[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16725]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               OBAMACARE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, Kimberly Cates is no stranger to the 
struggles that come with living without health insurance in America. 
She works at a health clinic that treats uninsured Kentuckians. The 
clinic does not provide its employees with health insurance. Over the 
last few years she has racked up $15,000 in medical bills and recently 
filed for bankruptcy. Last week, after a month of considering her 
options, Mrs. Cates signed up for health insurance for the first time 
in many years. The plan will cost $17 a month--I repeat, $17 a month--
and every hospital near her home will accept her new insurance. This is 
the difference ObamaCare is making, and Mrs. Cates is only one example 
of the success of Kentucky's new health insurance exchange created 
under the Affordable Care Act.
  More than 1,000 Kentucky residents have signed up for affordable 
health insurance every single day since the exchange opened, according 
to the Huffington Post, which reported Mrs. Cates' story.
  Across the country, in States such as Kentucky that have opened their 
own exchanges, Americans are signing up for quality, affordable, 
insurance plans, often for the first time in many years.
  The national rollout of the ObamaCare Web site was rocky, to say the 
least. Problems with the site must and will be fixed. But we should not 
lose sight of important victories happening in living rooms and 
libraries and community centers across the country, victories like the 
one Mrs. Cates celebrated last week. ObamaCare is more than a Web site. 
For tens of millions of Americans who have been living without 
insurance, ObamaCare is a lifeline. But rather than work with Democrats 
to fix the problems in this landmark law, Republicans in Washington are 
busy complaining about it instead. Meanwhile, Republican Governors in 
States such as Nevada, Ohio, New Jersey, and Michigan are helping more 
residents of their States access health care by expanding Medicaid 
coverage.
  One Nevada woman contacted my office saying that she is counting the 
days until January, 2014, when her new health insurance plan will take 
effect and she can finally go to the doctor.
  In the past she has been denied health insurance because of a 
preexisting condition, but now she qualifies for a plan she can afford 
under Nevada's Medicaid expansion, led by Republican Governor Brian 
Sandoval. Thanks to ObamaCare, Americans like her can no longer be 
denied insurance because they are a cancer survivor, a woman, a 
diabetic, or had acne when they were younger. That is one of the many 
benefits of this new law.
  Under ObamaCare, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to 
cancel your policy when you get sick or because you are a woman or set 
an arbitrary limit on the care you receive. In Nevada alone, tens of 
thousands of seniors have saved tens of millions on medicine because 
ObamaCare closed the gap in prescription drug coverage.
  More than 3 million young people, including 33,000 young adults, 
stayed on their parents' health insurance plans because of ObamaCare, 
and hundreds of thousands of businesses that already offer their 
employees health insurance are getting tax credits for doing the right 
thing because of ObamaCare.
  A new study shows 17 million Americans have also qualified for tax 
credits to purchase coverage and many more are eligible for Medicaid 
because of ObamaCare.
  Unfortunately, 5 million people living in States that did not expand 
Medicare eligibility are left out in the cold. It is shameful that 
Americans who simply want access to lifesaving medical care will be 
denied insurance for political reasons.
  There is no better example of that than Texas. They have far more 
people who are eligible for Medicaid coverage who will not get it. That 
is unfortunate. We know that healthcare.gov is not perfect. I know that 
ObamaCare is not perfect. But ObamaCare is worth more than a Web site, 
and whenever Republicans are willing to stop complaining and are 
willing to start working to improve the law, Democrats are ready and 
willing to work with them.

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