Murkowski faces tough prospect of bipartisan, process-focused health care reform
Murkowski and Sen.
Murkowski, with Sens.
Murkowski has complained since before the House passed its bill that Republican lawmakers were more focused on getting the requisite number of votes than on writing sound policy.
But despite her "win" on Friday, Murkowski faces an uphill battle in an effort to move
In a statement after the vote, Murkowski said she voted no "because both sides must do better on process and substance. She said she remains "committed" to reforming the law by cutting costs and increasing access to health care.
"I hear from fishermen who can't afford the coverage that they have, small-business owners who can't afford insurance at all, and those who have gained coverage for the first time in their life," Murkowski said.
"These Alaskans have shared their anxiety that their personal situation may be made worse under the legislation considered this week," she said.
Murkowski added that she was ready to work with all of her colleagues "to reform health care in a more open process."
McCain similarly released a statement after the vote that lamented a loss of the
"Our inability to address the pressing health care needs of the American people with meaningful and lasting reform is inexcusable," McCain said.
But, he argued that the failed passage of the
"I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to trust each other, stop the political gamesmanship, and put the health care needs of the American people first. We can do this," McCain said.
Producing a legitimately collaborative effort will be difficult in the
But Murkowski, McCain and Collins made a clear gesture across the aisle last week by refusing to sign off on a process that was orchestrated nearly exclusively among
Any bipartisan effort will not be completed this summer, and would ultimately require meeting a 60-vote threshold to avoid filibuster, sidelining the 51-vote option available under the 2017 budget reconciliation.
At the moment, the left's cup is overflowing with goodwill for Murkowski, McCain and Collins. The question is whether and how that goodwill translates to Democratic leadership in the
This weekend, Collins is making the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, where she will presumably telegraph her next steps.
McCain will be gone for at least the next month. Starting Monday, he will be back in
Murkowski had different plans: She flew back to
On Saturday, she tweeted out photos of her visit to
No longer surrounded by a throng of
"And we were doing all of this without a committee process, with no discussion with a Democrat on the other side of the aisle. You cannot do major entitlement reform single-handedly. And you shouldn't do major legislative initiatives single-handedly," Murkowski said.
House Speaker
And several
Sen.
And Sullivan, despite being disappointed with his
After the vote, Sullivan said his "heart aches" for
While many on the left may hope the health care effort died on the
"The Affordable Care Act has many flaws, which have been highlighted through this process," Hultberg said.
She expressed gratitude for both Sullivan and Murkowski for having an "open door" to the group's concerns "and for advocating for
Murkowski and Sullivan are well aware of the fears of many
"The last thing we need right now is partisan federal legislation that would shift hundreds of millions of dollars in costs onto the state," said
Rep.
But conservatives in the state and Outside were livid at Murkowski's very public step away from the
In a speech on the
"It'll be interesting to see what they suggest as the way forward. For myself I can say ... that bailing out insurance companies with no thought of any kind of reform, is not something I want to be part of," McConnell said.
___
(c)2017 the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska)
Visit the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska) at www.adn.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ex-Kalkaska employee rejects health insurance settlement
White House pushes to pursue GOP health care bill
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News