S.Amdt. 727

SA 727. Mr. CORNYN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill H.R. 1628, to provide for reconciliation pursuant to
title II of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year
2017; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ___. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING SUBSTANCE USE
DISORDERS.

It is the Sense of the Senate that:
(1) The Committees of jurisdiction of the Senate should
review issues related to substance use disorders,
particularly related to opioids, including Federal efforts to
prevent the development of, improve access to treatment, and
promote recovery for people with opioid and other substance
use disorders.
(2) Obamacare should be repealed because it increases
health care costs, limits patient choice of health plans and
doctors, forces Americans to buy insurance that they do not
want, cannot afford, or may not be able to access, increases
taxes on middle class families and fails to focus the
Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) on individuals most in need, such as
the elderly and the disabled, as evidenced by the following:
(A) Premiums for plans offered on the Federal Exchange have
doubled on average over the last 4 years, and these increases
are projected to continue.
(B) 70 percent of counties have only a few options for
Obamacare insurance in 2017, and at least 40 counties are
expected to have zero insurers planning on their Exchange in
2018.
(C) 2,300,000 Americans purchasing plans on the Exchanges
are projected to have only one insurer to choose from in
2018.
(D) The Joint Committee on Taxation has identified
significant and widespread tax increases on individuals
earning less than$200,000.
(E) Medicaid costs have continued to spiral year after year
leading to a detrimental impact on State budgets, which
constrains State choices with respect to health care.
(3) Obamacare should be replaced with patient-centered
legislation that--
(A) provides access to quality, affordable private health
care coverage for Americans and their families by increasing
competition, State flexibility, and individual choice; and
(B) strengthens the Medicaid program by focusing on the
most needy individuals and empowering States through
increased flexibility to best meet the needs of their
population.
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