Ron Johnson Brings Receipts as Democrats Deny Obamacare Harm to Americans [WATCH]

A tense exchange unfolded this week between Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Sen. Dick Blumenthal (D-Conn.) over the long-term impact of the Affordable Care Act, as Johnson accused Democrats of ignoring the law’s harm to working families and individuals across the country.

The debate took place during a Senate committee discussion about healthcare costs and insurance coverage.

Johnson argued that Obamacare has created financial burdens for families and driven up costs for patients, small businesses, and employees who lost their private health insurance after the law’s implementation.

“I don’t know of anyone who has been harmed by Obamacare,” Blumenthal said during the hearing.

Johnson responded by citing multiple examples of individuals negatively affected by the Affordable Care Act, pointing to testimonies, news reports, and personal accounts submitted to his office.

“There was an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal written by a father with a 17-year-old severely autistic child,” Johnson said.

“God bless his family; they’re taking care of him at home. They were just hoping for home health care. They were on a 10-year waiting list because you’re being crowded out by those single-age Medicaid expansion beneficiaries.”

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

The Wisconsin senator continued by highlighting the case of a woman named Ms. Verstegen, who he said represents many families struggling with high premiums and limited coverage options under the law.

“In 2019, she was paying $1,000 a month,” Johnson said.

“She couldn’t afford it, so she had to go to an Obamacare policy that she could afford at 250 bucks per month with the $14,000 deductible. And she and her husband took out an $18,000 home equity line of credit.”

“Again, I feel sorry for you,” Johnson added.

“You are a victim of Obamacare. There are a lot of victims of Obamacare.”

Johnson argued that Democrats continue to defend a system that has failed to deliver affordable care for millions of Americans while simultaneously blaming Republicans for its shortcomings.

He said that until Democrats acknowledge the structural problems within the law, there will be no meaningful reform.

“But until we get people on the other side of the aisle who are willing to admit what a miserable failure Obamacare is, and structural reforms need to be made — again, I’m not gonna sign up with throwing hundreds of billions of dollars more to just paint over the rusty structure,” Johnson said.

Democrats are in a complete state of denial about the damage done by Obamacare:

Senator Blumenthal: “I don’t know of anyone who has been harmed by Obamacare.”

Huh? What about…

• Disabled children stuck on home healthcare waiting lists, crowded out by able-bodied adults.
•… pic.twitter.com/z1Mn9W8W83

— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) November 7, 2025

The senator also posted a detailed statement online following the exchange, outlining the real-world effects of the Affordable Care Act.

In the post, Johnson listed several examples, including disabled children stuck on home healthcare waiting lists, employees who lost group coverage when companies dropped insurance plans, and individuals forced into expensive exchange policies with high deductibles.

Johnson referenced one witness who testified that after being forced into the exchanges in 2016 when her employer dropped coverage, she paid $12,000 a year for a silver plan.

The witness later switched to a cheaper bronze plan with a $14,000 deductible and was ultimately forced to take out an $18,000 home equity loan to pay medical bills that were not covered.

The dispute reflects ongoing divisions in Congress over healthcare policy more than a decade after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law.

Republicans, including Johnson, have repeatedly called for market-based reforms to lower costs and expand consumer choice.

Democrats have defended the law as a vital step toward expanding coverage and reducing the number of uninsured Americans.

Johnson said the results have been clear and damaging for many middle-class families.

The exchange between Johnson and Blumenthal is part of a broader debate in the Senate as lawmakers discuss the future of federal healthcare policy and how to address the expiration of COVID-era premium subsidies added to the Affordable Care Act.