U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss recent efforts by Democrats to extend subsidies related to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Barrasso expressed skepticism about Democratic proposals aimed at continuing what he referred to as “Biden COVID Bonus” subsidies. He said, “Well, as Senator Kaine said they’re going to bring a bill to the floor, and certainly I’m going to see what’s in that bill.
“I’m a doctor, I practiced medicine in Wyoming for 24 years, and I’ve always wanted people to get the care they need, from a doctor that they choose, at a price they can afford – and Obamacare basically destroyed that possibility.
“Remember, President Obama promised you could keep your doctor, you could keep your policy, and insurance costs would go down by $2,500 a family. The exact opposite happened. Costs doubled. Insurance companies got very rich because the government kept sending money to national insurance companies to prop up the failures of Obamacare. The subsidies are up to 80% of the cost of the insurance. Even the New York Times and Washington Post said Obamacare is pricey. It was never affordable.
“So, there have been all these subsidies, and then a couple of years ago – this is what this is all about – Joe Biden and the Democrats said, ‘Prices are going up even higher. We need to put new subsidies on top of the old subsidies during COVID.’ These are the Biden COVID Bonus subsidies. Those are the ones that Democrats set to expire this year. That’s what the fight is about.
“If the Democrats bring a bill that actually lowers the cost of care, that’s something I think people want to talk about. But I don’t expect that to happen. They just want to extend these subsidies, which is just putting another big Band-Aid on a gaping wound that needs major surgery.”
Reflecting on 15 years since passage of Obamacare legislation without Republican support, Barrasso stated: “Well, as you know, not a single Republican voted for the Obama healthcare law. We are going to have a meeting of the Finance Committee on Wednesday, again focusing on healthcare. I’m on that committee. A number of physicians are also on that committee. I think that we need to make sure people understand the costs and give them choice and give them control.
“What we’ve seen is health insurance companies’ stocks have gone up 500 to 1,000 percent since Obamacare became law. We can’t continue to subsidize this failure. If people are given the money to make their own decisions and buy what works best for them and for their families, I think that the choice, the opportunities are much, much better.[…]I want to put people in charge of their decisions, not bureaucrats which is what we’ve had with Obamacare.”
Addressing how Republicans plan for healthcare reform moving forward Barrasso added: “I want to make sure we have a healthcare plan that works for the American people,and Obamacare has failed.We cannot just continueto subsidizea failing plan whichis causing moreand more costsand hardship aroundthe country.
“Whatthe Democratshave offeredwas $350 billionmoreto propupObamacarewhichhas failed.Andof course theyfirst startedtheshutdown–whichhas beenadisasterforthecountry–by demandingmoremoneyforhealthcareforillegal immigrants.I meanthat’s wheretheyhave gone.
“We needto worktogetahealthcareinsuranceprogramthatworkstolowerthecosts.Andthewayyoudo thatisputpeopleinchargetomakethosedecisions,andthat’swhatI’vebeenfightingfor.”
