Beshear ‘The “Poster Child” For Obamacare's Failures’

‘Risky Pick For Response,’ ‘Beshear Could Disappoint Democrats’

Steve Beshear “the ‘poster child’ for Obamacare's failures.” (“McConnell Slams Beshear Ahead Of Trump Rebuttal,” Politico, 2/28/17)

“Dems Make a Risky Pick for Response to Trump’s Big Speech to Congress” (“Dems Make A Risky Pick For Response To Trump’s Big Speech To Congress,” New York Magazine, 2/24/17)

• “Who, then, will the donkey party… offer up to rally the troops? … former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear. He’s been out of office for over a year, and is a 72-year-old politician who first won public office during the Nixon administration. … Beshear could disappoint Democrats…” (“Dems Make A Risky Pick For Response To Trump’s Big Speech To Congress,” New York Magazine, 2/24/17)

• ‘Beshear isn’t a rising star in the democratic party’ (“Why Steve Beshear is doing the State of the Union response,” Vox, 2/24/17)

• “In choosing Beshear, who left office in December 2015, the party appears to be ignoring the clamor from pundits who say Democrats desperately need to present fresh faces to reinvigorate the party's standing with voters…” (“Democrats Pick Ex-Kentucky Governor To Respond To Trump Speech To Congress,” NPR, 2/24/17)

In Kentucky, ‘My Family Is Being Pushed Out Of The Middle Class By The Obamacare Law’

Kentucky Mom: “My family is being pushed out of the middle class by the Obamacare law. …how can we pay almost $1,200 a month on health insurance?” (Sen. McConnell, Constituent Mail)

In Kentucky, Skyrocketing Premiums: “Kentuckians who rely on the state's health exchange for insurance should brace themselves for premiums that will skyrocket as much as 47 percent in 2017.” (“Some Premiums For Ky. Health Exchange To Increase 47 Percent In 2017,” WKYT, 8/25/2016)

• “Get ready to pay more for health insurance. The Kentucky Department of Insurance has approved health insurance rate hikes of up to 47 percent for individuals and up to nearly 13 percent for small groups.” (“Get Ready To Pay More For Health Insurance In Kentucky,” Insider Louisville, 8/03/2016)

• Nationwide: “Insurers are raising the 2017 premiums for a popular and significant group of health plans sold through HealthCare.gov by an average of 25 percent, more than triple the percentage increase of this year’s plans, according to new government figures. The steep increase in rates serves broadly to confirm what has become evident piecemeal in recent months: Prompted by a burden of unexpectedly sick Affordable Care Act customers, some insurers are dropping out while many remaining companies are struggling to cover their costs.” (“Average Premiums For Popular ACA Plans Rising 25 Percent,” The Washington Post, 10/24/2016)

In Kentucky, Less Choice: “Kynect on life support: Only one insurance provider in 54 counties next year. Kentuckians who obtain health insurance through the state exchange can say goodbye to competition. In nearly half the counties, residents next year will have only one option on Kynect … if they want health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. That’s a big switch from this year, when Kentuckians in all counties could choose from at least two insurers, and most could choose from at least three.” (“Kynect On Life Support: Only One Insurance Provider In 54 Counties Next Year,” Insider Louisville, 8/31/16)

• Nationwide: “For the people losing plans, there are fewer and fewer choices. One estimate by the Kaiser Family Foundation predicts that for at least 19 percent of the people in Obamacare’s individual market next year there will be only one insurer to choose from.” (“More Than 1 Million In Obamacare To Lose Plans As Insurers Quit,” Bloomberg, 10/14/16)

Democrats, Don’t Let Beshear Pull The Wool Over Your Eyes Yet Again!

“The selection of former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is a sign that Democrats are making a clear choice. Whatever it is that Trump talks about, they are going to talk about health care… For multiple election cycles, Democrats often seemed reluctant to defend or brag about the signature legislative achievement of the Obama administration. Now that the Affordable Care Act is on the verge of destruction, the party has finally decided that it is a winning issue.” (“Why Steve Beshear Is Doing The State Of The Union Response,” Vox, 2/24/17)

FLASHBACK: Beshear Previously Promised Dems Obamacare Was ‘Going To Be A Plus’

2013: “Beshear was on the Hill Thursday to buck up House Democrats [on Obamacare], who have been downtrodden about the law’s disastrous rollout. ‘My main message to the House caucus today was a message that’s tough for folks to listen to when you have elections coming up but it’s simply this: Be patient. Take a deep breath,’ Beshear said. ‘Because I’ll guarantee you by next November, this issue is going to look a lot different than it looks right here on the Hill right now.’ He encouraged Democrats to talk about the health care overhaul in their campaigns. ‘I think it’s going to be a plus,’ he said. ‘If I were running for anything, I sure would be running on it.’” (“Ky. Gov Hits McConnell On ACA,” Politico, 12/5/13)

2014: “Gov. Steve Beshear urges fellow democrats to take Obamacare ‘and run with it,’ …[Beshear] does see the landscape changing enough for not just one (Grimes) but potentially two female Democratic candidates to win statewide. ‘I think [Hillary Clinton] would have a great shot at carrying Kentucky [in 2016],’ said Beshear.” (“Gov. Steve Beshear Urges Fellow Democrats To Take Obamacare ‘And Run With It,’” Huffington Post, 6/24/14)

• “Obama's State of Union speech includes praise for Beshear for Kentucky's health care push: President Barack Obama on Tuesday night hailed Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear for implementing the president's health care law in Kentucky, praising the governor who attended the speech in Washington, D.C., as Obama's guest.” (“Obama's State Of Union Speech Includes Praise For Beshear For Kentucky's Health Care Push,” Lexington Herald Leader, 1/28/14)

2015: “Matt Bevin, a Republican political novice ... was elected Kentucky’s next governor on Tuesday and swept fellow Republicans into statewide office with him. The stunning victory heralds a new era in a state where Democrats have held the governor’s mansion for all but four of the last 44 years... [President] Obama’s health care law was an especially contentious issue in the race, and some see the Bevin victory as a rebuke to Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat...” (“Matt Bevin, Republican, Wins Governor’s Race In Kentucky,” The New York Times, 11/03/2015)

2016: “Republicans achieved the trifecta in Kentucky politics Tuesday, wresting control of the state House from Democrats in a landslide to complement their rule over the governor’s office and state Senate. ‘The people of Kentucky have been heard and they want a new direction for the commonwealth of Kentucky,’ said an ebullient Gov. Matt Bevin, who is expected to benefit mightily with a GOP-led House committed to his conservative agenda. Republicans last led the chamber in 1921.” (“Republicans Take The Kentucky House After 95 Years Of Democratic Control,” Lexington Herald Leader, 11/8/16)