[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4749]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               OBAMACARE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, this is another day and another report 
highlighting how ObamaCare is helping Americans.
  Today's proof comes from a Gallup poll which finds that 9 out of 10 
Americans report having health insurance.
  Here are a few excerpts from the Associated Press article about this 
poll: ``. . . underlining a change across the nation, nearly 9 out of 
10 adults now say they have health insurance, according to an extensive 
survey released today.''
  The Gallup poll ``found that the share of adults who lack [health] 
insurance dropped to 11.9 percent for the first three months of this 
year, the lowest level since the survey began its tracking in 2008.''

       Coverage gains from 2014-2015 translate to about 3.6 
     million fewer adults uninsured since the fall. . . . ``The 
     Affordable Care Act had three major objectives: increase 
     coverage, slow the rate of increase in costs, and improve 
     health''. . . . ``The first one is a clear win. Coverage is 
     increasing; there is no question about it.''

  ``On balance, an estimated 14.75 million adults have gained coverage 
since the fall of 2013, when the law's first open enrollment season was 
about to begin.''
  The survey also found that ``Hispanics saw the biggest coverage gains 
of any ethnic or racial group. At a time when Republicans are very 
keenly trying to court the Hispanic vote, a large chunk of Hispanics 
are gaining insurance via the Affordable Care Act.''

       Recent gains in coverage have benefited people up and down 
     the income ladder. But the most notable improvement has been 
     among those making less than $36,000 a year, a group that 
     traditionally struggled to get and keep health insurance.

  Here is a little short comment on this. When we have people who make 
less than $36,000 getting insurance coverage, it saves us money. They 
are not having to go through their primary care physician--which is an 
emergency room--the highest cost of health care delivery in the United 
States. So this is really good news for America. ObamaCare is working, 
and there is more and more evidence every day. It is time to stop 
trying to destroy the law that has been helping millions and millions 
of Americans.

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