Floor Statements

I thank my colleague from Iowa for his kind comments. We have worked on this issue, and I do this as a physician who has taken care of patients in Wyoming for a quarter of a century. I have so many friends and there are so many folks who have had extra challenges in life, and I was happy to stand with Senator Dole and Senator McCain and others in this effort. So I thank my colleague for his comments.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I come to the floor today because Democrats in Washington continue to put out misleading information about the President's health care law.

Last week the Senator from Connecticut came to the floor and said Republicans have, in his words, gone silent when it comes to talking about the health care law. He claimed there was a quiet acceptance that the law is working.

Well, I just want to correct the record and make it perfectly clear Republicans have not gone quiet because the health care law is not working.

The American people are not going quiet either. They are not going quiet when it comes to talking about the devastating side effects they are feeling from the health care law.

I hear it from people when I go home to Wyoming every weekend. I heard it last weekend. I heard it last night on a telephone townhall meeting, and when I travel I hear about it--even just passing through the airport in Denver on the way home, which I do each week.

As chairman of the Republican policy committee, one of my responsibilities is to study how policies that come out of Washington-- like the President's health care law--affect people all across America, including States such as Colorado, where I change planes each week.

Last week the Denver Post had an op-ed written by Dr. Cyndi Tucker, an obstetrician/gynecologist who practices medicine in Thornton, CO, outside Denver. Her op-ed was published in the Denver Post, which is, of course, the statewide newspaper in Colorado.

The headline on the column in the Denver Post was: ``Red tape isn't health care reform.''

Now, remember the amount of regulations ObamaCare has created is a redtape tower of paper over 7 feet tall. Dr. Cyndi Tucker, from one of the suburbs of Colorado, wants us to know about the health care law from her perspective as a practicing Colorado physician. What she has to say is that the prognosis isn't good. She writes:

At my practice, I've found that the ACA disrupts the

doctor-patient relationship by drowning us both in paperwork.

ObamaCare authors--and the politicians . . . who voted for

it--promised that it would provide quality, affordable health

care to Coloradans. Yet it does exactly the opposite. For

doctors, it makes health care more and more complex, more

expensive, and increasingly more impersonal.

Not more personal, which is what we want as doctors, as somebody who practiced medicine for 25 years. She says it makes it more impersonal.

And for patients, it makes finding a cheap health plan or

finding a doctor more difficult--not less difficult as the

President promised, not cheaper, but more difficult, as the

doctor points out. For me, that is a very damaging and maybe

even life-threatening side effect of the President's

health care law.

President Obama was in Colorado earlier this month. This week he is doing the same thing in Seattle and California. Instead of meeting with more campaign donors--which is what the President is doing--the President should meet with doctors and patients--and, specifically, doctors such as this obstetrician-gynecologist in Colorado. He should sit down with some of the women who are patients of this doctor. I think they would like to ask the President about these devastating side effects of his health care law and explain to him about how it is hurting them and hurting their families.

The disruptive impact the law is having on care is drowning patients and doctors in red tape. But that is not the only side effect of the law that is hurting American families. A recent Gallup poll earlier this month found that only 8 percent of Americans are spending less money on health care than they did a year ago.

President Obama promised the American people they would save $2,500 a year per family under his health care law. Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House, was on ``Meet the Press'' at one point and said that everyone's rates would go down.

Well, Democrats in the Senate who voted for the law promised the same thing, and it just didn't happen. People are paying more all across America. People are paying more in Washington State and in California, where the President is visiting. Why is he there? He is meeting with campaign donors. He is collecting campaign money.

People are paying more all across the country. They are paying more for health care insurance in Wyoming. People are paying more in Colorado, where the doctor who wrote in the Denver Post is and where she sees patients.

There is a recent study that found health insurance premiums for an average 40-year-old woman in Colorado are 20 percent higher this year than last year. That was before she was forced on to the ObamaCare exchange.

President Obama says Democrats who voted for the law should ``forcefully defend and be proud'' of the health care law. When he was in Colorado a couple of weeks ago, did President Obama forcefully defend these premium increases because of the law? When he is traveling this week, is the President going to forcefully defend patients and doctors experiencing the exact opposite of what the Democrats promised? Are Democrats in the Senate proud that only 8 percent of Americans are spending less on health care this year than they did before? Costs are going up so fast that last month State regulators in Colorado decided to add another tax on every insurance policy in the State in order--get this--to bail out the State ObamaCare exchange. They added an extra tax on every insurance policy in the State in order to bail out the State ObamaCare exchange.

