Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Monday urged Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to work with Democrats to address problems with Obamacare, after McConnell warned Republicans that failing to repeal and replace the law would force the conference’s hand toward bipartisan action.
“In preparation for the July work period, we urge you to focus on immediately advancing policies to provide stability and certainty to the health insurance markets,” read a letter from Schumer and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
“We appreciate your recent comments about ensuring stability for the private health insurance markets,” they added.
Specifically, the letter outlined four Democratic proposals that the senators said “would have an immediate impact on improving the health care system for American families,” by funding state markets and providing access to care to individuals in areas where insurers have left Obamacare’s individual marketplaces.
After McConnell delayed a vote on the Senate’s bill to replace Obamacare and make deep cuts to Medicaid on June 27, he warned Republicans that failing to repeal Obamacare would force the need for bipartisan reforms.
“I think the main thing is, as I’ve said, the status quo is simply unsustainable. It’ll be dealt with in one of two ways: Either Republicans will agree and change the status quo; or markets will continue to collapse and we’ll have to sit down with Sen. Schumer,” he said at the time.
On Thursday, the Associated Press reported, McConnell relayed a similar message to a Rotary Club meeting in Glasgow, Kentucky.
“If my side is unable to agree on an adequate replacement, then some kind of action with regard to the private health insurance market must occur,” he said.
“No action is not an alternative,” McConnell added. “We’ve got the insurance markets imploding all over the country, including in this state.”
Read Schumer, Durbin, Murray and Stabenow’s letter below:
Yertle the Turtle will ignore any effort to stabilize the insurance market until/unless the TrumpNoCare bill goes down to defeat.
At least they are on record supporting a smart initiative, but ole Yertle won’t do a thing about it. He’s got his marching orders from the Koch brothers and the .1%.
What, they expect the Rs to actually do something to help people? That’s not part of the Turtle/Ryan/Trump agenda.
After all, the Turtle is using the specter of bipartisan cooperation as a threat to get his conference to vote for the Trumpcare abomination.
Wait. Thought Dems had no plans, stonewalling.
The adults are speaking, I hope the MSM can STFU about Trump’s tweets to listen for a moment (looking at you MSNBC).