one of the few remaining obamacare co-ops will not offer plans in new jersey next year. this is part of a broader trend we have seen across the country. with obamacare co-ops shuttering and forcing americans to find new coverage as a result. just look at what happened in new hampshire. the granite state's co-op was, in the words of new hampshire public radio, the exact type of business that was supposed to make the individual insurance market more competitive under obamacare. but the co-op recently announced that it would close down operations in the state anyway. that's forcing thousands to find another plan and it's forcing taxpayers to foot the bill. here's what what one new hampshire editorial had to say after the announcement. the entire obamacare scheme was set up on faulty premises. you can't force people to buy health insurance they don't want. subsidize meet yoker insurance plans people can't afford and still claim to hold down rising medical expenses. the program, the paper continued, is destroying itself. by collapsing co-ops and withdrawing insurers aren't the

one of the few remaining obamacare co-ops will not offer plans in new jersey next year. is is part of a broader trend we have seen across the country. with obamacare co-op shuttering and forcing americans to find new coverage as a result. just look at what will happen in new hampshire. the co-op was in the words of new hampshire public radio, the exact type of business that was post to make the individual insurance market more competitive. the co-op recently announced it would close down operations in the state anyway. that is forcing thousands to find another plan and forcing taxpayers to foot the bill. here's what one new hampshire editorial had to say after the announcement. premi the entire obamacare scheme was set up on faulty premises. you can't force people to buy health insurance they don't want. subsidized mediocre insurance ad plan, people can afford and still claim the hold on rising medical expenses. the program is destroying itself by collapsing co-ops and growing insurers aren't the only sign that obamacare is destroying itself. just look at my home state of

significant drop in the uninsured in this rate down to about 29 million in 2015, the number of obamacare co-ops continues to crater. new jersey's will fold in 2017. making it the 17th out of 23 such systems to shut down. president obama who made an in-person plea to insurers yesterday also penned a letter to companies offering 2017 coverage on the marketplace. in it, he acknowledged that, "we know that this progress has not been without challenges." and in its own reporting, the house energy and commerce committee is accusing the obamacare state-based exchanges of wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, specifically four exchanges they say wasted more than $23 million on i.t. work, alone. bret? >> kevin cork live on the north lawn. kevin, thank you. >>> singapore says it's investigating the severity of locally transmitted zika virus. the number of cases there is rising. back in the u.s., concerns are now nationwide. baltimore has sprayed some of its neighborhoods. there have been 12 confirmed cases of travel-related zika there. upset parents in san diego pulled their kids from school

significant drop in the uninsured in this rate down to about 29 million in 2015, the number of obamacare co-opses to crater. new jersey's will fold in 2017. making it the 17th out of 23 such systems to shut down. president obama who made an in-person plea to insurers yesterday also penned a letter to companies offering 2017 coverage on the marketplace. in it, he acknowledged that, "we know that this progress has not been without challenges." and in its own reporting, the house energy and commerce committee is accusing the obamacare state-based exchanges of wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, specifically four exchanges they say wasted more than $23 million on i.t. work, alone. bret? >> kevin cork live on the north lawn. kevin, thank you. >>> singapore says it's investigating the severity of locally transmitted zika virus. the number of cases there is rising. back in the u.s., concerns are now nationwide. baltimore has sprayed some of its neighborhoods. there have been 12 confirmed cases of travel-related zika there. upset parents in san diego pulled their kids from school monday a

republican insurance of new jersey announced its shutting down it became the 17th failed health co-op since obamacare started three years ago. leaving six viable co-ops and people scrambling for co in double digits just the opposite of what obama said would happen. >> if you have health insurance we're going to help that employer save $2,500 per family per year. >> insurance companies are asking for premium increases. none bigger than the 60% hike sought by blue cross blue shield in texas. critics say they saw it coming. >> the promise it's going to make healthcare affordable. it's not. it's making it more expensive. people and not enough who are young and healthy. insurance companies are forced to raise premiums or leave the exchanges, which they are doing in droves. yesterday 27 thousand people in indiana learned their obamacare plans are going away. >> that's going to be the future. i think with a we're seeing is the beginning of a death spiral as far as the exchanges are concerned as more companies pull out. >> the obama administration points to fewer uninsured and a slower growth in healthcare s

