Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.) said Wednesday during a discussion on CBS This Morning that Minnesotans "have a right to be mad" about the premium hikes under the Affordable Care Act set to hit consumers next year.
Co-host Charlie Rose asked Franken if people were mad about Obamacare.
"One question about the issues," he said. "Healthcare. Obamacare. Is it a big issue? Are people angry about it?"
Franken admitted that people have a right to be angry before defending President Obama's signature health care law.
"There are some people who in, for example, Minnesota, they have a right to be mad about the price on the exchange," he said. "Here–but it's not that–people get their health care through the exchange are about four percent to five percent, and about 80 percent to 85 percent get subsidies through the taxes, tax credit."
"So it doesn't–and the benefits, 20 million people, extra covered," Franken continued. "You can't be turned down for a preexisting condition. You can't hit an annual cap. You can't hit a yearly cap. So, you won't go bankrupt in if you get sick. All of these–and as far as health care costs, they have gone down. We bent the cost curve as we talked about and we extended the life of Medicare by 11 years."
CBS's Norah O'Donnell jumped in to tell Franken that many people say they cannot afford it "given the prices have gone up anywhere from 20 percent to 80 percent in many places."
Franken reiterated his first point.
"But again, those are on the exchange," he said. "Four percent to five percent of the people. The people who have been hit that way have a right to be–to be mad."
He finished by explaining how Congress "bent the cost curve."
"But, what I'm saying is, and when I say we bent the cost curve, you talk about getting it through your employer," Franken said. "Those–that–the price of that–and this is significant because this is how most people get their insurance, has gone up at a much slower rate than it has any time in 50 years."