WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Appropriations Health Subcommittee, issued the following statement regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period for health coverage, which begins today:

“The decision facing Kansas families today about their health care reflects one of the biggest problems with the Affordable Care Act: it fails to reduce health care costs. To offset the massive losses sustained under the ACA, health insurance providers in Kansas and across the country are being forced to raise their premium rates or exit the marketplace altogether. It’s a simple equation, but its consequences are severe and broad-reaching as premiums continue to climb by as much as 70 percent each year, making health care anything but affordable for Kansas consumers. The ACA should be repealed and replaced with true patient-centered reforms that will actually lower health costs for families.

“The morning after it passed Congress by a narrow, partisan vote more than six years ago, I introduced legislation to repeal the ACA. I also crafted a ten-point plan that would make improvements to address the cost and quality of health care including incentives for states to care for their unique populations, eliminate burdensome regulations, promote wellness and disease prevention, and give small businesses the power to offer health insurance at lower prices.”

Background

• Some Kansans will see their premiums jump by almost 50 percent. (KCUR)
• Since the ACA’s passage, the percentage of an average American household’s budget consumed by health care has increased by 21 percent according to the most recent figures. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

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