Murray Statement on Senate Passage of Legislation to Support Critical Health Care Access for Children and Families, Prevent Medicare Provider Cuts

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on Senate passage of a bipartisan agreement to support access to health care for children and families and prevent deep cuts to Medicare provider payments.

"This legislation is great news for seniors, children, and families in Washington state and across the country who will no longer have to worry about losing access to critical health care.

"I have been working for years to protect Medicare access for seniors, invest in community health centers, and expand access to health care for children, so I am very glad that Democrats and Republicans were once again able to put partisanship aside and get results for our constituents.

"I am also very happy that this legislation replaces the broken SGR formula with a system focused on high-quality, efficient care for patients, and that it includes an extension of the home visiting program I wrote to support struggling parents and young children.

"Although I think this bill is a strong step in the right direction overall, like any bipartisan compromise, it's not perfect and I do have some concerns about some of the provisions it includes. I would have preferred we close wasteful corporate tax loopholes before we ask even high-income seniors to pay more for their care. And I am very concerned that Republicans continue insisting on attaching language restricting access to women's health care options on bill after bill, even in cases like this when it is redundant and unnecessary.

"As someone who believes strongly in working across the aisle and making tough choices to deliver results for the families we serve, I am glad that we were able to get this done, and I hope it will lead to continued bipartisan work on tackling the many other challenges families and communities face."

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