[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3624-S3625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Healthcare Legislation

  Mr. President, for the last 7 years, we have heard Republicans in 
Congress campaign on the pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act. For 
7 years they have said: We are going to repeal it and replace it. State 
to State, district to district, like President Trump, they pledged to 
repeal and replace the health reform bill that made access to 
affordable healthcare a reality for millions of Americans.
  One would think--and what I get asked in Vermont is--when they 
campaigned for 7 years that they were going to repeal and replace it as 
soon as they were in power, you would think they would have a plan to 
do that. But it seems there is no plan. Instead, there are a dozen or 
so Republican lawmakers meeting behind closed doors. And they are 
shielded from public view. I don't think any other Members of Congress 
are allowed in their presence--lobbyists, but no Members of Congress. 
They say they have negotiated, finally, a grand plan to repeal the 
Affordable Care Act--and oh, by the way, a plan that makes devastating 
cuts to the Medicaid Program. And they have done this with no hearings, 
no debate, no process, no showing what the cost would be, and no bill. 
They are keeping a tight lid on the decisions they are making for the 
rest of America. What I get asked back home in Vermont is: What are 
they so afraid of? We are about to find out.
  We hear they still intend to bring this yet-to-be-finalized bill to 
the Senate floor very soon under the expedited reconciliation process, 
without even the most basic vetting and transparency. Not only is this 
latest TrumpCare plan that is about to be foisted on the American 
people and on the Senate not ready for prime time; it is not fit for 
prime time. It is really nothing short of shameful.
  Certainly, in my decades here in the Senate, I have never seen 
anything by either Republican or Democratic majorities done like this. 
In fact, I will give you an idea of how it can be done differently.
  When the Democrats were in control, before we passed the Affordable 
Care Act, the Senate held over 100 hearings on the issue. Republicans 
haven't held one. We had over 100 hearings. We had roundtables on 
health reform. Hundreds of amendments were considered by the Senate 
Finance and HELP Committees during an exhaustive markup process, with 
160 amendments by Republican Senators adopted. The process itself 
stretched for so long--more than a year--in the vain hope that 
Republicans would come to the table and stay at the table. In fact, the 
final Senate bill included more than 145 Republican-authored 
amendments, and it was posted for every single person in America to see 
for nearly a week before the Finance Committee marked it up. The same 
can be said for the HELP Committee. Then, more than 160 hours were 
spent on this Senate floor in considering the Affordable Care Act. 
Everybody had an opportunity to speak on it. That is when the Democrats 
controlled the Senate.
  What is happening with the Republicans? Will they have 100 hearings? 
No, they have not had one single hearing, and they are not having any 
debate and not having any process. We don't even know what this is 
going to cost. And as of right now, there is no bill.
  In the House and now in the Senate, this charade boils down to bumper 
sticker politics. It is not a solid, seriously vetted, workable, fair 
and equitable plan or policy. Let's see what happens when you do it 
this way.
  After this bill passed in the House--a bill that no one had read--
even the Secretary admitted he hadn't read it. After it passed and 
people had a chance to see what was in it, what did we find out? That 
23 million Americans were going to lose coverage. And then the 
President proposed a budget that assumes savings from the repeal of the 
Affordable Care Act through big, big cuts to the Medicaid Program.
  Under the House-passed TrumpCare bill, the State of Vermont will 
spend hundreds of millions more on Medicaid to compensate for the loss 
of Federal funds targeted by President Trump and the House Republicans. 
Under the House-passed TrumpCare bill, premiums are expected to rise by 
20 percent. Seniors--many of whom live on fixed incomes--will be 
charged five times more than younger enrollees under the House-passed 
TrumpCare bill. Well, that translates north of $4,400 in increased 
healthcare costs for Vermonters between the ages of 55 and 64.
  Notwithstanding the millions of people being thrown off the list, 
notwithstanding the cuts to Medicaid, President Trump joined 
Republicans at the White House, and he celebrated the House-passed 
bill. He celebrated. He said: Look what we can do with me as President. 
They all applauded, and they were all so happy.
  Then somebody must have finally read the bill. Somebody at the White 
House must have read the bill and actually told the President what was 
in the bill that he was praising. And then,

