{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=494304eb-1977-4304-a4e1-250baa3ac719", "COCHRAN SHARES MISSISSIPPI FAMILY\u2019S PRICEY OBAMACARE STORY", "2013-11-14", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Thad Cochran", "C000567", "www.cochran.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Audio of Cochran Floor Statement Available Below \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today shared the story of a constituent from Hazlehurst about the \u201csticker shock\u201d his family faces if\u00a0forced to enroll in the federal government-run health insurance exchanges.\r\nCochran was among 34 Republican Senators who spoke on the Senate floor Thursday to share \u201cYour Story\u201d submissions from across the country regarding the personal and pricey problems created by the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), so-called \u201cObamacare.\u201d\r\n\u201cThe more my constituents learn about the administration\u2019s so-called \u2018Affordable Care Act,\u2019 the more it becomes clear that major changes should be considered,\u201d Cochran said.\r\nThe Hazlehurst family related to Cochran that its insurance cost will nearly double under PPACA.\u00a0 The family is losing current health insurance that has a $3,000 yearly deductible, a $6,000 out-of-pocket maximum and a premium of a little over $1,300 per month.\u00a0 The lowest cost insurance option available under Obamacare includes a $7,000 yearly deductible, with a $12,000 out-of-pocket maximum and a premium of a little over $2,400 a month.\r\n\u201cThis family is just one example of millions of Americans who are suffering from sticker shock because of the cost of insurance plans on the president\u2019s new health insurance exchanges. The shock is made worse for those who are being rejected by the plans that they were told they could keep but now cannot.\u201d\r\nStarting with the contentious debate on the legislation that created PPACA in 2009 and 2010, Cochran has repeatedly voted to repeal and defund the law.\u00a0 In January, he was an original cosponsor of the Obamacare Repeal Act (S.177), introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas).\r\nWith the failed launch of the HeathCare.gov website, Cochran has cosponsored a series of bills intended to protect the American people, including: the If You Like Your Health Plan, You Can Keep It Act (S.1617); the Health Care Privacy and Anti-Fraud Act (S.1666); the Delay Until Fully Functional Act (S.1592), the Exchange Information Disclosure Act (S.1590), as well as legislation to delay the application of the individual and employer health insurance mandates under Obamacare.\r\nThe following is the text of Cochran\u2019s remarks:\r\n\u201cThe more my constituents learn about the administration\u2019s so-called \u2018Affordable Care Act,\u2019 the more it becomes clear that major changes should be considered.\u00a0\r\n\u201cI recently heard from a constituent who had learned from accessing the Obama administration's enrollment web site that the plan with the lowest cost available to him has a $7,000 yearly deductible, with a $12,000 out-of-pocket maximum and a premium of a little over $2,400 a month, nearly twice as much as he and his wife currently pay.\r\n\u201cThis family is just one example of millions of Americans who are suffering from sticker shock because of the cost of insurance plans on the President\u2019s new health insurance exchanges. The shock is made worse for those who are being rejected by the plans that they were told they could keep but now cannot.\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s clear we need to urge the administration to consider going back to the drawing board. We should get together, too, here in the Senate and find common ground that makes better sense for the American people.\u201d\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=494304eb-1977-4304-a4e1-250baa3ac719"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8028480224311352, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}