Care was imposed upon our country. The vast majority of states on the federal exchange, premiums have doubled. Premiums will go up once again. 59 in maryland, 80 in new mexico. Does it sound like obamacare is working . They said it would increase choice. They said it would increase choice but of course it didnt. This year 70 of american counties have had little or no choice of insurers under obamacare. Counties at least 44 are expected to have no choice at all. Again, americans could be thrown off their plans in states like missouri and ohio and wisconsin. Does it sound like obamacare is working . Democrats tell us it would be wrong for the senate to actually address these problems in a serious way while the law they have defended for seven years teeters on the edge of total collapse. They were wrong before and they are wrong again now. By any measure it has failed and no amount of reality denying or buckpassing by democrats is going to change the fact that more americans are going to get hurt unless we do something. I regret that our democratic friends made clear early on that they did not want to work with us in a serious bipartisan way to adjust the obamacare status quo. Republicans believe we have a responsibility to act and we are. For our constituents, for our states, and for our country. Weve long called for a better way forward and we have been engaged in intensive talks on how to get there. Through dozens of meetings open to each and every member of the conference we had the opportunity to offer and consider many ideas for confronting the obamacare status quo. We debated many policy proposals. We considered many different viewpoints. That wend, we found shared many ideas about what needs to be achieved and how we can achieve it. These shared policy objectives and the solutions to achieve them are what made up the Health Care Discussion draft that we have finished talking through this morning. We agreed on the need to free americans from obamacare mandates and policies contained in the discussion draft will repeal the individual mandate so americans are no longer forced to buy insurance they dont need or can afford or cant afford. Employer mandate so americans no longer see their hours and take home pay cut by employers because of it. We agree on the need to improve the affordability of policies we will do that. We will limit a costly obamacare taxes that are passed on to consumers so we can put downward pressure on premiums. Expand taxfree Health Savings accounts and deploy targeted tax credits so we can help defray outofpocket costs and ship power from washington to the states so they have more flexibility to provide more americans with the kind of affordable Insurance Options they actually want rid we agree on the need they actually want. We agree on the need to implement stabilization policies so we can bring financial certainties to Insurance Markets and hope to americans that face the possibility of limited or zero options next year under obamacare. Ultimately transition away from obamacares collapsing system entirely so more americans will not be hurt. We also agree on the need to strengthen medicaid. Preserve access to care for patients with preexisting conditions, and allow children to stay on their Parents Health insurance through the age of 26. Im pleased we were able to arrive at a draft that incorporates input from so many members who represent so many different constituents, who are facing so many different challenges. The draft containing the solutions i mentioned along with many others, is posted online. I encourage everyone to carefully review it. There will be ample time to analyze, discuss, and provide thoughts before legislation comes to the floor. I hope every senator etc. Opportunity. Next week i hope every senator takes that opportunity. Theek we hope they cb Congressional Budget Office to release their score. Each of oururage senators to participate in this process. When legislation comes to the floor they will present Senate Democrats with another opportunity to do what is right for the American People. They can choose to keep standing by is there failing law continues to collapse and hurt more americans but i hope they will join us instead to bring relief to the families that have struggled under obamacare for far too long. Way, either way, it is time to act. Obamacare is a direct attack on the middle class and American Families deserve better than its failing status quo. They deserve better care. That is just what we will continue to work to bring them. Under the previous order, the leadership time is preserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order the senate will resume consideration lingsie nomination, which the clerk will report. Virginia to be secretary. [no audio] mr. President , democratic we are beginning to receive the first bits of information about the Senate Republican Health Care Bill which until now has been shrouded in absolute secrecy. I can see why. Even as we continue to get more details, the broad outlines are clear. This is a bill designed to strip away Health Care Benefits and protections from americans who need it most, in order to give a tax break to the folks who need it least. This is a bill that would and medicaid as we know it. ,olling back Medicaid Expansion cutting federal support for the program even more than the house bill. Which cut medicaid by 800 billion. Let me remind everyone in this chamber, medicaid is not just a Health Insurance program for americans struggling in poverty. Though that is an important and necessary part of it. Medicaid is increasingly a middleclass program. Medicaid is how Many Americans are able to access opioid abuse treatment. It puts the bill for two thirds of all americans living in Nursing Homes and medicaid provides the cushion particularly in rural areas, so hospitals can survive and give topnotch health care to all of us. From what is reported, in just three short years, under the , republicans will kick millions off their medicaid coverage. 