Carper on Senate GOP’s failed efforts on ACA repeal-and-replace: “This is an opportunity.”

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released a statement on Senate Republicans’ failure to reach enough votes for their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and their plan to vote on a bill that would repeal the ACA with a two-year delay.

“This is an opportunity. We need to hit the pause button and pivot now to stabilizing the individual health insurance exchanges. Then let’s prove to the American people that we can actually work together. Let’s return to regular order, hold open hearings and roundtables, and hear from experts, stakeholders and patients about what we need to do to reduce health care costs and improve health outcomes.

 “I had the privilege of serving as governor of Delaware, and as a recovering governor in the U.S. Senate, I’ve been urging my colleagues to give our governors a seat at the table and a voice in this debate. I’ve been reaching out to governors from across the country, Republicans and Democrats alike, and they agree with me that it’s time we go back to the drawing board and work together in an open and earnestly bipartisan way. We don’t need a Republican or Democratic victory on health care reform, we need a victory for the American people—and the voices of our governors is critical to that.”

 Earlier today, Senator Carper went to the Senate floor to speak about a path forward on health care reform and his legislation with several colleagues, including fellow former governors, that would stabilize the individual health care marketplace, increase competition among insurers and lower premiums.

Click here  to watch Sen. Carper’s floor speech.

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