Murray Continues Urging Republicans to Stop Sabotaging Families’ Health Care, Work With Democrats on Lowering Costs

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 following Chairman Lamar Alexander’s (R-TN) request that the Trump Administration implement select policies originally included in a bipartisan agreement to roll back Trump Administration health care sabotage and lower 2018 and 2019 premiums. Previous steps taken by Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services Administrator Seema Verma include weakening essential health benefits, shortening the open enrollment period, and cutting outreach budgets, making it harder for patients and families to access quality, affordable health care.

"I was deeply disappointed that Republican leaders repeatedly blocked our bipartisan agreement to lower premiums and roll back President Trump’s health care sabotage, but I still believe that the way to make health care work better for families is to work across the aisle—and I will continue to urge Republicans to work with us instead of retreating to partisan corners and helping President Trump further undermine families’ health care and raise their costs."    

After Republican leaders repeatedly blocked the bipartisan agreement, Chairman Alexander declared in May that bipartisan efforts on health care were “dead.”  Senator Murray has consistently urged Republicans to return to the negotiating table to work with Democrats on lowering health care costs.

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