Murkowski: Supreme Court Ruling Doesn’t Change “Broken Promises” of Health Care Law
Senator Says Decision Doesn’t Change “Basic Reality” of Bad Math for Alaska
Senator Lisa Murkowski today responded to the 6-3 decision from the United States Supreme Court in King vs Burwell, which upholds federal subsidies in the Affordable Care Act, saying:
“From day one, the political document called the Affordable Care Act has been a steady stream of mistakes, glitches and broken promises. The fact that the law survived this legal challenge doesn’t change the basic reality that Alaskans continue to face the highest health cost care in the country. Since passage of the law, we have seen harmful, costly premium increases – 38 percent for Premera and 30 percent for MODA next year alone. All today’s ruling means is that over 16,000 Alaskans who did everything the law required won’t be punished for the shortcomings of this unworkable policy.
“The President has made 32 unilateral changes or delays to this law to suit his political needs. Nationally, only 11 percent of Americans see this law as succeeding; in Alaska, we continue to see the promise of affordable care move further and further away as our costs skyrocket. I stand ready to work with anyone on either side of the aisle to deliver true health care reform that cuts costs, increases the availability of care, doesn’t hurt small businesses or their employees, and best serves a high-risk, high cost state like Alaska.”
