JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Latest on the proposed U.S. Senate health care bill (all times local):
3:05 p.m.
Alaska U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan says he plans to read “every word” of a Senate Republican health care bill to see if it addresses issues specific to the state.
He says those issues include stabilizing Alaska’s insurance market and “providing a sustainable and equitable path forward for Medicaid.”
Sullivan has said he’s committed to repealing the current health care law, which he says is not sustainable. But he says he won’t vote for a bill that makes things worse for Alaskans.
Alaska’s other U.S. senator, Lisa Murkowski, said she is committed to ensuring that all Alaskans have access to affordable, quality health care and will review the bill through that lens.
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11:05 a.m.
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker says the expansion of Medicaid to cover more lower-income Alaskans has had a significant impact and should be protected.
Walker, a Republican-turned-independent, made his comments after Republicans in the U.S. Senate released a draft health care bill Thursday.
Walker says he’s reviewing the measure but expressed concern with a one-size-fits-all approach, given Alaska’s vastness and remoteness and its population size.
He says he’s confident Alaska’s U.S. senators will fight to protect Alaskans and the state’s unique health care needs.
Nearly 34,000 Alaskans have been covered by expanded Medicaid since the state began accepting enrollees in September 2015.
Walker says Alaskans who have benefited from expansion have received life-saving care and peace of mind knowing they have health care coverage. He says that should be protected.
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10:15 a.m.
Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she needs time to review a health care bill drafted by fellow Republicans to understand its effects.
Murkowski, in a statement, says she will work with the state over the next several days to analyze the bill released Thursday.
Murkowski has been critical of the Senate’s handling of the bill and has urged a deliberate approach to making changes that has bipartisan buy-in.
She says changes to health care are needed, but says those changes must be “done right.”
She says she is committed to ensuring that all Alaskans have access to affordable, quality health care and will review the bill through that lens.
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