Repeal of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. UPTON. Madam Speaker, since the law's passage over three years ago, the Energy and Commerce Committee has conducted rigorous oversight to educate the country on how the law impacts patients, providers, the economy, taxpayers, and states. At every turn, we have encountered an ugly reality filled with broken promises, rampant uncertainty, rising premiums, and harsh consequences on jobs and our economy.

The alarm bells over how Obamacare will unfold are getting louder by the day: costs are going up, insurers are warning about premium increases, and small businesses are struggling with the choice about whether they can provide employees with coverage. One of the law's chief architects and ally of the president even scolded the administration over the looming ``train wreck.''

But as we fast approach the law's full implementation, the Obama administration is in full propaganda mode, and the facts don't seem to matter. Last week the president publicly declared, ``And whenever insurance premiums go up, you're being told it's because of Obamacare. Even though there is no evidence that that's the case.''

Mr. President, we have plenty of evidence, and sadly millions of Americans nationwide, from recent college graduates to older adults, will not be able to afford the law's rate shock. We have the plans of some of the nation's leading insurers for 2014, and the looming rate shock will be devastating. One of the nation's leading insurance companies that insures millions of folks predicts premiums will nearly double for individuals getting a new plan, those keeping their insurance will see an average increase of 73 percent, and some individuals could see increases of as much as 413 percent. The last three years have been littered with the Obama administration's broken promises. Today we keep our promise to the American people as we continue working to repeal this disastrous experiment, and work towards real solutions.

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