Gov. Bill Walker says he will not support any health care bill that hurts Alaskans or
their access to care.
Walker issued a statement on July 25 in response to the U.S. Senate’s approval of a
motion to proceed to debate the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as
Obamacare.
“Alaskans deserve a fair and transparent process so they can understand how this
legislation will impact their lives and families; thus far, that has not been the case,” the governor said.
The Senate vote, 51-50, was marked by a Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-
breaker. Only two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Main, voted against the motion. Fifty-one Republicans voted yes, and all 48 Democrats voted no on consideration of the Republican health care bill.
“My administration will continue to remain engaged with our congressional
delegation as we work to determine what any final piece of legislation will look like,
and how it will impact Alaskans,” Walker said. “Along with other governors across
the nation, I believe it is critical that we are brought to the table to provide input on
this issue, and stand ready to wok with lawmakers in a transparent, bipartisan
manner to improve health care coverage for all Alaskans.”
A week earlier, Walker joined a bipartisan group of governors calling for an open
process to address the nation’s health care needs.
Their statement said that Congress hold work “to make health insurance more
affordable by controlling costs and stabilizing the market…
“The Senate should immediately reject efforts to ‘repeal’ the current system and
replace sometime later,” they said. “This could leave millions of Americans without
coverable. The best next step is for both parties to come together and do what we
can all agree on: fix our unstable insurance markets.”
The statement was signed by the governors of Alaska, Ohio, Montana, Maryland, Louisiana, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Nevada.
