WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today spoke on the Senate floor on legislation the Senate is expected to pass that would repeal “the foundation” of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. 

“We need to repeal this law, a law that includes more than $1 trillion in new taxes for Americans over the next 10 years,” Roberts said. “For Kansas households, the economic impact is an average tax increase of $876 per year. We need to eliminate the individual and employer mandates.  The employer mandate is stifling job creation; it is reducing workers’ hours and it is a disincentive for businesses to grow and expand.”

He continued, “We need to fix health care, not Obamacare. We need to give peace of mind to the families hurt by Obamacare.  The relief provided by this package just does that.  I urge my colleagues to support this bill so we can provide freedom to all Americans from the mandates of this law and give us an opportunity to pursue more patient-centered reforms that will improve access and actually lower costs for patients.” 

The Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, H.R. 3762, dismantles many of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The bill passed the House last month and with Senator Roberts’ support is expected to pass the Senate this week. The bill then goes to the president’s desk for signature.

Full text of Senator Roberts’ prepared remarks is below:

Thank you, Mr. President.

Last month, Congress enacted its first full budget that balances in the last 5 years. Under our previous Democrat leadership, we only passed one budget.  We have to look all the way back to 2001 to find the last time Congress passed a balanced 10 year budget.

It is vitally important we go through the regular budgeting process to ensure we are being efficient and effective when spending hardworking taxpayer’s dollars.

Now that we have a final budget framework, we have the opportunity to adjust spending and make policy changes to rein in the excesses of this administration. The first step in this is the consideration of the budget reconciliation bill.

We have before us a budget reconciliation bill that not only reduces the federal deficit, but it does so by dismantling many of the key provisions of the president’s health care law, known as Obamacare. 

We are more than five years into its implementation. However, many of the same problems that those of us who were here during the original debate warned of, are still causing harm to consumers, and new issues continue to arise.

We continue to see higher costs, less choice for individuals, and higher taxes.

Prior to open enrollment starting, CMS released the 2016 Marketplace Affordability Snapshot.  This shows that across the 37 states that use the federal marketplace, Kansas included, the cost of the second lowest cost silver plan, or the benchmark plan, will increase on average 7.5 percent next year.

That number is more than doubled for Kansans. They are facing an average 16 percent increase in the benchmark plan. 

This is not the promised reduction in premiums the president promised. This is not affordable.

Madison from Overland Park, Kansas, recently wrote to me about her family’s struggle.  She says, “Yet again our rates are going up to the point where we cannot afford our health insurance that I have had since before 2008. Out of network hospital and doctors limit my ability to provide for my children the health care they need.”

Madison, you hit the nail on the head. 

Even if you can afford the increased premiums to maintain coverage, the high deductibles may make it nearly impossible for you to utilize health services under your plan.

Or, your doctors are no longer in your network, limiting your ability to keep your doctor that you liked – another broken promise from the president.

Another local problem of concern for me was the announcement that one of the insurance companies that provided coverage on the exchange to Kansans will no longer be offering plans next year.  This impacts nearly half of all Kansans that enrolled through the marketplace who will again have to find a new plan, and possibly new providers.

We need to repeal this law, a law that includes more than $1 trillion in new taxes over the next 10 years.  For Kansas households, the economic impact is an average tax increase of $876 - per - year.

We need to eliminate the individual and employer mandates. 

The employer mandate is stifling job creation; it is reducing workers’ hours and it is a disincentive for businesses to grow and expand.

Jeff from Kansas City contacted me about this one and the effect the law’s having on his manufacturing business. 

He says, “Without an exemption [from the employer mandate] I will be forced to cut my staff below 50 or let Obamacare put me out of business in 2016.”

He continues, “Taking the penalty by not offering [health care] to my staff is the least expensive option in 2016 and will still put me in the red.”

These are not the options our job creators should be stuck contemplating – reducing staff or facing closure.

The individual mandate tax is set to increase January 1st.  Individuals opting not to purchase, or those not able to afford to purchase insurance next year, will now face a penalty of $695 or 2.5 percent of household income, whichever is higher. 

Removing this penalty will not only provide financial relief for these individuals, but it will restore the individual freedom of all Americans to choose whether or not to purchase government approved insurance.

We need to repeal the so-called Cadillac tax – which if left in effect, will lead to reduced benefits and increased costs for employees. We also need to remove the medicine cabinet tax, a new requirement that you must obtain a prescription to purchase over-the-counter medication, you know – the things you shouldn’t need prescriptions for – with funds from your flexible spending accounts.

This reconciliation bill eliminates many of the core provisions, the foundation so to speak, of Obamacare.  And without a strong foundation – of mandates and taxes to finance this massive overhaul – the law will likely crumble under its own weight.

We need to fix health care, not Obamacare. We need to give peace of mind to the families hurt by Obamacare.  The relief provided by this package just does that. 

I urge my colleagues to support this bill so we can provide freedom to all Americans from the mandates of this law and give us an opportunity to pursue more patient-centered reforms that will improve access and actually lower costs for patients. 

Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He is also co-chairman of the Senate Rural Health Caucus.

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