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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, the Senate minority leader, Senator Reid, came to the floor a couple of days ago and talked about health care. He said: If people would just look at the newspaper, they would see that ObamaCare has changed America--in his words--for the better.

Well, millions of Americans do pick up the newspaper. I hope many of them saw the Presiding Officer's article in today's Wall Street Journal about some of the travel and things he has seen regarding our Nation's security. But I would like to point out to Senator Reid that there have been headlines in the papers repeatedly, including one in the Reno Gazette-Journal this month, that said his home State--``Nevada ranked 48th in healthcare by finance website.'' This from a finance Web site.

They are talking about just how bad the health care law has been for the people of his home State of Nevada. It was about a new survey that looked at things such as health care costs and access to care and how it impacts people at home. So if ObamaCare is so great--at least as great as Senator Reid says it is--then why is his home State ranked almost dead last?

Look, Americans are seeing headlines like the one that appeared on the front page of the Washington Times the day the Senator came to the floor. Had he picked it up and looked at it on the way to the floor, he would have seen the headline on the front page saying ``Failures of Obamacare. . . . '' This was on the front page the day he came to the floor and said: Check out the headlines. The article says: ``Democrats see need for fallback plan.'' They need a fallback plan because this health care law has been so devastating to people all across this country. If ObamaCare is so great, why do the Democrats need a fallback plan?

Look, people across the country are seeing headlines like this every day.

A Washington Post headline: ``Health-care exchange sign-ups fall short of forecasts.''

The New York Times: ``ObamaCare Options? In Many Parts of Country, Only One Insurer Will Remain.''

Another New York Times article: ``Cost of health law's plans set to rise more sharply.''

This is from the paper The Hill: ``Dems to GOP: Help us fix ObamaCare.''

They didn't turn to Republicans for solutions and ideas when they forced it through on a party-line vote. They didn't listen to us and our concerns about the impact of this law on the families of this country. Now they come to us and ask us to help them fix the mess they have made.

USA TODAY--I would point out to Senator Reid--``Obamacare rate hikes rattle consumers, could threaten enrollment.''

The New York Times: ``The Incredible Shrinking Obamacare.'' Senator Reid came to the floor and made his statement just a couple of days ago. Let me point out a few other headlines that have arrived since then.
Bloomberg, Friday: ``Failing Obamacare Nonprofit Co-Ops Add to `Death
Spiral' Fears.''

You don't even have to turn to the newspapers; you could have turned on the radio--National Public Radio, just this past Friday, talking about people who are buying insurance for their insurance because the ObamaCare program is so bad for them personally.

Sunday's New York Times, in the business section: ``Why Obamacare Markets Are in Crisis.''
I would suggest the minority leader look at today's newspaper in Indiana regarding Indiana University health plans. ``IU Health Plans quit Obamacare exchange, citing `heightened financial uncertainty.' '' Those are the headlines people are seeing all across the country. So I am not sure exactly what newspapers the minority leader is reading, but he is not reading the same papers Americans all across the country are reading.
All across the country, people are hearing about their rates going up--in Georgia, 33 percent; Illinois, 45 percent; Tennessee, 59 percent--and people are feeling the pinch from this rising cost of the Obama health care law. It is hurting the people who buy insurance through ObamaCare exchanges, and it is hurting the people who get their insurance through their jobs. A new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation says that for people who get their insurance at work, the deductibles have risen four times faster than the premiums did. So it is not just the premiums going up, but the deductibles are going up.

And all of those are new costs as a result of the health care law. The American people are feeling it in their wallets, and millions of Americans are rejecting ObamaCare insurance because they know it is not a good value for them personally.

According to one article, 8 million people face tax penalties this year for not buying ObamaCare coverage. These are people who can't afford this expensive, second-rate insurance, or they do not think it is right for them or their family. The Democrats who wrote this law and who are now asking for help in ``fixing it'' do not really care; they just want people to write their checks to the IRS, their penalties because of the mandates of the law--the taxes, the fines. These are for people who have no options.

No options is exactly the situation most Americans are facing. Major insurance companies have decided to leave most of the ObamaCare markets. Just look at the insurers who are fleeing the ObamaCare exchange. Humana is selling coverage in 19 States this year; it is going to be in just 11 States next year. Look at UnitedHealthcare--in 34 States this year but down to 3 next year. Aetna is going from selling ObamaCare plans in 15 States this year to just 4 States next year.

On November 1, millions of Americans will go to sign up for ObamaCare and they will find their insurance plan has disappeared. Companies are running for the exits. The program is collapsing. It is in a death spiral. And so far, of the 23 co-ops under the health care law, 17 of them have failed, including the one in the home State of Senator Reid, Nevada, which went out of business at the end of last year.

With all these companies shutting down and dropping out, people living in one-third of the country are going to be left with just one option for ObamaCare coverage in November. One option is no choice. It is not a marketplace, it is a monopoly.

Under ObamaCare, we have seen medical costs skyrocketing and people losing their insurance. So it is no surprise that there is enormous anger and anxiety about the health care law, to the point that in a Gallup poll earlier this month, 29 percent of American families say they have actually been hurt personally by the health care law and only 18 percent say they have been helped.

Mr. President, Republicans said this was what was going to happen.

Democrats ignored them. They ignored our concerns to try to improve health care for all Americans. Democrats went into a back room, behind closed doors in Harry Reid's office, they wrote a law they passed with no Republican support, and this is the result.

We have offered direct solutions to the problems. We have offered relief for the American people. My colleague from Arizona, Senator McCain, who is now on the floor, has offered a bill to provide that relief for people who are hit with mandates, taxes, fines, and penalties because of the mandates of a law that is too expensive, too costly, and hurting American families. I am proud to cosponsor Senator McCain's legislation to provide that relief.

So when people say ``Will you work with Democrats?'' I will say this:

If Democrats want to work on a plan that provides nothing but more ObamaCare and more Federal control, count me out, but if they want to work on a plan, such as the plan I have introduced with Senator Graham from South Carolina and Senator Ayotte to provide opportunity, freedom, choice, and flexibility at the State level, to empower individuals in States, then count me in.

But, Mr. President, when you look at a program that is impacting America, with 29 percent of people having been hurt by the President and his law and only 18 percent helped, I would say to the President of the United States: You shouldn't have had to hurt so many good people while trying to help those who didn't have insurance.

This is a law that needs to be repealed and replaced, and right now I am proud to stand with Senator McCain in his efforts to provide relief to the families who feel betrayed by this President and this law.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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