Political Quotes

“Mr. President, one of my top priorities as a Senator has been to expand access to affordable health care for all Americans. I have always believed that the key to achieving this goal is to bring down the cost of health care, so more Americans can afford to purchase the health insurance that they need. During debate over the Affordable Care Act, I raised the concern that the bill's cumbersome ``one size fits all'' approach would do more harm than good and would result in an even more expensive, broken, and unsustainable health care system. Unfortunately, my fears are now reality. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, premiums for employer-sponsored family health plans now top $18,000 per year, up nearly $5000 since 2009. Deductibles have also been rising: in 2009, only one in five workers enrolled in single- coverage employer plans faced a deductible over $1000. Today more than half do. In Maine, premiums on the Exchange will rise an average of 22 percent this year, and many States are seeing even higher premium hikes. Meanwhile, fewer insurers are willing to write policies, leaving few choices for consumers who are looking for insurance. Some of the ACA's provisions--especially its consumer protections-- enjoy bipartisan support and should be retained; however, its Washington-centric approach must be changed if we are ever to truly reform our broken health care system. Nevertheless, this task must be undertaken with care.…”