[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, another matter: healthcare. According to 
reports, Republican Senators were planning to use the State work period 
last week to rewrite their healthcare bill. Well, now we are back in 
session, and unfortunately my friends on the other side of the aisle 
don't seem to be any closer to having a bill. If they do have one, they 
are hiding it and going down the same path as House Republicans--
drafting a bill that will impact tens of millions in secret, no 
transparency, no committee hearings, no debate.
  Even with all this secrecy, more and more Republicans seem 
increasingly pessimistic about finding a Republican-only bill that can 
get 50 votes in the Senate. Over the weekend, the senior Republican 
Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Burr, said: ``I don't see a 
comprehensive health-care plan this year.''
  Just yesterday, Senator Thune, a member of the Republican leadership, 
said the Republicans may rush a healthcare bill to the floor before 
they know if it has the support of their caucus.
  Well, my friends on the other side of the aisle are learning how 
difficult it is to refigure our healthcare system under a process with 
only votes from one party--the so-called reconciliation process--and do 
it in a way that actually improves our healthcare, not devastate it, as 
the House bill would.
  I hope my Republican friends will realize the only way we will get 
votes necessary to pass a healthcare bill is to drop repeal and work 
with Democrats to improve our healthcare system, not to sabotage it. We 
stand ready and willing to work with our Republican colleagues to 
further stabilize the insurance markets, build on the progress we have 
made in healthcare. In fact, we are running out of time before the 2018 
rates are locked in.
  Most insurance companies are saying they are raising rates because of 
the uncertainty Republicans continue to inject into the market. The 
President has not come out permanently for cost-sharing, which would 
reduce premiums and keep people in the market. They just sort of do it 
one at a time, and that is going to make the markets worse.
  The public already unfortunately will blame those in charge--our 
Republican friends and the President--for the mess, as much as they 
would like to look past--as much of our colleagues on the another side 
of the aisle want to point fingers. People want something done now. 
They don't want fingers of blame pointed back at what happened 5 years 
ago or 8 years ago.
  We Democrats don't want to tear everything down and start over again. 
Let's keep all the progress--the 20 million more Americans insured, the 
kids who can stay on their parents' plan, the protections for folks 
with preexisting conditions--and find ways to make even more progress 
on bringing down costs for consumers and improving the quality of care.
  I yield the floor.

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