Republicans On Obamacare’s Failures

SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Contact: Antonia Ferrier 202.228.NEWS

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Republicans On Obamacare's Failures

Senate Republicans Highlight Families Facing 'Double-Digit Premium Increases,' 'Cancellation Notices,' Losing The 'Ability To See Their Doctor'

SEN. BARRASSO: 'Costs Have Gone Up. Co-Pays Have Gone Up. Deductibles Have Gone Up. People Have Lost Their Plans, Lost Their Ability To See Their Doctor... All Of Those Things Because Of The Health Care Law.'

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Health care costs are now the number one financial concern facing American families, according to a recent survey... [N]early 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... 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." (Sen. McConnell, Press Release, 5/18/2016)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): "Back when the president and Senate Democrats were lobbying for passage of Obamacare... [T]hey promised over and over again... that the president's health care plan would lower costs... If six years on from the passage of the Affordable Care Act, health care costs top the list of American families' financial concerns, then the Affordable Care Act has failed and it's time to repeal it... The Affordable Care Act has been a disaster from the beginning. It's time to lift the burdens that the law has placed on Americans and replace this law with health care reform that will actually drive down costs for American families and consumers and increase access to care." (Sen. Thune, Floor Remarks, 5/18/2016)

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): "People all around the country remember the president saying it would drive down health care premiums by $2,500 a family if this became law... It hasn't happened. Costs have gone up. Co-pays have gone up. Deductibles have gone up. People have lost their plans, lost their ability to see their doctor, can't go to the hospital if they want, can't go to get the care that they need. And of course insurance companies are cutting back on which doctors people can see. They're cutting back on what drugs people can take. All of those things because of the health care law. This health care law has made health care worse across the United States of America." (Sen. Barrasso, Floor Remarks, 5/18/2016)

SEN. CORY GARDNER (R-CO): "As Obamacare continues on a downward trajectory, Americans are the ones who are bearing the brunt of its failures... In total, according to the Congressional Research Service, over 750,000 health insurance plans in Colorado were canceled between 2013 and 2015. Three-quarters of a million people who were promised if they liked their plan they could keep their plan had their plans canceled under the promise -- the broken promise - of Obamacare. But that's still not the end of it for Coloradans because Coloradans are still receiving cancellation notices. Within the last two months, two of the nation's largest health insurers, UnitedHealthcare and Humana, announced their intent to exit the individual marketplace." (Sen. Gardner, Floor Remarks, 5/18/2016)

SEN. DAN COATS (R-IN): "Despite that promise, that Obamacare will cut costs and make coverage more affordable for families and small businesses... many Americans are experiencing higher premiums or paying outrageous deductibles when they purchase coverage through the Obamacare exchanges. I've been on this floor documenting literally hundreds, if not thousands, of inputs into my office through e-mails, phone calls, and so forth, saying, 'Wait a minute. I just got a notice from my insurance company that my deductible is skyrocketing from $1,000 to $5,000 or to $7,500 or $9,000. So I can't afford this kind of stuff... I thought we were promised that this wouldn't happen?" (Sen. Coats, Floor Remarks, 5/18/2016)

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT): "As insurers begin to make decisions about rates and availability for the 2017 plan year, we are looking at significantly higher premiums--double-digit increases in some places--for the fourth straight year. Reports about these premium increases seem to be coming in on a daily basis... In addition to higher premiums for 2017, we're also hearing many insurers will be opting to drop out of the exchange markets... In Utah, we recently saw the closing of an Obamacare co-op that covered roughly 45,000 people, all of whom had to find health insurance at the beginning of this year. Indeed, 12 of the 23 co-ops around the country have already closed, further reducing the number of health insurance options available to people throughout the country." (Sen. Hatch, Floor Remarks, 5/18/2016)

SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): "The American people are now experiencing firsthand exactly what Republicans have been warning about ever since Obamacare was written. The law will ultimately do far more harm than good, and they have every right to question what the future holds. The fact is the crumbling of Obamacare should come as no surprise to anyone." (Sen. McCain, Floor Remarks, 5/18/2016)

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