McConnell: Obamacare is No Laughing Matter for the Millions Who Suffer
‘The Democratic Leader recently said that Americans just need to “get over it”…Maybe Democrats think the Middle Class should just ‘get over’ double-digit premium increases. Maybe Democrats think it’s funny that millions of Americans lost their plans because of Obamacare.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding Obamacare’s continued attack on the Middle Class:
“A video recently surfaced that should concern all of us. It was three of President Obama’s former speechwriters laughing it up. They were reminiscing about the time they apparently helped mislead the American people with a line that would one day become Politifact’s Lie of the Year: ‘If you like your health care plan, you can keep it.’
“They laughed and laughed. It was evidently pretty funny to them. It’s no laughing matter for the millions who lost their plans. It’s no laughing matter for the millions who continue to suffer under this partisan law — this partisan attack on the Middle Class.
“Health care costs are now the number one financial concern facing American families, according to a recent survey. Number one. More than concerns about low wages. More even than concerns about losing a job. Another survey found a clear majority of Americans disapproving of this partisan law. Yet another survey found that, of the Americans who said Obamacare had impacted them, more reported it hurting rather than helping them.
“If recent headlines are anything to go by, no wonder. Americans now face premium hikes of up to 30% in Oregon and 37% in Virginia. They face premium spikes as high as 43% in Iowa and 45% in New Hampshire. And in Tennessee, the state’s largest health insurer is planning additional rate hikes that are ‘even higher than the 36.3 percent implemented in January.’
“Remember, this is the same law whose champions promised it would make health care more affordable for American families. But nearly half of Americans reported increases in their insurance premiums and more than a third reported increases in copays and deductibles in the past two years.
“Consider this dad from Jackson, Kentucky who learned that his insurer would no longer offer his current plan as a result of Obamacare. He said that the most inexpensive replacement plan would be an 80-percent increase over his current monthly premium. ‘This ill-conceived health-care reform,’ as he put it, ‘is going to be the end of good-quality care for the whole nation unless it is repealed and replaced.’
“Part of the reason insurers are seeking such dramatic premium rate increases is to help cover the losses they’ve experienced as a result of the unworkable policies of Obamacare. Some are pulling out of the exchanges altogether.
“Several states and hundreds of counties will now only have a single insurer to pick from in the Obamacare exchanges. Just one. That’s true in parts of Kentucky too, and it’s terrible for consumers.
“What if these sole insurers pull out of the exchanges? An Administration official couldn’t rule out the possibility, and it doesn’t appear they have a serious plan to deal with it either.
“The Administration hardly ever seems to have an Obamacare answer that doesn’t boil down to this: More money from taxpayers.
“This is not a law that’s working. This is not a law that’s fair. This is a partisan law that is a direct attack on the Middle Class.
“The Democratic Leader recently said that Americans just need to ‘get over it and accept the fact that Obamacare is here to stay.’ Obamacare, he says, is ‘doing so much to change America forever.’
“Maybe Democrats think the Middle Class should just ‘get over’ double-digit premium increases. Maybe Democrats think it’s funny that millions of Americans lost their plans because of Obamacare.
“Republicans think we should work toward better care instead.
“That’s why we recently passed a bill to repeal Obamacare and start over with real care.
“Obamacare may be changing America, but this partisan law’s attacks on the Middle Class don’t have to go on ‘forever’ as the Democratic Leader would like — we can give our country a new and better beginning.”
Related Issues: Middle Class, Health Care, Obamacare
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