Weekly Republican Address Ron Johnson 11/16/13 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT VIDEO

Weekly Republican Address Ron Johnson 11/16/13 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT VIDEO In the Weekly Republican Address, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin calls on Democrats to join Republicans in passing legislation he authored to limit the damage of the deeply flawed Obamacare health law. Referring to the President's comments at a news conference this week, Senator Johnson says that President Obama did "far more than just fumble the ball" on the healthcare rollout.

Senator Johnson has introduced the 'If you like your health plan, you can keep it Act,' which would help millions of Americans keep the health care plans and doctors they like -- a promise President Obama made dozens of times both before and after passage of the law. "Unfortunately, the implementation of Obamacare has progressed to a point where millions of cancelled plans cannot be reinstated," says Senator Johnson. "But the freedom of millions of Americans to keep doctors, treatments, and health plans they do value can still be preserved if Congress acts swiftly and decisively."

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Weekly Republican Address Ron Johnson 11/16/13 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

“Hi, I'm Senator Ron Johnson from the great State of Wisconsin.

“President Obama said he wants to fundamentally transform America. So far, his attempt to transform our health care system has not been pretty – with Obamacare, he did far more than just fumble the ball.

“Contrary to his repeated promise, that ‘if you like your health care plan, you can keep it,’ millions of Americans are not only losing their insurance coverage, they are losing access to the doctors and treatments that have kept them alive.

“President Obama's so-called apology, was as phony as his fraudulent marketing of Obamacare. He seemed to be saying he was sorry Americans actually believed him, but took no responsibility for their plight. It was like telling someone you're sorry their dog died, but refusing to acknowledge you ran over the dog.

“Sorry Mr. President, it didn't work. Millions of Americans are coming to realize that those are your tire tracks on their cancelled policies. It is also obvious that you didn't inadvertently misspeak when you promised Americans they can keep their doctors and health plans - and do it all at a lower cost.

“Those assurances weren't slight exaggerations or innocent shadings of the truth. They were statements that were fully vetted, coldly calculated, and carefully crafted to deceptively sell your health care plan to a trusting public. It was a political fraud echoed relentlessly by House and Senate Democrats who should be held accountable for the disastrous consequences of their grand deception.

“Consumer fraud this massive in the private sector could – and should – bear serious legal ramifications. For President Obama, however, it helped secure enough votes to pass Obamacare, and win reelection.

“Now America must face the truth, and Congress must work to limit the damage that Obamacare will inflict on our health care system and people's lives. The systemic failure of the healthcare.gov website and cancelled policies are only the tip of this destructive iceberg.

“Because if you think only those that buy individual policies will lose their coverage, think again. Obamacare creates huge incentives for businesses to stop providing health care as a benefit. As a result, millions more will lose their tax-exempt employer-sponsored health plan and be forced to try buying insurance with after-tax dollars on the exchanges.

“Hopefully, Americans who were deceived will question the credibility of those who made so many false promises. Does anyone actually believe Obamacare is bending the cost curve down, that working Americans won't be forced to pick up the tab, that the quality of care won't suffer, rationing won't occur, or that much needed medical innovation won't be diminished?

“Does anyone really believe their personal information in the hands of federal bureaucrats will remain private and won't be abused, or that Obamacare will actually reduce federal debt and deficits?

“I’m asking every American to believe what their eyes and ears are telling them. The federal government is dysfunctional. It is broken, ineffective, and inefficient. Do you really want Washington taking over a greater share of our health care system – getting more involved in your health care decisions? Americans are finding out that is a prescription for disaster.

“Obamacare will not fix an imperfect health care system. It will cause more damage for far more people than any problems it will ever solve. Now is the time to start reversing that damage – before it’s too late.

“A good place to start would be supporting the bill I introduced in the Senate called ‘If you like your health plan, you can keep it Act,’ or a similar measure just passed in the House. Unfortunately, the implementation of Obamacare has progressed to a point where millions of cancelled plans cannot be reinstated. But the freedom of millions of Americans to keep doctors, treatments, and health plans they do value can still be preserved if Congress acts swiftly and decisively.

“I also plan to introduce a new bill titled ‘Preserve Freedom and Choice in Health Care,’ which will attempt to protect liberty and the rights of individuals to make their own health care decisions. We need long-term solutions to the Obamacare debacle, not short-term political fixes like those recently proposed by the President and Senate Democrats that simply will not work.

“Throughout the health care debate, Republicans have proposed dozens of solutions designed to help control costs and improve quality – without surrendering control of your personal health care decisions to nameless bureaucrats in Washington. Now is the time to enact those common sense ideas.

“But none of this will occur unless the American people hold those who supported Obamacare accountable – and do so with a very loud voice. Democrat Senators must help Republicans pass legislation to limit the damage of Obamacare. If not, those who choose to ignore the plight of millions of Americans should be replaced next November by those who will act.

“Thank you”