Health Care Reform
Floor Speech
Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, as someone who has practiced medicine in Wyoming for about a quarter of a century, and as medical director of the Wyoming health fairs to bring low-cost blood screenings to people all around Wyoming, I have been very involved in the health care issue and in actually helping to provide health care for people.
It was ironic last night during the State of the Union Address to listen to the President talk about health care as if he had some understanding of how it all worked. It became evident to me, sadly, that the President put forth some bold proposals and then came out with a 2,700-page bill that I think many people who voted for never read, didn't understand, didn't know the harm it was going to do to American families, and then the President last night was talking about it in the State of the Union Address in ways that it is actually helping people. It may be helping some, but it is hurting many more. It is not just the Web site. The Web site is the tip of the iceberg. There is huge damage being done to families.
Today I have a letter with me that just came in from a family in Wyoming to talk about how much this is harming this person's individual family. A man from Upton, WY, a small community, somebody who tries to get up every day, go to work, take care of his family, put food on the table. Yet his whole family is being harmed by this law the President has put into place, forced down the throats of the American people on a party-line vote.
So let me start with the letter:
Opening up my insurance letter today has lead me to write you this letter. I'm usually the type of person that just keeps trudging along--
I think all of us have constituents who are like this--
and take things as they come. I'm a longtime resident of this beautiful state and graduated from the University of Wyoming-- as so many people have done--
I'm married and have 4 young kids from ages 9 to 3.
He has four young kids ages 9 to 3. He said:
We're a healthy and active family. Non-smokers. Go to doctors for emergency care only. Go to the chiropractor and dentist regularly. I have a high deductible insurance plan.
It is a $10,000 deductible, which is high. He says he is paying $584 a month for that. I wish the President of the United States would get letters such as this and read them and understand the impact he is having on people's lives and how much his plan is hurting American families.
Justin writes:
Now, due to the current healthcare climate, I'm going to have to pay $945 a month.
So he will be paying a lot more. He was paying $584, now $945 a month. He says:
And they conveniently raised my deductible to $11,000.
He had a $10,000 deductible, which is high. They have raised that, and raised his premiums from $584 to $945 a month. He says:
How does Obama expect the middle class to stretch their budgets every month to get healthcare coverage?
That is what middle-class Americans want to know. How does this President expect the middle class to stretch their budgets every month to get health care coverage?
He goes on:
How can we get rid of ObamaCare?
That is a question I was asked repeatedly around the State of Wyoming last week.
This gentleman goes on to say:
Every chance you get, please vote to repeal ObamaCare.
The President last night ridiculed people such as Justin--ridiculed him--saying, Well, sure, vote over and over and over. This man from Wyoming is saying: Every chance you get, vote to repeal ObamaCare.
He also said:
Every chance you get please help the middle class.
Every chance you get, please help the middle class. We are not seeing that from this President, this administration, and those who supported these policies which have hurt the middle class.
He said:
Thank you and I appreciate your leadership for the state of Wyoming. Now I'll go back to working hard to pay my insurance bill, (and probably some for the people that Obama is trying to help.)
Finally he says:
Obama stated to the public that our premiums were not going to rise. Thanks for listening to me rant.
I don't consider what we are hearing from my friend Justin from Upton, WY, a rant. I hear it as a cry for help due to a health care law the President and the Democrats forced down the throats of the American people against their will. Many people who voted for it never read it, didn't understand it, and I really have strong doubts the President himself understands the health care law, what is in it, and the damage it continues to do to middle-class Americans and families all across this country.
Thank you, Madam President. I yield the floor.
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