Sen. McConnell: Obamacare is Clearly Failing to Live Up to Its Promises

WASHINGTON, June 6 -- Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the failures of Obamacare:

"Every week, it seems we hear more news about the failures of Obamacare. For instance, two weeks ago, we learned that nearly 70,000 people in parts of Missouri and Kansas would lose their last insurance provider on the Obamacare exchanges in 2018 -- from rural towns to Kansas City, these Americans are being left without options. Last week, we learned that thousands of Obamacare customers in Nebraska would be left with only one provider on the exchanges -- and that remaining insurer hasn't even decided if it's going to stay through 2018. This week, we learned that the number of health insurers participating in Obamacare exchanges has declined by nearly a quarter from 2016 to 2017.

"It has become painfully clear that Obamacare is failing to live up to its promises and is collapsing in front of our eyes. If this failed Obamacare status quo continues, more Americans are likely to lose their insurance options, more Americans are likely to continue seeing their premiums rise, more Americans are likely to get caught in the downward spiral of Obamacare.

"It's time for our friends on the other side of the aisle to get serious about moving beyond the problems of Obamacare. They've spent years defending the system, promising it will get better over time, and claiming others were exaggerating Obamacare's flaws. But here's the reality our Democratic colleagues seem to be missing. Obamacare did not get better. The problems are real and have continued to get worse. And now, Democrats are trying to blame the failures of Obamacare on anything but the broken health care law itself. They can try to shift the blame, but the American people won't fall for it.

"Many Kentuckians have called for us to move away from Obamacare and to bring relief to families. An official report released last month showed that since Obamacare's full enactment in 2013, average premiums in Kentucky have skyrocketed by 75%. A woman from Lancaster, Kentucky wrote to my office recently to express her frustration with Obamacare. With high premiums and a staggering deductible, she asked, 'Why is there a law forcing me to pay for something I can't afford? Either I can eat and pay my mortgage or pay for insurance.' Far too many Americans face these painful choices every day because of Obamacare. As the system continues to collapse around us, this Kentuckian - and many more like her - are left to deal with the consequences.

"The Obamacare status quo is unsustainable and unacceptable. Our country can do better, and our country must do better. I hope that Senate Democrats will join with us as we move beyond the system's failures. They can either continue to defend this broken system with its higher costs and diminishing choices, or they can work with us to move beyond Obamacare towards smarter health care solutions. What's clear is that we have to act. Otherwise more Americans will be stuck paying the price of Obamacare's continuing failures."