Sen. Franken: Senate Republican Health Plan ‘Disaster for Economic Stability, Livelihood of Minnesota Families’

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., issued the following statement in reaction to the unveiling of the Senate Republican health care plan. He said the bill was crafted in secret by a small group of GOP senators over the past several weeks:

"After weeks spent in secret, behind closed doors, Senate Republicans have finally released their health care plan. As expected, the bill does not address the real health care issues that people are facing and would be a disaster for the economic stability and livelihood of Minnesota families. This is nothing more than a thinly disguised attempt to gift billions of dollars in tax breaks to the very richest few Americans by dismantling our health care system, fundamentally destroying Medicaid as we know it, and making life harder and more expensive for millions and millions of Americans.

"Like its sibling in the House of Representatives, this is a horrible plan born of a dangerously partisan bill-making process. And now Senate Republicans want to pull one over on the American people by forcing a vote as quickly as possible-without meaningful debate, public input, or committee oversight. I will fight this plan with every ounce of strength that I have, because the livelihoods of Minnesotans are at stake. I believe we need to be directing our efforts towards working in a bipartisan way to address the actual problems that exist in our health care system, like the lack of competition in the insurance exchanges and skyrocketing prescription drug costs. We should be working to improve people's lives, not make them more difficult."