2025, thestarting in plan will institute more medicaid cuts and each year those cuts get deeper than the year before. Within 10 years of this new funding system, the cuts to medicaid could total hundreds of , morens of dollars above the 800 billion the house bill already cuts. Every senior in america should read the fine print of this bill. It looks like american seniors could be paying way more, why do this . Bill, the answer is because the republicans want to give a tax break to the wealthiest americans. Those making over 200,000 a up toand set themselves give these people another, even larger tax cut in their tax bill. Even though much of the early reporting said the bill would keep certain protections for americans with preexisting conditions, the truth is, it may well not guarantee them the coverage they need. By allowing states to waive essential Health Benefits what the bill is saying to them is, insurance still has to cover you but it does not have to cover what you may actually need. All or most of your costs. For opioid treatment addiction, your plan may no longer cover it. And need pregnant Maternity Care your plan may have decided that it is too expensive. The coverage that americans with preexisting conditions actually need may well become either unaffordable or even nonexistent under this bill. Simply put, this bill will not right now, at the end of my remarks simply put, this bill will result in higher costs, less care, and millions of americans will lose their Health Insurance. Particularly through medicaid. It is every bit as bad as the house bill. In some ways it is even worse. The president said that the senate bill needed heart. The way this bill cuts health care is heartless. The president says the house bill was mean. The Senate Bill May be meaner. The Senate Republican Health Care Bill is a wolf in sheeps clothing. Teetholf has even sharper than the house bill. Republicansthat know that cutting medicaid will hurt so many people in the middle class, so many in new york. Republicans know that people want essential Health Benefits so they have created a disguise by saying, these changes wont occur for a year. In reality, the Senate Republican bill is a wolf in sheeps clothing, only this wolf has sharper teeth than the house bill. We are potentially voting on it in a week. No Committee Hearings, no amendments in committee, no debate on the floor, save for 10 measly hours on one of the most important bills we are dealing with in decade. That brings shame on this body. We wont even know the full cost or consequences of the bill until cbo scores it. That could take a few days more. How can my friend, the majority leader, expect this body to barely consider this legislation , prepare amendments and debated in one week with only 10 hours of debate . How can he expect his own members to do the same . Many of them on the republican side, are learning the details of the bill, the same way we democrats are. They are reading it today. Now listen to what the majority leader had to say in 2009 when we were debating health care his words this is a very important issue. We shouldnt try to do it in the dark. Whatever final bill is produce should be available to the American Public and to members of the senate, certainly for enough time to come to grips with it. We are going to insist that the American People and the American People are going to insist that it be done in a transparent,. Air, and open way as five or six days enough time for the American People for members of the senate to come to grips with the bill that affects 16 of the economy in the lives of every americans in this country . I dont think so. Either do the American People neither do a whole bunch of republican senators. , what i have preferred a more open process, the answer is yes. Senator collins, i dont think it gives enough time to thoroughly analyze the bill. But we will see when it comes out. Member, rand paul, lindsey graham, jerry moran, marco rubio, corker, who repeatedly had said this process in their words, and now in mind, is unfair, truncated, rushed. For my dear friend, the majority leader to say we will have an open amendment process is turning truth upside down. I would ask our leader rhetorically, because i know the at leastan we allow one hour on each amendment and not two minutes . Than 10have more time hours to debate the bill . I hope so. But if not. Please dont call this an open and fair process. If you want to rush it through, admit the consequences. President , the debate over health care has been fierce. We know that the republicans and democrats have differences. When we debated the Affordable Care act, at least we had a debate. At least we had Committee Hearings and a process. And more broadly than that, at least we democrats, were trying to pass a Health Care Bill that helped more americans afford insurance and tried to bring costs down and and some of the most egregious practices of the health care industry. What is this bill . Trumpcare, trying to achieve . To support fored Health Care Programs in order to give tax breaks to the very wealthy. When the cbo score comes out, i believe it will verify that millions of americans in this great country will be unable to afford insurance or the insurance they cant afford wont cover the services they need. America, mr. President , there is a family who takes a trip each friday to visit grandma or grandpa at a nursing home. Who sacrificed all of their savings to pay for their health care until they had no more saving. Now relies on medicaid to help carehe cost of longterm in a nursing home. Somewhere in america, there is a ,ather who is eaten up inside watching his son struggle with. Pioid addiction only afford treatment to get him out from his devastating addiction. Somewhere