Obamacare

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Now, on one final matter, Mr. President, that our colleagues will discuss further a little later today, 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 is no laughing matter, however, for the millions--millions--who have lost their plans. It is 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 No. 1 financial concern facing American families, according to a recent survey--No. 1--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 Americans who said Obamacare had impacted them, more reported it hurting rather than helping them.

If recent headlines are anything to go by, it is no wonder. Americans now face premium hikes of up to 30 percent in Oregon and 37 percent in Virginia. They face premium spikes as high as 43 percent in Iowa and 45 percent in New Hampshire. In Tennessee, the State's largest health insurer is planning additional rate hikes that are even higher than the 36.3 percent implemented just this past January.

Remember, this is the same law whose champions promised it would make health care more affordable for American families. But nearly half of all Americans reported increases in their insurance premiums, and more than a third reported increases in copays and deductibles in the past 2 years.

Consider this dad from Jackson, KY, 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health care reform,'' as he put it, ``is going to be the end of good-quality care for the whole nation unless it is repealed and replaced.'' That is from Jackson, KY.

Part of the reason insurers are seeking such dramatic premium rate increases is to help cover the losses they have experienced as a result of the unworkable policies of ObamaCare. Some are pulling out of the exchanges altogether. Several States and hundreds of counties now only have a single insurer to pick from in the ObamaCare exchanges--just one, no choices.

That is true in parts of Kentucky, too, and it is terrible for consumers. What if these sole insurers pull out of the exchanges? An administration official couldn't rule out that 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.

Look, this is not a law that is working. This is not a law that is fair. This is a partisan law that is a direct attack--a direct attack-- on the middle class.

The Democratic leader recently said that Americans just need to ``get over it''--just 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 is funny that millions of Americans lost their plans because of ObamaCare.

Republicans think we should work toward better care instead. That is 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 do not have to go on forever, as the Democratic leader would like. We can give our country a new and better beginning.

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