McConnell rips ex-Kentucky governor ahead of Trump rebuttal

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blasted Steve Beshear, just hours before the former Kentucky governor is scheduled to give the Democratic rebuttal to President Trump’s address to a joint session Congress.

“ObamaCare has pushed Kentucky’s insurance market to the brink of collapse, and now Democrats want to throw a victory party?” McConnell asked in a statement.

“I’m not sure how else to interpret their choice to respond to the president’s address tonight,” McConnell added. “The absolute ObamaCare disaster that Governor Beshear presided over continues to harm Kentucky today — even after he’s left office.”

{mosads}“We already know what needs to be done. We need to leave ObamaCare in the past and replace it with common-sense reforms so we can bring relief to the middle class.”

McConnell cited ongoing healthcare struggles in Kentucky as evidence ObamaCare is harming Americans nationwide.

Beshear left office in 2015 due to term limits after implementing the state’s Kynect ObamaCare exchange and expanding its Medicaid program.

“Kentuckians were promised that health insurance premiums would go do down, but they soared — by as much as 47 percent this year,” McConnell said.

“Kentuckians were promised that health choices would increase, but they plummeted — down to just one exchange provider in nearly half of our counties,” he continued.

“Kentuckians were also promised they could keep their health plans, but many continue to find themselves forced into insurance so expensive, insurance that so few of their doctors will accept, it’s basically useless.”

Democratic leaders last Friday announced Beshear would deliver their party’s response to Trump’s address, ensuring ObamaCare will be at the forefront of their message.

“The governor is a proven leader and job creator, and knows exactly what is at risk if President Trump and Congressional Republicans repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

Trump has repeatedly pledged to repeal and replace ObamaCare, leaving congressional Republicans debating a strategy for tackling the controversial healthcare law.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) earlier Tuesday described a leaked GOP replacement plan as “no longer even a viable draft that we’re working off of.”

House conservatives panned the tentative ObamaCare replacement for using refundable tax credits, causing turmoil in reform efforts as they are a key aspect of helping people afford coverage.