[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8494]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I wish to address the issue of the 
healthcare debate that has been going on since the first of the year. 
Now that it has passed the House of Representatives, it comes to the 
Senate. The Senate is working on its own bill, not working from the 
House bill. This is still evolving, and I hope it will evolve very, 
very quickly.
  One of the things we face is to make sure we have accessible, 
affordable care for anyone who wants to buy health insurance.
  I rise today, as I have in the past, to share real stories from real 
Iowans who have been harmed--not helped--by the Affordable Care Act. I 
know there are plenty of examples we can give of people who have not 
benefited from the Affordable Care Act. As we have found so many times, 
the Affordable Care Act has become the un-Affordable Care Act. The 
other side often talks about the benefits of ACA without mentioning the 
reality I am trying to bring to this debate.
  There is a reason Republicans are acting to protect Americans from 
the loss of access to medical care. ObamaCare has broken its promises. 
All these promises, made over and over again, have not stood the test 
of time, so I would like to remind everyone of some of these promises.
  The promise: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.
  The reality: This promise was even scrubbed from the ObamaCare 
website after everyone knew it was a farce.
  The promise: You will be able to keep your insurance plan.
  What is the reality? In the fall of 2013, between 7 and 12 million 
people had health insurance cancelled. ObamaCare's mandates resulted in 
fewer choices for people to buy affordable insurance. People were 
kicked off plans they liked and plans that, until ObamaCare, they could 
afford. This promise was dubbed the ``Lie of the Year.''
  Another promise was made: Your premiums will go down by $2,500.
  That is not even close. I have been quoting for a long period of time 
that they had gone up at least $3,500. Now, more recently, I have seen 
a figure of an average of $4,300. So, in reality, that $2,500 promise 
that premiums would go down wasn't even close.
  In Iowa, premiums increased up to 43 percent in just 1 year. One 
farmer told me that his insurance went up from $20,000 to $32,000 in 1 
year. He was able to get the premium down to $25,000 by taking 
advantage of an HMO, but the deductible for that plan was $15,000. You 
have an insurance policy, but you may never use it.
  The biggest promise: You were promised access to affordable health 
care. The law is called the Affordable Care Act. That is the most 
concerning of all--the situation created by ObamaCare is far from 
affordable.
  What is the reality? Premiums in 2017 have doubled for a majority of 
States using ObamaCare exchanges. In three States, premiums have 
tripled during ObamaCare. One Iowan from Pomeroy, IA, wrote to me and 
said she shopped for an ObamaCare plan and found that she would have to 
pay $9,000 out-of-pocket before her insurance kicks in. She told me she 
doesn't know where that money would come from, and of course that makes 
that policy too expensive to use.
  For the past 7 years, ObamaCare has not been working, and it will 
never work for the American people. Republicans are not going to accept 
failure. That is why we are working so hard to put together what we 
have promised the people of this country for the last 7 years--to 
repeal and replace. Pointing out the shortcomings of affordable care, 
we aim for better, and that is what guides us as we continue to work on 
repealing and replacing this failed law.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.

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