McConnell: 10 things to know about Senate health care bill

Saturday could be a pivotal day in the history of our republic. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says there are 10 things you should now about the Senate health care bill:

"Democrats have spent six weeks behind closed doors putting together a trillion-dollar experiment in government-run health care that raises premiums, raises taxes, and cuts Medicare—a 2,074-page bureaucratic nightmare."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks (as prepared) on the Senate floor Friday regarding the importance of getting it right on health care reform:

"Democrats have spent six weeks behind closed doors putting together a trillion-dollar experiment in government-run health care that raises premiums, raises taxes, and cuts Medicare. We've now had less than 48 hours to look through this 2,074-page bureaucratic nightmare. But here are 10 things that every American should know about this bill.

• The Democrat bill includes nearly half a trillion dollars in new taxes that hit virtually every American, including middle class families making less than $250,000 a year.

• The Democrat bill would increase insurance premiums for individuals and families.

• The Democrat bill cuts Medicare for seniors by nearly half a trillion dollars ($465 billion) and limits the choices that millions of seniors now enjoy.

• The Democrat bill won't lower health care costs according to the Congressional Budget Office.

• The true cost of this bill over 10 years, when fully implemented, is about $2.5 trillion.

• Under the Democrat bill, if you like the health insurance you have, you may not be able to keep it.

• The Democrat bill would let government bureaucrats dictate what kind of health plans Americans must purchase and what benefits they can receive.

• The Democrat bill creates a government plan that CBO has said would have higher premiums.

• The Democrat bill would, for the first time in history, allow federal programs to pay for elective abortions.

• Finally, Americans should know that this bill doesn't have the common-sense reforms that they have been asking for all along, like getting rid of junk lawsuits and leveling the playing field when it comes to health care taxes.

"Americans want reform. But higher premiums, higher taxes, and cuts to Medicare to create more government isn't reform. Yet that's precisely what they’d get with this Democrat bill."

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