Kevin Roberts: “I rise today to share some flashbacks for throwback Thursdays, if we want to call it that, with regard to ObamaCare.…”

“I rise today to share some flashbacks for throwback Thursdays, if we want to call it that, with regard to ObamaCare. There have been a lot of speeches made about ObamaCare recently. Specifically, I want to look at the facts about ObamaCare, as we all know them now, more than 6 years after it was signed into law--6 long years--and remind the country what the President and my colleagues across the aisle promised all of us when they pushed this bill through the Congress. I say ``push'' because it passed without one single Republican vote and certainly not mine. First, the reality. All summer long, we have read the headlines about drastic premium increases being requested, insurers pulling out from different States, and patients being caught in the middle. My State of Kansas has not been immune. Last year, UnitedHealthcare announced it would leave our State. Aetna was going to start offering coverage next year and then announced a massive exit from exchange markets across the country, including Kansas. We were at risk of having just one insurer in many parts of the State, with no competition with regard to pricing. In June, the State insurance department announced a proposed rate increase for next year. The good news: A new insurer, Medica, was proposing to offer coverage in Kansas. However, there is bad news. The bad news is that premiums could be increased by nearly 50 percent next year for some individuals in our State and I know in many other States.…”