WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | McConnell calls healthcare reform bill 'a mess'

McConnell calls healthcare reform bill 'a mess'

By Caton Bredar - bio  | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

CRESTWOOD, KY (WAVE) – As the battle over health care reform heats up in the U.S. Senate, the battle lines are being drawn. The Senate minority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was in Kentucky Monday speaking to the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce and said he is fired up about this bill.

Democrats sound divided over the public option in the health care bill, but according to McConnell, Republican senators are united in their quest to kill the whole thing. McConnell said the current bill is one of the worst things that could happen for the economy.

During his address to the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce. McConnell was asked a woman in the audience of Oldham County business leaders what more could they do to keep the health care bill from passing.

"It's in the Senate now, and neither of your Senators are going to vote for it," McConnell said. "So if you've got any relatives in places like Nebraska, Arkansas, or Louisiana…"

McConnell is preparing for a long debate along party lines, but he says the vast majority of the American public is on the right side.

"The American people don't want us to pass this bill," McConnell said. "The polls are unanimous. I haven't seen one that indicated the majority of Americans were anywhere close to endorsing this."

McConnell said that no one is satisfied with the cost of American health care and while he agrees there is a need for reform, he does not feel health care is at a crisis point.  

"This is a manufactured crisis," said McConnell. "It ought not to pass now or next year or in my view, at any time."

Rather than focusing on health care, McConnell feels the current administration should be focusing on the economy and the creation of jobs, something he says is stifled by the uncertainty surrounding the health care bill.
 
"I think the biggest thing we could do to help jump start the economy would be to defeat this healthcare bill," McConnell said.

It was a concept nearly all in the room appeared to agree with.

"We're definitely in a crisis, and I think the system does need to be fixed, but I am not happy with the Democrats version of what they think is the answer," said Jacki Shafer of Crestwood, KY.

As to anything in the current bill that could be salvaged, McConnell said he didn't know and called the bill "a mess."

It's a 2,000 page massive bill designed to have the government take over one sixth of our economy," said McConnell.

McConnell kept reiterating the bill will need 60 votes, more than a simple majority, to pass in the Senate. The debate resumes officially after Thanksgiving.

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