McConnell: ObamaCare is a ‘mess’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) used Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’s own words against her Thursday, saying ObamaCare is “not functioning.”

Sebelius testified Wednesday before a House committee on the ObamaCare insurance exchange website’s technical failures. Some Republicans have demanded her resignation because of the debacle, which the administration hopes to resolve by the end of November.

{mosads}“This law Mr. President is a mess,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday. “And Secretary Sebelius has said herself yesterday ‘the system is not functioning.’ … If the system is not functioning it’s just another sign that ObamaCare is not working.”

McConnell cited reports he’s gotten from constituents that they’re losing their current insurance plans despite the fact that President Obama promised that everyone could keep the plan they have if they like it.

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies were required to increase coverage in some areas, such as preventive care for women. But McConnell said those mandates have resulted in people having to pay more for plans that differ from what they previously had.

“This is simply not in keeping with the president’s oft-repeated promise,” McConnell said. “What about the millions who purchased their plans relying on the president’s promise that they could keep their plans?”

Republicans want to repeal the law, while Democrats point out that it has already helped people younger than 26, who can stay on a parent’s insurance plan; people with preexisting conditions, who cannot be denied coverage; and women, who now have free preventive care.