WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the Obamacare premium tax and the need to repeal and replace the law with common-sense, step-by-step reforms that actually lower costs for Americans:

“Later today, the President is scheduled to deliver a speech on Obamacare. He’s expected to say that, because of Obamacare, Americans can expect checks in the mail.

“Sounds great, doesn’t it? Free money. But, as they say, most things in life that sound too good to be true very often are. And, in this case, it’s not so much that people will be getting free money, as that most people will be paying many dollars more for their healthcare and maybe – just maybe – getting a few bucks back.

“In other words, if you’re a family in Covington facing a $2,100 premium increase under Obamacare, then, really, what would you rather have: a check for $100 or so, or a way to avoid the $2,100 premium increase in the first place? I think the answer’s obvious. And I think most Kentuckians would agree that this is just another sad attempt by the Administration to spin them into wanting a law they don’t.

“And there’s this to consider: Even though we expect the President today to tout about $500 million worth of these types of refunds, what he won’t say is that next year, Obamacare will impose a new sales tax on the purchase of health insurance that will cost Americans about $8 billion. That’s a 16 to 1 ratio.

“So if the Administration is concerned with saving people money on their health care, I have some advice for them. Work with us to repeal Obamacare and start over – work with us to implement common-sense, step-by-step reforms that can actually lower costs for Kentuckians. Because jacking up our constituents’ health care costs is bad enough, but to try to then convince them the opposite is happening – that they’ve actually won some Publishers Clearinghouse sweepstakes, well, it’s just as absurd as it sounds. It’s an insult, really. And I know Kentuckians aren’t going to buy it.”