Inhofe Statement on 76% Increase in Oklahomans' Obamacare Premiums for 2017

Statement

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) released the following statement on the announcement that Oklahomans' healthcare premiums on the ObamaCare exchange will increase by 76 percent in fiscal year 2017:

"Democrats said the goal of ObamaCare was to address access and affordability of healthcare, yet Oklahomans and a majority of Americans have experienced the opposite. For the second year in a row, Oklahoma will have one of the highest premium increases in the nation, with residents expecting to see an average increase of 76 percent for those on the exchange. Democrats told the nation that ObamaCare's exchanges would promote competition between nonprofit health insurers receiving federal funding and private, for-profit insurers as a way to lower prices for all. Instead, healthcare insurers have not been able to afford to keep their doors open to Oklahomans. More than half of non-profit co-ops have gone under across the nation, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans uninsured, searching for new healthcare or facing steep penalties form the federal government. Private insurers are also dropping out of the exchange all together, leaving Americans with fewer choices for medical care. By 2017, Oklahoma is slated to only have one insurer on the exchange. This is what happens when federal regulations overtake an industry. The Republican-led Congress has sent a full repeal of ObamaCare to the president's desk. While this effort was vetoed, I firmly believe that the only solution to fix our healthcare system is to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with common sense, market-driven solutions. I have put my name behind many legislative vehicles that have been introduced by my colleagues this year to dismantle this disastrous law and to offer solutions for what can be done under the right administration."

Source