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From McGrath for Kentucky: McConnell’s Broken Promises on Health Care Hurt Kentuckians

Berry Craig
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McGrath ad highlights McConnell’s 36-year-long failure to live up to campaign promises on health care 
 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In the beginning of his 36-year-long career in Washington, Sen. Mitch McConnell ran as a health care advocate, promising to make health care available for all and to hold down costs. 

Instead, he tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act without replacement legislation, which would have stripped health care coverage from close to 400,000 Kentuckians and increased premiums.

new ad from the Amy McGrath for Senate campaign highlights the senate majority leader’s broken promises on health care and cites a 1990 ad from McConnell that pledged affordable health care for Kentucky families. 

“Our state has some of the worst health statistics,” McGrath said. “We have the highest mortality rate for cancer, and among the worst statistics for lung disease, diabetes and heart disease. Yet as generation after generation of Kentuckians face these struggles, McConnell seems determined to dismantle our health care system and rip away coverage from hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians.” 

Kentucky recently ranked 43 out of 50 states in health outcomes, and Kentucky is in the bottom 10 for drug deaths, with about 32 deaths for every 100,000 people, an increase of 96% in the past 10 years. Kentuckians pay an average of $2,000 a year for prescription drugs, the second highest in the nation

Meanwhile, McConnell refuses to let the Senate debate bipartisan, House-passed bills that would lower prescription drug prices. Just follow the money to understand why McConnell doesn’t support legislation that would lower costs for working Kentuckians. The senator has taken in more than $1.5 million in campaign cash over the past 30 years from Big Pharma.

McGrath’s health care plan will create a public option and lower the Medicare buy-in age to 55 to ensure every Kentuckian has access to affordable health care that is not tied to employment. People would be allowed to automatically enroll in the public option when they lose their jobs or their income falls below 200% of the federal poverty line, and anyone, including employed Kentuckians, can opt in if they wish. She supports legislation to stop “surprise billing” so that families don’t get hit with massive, unexpected health care expenses.

“McConnell’s had 36 years to live up to his campaign promises,” said McGrath. “It is clear the only way we will be able to fix our broken health care system is to vote him out.”

View the “Back Then” ad here.

Ad transcription

Voiceover: A lot of us Kentuckians weren’t even born yet when Mitch McConnell went to Congress 36 years ago, so we wouldn’t have seen this ad back then. 

McConnell: Too many families can’t get decent, affordable health care.

Voiceover: He promised health care available for all and to hold down costs, everything he’s fought against. Even during a pandemic with people out of work, he’s trying to take away health care. Mitch McConnell--36 years is long enough.