Murkowski: White House “Putting Politics First” with Health Care Delays
Senator Decries Cynical Politics Behind Another Deadline Moved
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the White House today announcing another change to its signature health care law – an additional extension of the deadline where Americans can keep existing plans it had previously outlawed until 2017, past this year’s mid-term elections and after the Obama administration’s end – Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared the following thoughts with Alaska:
“The President promised Americans that if they liked their health plans, they could keep them – and that broken promise was the ‘Lie of the Year’ for 2013. Now we know that some Americans can keep their health care plans if they want to pay more for them, and for other Americans they may be able to keep their health care plans until after President has left office. But it’s just delaying the inevitable and uncomfortable reality. Today is just the latest example of the White House putting politics first in terms of postponing the pain to be felt by thousands of Alaskans. The Obama administration continues to fight off constructive and useful changes to this law, but will alter or delay provisions that it finds politically convenient or necessary.
“The bottom line is that this law has fallen short of making health care more affordable or more accessible for Alaskans, and no amount of delays or political positioning is going to accomplish either of these goals.”
BACKGROUND: As of November 2013, there had been 27 significant changes or delays made unilaterally by the administration to the Affordable Care Act. Then early last month, the White House also delayed the small business employer mandate an additional year, which Senator Murkowski said was evidence the law was broken
