Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement today ahead of President Obama’s speech in Miami on Obamacare:
“Over the past several months, the American people have been hit with story after story about the unraveling of Obamacare. So it is no surprise that today President Obama delivered a major speech aimed at changing that narrative. His speech featured grand overtures about how the so-called Affordable Care Act has revolutionized health care for the American people and that with a few small tweaks, it will be on a successful path forward. He blamed Republicans, health insurers and citizens – everyone except himself and Obamacare’s inherently unworkable structure – for rising health care costs under that program. And he conveniently glossed over the serious consequences of this unworkable, fatally-flawed law.
“The people of my home state of Arizona deserved to hear from the President the truth about why Obamacare premiums are set to increase by an average of 51 to 75 percent. They deserved to hear the truth about why insurance companies are steadily fleeing the marketplace after incurring billions in losses on the exchanges, leaving major cities like Phoenix with just one choice in the marketplace next year. They deserved to hear the truth about why 1.4 million Americans will be kicked off their current plans and forced to find an alternative coverage next year. And they deserved to hear the truth about why they will be forced to pay a penalty if they choose not to enroll in such expensive, restrictive coverage next year.
“Unfortunately, my fellow citizens didn’t get the answers they have been demanding about why health care is less affordable and accessible under Obamacare. That’s because the White House and Congressional Democrats are more concerned with preserving the President’s legacy than delivering real health care reform that actually protects individuals from health insurance monopolies and sky-rocketing costs. The President did the American people a disservice today by sweeping the disastrous situation unfolding across the country under the rug and punting it to the next administration. Until Democrats finally recognize the failure of this law, citizens in Arizona and hardworking people across the country will be left to pick up the pieces.”
Contrary to President Obama’s claims today, Congressional Republicans have offered numerous pieces of legislation to replace Obamacare. This Congress, Senators McCain and David Perdue (R-GA) introduced the Empowering Patients First Act, which would fully repeal and replace Obamacare with affordable and accessible solutions that put patients back in charge of their health care decisions.
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