Health Care

Floor Speech

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today I would like to address two topics. One is that within the hour President Obama is going to be delivering remarks about his health care law. I would like for all Americans to pay close attention to the President's remarks and see if he continues to make promises he knows he cannot keep.

Is he going to once again say that if you like what you have, you can keep it? Well, if so, we know that is not true. Just ask the unions that recently wrote a letter to Majority Leader Reid and to Nancy Pelosi about how this law is not allowing them to keep the insurance they have.

Is the President going to call it affordable and say again that premiums will decrease by an average of $2,500 per family? Well, if so, we know that is not true. Just ask the folks in Ohio, where the average individual market health insurance premium in 2014 is going to cost about 88 percent more.

Is the President going to say again that the law is working as it is supposed to work? Well, if so, we know that is not true. Just ask the administration why they decided to delay the disastrous employer mandate that is making it harder for employers to hire new workers and for Americans to find full-time jobs.

Is the President going to say this law is good for young Americans? If so, we know that is not true. Just ask the young, healthy adults who will see insurance rates double or even triple when they look to buy individual coverage starting next year.

It is time for the President to level with the American people. This law has been bad for patients, it has been bad for providers--the people who take care of those patients, the nurses and the doctors--and it is terrible for taxpayers. We need to repeal this law and replace it with real reforms that help Americans get the care they need from a doctor they choose, at lower cost.

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