in america, there is apparent whose child has cancer. A mother and father who stays up late at night, worried that their insurance will either not be available or run out when the family needs it most. In the america that my republican friends in vision with this Health Care Bill, those americans and many more beside, might not get the coverage and care that they need. In the wealthiest country on earth. Better surely, we can do than what the Republican Health care bill promises. Now i have a unanimous consent to have tom going delay my friend from asking questions until we finish this request. I ask unanimous consent that any offeredte or amendment to calendar number 120 hr 1628, not be in order if the text of the amendment has not been filed at the desk and made available on a public website for at least 72 hours along with an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office of the bill possible to terry, coverage, and cost implications. Reserving the right to object, my colleague was going to ask the question, which i will answer, which was, the majority leader is referring to a bill that he has not seen a copy of it it hadnt yet been released. The speech you just heard was about a bill that he is not seen. With regard to his consent, i object. Mr. President. Notentary parliamentary privilege, leader time. Senator has the floor. Thank you. Pages the us far of the supposedly bill have been printed online. That is what i have used. Mr. President. Minority whip. President , several weeks ago the house of representatives passed a bill to repeal the Affordable Care act and replace it. It was passed without hearings, without amendment process, and before the cbo provided the traditional analysis which we count on before we take up a measure of such magnitude. That measure passed with a partyline vote of all republicans two republican senators voted the other way, it would not have moved forward after it passed the president of the United States had a at a celebration at the white house. Representatives and celebrating that the measure had passed. The American People took a close look and the Congressional Budget Office issued its analysis. It turns out that 23 million americans would lose their Health Insurance because of this republican measure that passed the house of representatives. It turns out there would be a dramatic increase in Health Insurance premiums for people between the ages of 50 and 64. ,t turned out that in my state and many other states, hospitals were in danger. The Hospital Association said they would lose 60,000 jobs in illinois with the dramatic cutbacks in medicaid, endangering hospitals in rural areas and innercity areas. The facts started coming out about this repeal bill and the president of the United States had a change of heart and announced to the American People that it was a mean bill. I mean bill. The president was right. It was mean legislation. Mean to the millions who lost their health care, mean to seniors who would find their premiums going up, mean to the People Living in rural areas and small towns that count on those hospitals. The president was right. It was mean. Then the responsibility shifted to the United States senate. The majority leader, senator mcconnell and his republican followers had a chance to do a bill that was not mean. To sit down on a bipartisan basis and to have the same process we used to create the Affordable Care act. That wouldve been we had 50 public hearings on the Affordable Care act. It would have involved a real amendment process. The Affordable Care act had 300 amendments. How many were offered by the republicans over 150 offered and adopted, in a bipartisan process when we passed the Affordable Care act. The American People got a good look at the bill. The Congressional Budget Office issued their analysis before we voted on it. We passed it and im glad it did and i am proud of that. What happened in the senate when it came to the republicans . They went into secrecy. 13 chosen senators all sat in a room and wrote the alternative or so we are told. They met in secret and never once had a public hearing. Never once disclosed to the American People what was being debated. An opportunity for real bipartisan cooperation to strengthen our existing health care system. Not at all. All we have at this moment is press accounts of what has been announced to the Republican Senate caucus, but it is enough to see that when it comes down to the basics, there is not much of a change between the house of representatives mr. President , you can put a lace color on a pitbull and it is still a mean dog. But we need to dust off the edges of the house bill and say it is mean. I will tell you at the end of the day, from reports we have, this is still a mean dog, one from the people of the United States do not want to see happen. There is not a single medical advocacy group, not one in my state or any nationwide, that have endorsed with the republicans of the house of accomplished with the passage of isir bill, and this bill mean as well and we can expect the same result. So really thing offered by the American People the chance to be part of the conversation on a bill that will change health care for millions of americans. If theyre going to be part of the conversation, there has to be a chance for amendment and debate at least, and a chance for the American People to see what is in the Senate Republican measure. Mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that any substitute for befecting amendment subjected to a point of order. If the text of the amendment has not been filed at the desk and made available on public ,ebsites for at least 72 hours along with an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office of the bills budgetary coverage and cost of locations, and that motion to a point of order be in emotion if a motion to waive is made, a vote of two