Now, that is not just on people buying the policy in the exchange. They are charging this new tax on every person in Colorado who buys health insurance just to cover those who buy it through the exchange. Well, that is a very expensive side effect for the families of Colorado as a result of the President's health care law.

So this health care law is bad for patients, bad for providers, the nurses, and the doctors who take care of those patients, and it is terrible for taxpayers. Every Democrat in the Senate voted for this health care law. Where are the Democrats willing to forcefully defend these costly and damaging side effects of their health care law?

People in Colorado and all across America received letters telling them their plans were being cancelled because of the law. People lost access to their doctors, like this OB/GYN physician who wrote her op-ed editorial for the Denver Post.

She says she has had to stop seeing Medicare patients because of the new redtape in the health care law. So people in Colorado lost their right to choose the health plan that works for them and their families.

Republicans are not going to quietly accept the terrible side effects of the President's health care law. We are going to keep coming to the floor. We are going to keep standing for American families who are being hurt by this law. We are going to keep offering new solutions-- real solutions--for better health care without all of these tragic side effects.

That means patient-centered reforms that get people the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs. It means giving people choices, not Washington mandates. It means allowing people to buy health insurance that works for them and their families because they know what is best for them.

Democrats who voted for this health care law have failed to answer the real concern of the American people, which was affordable quality care.

American families will not go quiet about the harm Democrats have done to them with this health care law.

Madam President, I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Jessica Bisiar for her hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Jessica is a native of Casper, WY and a graduate of Natrona County High School. She currently attends Casper College, where she is studying political science and international studies. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank Jessica for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Maridi Choma for her hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Maridi is a native of Casper, WY and a graduate of Kelly Walsh High School. She will be a freshman at the University of Wyoming this fall, where she plans to study French and international studies. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank Maridi for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Dylan Crouse for his hard work as an intern in my Republican Policy Committee office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Dylan is a native of Basin, WY and a graduate of Riverside High School. He currently attends Colgate University where he is studying history and Spanish. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts during his time in my office.

I want to thank Dylan for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Caroline Danielson for her hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Caroline is a native of Casper, WY and a graduate of Natrona County High School. She currently attends Casper College and the University of Wyoming where she is studying distributed social sciences with an emphasis in political science. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank Caroline for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Amber Frankland for her hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Amber is a native of Casper, WY and a graduate of Natrona County High School. She currently attends the University of Chicago where she is studying Russian. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank Amber for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Cameron Fry for his hard work as an intern in my Republican Policy Committee office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Cameron is from Laramie, WY and a graduate of Laramie High School. He recently earned a degree from the University of Wyoming where he studied finance and economics. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts during his time in my office.

I want to thank Cameron for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to LeeAnn Grapes for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

LeeAnn is a native of Casper, WY and a graduate of Kelly Walsh High School. She recently earned a degree from the University of Wyoming where she studied international studies and Spanish. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank LeeAnn for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Chandler Harris for his hard work as an intern in my Indian Affairs Committee office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Chandler is a native of Cokeville, WY and a graduate of Cokeville High School. He currently attends the University of Wyoming where he is studying history. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts during his time in my office.

I want to thank Chandler for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to JR Kane for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

JR is a native of Big Horn, WY and a graduate of Big Horn High School. He currently attends the University of Montana where he is studying human biology. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts during his time in my office.

I want to thank JR for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Kathryn Kempema for her hard work as an intern in my Indian Affairs Committee office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Kathryn is a native of Laramie, WY and a graduate of Laramie Senior High School. She currently attends the University of Wyoming where she is studying mechanical engineering and mathematics. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank Kathryn for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Erin Sims for her hard work as an intern in my Cheyenne office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Erin is a native of Cheyenne, WY and a graduate of Cheyenne Central High School. She currently attends the University of Wyoming where she is studying zoology. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank Erin for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Harrison Suttle for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Harrison is a native of Newport News, VA and a graduate of Hampton Roads Academy. He currently attends the College of Wooster where he is studying history. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts during his time in my office.

I want to thank Harrison for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Camille Zent for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Camille is a native of Shoshoni, WY and a graduate of Shoshoni High School. She recently earned a degree from Utah State University where she studied constitutional law. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last few months.

I want to thank Camille for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.