A proud welcome to President Trump | McConnell
In his first visit to Kentucky since his Inauguration, I am proud to welcome President Trump to Louisville to discuss the future of health care.
Every day, Kentuckians are hearing stories and seeing headlines that Obamacare is a failure. Supporters of Obamacare promised lower costs, but it sent them soaring. They promised families could keep their plans or doctors, but many Kentuckians have seen their options limited. A recent poll showed that 8 out of 10 Americans want Obamacare to be significantly changed or replaced.
The good news is the Trump administration and a Republican-led Congress have heard these calls, and we are determined to fulfill our promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. We cannot sit on our hands and hope that Obamacare will improve. It’s a failed law affecting real people every day. Kentuckians continue to suffer from dramatic premium and deductible costs. What’s worse, the law is collapsing under its own weight with no signs of recovery. The costs keep climbing higher and higher, and the people being hurt the most are often the very ones that Obamacare aimed to protect.
Obamacare has become a mess in Kentucky, just like it has across the nation. In our state, premiums are rising by as much as 47 percent this year alone. It’s now clear that the so-called Affordable Care Act is anything but affordable.
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Under Obamacare, many have learned that possessing a health insurance card isn’t the same as actually having health care. Many Kentuckians have been forced into plans their doctors won’t accept with the cost of premiums and deductibles so high that they fear they can’t afford to get sick. These are the broken promises that Kentuckians have become all too familiar with under this failed law.
Because of the unsustainable costs of Obamacare, insurance companies are offering fewer plans in fewer places across the country. In Kentucky’s 120 counties, 54 have only one choice for an insurance provider in the marketplace. Having only one option is really having no option at all.
Through letters, emails, calls, and nearly 50 public forums at health care centers across the state, thousands of Kentuckians have told me about the painful effects of Obamacare. In order to protect these families, the time to act is now.
Republicans are working to deliver on our promises to the American people. Right now, the House is considering legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare with a patient-centered system designed to stabilize the market and help it grow into the future. The bill aims to increase freedom and choice for customers while also restoring power to the states and moving health care decisions out of Washington.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would ultimately lower premiums by double digits. It would provide much-needed relief to small business owners and middle-class families with a tax cut of $883 billion. Additionally, the bill would provide a smooth transition period for those currently on Medicaid while aiming to strengthen the program for future beneficiaries with serious medical conditions and those who truly need it. It also lowers the federal deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars.
This bill is only the first part of our three-prong repeal and replace strategy. Next, the executive branch will use its broad authority to further provide relief, lower costs, and improve access. Finally, Congress will also consider future legislation to reform the health care market and make it more competitive.
Together, Congress and the Trump administration are working to fulfill our promises to the American people and finally end the devastation of Obamacare.
We’re moving quickly because things will only continue to get worse unless we act. Republicans want to give the people of Kentucky better care, lower costs and more choices. We are determined to provide relief to Kentucky families, and I appreciate President Trump’s leadership in this effort.
Together, we will create a health care system that truly works.