No Labels: At Long Last, a Workable, Bipartisan Fix for Health Care Emerges from the Senate

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the release of Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Patty Murray's (D-WA) compromise health care fix, both houses of Congress now have in hand a durable bipartisan solution to ensure access to affordable and quality care for the American people. Like the Problem Solvers health care fix released in July, this compromise would both ensure that Americans are able to purchase health care through the marketplace and provide states with greater flexibility within the health care exchanges.

Here's what it means: After months spinning its wheels, Washington is finally abandoning the fantasy that either party can impose major reforms without reaching across the aisle.

But while the release of the Alexander-Murray compromise represents an important step forward, Congress has much more work to do. No Labels calls on Congress to finish the work that the Problem Solvers Caucus and Senators Alexander and Murray have started, shielding ordinary Americans from the price spikes that would otherwise make it impossible for millions of Americans to purchase health care insurance through the marketplace.

Earlier this week, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus released a joint statement saying they are "ready to work with the president" on a bipartisan health care solution. President Trump has reportedly called Senator Alexander, encouraging this bipartisan approach. The Alexander-Murray compromise suggests that negotiators from the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives should sit down to pursue a bipartisan solution together.

"This is such a welcome development with both parties putting aside the politics and focusing on solving an immediate near-term problem in our health care system. The outlines of a final compromise are now coming into view," said No Labels chief strategist Ryan Clancy. "Leaders on both sides of the aisle and in both Houses need to work with the White House to build on the Problem Solvers Caucus and Alexander-Murray proposals to get a bipartisan deal done."

SOURCE No Labels