Rep. DeGette at National Press Club: Bipartisan Health Care Reform Is Possible with Political Courage, Mutual Good Will

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., issued the following news release:

Now that the White House and congressional Republicans have ended their unilateral effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Congresswoman DeGette (D-CO), Chief Deputy Whip, is making the case that it's time to consider real, bipartisan reforms.

"The time is ripe to shift back to constructive discussions of how to improve the ACA," DeGette said at a National Press Club Newsmaker event. "To do that, we need a combination of political courage, productive engagement and mutual good will."

DeGette has a record of bipartisan success in health care, including passage of the 21stCentury Cures Act, which she co-authored with Republican Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan. That bill, which modernizes biomedical research in the United States, became law in December.

"Democrats and Republicans can and should work together on policy solutions addressing areas of shared concern about America's health care now," DeGette said "We need to focus on areas where there are issues on which we agree."

However, she warned, for this effort to succeed, the Trump administration must avoid any further actions, whether intentional or not, that could undermine the ACA - including referring to the system as "exploding" or taking steps that would depress participation in the next enrollment season for the ACA.

"Bipartisanship IS still possible in our government," DeGette said. "Now is the time to put aside politics and get serious about addressing the issues with America's health care system in a way that Democrats and Republicans alike can support."

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