Sen. Gardner: 'It's Frustrating' On Skinny Repeal Failure
WASHINGTON, DC (CBS4)- Sen. Cory Gardner, Colorado's Republican senator, is commenting on the failure of the so-called "skinny repeal" bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The measure failed in the Senate late Thursday night.
"It's frustrating that now the recent repeal and replace vote is over we are starting to finally hear supporters of the Affordable Care Act make some of the exact points about the problems with the Affordable Care Act that they attacked Republicans for making over the last few months. We are finally starting to hear those that refused to work with Republicans admit that costs are going up under this law and something needs to be done to address it.
"I've worked so hard to replace this government takeover of our healthcare for one reason and one reason only – my constituents. In Colorado right now the impact of the law includes skyrocketing premiums, 145,000 Coloradans being forced to pay a fine to the IRS because they couldn't afford the insurance plans offered, and a health insurance market that leaves Coloradans living in two-thirds of counties in our state with two or fewer insurers to choose from.
"The vote last night can't stop this effort. I've always urged Democrats to work with Republicans in a bipartisan manner to find solutions that drives down costs and stabilizes the insurance market. I'm not going to stop trying to fix this healthcare problem, the status quo is unacceptable."
Sen. Michael Bennet, Colorado's Democratic Senator, also released a statement on the skinny repeal failure: "Over the last several months, Americans all over the country, and Coloradans in my home state, have relentlessly raised their voices to defeat this disgraceful health care bill. While this is a win for tonight, we cannot be complacent. There are millions of people who still need us to fix our broken health care system. Now is the time to work together to increase competition, affordability, and transparency; to lower costs and improve quality; and to craft a bill that is responsive to the needs of Americans," said Bennet in a statement released after the bill failed.