses. So it is up to us 
to restore individual choice for healthcare products that people want 
that fit their needs, not one they buy because the government is 
holding a gun to their heads or threatens to penalize them unless they 
observe the government mandate to buy that healthcare.
  You know, one of the biggest reasons for passing ObamaCare given at 
the time, back in 2010, was the number of uninsured in the country. 
Well, the fact is, there are still 30 million people uninsured under 
ObamaCare even though it has been the law of the land for the last 7 
years.
  I believe we can and we must do better to deliver affordable care 
that people choose, that meets their individual needs, and not 
healthcare they buy simply because the government is coercing them into 
doing so. We will work together with all of our colleagues who are 
willing to work with us. If that means Republicans are going to be 
working with 52 Republicans to get this bill passed, we will get it 
done and we will get it passed. Ideally, though, it would be better if 
our Democratic colleagues work with us. But so far, they have 
steadfastly refused to work with us even though they know that 
ObamaCare is in shambles and that people are finding they can't find an 
insurance company where they live because insurance companies are 
pulling out of those individual markets because they are simply losing 
too much money or people who can buy ObamaCare policies in the 
individual markets are finding that their premiums are going through 
the roof and that the deductibles are unaffordable, thus effectively 
leaving them without effective coverage.
  Even though our Democratic colleagues know that ObamaCare is melting 
down and is not serving the public the way they promised it would or, 
in fact, is a positive harm to them because of unaffordable premiums 
and deductibles, still, so far they are standing on the sidelines and 
unwilling to participate in this process. I hope that changes at some 
point in the near future in the interests of the people we represent 
all across the country.