Murkowski, Sullivan Vote to Reopen Government as Healthcare Subsidy Extension Remains Uncertain
WASHINGTON – Alaska’s senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both supported a Senate bill passed Sunday to end teh recent federal government shutdown, but the future of crucial healthcare subsidies for Alaskans remains unclear. The bill reopened the government after a brief impasse, but does not address the extension of tax credits that help roughly 25,000 Alaskans afford health insurance purchased through the federal marketplace.
Senator Murkowski had previously agreed to vote on a Democratic proposal to extend the tax credits by year’s end, but has not committed to supporting the final proposal. “I can’t tell you right now what shape that will take, but my hope is that people will want to work together to try to get an outcome that’s going to make a difference in the cost of care and the cost of insurance to families, and not just use it as an opportunity for political messaging,” Murkowski stated.
Without Congressional action, premiums for Alaskans relying on these subsidies could increase significantly, possibly doubling or tripling in some cases. Murkowski also indicated she would continue to pursue restoring funding for public broadcasting, despite its absence from the shutdown resolution.”We’re not done just because it’s not included in this shutdown package, but we’re going to have to approach it through another vehicle, and I’m committed to doing just that,” she said. She further expressed her commitment to preventing the Trump management from rescinding previously approved funding.
Senator Sullivan, who attributed blame for the shutdown to Democrats, called the vote “an important night, a good step forward,” and said he had been in discussions wiht colleagues from both parties for weeks. Though, in a previous interview with alaska’s News Source, Sullivan described the subsidies as a “failed policy” that had increased healthcare costs for Alaskans, while also stating he was “working very diligently on reforms and extensions.”
Alaska’s U.S. House Representative, Nick Begich, had not publicly commented on the bill or the healthcare subsidies as of Monday, and his office did not respond to requests for comment.