co-op consumer protection act. this is really important legislation that will help americans across this country who have been harmed, harmed by obamacare's closing these co-ops. it's not their fault. we should provide them with some relief under difficult economic conditions. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. it's common sense, it's narrowly crafted, it's the right thing to do. it's the moral thing to do. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. levin: i yield as much time as he shall consume to the house member on ways and means, dr. mcdermott. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, i'd like to offer a piece of advice to my republican colleagues. be careful what you wish for. because you may get it. because despite this newfound compassion for consumers, you listen to these tears of crocodile tears flowing out here, you think they really cared. the truth is, the republicans wanted the co-ops to fail from the very start. for years they have systematically undermined the program and made it virtually impossible for co-ops across this country to s

obamacare co-ops continue to collapse at every turn, too, with less than a third expected to offer plans next year. when these co-ops collapse, they can cost taxpayers millions and disrupt coverage for thousands of enrollees. they can force patients to start over on their deductibles midyear, even find new doctors. these are the latest reverberating echos of the president's most famous broken promise: "if you like your health care plan, you can keep it." that was the president's promise. here's a kentuckian from campbellsburg who wrote to me after losing his insurance. "i lost my health insurance that i had for many years because of obamacare. instead of something affordable, i face the possibility of struggling to purchase an obamacare health plan that costs two to three times what i have i had been -- i had been paying. to top it off," he said, "the process of trying to find coverage had been a nightmare." and here's something to keep in mind when democrats try to spin the american people on obamacare: for all of this chaos and pain for the middle-class families, obamacare still has no

speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 954, the co-op consumer protection act, which would provide temporary relief from obamacare's individual mandate for americans directly impacted by failed obamacare co-ops. at the outset of this law, 23 co-ops provided insurance options for enrollees in 25 states. however, nearly two years later we learned that a majority, 17 of them, have failed. the reason for the failure has been painfully obvious. the a.c.a. manipulated insurance markets and created co-ops as a means to establish government managed competition. the cost of this ill-fated attempt at market manipulation has been borne by the american public. over $1 billion of hard-earned taxpayer dollars were sunk into failed co-ops. worse, for american consumers who enrolled in a failed co-op, they did not just lose their health coverage, but due to another glitch in the law these individuals may be forced to pay the i.r.s. a tax penalty for failing to have adequate health coverage under the individual mandate. mr. speaker, these individuals should not be penalized for the failings of the law. that is why i rise to explain

i explained how obamacare's co-ops are failing in states like new hampshire, new jersey and connecticut, massively disrupting coverage for thousands more. i explained how obamacare is shooting premiums up by almost unimaginable amounts in states like minnesota, illinois and montana, forcing more americans to make impossible financial decisions. so i invite democrats to recognize that obamacare's human toll is evident from north to south, from east to west. that includes states like california where, according to what the democratic leader told us yesterday, obamacare is supposedly working beautifully. really? is it wonderful that premiums in california are set to spike by more than three times the average of recent years? is it wonderful that obamacare is causing huge double-digit increases in the golden state while reducing access to doctors and hospitals at the same time? the "los angeles times" quoted a left-wing activist summarizing the situation this way. this is a left-wing activist. we're paying more for less. indeed, before these massive increases had even been announced, pollin

last october 200,000 new yorkers were informed out of the blue that they would be kicked off obamacare's co-op health republic and forced to find a new plan immediately. this co-op was propped up by more than $265 million of squandered taxpayer funding and lasted less than two years. the health republic of new yorked that highest enrollment in the nation, this wasn't a low enrollment problem, yet they lost 35ed in 2014, $53 million in the first half of 2015. basically the co-op was never going to be able to operate properly. and despite all these warnings and losses and losses, cms neglected to even place the co-op in a corrective action plan. there's a couple words that come to mind -- negligence, incompetence. so i guess mr. slavitt my first question is they weren't put into a corrective action plan so if they're not, what was the purpose of even having something we called corrective action plans? >> so certainly -- and i will acknowledge it's no secret that many of the co-ops across the country, not just new york faced significant financial challenges. these are businesses that compete agai

