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Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I wish to thank my colleague from West Virginia for her comments on this health care law, as well as my colleague from Louisiana.
I have just returned, as we all have, from our time in our State and traveling in our State. I know my colleague from West Virginia heard the same stories that I heard in Nebraska. People are worried. They are afraid. They are very concerned about their futures and what they are going to see this fall with regard to this health care law. So I thank my colleagues for their comments that they have given today on this very important issue.
I, too, rise to address the stark reality of President Obama's failed health care law. The evidence of its failure continues. The latest example is the relentless increase in premium rates across our country. In Nebraska, health care plans under ObamaCare will see premium rates rise more than 30 percent. Nearly every week, I hear new stories of the pain caused by this law. It breaks my heart because it has led hard- working people to the brink of despair. We have sunk to the point where some Nebraskans, like many Americans across our country, are now asking themselves: Why bother?
Karen in central Nebraska shared that most of her paycheck goes to her plan's premium and deductible costs. She is faced with two terrible options: quit her job to qualify for more government subsidies or opt out of insurance coverage and then pay the penalty.
Meanwhile, Peter, a small business owner in western Nebraska, faces the gut-wrenching decision of raising prices to offset the rising premiums and other unaffordable costs of his ObamaCare plan.
Stephen in eastern Nebraska, another small business owner, bluntly told me: ``Enough is enough.'' For Stephen, it made more sense to pay the penalty than to budget for his ObamaCare plan. If that wasn't enough, Stephen's longtime family doctor, the medical professional who he trusts, is no longer in his network. So now Stephen has to travel just to see an in-network provider.
Because of a law forced upon them, Americans are left with difficult choices. Mothers and fathers are being forced to choose between what is in the best interest of their families and what health insurance costs they are going to be able to afford.
Hard-working Americans are keeping less of their paychecks. They are spending more on these uncontrollable health care costs. They can no longer afford and, in many cases, they no longer even have the option to see the doctor they trust. They are not saving money, and they are not better off. They are living a real American nightmare.
Nebraskans are all too familiar with the failures of ObamaCare. The co-op established for Nebraska and Iowa was one of the first ones to fail, and that was in December of 2014. In my letter at the time to then CMS Administrator Tavenner, I sought answers. I received an answer much later from Acting Administrator Slavitt. His response was disappointing, and it clearly demonstrated what we have known for a long time now: The government is incapable of successfully administering health care coverage. These Nebraskans were left with few options and very little support because of the government's shortsightedness in continuing a doomed co-op.
We have witnessed similar disasters with other ObamaCare co-ops across the country. They keep failing. They include Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Oregon, to name a few. At a cost to taxpayers of more than $1.7 billion of the original 23 co- ops, only 7 now survive. That is a failure rate, people, of more than 60 percent. The surviving seven are now being evaluated for their financial health, but one thing is clear: To prop them up through the next enrollment period only to delay their really inevitable failure would be incredibly dishonest to the American people.
Nebraskans are a trusting people. We like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but there is no doubt any longer. ObamaCare was built on certain promises and those promises have been broken.
It is time for the government to be honest with the American people. It is time to come clean, face up, and act responsibly. We have already taken some positive steps to get our people out of this mess--steps which the vast majority of the Members of this Senate have approved. The medical device tax and the Cadillac tax are clear examples. The majority of this Chamber agreed on a bipartisan basis that delaying these taxes was a necessary step to alleviate some of the harm that has been caused by this health care law. In voting to delay these taxes, the Senate chose the American people over a failed law. That was a good day, and that was a good vote. We must take more actions like that in the future--action, not just talk--actions that will help the American people lighten this law's heavy load and bring families back from that brink. We must keep doing this until Americans like Karen, Peter, and Stephen are no longer forced to make those unreasonable choices.
At the same time, I want solutions for those Nebraska families still struggling to find quality and affordable health care. But let's be honest. These solutions are not more bailouts and tax subsidies. No more one-size-fits-all Federal mandates. We must all conclude that ObamaCare is a clear failure. We must, once and for all, scrap it and then replace it with patient-centered solutions. I want to have that conversation, and I am ready and willing to do so.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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