[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 83 (Monday, May 15, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               TrumpCare

  Mr. President, a word on healthcare. As the Senate Republican caucus 
debates what to do on healthcare, they should take a hard look at the 
consequences of the House Republican bill on individual Americans. Last 
week, Senate Democrats met with four Americans who shared their stories 
and explained how they would be hurt by TrumpCare. Because of the furor 
over Director Comey's firing, their voices may have been drowned out. 
So I wanted to repeat a few of their stories.
  We heard from Cindi Johnson from Bloomington, IN, whose daughter was 
born with Down syndrome, a preexisting condition. Ms. Johnson was 
approaching the lifetime coverage limit on her plan when healthcare 
reform was passed, which eliminated the limit. That policy change, as 
well as Medicaid, helped Ms. Johnson and her family climb out from 
under a mountain of medical debt and get the care they needed for their 
daughter. Every parent so much wants to help a child who is sick. That 
might be taken away from the Cindi Johnsons of the world if the House 
bill is passed. Under TrumpCare, States are no longer required to 
prohibit lifetime limits, and Medicaid is cut by $880 billion. Let's 
think of the Ms. Johnsons and their daughters and sons.
  We also heard from Michael Dunkley from Alexandria, VA. Mr. Dunkley 
is a 64-year-old fulltime caregiver for his wife, who has advanced MS. 
In 2013, shortly after being laid off, Mr. Dunkley was diagnosed with 
an aggressive stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but his insurance coverage 
through COBRA was set to expire at the end of the year. Mr. Dunkley was 
able to sign up for insurance on Virginia's marketplace that provided 
coverage despite his preexisting condition. Under TrumpCare, Mr. 
Dunkley could be charged five times or more by the insurance companies 
because he is older. He could also be priced out of insurance because 
of his preexisting condition.
  President Trump and the Republicans promised better and cheaper 
healthcare for everyone, but these Americans and many more like them--
perhaps millions, pretty certainly millions--would be devastated by 
TrumpCare. It is another colossal promise to folks like Mr. Dunkley, 
Ms. Johnson, and her daughter.
  So my Republican friends in the Senate, I hope you will listen to 
these stories and the stories of your constituents saying so many of 
the same things. To take away healthcare from the Johnsons and the 
Dunkleys to give a tax break to the very wealthiest of Americans--
hundreds of thousands of dollars for people who make tens of millions 
of dollars--no American would be for that, but that is what is in the 
bill in the House, and that is where the Republican Senate bill, 
despite all the talk back and forth, is aiming to go.
  My Republican friends here in the Senate, please, listen to these 
stories. Drop repeal. Drop TrumpCare. Work with Democrats on ways to 
improve our healthcare system and bring costs down. We can move forward 
together, or Republicans can move backward on their own.