last october 200,000 new yorkers were informed, out of the blue, that they would be kicked off obamacare's co-op health republic and forced to find a new plan immediately. this co-op was propped up by more than $265 million of squandered taxpayer funding and lasted less than two years. the health republic of new york had the highest enrollment numbers in the nation. this wasn't a low-enrollment problem. yet they lost 35 million in 2014, 53 million in the first half of 2015. basically the co-op was never going to be able to operate properly. and despite all these warnings and losses and losses, cms neglected to even place the co-op in a corrective action plan. there is a couple words that come to mind. negligence, incompetence, mr. slavitt, my first question is, they weren't put into corrective action plan, so if they're not, what is the purpose of even having something we call corrective action plans? >> so, certainly, i will acknowledge, it is no secret many of the co-ops across the country, not just new york, faced significant financial challenges. these are, businesses that compete against mu

. >> when health insurance announced at shutting down, it became the 17th sailed health co-op since obamacaree years ago that in just six viable co-ops and many people scrambling for coverage as insurance premiums go up double-digit in most places just the opposite of what candidate barack obama said would happen. >> if you got health insurance, will help the employer save $2500 for a family for a year. >> insurance companies as her premium increases none bigger than 60% up by blue cross blue shield in texas. critics say they saw it coming. >> will make health care more affordable. it's not making health care more affordable. it makes them more expensive. >> too many 60 but not enough who are good and healthy. insurance companies raise premiums or the deep changes which they doing drugs. yesterday 27,000 people in india and other of their plans are going away. >> i think what we are seeing is the beginning of a debt by realist art exchanges are concerned as more and more companies pull out. >> the above administration plans to fewer uninsured with the holy grail still a public option. >> of a

nebraskans are all too familiar with the failures of obamacare. the co-op established for nebraska and iowa, it was one of the first ones to fail. and that was in december of 2014. in my letter at the time to then-c.m.s. administrator devenner i sought answers, and i received an answer much later from acting administrator slavik. his response was disappointing, and it clearly demonstrated what we have known for a long time now. the government is incapable of successfully administrating health care coverage. these nebraskans were left with few options and very little support because of the government's shortsightedness in continuing a doomed co-op. we've witnessed similar disasters with other obama co-ops across the country. the colorado, connecticut, illinois, michigan, new york, oregon, to name a few. at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1.7 billion. of the original 23 co-ops, only 7 now survive. and that's a failure rate, people, of more than 60%. the surviving seven are now being evaluated for their financial health. but one thing is clear, to prop them

spending $2 billion in taxpayer ney, 17 of obamacare's 234 co-ops collapsed leaving individuals without coverage. this is a double blow by individuals forced to get insurance. and now left with two options, find adequate coverage and face paying a deductible twice or pay a steep penalty at the end of the year, all due to the law's own failure. they sold as a public option featuring obamacare and showed insolvency since their inception flawed with flawed business models. we passed h.r. 954 that shields individuals who lost their insurance as a result of these co-ops. on top of hire premiums and difficulty accessing care, americans should not be penalized for the failure of a program that is preventing compliance. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> permission to revise and stepped my remarks. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. today marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of the national civil rights museum in memphis, tennessee. the museum is located at the site of the tragic assassination of dr. martin luther

bloomberg, friday, "failing obamacare nonprofit co-ops add to death spiral fears." didn't have to turn to the newspaper. could have turned on the radio, national public radio just friday about people who are buying insurance for their insurance because the obamacare program is so bad for them personally. and then sunday's "new york times," the business section, "why obamacare markets are in crisis." and i would suggest that the minority leader look at today's newspaper in indiana. indiana university health plans quit obamacare exchange, citing heightened financial uncertainty. those are the headlines people are seeing all across the country, so i'm not sure exactly what newspaper the minority leader is reading, but he's not reading the same papers that americans all across the country are reading. all across the country people are hearing about their rates going up. in georgia, 33%. illinois 45%. tennessee 59%. people are feeling the pinch from this rising cost of the obama health care law. it's hurting the people who buy insurance through obamacare exchanges and it