thirds is required to a point of order. Is there any objection . Xo like to thank my friend the democratic leader for confirming that the majority leaders remarks were made on the basis of news accounts. The bill has been posted online for the past 20 minutes. Im in the minority leader at this point. Does the majority leader know that online, one half hour before we came to the floor, there were one of 42 pages of the bill listed online, 142 pages of the bill listed online, and if there was anything i said, anything i said that is not going to be in the bill, could you clarify . Object. Objection, sir . Mr. President the senator from washington. Today ise are saying just the latest broken promise from President Trump and his republican party. After weeks of secret negotiation, back deals, shutting outpatients out patients and families, and even Many Republican from this process, Senate Republican leaders are days away from putting a bill on the floor that could not be more impactful or more devastating to families, bank accounts, and their health. Even republicans are pointing out there have not been a single hearing, no robust debate, no opportunity for the people who are really suffering under this bill to see exactly how bad it would be. Mr. President , this disastrous Trumpcare Bill deserves full screen me under an open process, like the process the democrats conducted when we passed the Affordable Care act. We held hearings, we took amendments from both sides, and we certainly did not leave the fate of Womens Health care up to a few republican men. Senate republicans are right to be ashamed of this mean and heartless legislation. Just like the house Trumpcare Bill, it will increase premiums, undermine protections for people with preexisting conditions, it will defund planned parenthood and allow Insurance Companies, Insurance Companies to charge women more. It will gut medicaid, takeaway care for our seniors, for pregnant women. People with disabilities. And it will take Health Insurance coverage away from millions of people across the country. For what . To the another tax cut wealthy and wellconnected. Mr. President , i would be ashamed to if i had to defend the bill this cruel. I can understand why Republican Leaders do not want to give people time to see what is in this bill, and why they do not even want to give their own members time to see how much they are constituents their constituents hated. But that is the bill Senate Republicans have made. If theyre going to try and pass this disastrous version of trumpcare, at the very least they should not get to janet through jam it through without the public knowing good and well what they are up to. For aesident, i ask parliamentary inquiry. Is the chair able to confirm that the committee on Health Education, labor, and pensions consider the ultimate Health Choices act, which was incorporated into the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act in executive session on 13 calendar days prior to reporting the bill separately . Senatescretary of the office through the senates library can confirm that. That is confirmed. I ask for your consent today for any substitute amendment offered to calendar 120, hr 1528 not be in order. If the text of the amendment has not been subject of a hearing, subject of an executive session, during which amendments from both the majority and minority were considered and recorded favorably by the committee. This on finance and the committee on Health Education, labor, and pensions. Are their objections . Mr. President . Majority whip. None of these senators have read the bill. I have the floor, mr. President. The bill is 142 pages long, compared to 2700 pages long in the obamacare bill. If they can read the bill, if they have objections to the provisions, we can debate them, but what they are talking about is a bill that does not exist, with that they have not read. I object. Objection is heard. Mr. President. Minority leader . Would my Dear Colleague from texas yield to a question . Texas ofor does texas does not have the floor, you have the floor. I would like to tell my friend from texas this is the bill, it was posted online one half hour before we came online, and i would ask a page to come over and bring it to my dear friend and ask him if this is the bill, which we have read. All senators have a copy of this discussion draft bill. This is a discussion draft, which will be open to an amendment process, with unlimited amendments that can be offered by both sides following before, we will have a wholesome debate. Our colleagues here are complaining about the greasy that does not exist. This will is online. The American People can read it. You can read it. And i suggest that they do read it before they start criticizing it. Friend from texas to yield to another question. Will we get more than two minutes to debate each amendment under for, or will we be reconciliation clauses, where we had 10 hours of debate and every amendment only gets two minutes . Does he consider that two minutes, if that is the case, a full and fair debate on each amendment . I say in response to my friend from new york, the fact that we are having to conduct this under the reconciliation rules is a result of their refusal to participate in the necessitatingt republicans doing this under budget reconciliation rules. If they would do this in a true, bipartisan way where we could get 60 votes to get on the bill and open up the amendment process, we could have a better bill, but given the refusal of our democratic colleagues to participate in the process, this is the only way we can come to the rescue of the people who are being hurt by the meltdown of obamacares a day. Just to clarify, does the senator from texas objects to the senator from washington . I do object. Objection is heard. Mr. President i heard the objection. I just have to say the exchange we just heard is exactly what we have been objecting to. We were told that the bill would be online at 9 30 this morning. It was online at 11 00, i have a copy of it. But we are hearing from the other side now that this is not the bill, this is a discussion draft. We are not going to see the bill, we are not going to see the real bill, apparently, until next week, even though we were told we would see it this morning. This has been the problem we have had since this discussion started. We started this in january with the process that cut us out of this under reconciliation. 