[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10762-10763]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the American people deserve better 
than ObamaCare.
  Across the country, Americans are paying more for less under 
ObamaCare. Already, ObamaCare premiums have increased, on average, by 
more than 100 percent on the Federal exchange. Next year, ObamaCare 
premiums could rise by as much as 50 percent or more in States like 
Georgia and Maryland.
  All across the country, Americans are losing choice and access. 
Already, Americans living in 70 percent of the counties have little or 
no options for ObamaCare insurance. Next year, nearly 40 percent fewer 
insurers have filed to participate in the ObamaCare exchanges. Many 
Americans face the real possibility of having no options to pick from 
at all.
  These trends are not new--costs have been going up and choice has 
been going down for years--but these trends continue to get worse, and 
things are not likely to turn around unless we act.
  ObamaCare was a direct attack on the middle class from the very 
start. It is a ticking timebomb today. ObamaCare's years-long hurtle 
toward collapse is rapidly approaching its seemingly inevitable 
conclusion, total meltdown, which would hurt even more Americans on top 
of those it has hurt already.
  We can't let that happen, and we are continuing to work hard to 
ensure it doesn't.
  After extensive consultation across the conference, numerous meetings

[[Page 10763]]

with constituents, and intensive conversations with Members, our 
conference has updated last month's Better Care discussion draft with 
additional provisions to make it stronger. We just walked through that 
revised draft together. It is now available online. I encourage 
everyone to review it.
  As before, it aims to stabilize and reform the collapsing insurance 
markets that have left too many with no options, and it aims to make 
insurance more affordable and more flexible so it is something 
Americans actually want to buy.
  For those stuck with ObamaCare insurance they don't want or can't 
afford, we don't think they should be forced to buy it any longer. For 
those who buy insurance on an exchange and want to continue doing so, 
we want them to have lower premiums and more choices.
  For those tired of healthcare decisions being outsourced to far-off 
bureaucrats, we want to transfer millions of those decisions back to 
them and to their doctors.
  We also want to strengthen Medicaid for those who need it most, by 
giving States more flexibility while ensuring that those who rely on 
this program don't have the rug pulled out from under them. Many States 
want the ability to reform and improve their Medicaid Program so they 
can actually deliver better care at a lower cost, and we would like to 
dramatically expand their authority to do that. It is an idea that 
should significantly improve healthcare in States all across our 
country.
  The draft we just discussed, like the one before it, addresses all of 
these objectives. It would again give Americans more tools for managing 
their own care and this time goes even further. It would again devote 
significant resources to the fight against the opioid crisis and this 
time goes even further. The revised draft improves on the previous 
version in a number of ways, all while retaining the fundamental goals 
of providing stability and improving affordability.
  Now, regardless, I am sure we can expect many of the same, tired, and 
predictable attacks from the defenders of ObamaCare's failed status 
quo. It hardly matters what the draft says; they would launch the same 
kinds of attacks anyway.
  I would remind colleagues, this is the same crowd that said ObamaCare 
would lower costs, they pledged it would increase choice, and they 
promoted the infamous broken promise--if you like your plan, you can 
keep your plan. They were wrong before, and they are wrong again today.
  Moreover, serious ObamaCare solutions from Democrats are hard to find 
these days. What we have heard recently essentially boils down to this:
  No. 1, apply a multibillion-dollar bandaid--no reforms, no changes, 
just billions more for insurers. That is the game plan of the folks on 
the other side.
  No. 2, quadruple down on ObamaCare and pass a massive expansion of a 
failed idea that puts bureaucrats in control of nearly every single 
healthcare decision in the country. The total cost of that so-called 
single-payer idea could add up to $32 trillion, according to an 
estimate of a leading proposal.
  These are not serious solutions that Americans need to solve the real 
problems before us, but if Democrats would like to offer these ideas, 
then let's open debate on the underlying legislation so they can do 
that. I am sure Members will have more ideas about how we can improve 
this draft. The only way for anyone--Democrat, Republican, or 
Independent--to have that opportunity is to vote yes on opening the 
debate.
  We expect an updated projection from the Congressional Budget Office 
early next week. Once that is released, we will have the opportunity to 
vote on the motion to proceed. That is the only way by which everyone 
will be able to come to the floor, share their ideas, and have their 
voices heard through both robust debate and a robust amendment process.
  I remain disappointed that our Democratic friends made clear early on 
that they did not want to engage in a serious, bipartisan effort to 
solve this issue. But they have a renewed opportunity to engage now. I 
hope they will take it. I hope every Senator will vote to open debate 
because that is how we change the status quo.
  This is our opportunity to really make a difference on healthcare. 
This is our chance to bring about changes we have been talking about 
since ObamaCare was forced on the American people. It is our time to 
finally build the bridge away from ObamaCare's failures and deliver 
relief to those who need it.
  Failure to act means more families get hurt as it continues to 
collapse. It also means the law's problems will grow more formidable, 
making them even harder to solve. That is not something any of us 
should be comfortable with.
  So it is time to rise to the occasion. The American people deserve 
better than the pain of ObamaCare. They deserve better care, and the 
time to deliver that for them is next week.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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