As Insurers Announce Higher Premiums in Washington State, Murray Continues Push for Resumed Bipartisan Negotiations to Lower Health Costs; Roll Back Trump Health Care Sabotage

Since Republican leaders tanked bipartisan negotiations on legislation to roll back President Trump’s health care sabotage and lower costs, Murray has pushed GOP to return to negotiating table

Murray: “I want to work with anyone, from either party, who is ready to focus on lowering costs for patients”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement on insurance companies’ proposed premium increases for the 2019 plan year.

“It is unacceptable that families in Washington state and nationwide are paying more for their health care because President Trump and Republicans care more about appealing to their extreme donors and special interests than helping people get the care they need. I want to work with anyone, from either party, who is ready to focus on lowering costs for patients, so I am going to keep calling on Republicans to stop prioritizing their extreme donors over patients and instead work with Democrats to roll back President Trump’s sabotage and bring down health costs.”

Last October, Sen. Murray and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, unveiled the Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017. Senator Murray put forward a series of proposals that would have reduced premiums and out-of-pocket costs for patients while stabilizing the individual market to ensure competition and choice for consumers. Republican leaders repeatedly blocked the legislation from coming to the floor and Chairman Alexander has since declared bipartisan negotiations “dead,” Murray continues urging Republicans to reconsider and resume negotiations. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is advancing a series of regulations that are contributing to higher premiums and undermine the very protections for patients with pre-existing conditions that he promised to protect as a candidate.

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