13 men in a private room wrote this discussion draft that is not a bill that we now have to look at and decide if we have to like in the American Public. A discussion draft yet that is draft . We are asking that the American People, and have a right to know what is going to impact every one of their lives, families, communities, and their businesses has more than a discussion draft, more than 10 hours of debate, time to look into this and know how we are even going to do an amendment process next week. Deal for question . Happy to. Mr. President , i wonder if the senator washington is aware that under the budget reconciliation process, there will be an unlimited numbers of amendments to be offered by either side for the bill that is ultimately on file. Ask mr. President , im well aware of that and i will remind our colleagues and everybody in this country what will happen is that there will be 10 hours of debate where we hopefully have more than a discussion draft that we will be allowed to offer amendments on, and there will be no debate on those amendments. No will be no one will know what this is. There will be a chaotic process on the floor, the public will not know. We will be able to tell them days later, after this is said and done. That is not amendment process and what we went through in the past the Affordable Care act. The American Public deserves better. Minority leader . I would ask my colleagues question. What would be wrong with one hour of debate on every amendment to this bill . What is the objection to that since the majority is proposing no debate on amendments and saying it is an open process. What is wrong with one hour of debate on every amendment offered through this bill . Is to president . I would say in response into my friend, the minority leader, this is other a result of their refusal to participate in the usual process of passing legislation through the regular order the court will be in order that we have to resort to the budget reconciliation process that has a set of statutory provisions and rules. There will be a full some debate, there has been a debate on a bill you have not read. And i would suggest you take the time to read it and then we can talk about the details. 140 two pages, compared to 2700 pages of obamacare, it does not take that long to read. This is a start. This is not the finished, and this is called the normal legislative process. I suggest colleagues, rather than criticize a bill that they have not read, they read it, and then have a credible debate. To a leader . The would ask my friend, majority whip from texas, a series of questions. What was the date that reconciliation was added to the budget resolution which said we did not need any democratic votes . Was it may, april, march, or the very beginning of the session . I would ask another question. Where were the meetings held to discuss this bill, and were any democrats invited . I would ask him another question. Why did the majority leader not accept our offer to go into the old senate chamber, 100 senators, no press, no anything else, and debate the bill . Friend, andmy good he is a good friend, we ride bikes in the morning together, how does my good friend from texas say there should be there was a bipartisan process when at the outset, on the outset, the republican colleagues said the only thing we will debate is repealed. And then replace. There was no discussion of whether repeal was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, and now overwhelmingly, the American People prefer fixing obamacare, which we offered to do, then repeal and replace, and it is no wonder, i would say to my colleague, as he answer these questions, that this bill is being brought in the dark of night. It is because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are ashamed of the bill. If they like this bill, they would have bands down every main street in america talking about it. But they are trying to sneak it through, because their goal is a tax cut or the rich. I would ask my colleagues answer those three questions, and then he can respond to my rhetoric. Majority whip . Lacks mr. President , i really taken aback by the characterization of the minority leader here. The minority has made it clear that if you do not want to talk promisees they do the participate in the promise of repealing obama care. You do not want his pain in the process, and you are turning a blind eye to the people, the millions of people who are being hurt today by outrageous premiums, deductibles they cannot afford, and loss of choices because Insurance Companies have pulled out of the individual markets. Your response to them is we do not care. We care. And we are doing our best to deal with this. This is like a car incident accident for someone seriously injured, and instead of rendering aid, with we are driving by. That is what our colleagues on the other side are doing. Theyre driving by a seriously injured person in a car accident. Ofare coming to the rescue the people, the millions of people who are being hurt by obamacare today. Have ourlove to democratic friends join us and do something truly sustainable, but you have to remember, my friends, how this started. Democrats jammed obamacare through on a partyline vote, and republicans were not able to participate in that process. What we are trying to