[[Page S3625]]

in a sudden about-face, he described the House-passed bill as ``mean.'' 
``Mean'' is what President Trump said of the House GOP healthcare plan.
  Some back home may find it a surprise that I could be in agreement 
with President Trump, but do you know what? President Trump is right. I 
am saying it right here on the floor: President Trump is right. The 
House-passed bill that he praised is mean. It is mean because it would 
do so much harm to so many Americans.
  It is untenable. It is unrealistic. And if Senate Republicans think 
they can fix it behind closed doors, they are wrong. We should be 
working together, Republicans and Democrats--together--to improve the 
Affordable Care Act. If there are parts where it is flawed, let's fix 
it. If there are parts where it could be improved, let's join together 
and strengthen it. Let's not double down on Americans at a time when 
their President is turning his back on the very programs that support 
our social safety net. Women and children and low-income Americans and 
small businesses alike are all going to suffer under his plans.
  We 100, as representatives of our constituents--I think we have a 
responsibility to give voice to their concerns. We 100 Senators are 
elected to represent 350 million Americans. We are supposed to be the 
conscience of the Nation. Maybe it is time that each one of us, 
Republicans and Democrats alike, started listening to what Americans 
say about healthcare.
  A family physician from Manchester, VT, wrote to me saying: ``I do 
not support efforts to roll back or eliminate the patient-centered 
insurance reforms established in recent years that prohibit 
discrimination against patients due to their race, gender, health 
status, or geographic location. These reforms matter to the everyday 
lives of our patients.''
  Someone from Brattleboro, VT, wrote: ``I am writing to ask what I can 
do to help stop Medicaid from being changed to the system being 
promoted by the Republican majority.''
  From Jericho, VT: ``I had Hodgkin's lymphoma 3 years ago and was 
fortunate to have insurance to cover most of the roughly $100,000 bill. 
Having had cancer is stressful enough without constantly worrying about 
severe financial consequences if it strikes again.''
  From Bennington, VT: ``Being patient-centered means we put the 
patient first. As a physician and advocate for my patients, I do not 
want any of them to be hurt by the actions Congress takes or fails to 
take.''
  And then from Manchester Center, VT: ``I will be one of the [20 
million] people to lose their health insurance when the Trump 
administration almost certainly repeals the ACA in a few months. Tax 
credits will not help me to regain it.''
  And from the small town of Sandgate, VT: ``My son has a chronic 
illness that, without our insurance, would cost $1,000 per month in 
prescriptions alone. That doesn't even cover the regular checkups. 
Right now he is covered, but, as I'm sure you remember from when you 
first got out of college or high school, we know that he may not have 
as good coverage when he gets out on his own. The Republican plan is a 
death sentence for him.''
  The Republican plan is a death sentence for him.
  These are real people. These are real stories about their lives, and 
I am willing to guess that there are similar people in virtually every 
State in this country with more stories like these.
  This isn't a political campaign. This is about life and death and 
access to healthcare. For these Vermonters and for millions of 
Americans across the country, the decisions we make here will have 
consequences--real consequences in their lives. Every Senator should 
think about that before we hastily undo years of progress to increase 
affordable access to healthcare for millions of Americans.
  The Republican majority, led on, cheered on by President Trump, 
passed a bill which would take so many millions of people off of 
healthcare. It would devastate Medicaid. It would make it so much more 
difficult for people to get healthcare. Then the bill they fought so 
hard to pass, the bill they cheered on, the bill they celebrated in the 
Rose Garden with President Trump, finally, somebody read what they 
passed. What a novel idea. They had all voted on it. They had all gone 
home. The President had praised them. I remember the pictures of them 
beaming in the praise of the President. Well, somebody finally read the 
bill and told the President, and he said that bill is ``mean.'' The 
House GOP healthcare plan--that bill is ``mean.''
  Well, I agree with President Trump, but you know what they are 
pushing now--he and his administration--the Senate bill; yet nobody has 
seen the Senate bill. Nobody knows how many people are being cut off 
the roll. Nobody knows how many people are going to be without 
healthcare. Nobody knows how large the cuts will be to Medicaid. Nobody 
knows how much our 50 States are going to be hurt by it. Nobody knows 
which millions of Americans--good, hard-working, honest Americans--are 
going to lose healthcare in the wealthiest, most powerful Nation on 
Earth.
  Will that be celebrated? Then, after it is passed, will somebody at 
the White House whisper to the President: The Senate bill is pretty 
mean, too. The Senate bill is pretty mean, but by golly, we got it 
passed. We had it on our bumper stickers that we would, and we got it 
passed. We are wealthy. We will have our healthcare. Too bad for those 
tens of millions of Americans who won't.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.