Murray Urges Democrats to Follow Supreme Court Victory on Health Care With Bold Action
Supreme Court refused to strike down the Affordable Care Act entirely as Republicans urged, in a 7-2 ruling
Murray: “This ruling is cause for celebration—but it must also be a call to further action, not an excuse for complacency.”
Senator Murray and Congressman Pallone have announced plans to develop legislation establishing a federal public option later this year
Murray: “With this existential threat to the health coverage and protections so many people rely on finally put to rest, and a President who actually believes health care should be a right not a privilege finally back in the White House—we must seize this opportunity to build on past progress in health care with bold solutions.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement in response the Supreme Court issuing a ruling in Texas v. California—the case where Republican Attorneys General sought to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act and throw millions of families off of their health care. The Supreme Court ruled against Republicans, leaving the law entirely intact, meaning the Affordable Care Act is still standing, millions of families still have coverage, and people with pre-existing conditions are still protected.
“This ruling is cause for celebration—but it must also be a call to further action, not an excuse for complacency. While I hope this victory for families is the final chapter in Republicans’ long, damaging campaign to undermine the health care hundreds of millions of people rely on, I know our work to help patients is far from over. The COVID-19 pandemic has made painfully clear we have more to do to ensure every person in this country can get quality, affordable health care. That’s why I am working with Congressman Pallone to gather input and craft comprehensive legislation establishing a federal public option for health coverage.
“With this existential threat to the health coverage and protections so many people rely on finally put to rest, and a President who actually believes health care should be a right not a privilege finally back in the White House—we must seize this opportunity to build on past progress in health care with bold solutions. We need to bring down costs for patients and move toward universal coverage, and I plan to work with President Biden and my colleagues on bold steps to do just that—like empowering Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, expanding eligibility for Medicare to more people, making the premium tax credit increases in the American Rescue Plan permanent, and establishing a public option to allow all families to get quality, affordable coverage.”
Last month, Senator Murray and Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced their plans to develop legislation to establish a public option for health coverage to lower health care costs and help families get quality, affordable health care. They have issued a Request for Information (RFI) to the public as they begin to work with their colleagues who have put forward public option proposals of their own to craft new comprehensive legislation—with responses due by July 31st, 2021.
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