Americans Deserve Better Than Obamacare
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
The Senate recently released the discussion draft of the plan to fix the failing health care system in our country, and Senate leadership is hoping to hold a vote before the 4th of July holiday. My staff and I have been reviewing the legislation to make sure the provisions included are good for South Dakotans. Like any legislation, we will carefully analyze it before taking a vote. I encourage South Dakotans to read it too, and to share their thoughts with me. The text of the bill, along with an email form, are available on my website at www.rounds.senate.gov. One thing we know with certainty is this proposal is already better than Obamacare, a system that has failed the American people and must be fixed before it’s too late.
The reason we need to fix Obamacare in short order is because insurance underwriters are planning for 2018; they need some certainty as to what the health care marketplace will look like so they can calculate risks and set rates. Right now under Obamacare, South Dakotans’ premiums are expected to increase nearly 40 percent next year on the individual market. Premiums have already increased 124 percent over the past four years for South Dakota families. We need to act quickly and responsibly to provide relief from Obamacare – it has become a moral obligation. When families are spending more on health care premiums than their home mortgage, that’s unsustainable.
I have been encouraged by the many discussions I have had with my Senate colleague over the past few months as we’ve worked together to share our priorities for health care reform. While we are still analyzing and we know there is still work to be done, it appears that this bill seeks to accomplish a number of goals that I’ve said all along must be included in any reform plan, including language to stabilize the insurance markets that have left millions of Americans with no coverage options.
The Senate health care bill also takes steps to reform and safeguard Medicaid by allowing states to have more flexibility in administering the program, makes no changes to coverage for preexisting conditions, and provides a stable transition as we move away from Obamacare to a new, more competitive market. Additionally, it removes the individual and employer mandates, so Americans aren’t forced to pay for expensive health insurance that they don’t like, want or need.
I was pleased that the discussion draft includes a number of provisions that I’ve said all along need to be included in any health care bill we put forward. It would allow children to stay on parents’ plans until age 26 and allows individuals with preexisting conditions to keep their coverage as long as they stay insured. It is important that any replacement plan approved by Congress allows for a transition period, where people can move to different plans without losing health care coverage. It maintains assurances for guaranteed portability, guaranteed renewability and it provides reassurance that individuals with serious illnesses will always have access to coverage.
Obamacare left Americans with fewer choices and higher costs. Around a third of counties in the United States have just one choice of insurer this year, and nearly 45 percent of counties could have one or no insurer to choose from in 2018. Americans deserve better than Obamacare, and Senate Republicans are dedicated to giving them a choice in their health care options once again.
Reforming the health care system in the United States is a huge undertaking but it needs to be done soon before Obamacare completely crumbles under its own weight. I am encouraged by the progress the Senate has made to improve our health care system, and look forward to continuing to work on it in the days to come.
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Your guys have had 7 friggin years to come up with something—- either s— or quit whining and lying…. I bet this guy voted 60+ times to repeal the ACA when he knew it was a waste of time, why don’t these whiners have the gonads to take that vote now?
This guy was listed yesterday along with Portman and Collins as having concerns about the (R) big $ welfare plan…
Jaa Dee,
Now that they’re in control, they have to learn how hard it is to govern, especially with that colossal dolt of a POTUS, Trumpo. Yep, the guy whose sole mission is to send those early morning Twitter rants–I’m guessing from his throne. Sad isn’t it?
The thing is, Republikans are more concerned that you have access to a gun than health care. If they were serious about improving the condition of health care for all of us–something POTUS Trumpo has not been truthful about–they’d have offered to work with the Democrats from a stance other than one that begins with a repeal.
Contrary to their party line, the ACA is not in a “death spiral.” People are still signing up, and the CBO says it’s stable for the next many years, and will only collapse if Republikans can continue to sabotage it.
But, yeah, this current Senate version must be really bad if even our delegation can’t jump on their bandwagon and endorse it.
Just say you believe in socialized medicine and be done with it. The Demoncrats refuse to stop crying and threatening the life of President Trump, who, whether you like it or not, is your president-if you are here legally.
We had to put up with Obummer-the worst president since Carter-for 8 years, and he didn’t have to put up with a hostile media, the constant hate of socialists, and the idiocy of Democrats in the House and Senate, along with the slobbering Bernie Sanders.
If people like you would give President Trump a chance to try to govern perhaps we could get this country moving in the right direction. However, your hatred and total worship of ideology make that impossible.
Listen boyo, our group consusits of stalwart conservative christian women, and we have, as a group, been very supportive of the GOP. In fact we are past promoters and donors of your campaigns, we have walked in parades for you, made phone calls, and driven voters for you, and this is how you reward us? Senator, if you vote for this awful mess, you may count on us no more. I am not suggesting that we will become dems, but we will be through with you.
8:15 – Amen Ladies, Amen. We want Repeal, not Retain and Rename. #Freemarket.
We deserve better than this, too, Senator Rounds. A turd by any other name would smell as bad.
Rip out the roots of the poison tree of Obamacare and plant a new tree of freedom and common sense. I am tired of the fear of Republicans that they will be made to look bad by the MSM; no matter what you do or how much welfare you give to those who don’t contribute to the financial health of the country, you still won’t win the praise of the leftwingers in this country, so stop trying and start doing WHAT YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO!
Who deserves better than this?
Not the nut jobs who thought we should nominate Christine O’Donnel instead of Mike Castle resulting in her getting shellacked by 16% to socialist Chris Coons.
Not the nut jobs who thought we should nominate Todd Akin instead of two sane GOP candidates resulting in Akin getting shellacked by 15% to who was thought to be the most vulnerable Democrat Senator Claire McKaskill going into the campaign.
Not the nut jobs who thought we should nominate Richard Murdock instead of Dick Lugar resulting in Mourdock getting strongly defeated by 6% to Joe Donnelly.
Not the nut jobs who thought we should nominate Sharon Angle instead of two capable candidates resulting in Angle getting strongly defeated by 6% to Harry Reid.
Similarly, we are dealing with Democrat Senators in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Colorado because of the nut jobs didn’t think the nominee was conservative enough.
Since Obamacare passed by a single vote, we wouldn’t have to repeal and replace Obamacare but for the nut jobs. Further, we’d have more Republicans to get done what you expect Trump and Rounds to get done? How do you expect them to do this without a majority? Declare marshall law?
Does your current plan cover mental illness Troy?