do is save the people who were currently being hurt, and whose health care has become unaffordable. If you would like to join us in this process, we would love to have you, but failing that, we will get it done and you can just drive right by the car wreck. Mr. President . Minority leader. Here is the correct analogy. Yes, there has been an accident, somebody needs help. Someone who is not a doctor, not a physician, does not know how go byp the patient, they our side of the road, but they do not know what to do. The democrats come by with doctors. We say we know how to fix the system. Well fix this patient, and republicans say no, do not help us. Right by. And now the patient is ailing. I asked my colleagues, lets forget the past. Argument much better than you. We have hundreds of amendments offered by republicans that became part of our bill. I doubt there will be a single democratic amendment that will be. We had hours of hearings and debates, you did not. You may not have thought the process was perfect, but it is a lot more open in yours. I have a proposal to my friend. Let us forget this draft bill. Let us right now, democrats and republicans, sit down and try to come up with a bipartisan bill. We are willing to do it today, now, this minute. Will you except that offer . Mr. President . The senate will be in order. If i thought that was a sincere offer, i would take it in a new york minute. [booing] said it will be in order. The fact that matters is that companies aree going to have to be going to the weres to approve premiums 2018. Unless we act and act in an expedited fashion, we will see millions of people at their raised byrates another double digits. It has been 105 since 2013. 105 . Obamacare was sold under the would seeat families a reduction of 2500. If you like your policy, you could keep your policy. If you coul like your doctor you can keep your doctor. All that is false, false. This is a failed experiment. They may not be willing to help, but we will. And we will get it done and helping American People who are being heard hurt by the failure of obamacare today. Mr. President , i am struck by this conversation as being the ranking democrat on the Senate Demands committee. Established, it senator from texas, is on the finance committee. He knows that i know something about writing Bipartisan Health reform bills. I have written them. They become law. I can tell my colleagues that i have not once, not once been asked to be part of any bipartisan effort. Not in respect to this legislation. I think it is really clear what is going on here. Senate republicans are going to keep telling americans they are fixing their health care, right up until the second it gets taken away. As the Ranking Member of the finance committee, i find it bizarre that a health bill of this importance was hidden for so long behind closed doors, denying the American People the opportunity to see it together in an open debate. Onre have been no hearings this dangerous destructive proposal. Not one hearing on whether medicare in medicaid should be slashed to pay for tax cuts for the fortunate few. Not one hearing on whether the bedrock protections for those with preexisting conditions ought to be shattered. Not one hearing on whether americans should pay higher cost so long with annual and lifetime limits on insurance coverage. Secretive process of concealing and rushing this bill, which, until today, has been seen by nobody, nobody outside the Republican Leadership and their lobbyist allies who dwell on k street, the secretive process stands in stark contrast to the contrast process that lets the of portable care act. I put forward a parliamentary inquiry. Is the chair able to confirm that the committee on finance considered f 1796, the Americas Health future act, ultimately incorporated into age 3590, the Patient Protection and for will , on eight separate calendar days prior to reporting the bill favorable . The secretary of the senates office, through the senate library, confirms that. I have information that integrates 135 amendments were considered in committee, and of amendments offered by republican members of the committee were offered in a bipartisan manner were adopted during the consideration of f 1796. Is the chair able to confirm that . Secretarys Office Confirms that. No lotion motion to be in order until the bill has been the subject of executive session meetings in the committee on finance and Health Education labor had health health, education, labor, and pensions until the bill has been favorably reported from those committees. Is there objection . Mr. President. Majority whip. Observing the right for objection. Mr. President , our colleagues are coming here today and saying they want to participate in the process to fix what is broken in the Affordable Care act, yet i have in my hand a newspaper article about a letter about the democratic leader from the democratic leader and his colleagues who sent that says they refused what is paid in the process unless they drop all of our plans to repeal and replace obamacare. They refuse to participate in the process. I would point out, mr. President , that the failures of obamacare did not just start today. They have been failing over seven years. And they did nothing. Nothing. Nothing to help the millions of people who are being hurt, who had to move from fulltime work to parttime work because their employer did not want to pay the employer penalty for not providing obamacare coverage. We know that many people have been hurt by it, and not the least of which are the people who are finding their premiums skyrocketing. They will do so again next year and lust we come to their rescue unless we come to their rescue. We have seen examples so high that they have effectively been designed to devalue with their insurance. I had a conversation a couple of days ago the democratic senator, because it was done in confidence, who confided to me that his own son had effectively seen his premiums go up so high roughly it cost him 12,500 out of pocket to deal and the premiums people, and pay his premiums. 