Murkowski Votes to Consider Repeal of Health Care Law

Statement

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today voted in favor of a procedural motion that would have allowed the Senate to take an up-or-down vote on a proposal to repeal the health care law. The motion, on the FAA Reauthorization bill, failed by a party line vote of 47 to 51. Murkowski, who supports repeal, issued the following statement:

"It is disappointing that the Senate could not muster the wherewithal to proceed to an up-or-down vote on a repeal of the health care law. This law is nearly a year old, yet opposition to it continues to grow. A poll late last year showed that 54 percent of Alaskans supported repeal. Just this week a federal judge in Florida ruled that the law was unconstitutional. That decision follows a ruling late last year by a federal judge in Virginia who declared unconstitutional the requirement that most Americans must purchase health insurance.

"During the health care debate, the President told the American people that the health care bill would hold down costs and that if you liked your health insurance plan, you could keep it. But last week Richard Foster, the chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told Congress that both those assertions were false.

"Today's vote won't be the last word on the matter, and as Alaska's senior senator, I will continue to support efforts to repeal the health care law and replace it with common sense reforms that will halt the spiraling cost of health care."

Source