exchanges, health care premiums are continuing to just skyrocket, and only seven of obamacare's 23 public option co-ops remain. after new jersey's announcement yesterday that it will close its co-op, we will be down to only six at the end of the year. that means nearly three quarters of a million americans have been or will soon be kicked off their current insurance. every week, the news about this law gets worse. that's why house republicans are taking action right now to protect seniors across our country from another looming negative consequence of the president's health care law. i'm honored to speak in support of congresswoman martha mcsally to prevent tax increases on the middle class and seniors act. before the affordable care act, americans could find some relief in their ability to deduct high cost, out of pocket medical expenses from their taxes. but this important source of relief is about to get further out of reach for seniors, thanks to obamacare. for americans under 65 years age a provision of the affordable care act has already raised the previous 7.5% income threshold up to 10%. starti

when obamacare started three years ago, there were 23 co-ops, another went bankrupt in new jersey leavingtill operating. the risk pool has too many sick people and not enough young, healthy people. coops fold. and insurance companies either raise premiums or they pull out of of the exchanges which is happening in droves. >> that's going to be the future, and i think what we're seeing here is the beginning of a death spiral as far as the exchanges are concerned. as more and more companies pull out. >> among the big insurance companies that have pilled out of some of the exchanges, aetna, blue cross, blue shield, 20 million additional people have health insurance. and the rapid growth and overall health care spending has slowed. but as far as rising premiums, president obama and hillary clinton would like to see a public option that would compete with the for-profit insurance companies. >> if a public option could bring premiums down, primarily by paying doctors and hospitals less and having lower overhead and no profit, that would lower federal government costs. >> donald trump, of course,

co-op protection act which will vote on later today. mr. duncan: this will result in any one who had a plan under the obamacare. several have failed since 2015. community health alliance was one such co-op based in my district. when it failed last year, 27,000 were forced to find new plans. this year, they have been faced with more bad news. blue cross/blue shield of tennessee requested 62% i increase in premium rate. yesterday, blue cross/blue shield said they can't offer plans in knocksville, nashville and memphis. this will affect my constituents who will have the option of one health care provider. congressman smith's bill will provide relief for people who lost their health insurance because of obamacare and i urge my colleagues' support of this very important legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. mr. paulsen: i praise minnesota being named as the second best place to live in america by "money" magazine. eden prarie has made the list several times and finished number one in 2

co-op they use failed. nothing less than replacing obamacare will stop all the havoc. -- in the meantime we have the obligation to offer relief to the people hurt by this law. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from nebraska. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield three minutes to my colleague from the energy and commerce committee, mrs. blackburn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized for three minutes. mrs. blackburn: i want to thank the gentleman for yielding and for his work on this issue. i think we have to go back in history a little bit on this. obamacare was passed into law, signed into law in 2010. a part of that law that, by the way, we had to wait until it passed, so we could read it and find out what all was in it, established this co-op program. and the way the law was written, it allowed c.m.s. and -- to go in and put in a place the terms of the loans -- in place the terms of the loans for the co-op program. now, our colleague from washington said it was fault of congress.

obamacare has already run kind of public option light. we got those evil private -- public -- private corporations out of the business. ran these co-ops.he country. you took away the profit motive, patients didn't benefit. taxpayers obviously didn't either. it's hard to call this a sleeper issue because obviously its failures are manifest. but at problem. you look at russ feingold in wisconsin, she has spent years pretending that it's working. it's not. it's a problem for him. >> all right. thank you all. >>> still ahead, this labor day looking at the state of the american economy and disturbing new data about the plight of working age men in america. if you suffer from a dry mouth, then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? well, there is biotene, specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants... biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too. biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth. staying in rhythm, it's how i try to live, how i stay active. and to keep up this pace, i need the right nutrition. so i

obamacare. >> the lefties at the ixia is to a signal pair health care provider. >> they sent up -- set up 23 co-ops. these nonprofit insurance 16 of themun by -- are out of business and 16 of them are in serious trouble. they got $2.4 billion from the government. they lost it all. it is not make any profit. they're out of business. they did not make profit. they're out of business. on august 2, the journal of the american medical association, they proposed we put a public option into obamacare. a public option would be a government run nonprofit that would compete with the private insurance companies. it will drive them out of business because they have to make a profit in the public option does not we will be left with one government system. it was barack obama who wrote the article. economic assumption under obamacare. it cannot work. it will never work. it doesn't make sense. we need to get rid of it. we need to repeal it. trump has a seven point plan that outlines where he would go. it needs to be flushed out. paul ryan has a really good plan. john goodman has a good plan. we can do this, we ju