Political Quotes

“I intend to offer the following motion to H.R. 1628, and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed the Record. When Republicans talk about the challenges facing Obamacare, they tend to be a bit misleading. Let's set the record straight. What they are really talking about is within the individual market, where 6 percent of Americans get their coverage and more than 70 percent of those people get subsidies to help cover their costs. One problem Republicans like to cite is lack of competition, that private, for-profit insurers are pulling out, leaving few choices. We call these ``bare counties,'' and they are more common in rural areas and in States that did not expand Medicaid. I agree that we need more competition in the individual market. As a solution, my motion to commit instructs the Finance Committee-- within 3 days--to report out a bill that requires insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans in a particular county, to also offer an individual market plan in that county. Medicare Advantage insurance plans make huge profits off the Federal Government, yet many of those same insurers are refusing to participate in the individual exchange. To address bare counties, my motion says that, if you have a provider network and you are making money off the Federal Government, then you should also help improve choice by offering a plan in the exchange.…”