12,500. That is not affordable to anybody, certainly in the middle class, and so i would object. Objection is heard. Mr. President. That senator from michigan. Thank you. I want indicate for the sting wish to jordi whip majority whip that what is being talked about here is like having a hole in the roof of your house instead of catching it. They want to burn down the house. What we are not willing to participate in is burning down the house. We are more than happy, and in fact have proposals and are anxious to work with the majority to improve health care. Not rip it apart, not take tens healthions of peoples care away, but improve it. And before asking them question of the majority whip, i would like to indicate for all of those listening, we have the bill and can reid priddy weekly, and it has been out. Even though it is considered a discussion draft, and we dont know what it is at this point, we have it. We have it and are analyzing it. Our democratic leader indicated is what we have been able to read in this discussion draft. Which is now more of the same, seniors, thoser in Nursing Homes, for children in michigan, and across the country. That is what is in this, which we now have, whatever it is called. I would ask the majority whip, instead of burning down the house at this point in terms of ripping apart the health care system, would you join with us in putting forward a bill that would allow medicare to negotiate prescription jump prices drug prices for seniors, which my hospitals tell me are one of the driving forces that are raising the cost of health care . Would you be willing to work with us on a bill to lower Prescription Drug prices and allow medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of americas seniors . Mr. President . Majority whip. Say topresident , i would the senator from michigan that we would be happy to work with you on high drug prices. That is a serious problem in one of the primary cost drivers of Health Care Cost today. But this bill does not touch medicare at all. Intact the health care for seniors, and it is not touched by this at all. When the time comes for us to deal with medicare, that is a debate we should have. And we would welcome it. I would simply say that i am this, whichstead of is essentially burning down the terms of American Health care, that you instead join with us and what you have admitted is one of the top drivers of Health Care Cost in this country, which is what we want to tackle, mr. President. We want to bring down the cost. We want to bring on the cost of production drugs, outofpocket cost for everyone whos copays and premiums are too high. That is what we want to do. Taking away Nursing Homes, care, the ability for a parent to take their child to the doctor, or someone with cancer to get the treatment they need, or a Small Business owner to be blocked from Getting Health Care because of a preexisting condition, we consider that burning down the house. We are opposed to that. We love to that. We would love have a ceremony and like this on fire, and then come back together and Work Together on the number one driver, which is the cost of Prescription Drugs. Was to president . Majority whip. Mr. President , maybe i misunderstood the question forially, i would suggest the senator from michigan that it is the democrats under obamacare who burned down the because the individual market for health care has been decimated. Decimated. And we are coming to the rescue of those millions of people who dont have employerprovided insurance, do not get their coverage under medicare or any other government program, they get it from the individual market. You are talking about individuals and Small Businesses. Right now, people have almost no choices in many parts of the country, and those who do it is simply unaffordable. It is an important conversation to have on drug prices and medicare, and we are happy to do that. That would do nothing, zip, nada to help ad the failures of the people hurt by obamacare. Afters what we are hoping passing this through an open legislative process and debate i have one other comment, and that is for the people in michigan who are purchasing on the private exchange, over half of which were able to get a policy today for their families for less than 100. I would say they would have a different perspective. We need to fix those things that are not working, but for the 97 of the children in michigan who can now see a doctor because of what has been done, or the hospitals who now are seeing 50 fewer people walking into the emergency room without insurance, that are raising the costs for all policies, for the savings that the state of michigan will have in the budget of 432 million in savings for taxpayers because they did the right thing by allowing people to go to a doctor instead of getting sick room,ing to the emergency i would suggest that this is the wrong direction. Thank you. Senator rand paul of kentucky told reporters on thursday that he will not support the Republican Health care replacement bill in its current form. Other republican senators, who say they are opposed include ted cruz of texas, mike lee of utah, and ron johnson of wisconsin. Here are senator pauls comments, and after that we will take your calls, live on the Health Care Bill. Senator paul myself and three other senators are releasing a statement as we speak. The statement says that we cannot support the current bill. We are open to negotiations, but we want the bill to look more like a repeal. We are afraid that when we read the bill, it actually looks more like a reiteration or a keeping of obamacare. As we estimate the cost of the
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