Like most Alaskans, I support the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  I do not support repealing the ACA and replacing it with nothing.  Medicaid expansion is bringing hundreds of millions of federal dollars into the state, supporting hundreds of jobs, and providing needed medical services to thousands of Alaskans.  Medicaid expansion was supported by Alaska Faith in Action Together, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the Anchorage and State Chambers of Commerce, and numerous other groups.  The ACA also allows parents to keep their children on their health insurance policies until age 26, allows individuals with pre-existing conditions to get insurance, and expands coverage for mental health and drug addiction issues – problems for which we have critical healthcare service needs.

Lisa Murkowski once said that repealing the ACA was not the answer because repealing it without replacing it would not address needed healthcare reform.  She flip-flopped on this issue, most recently voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement and voting to pull hundreds of millions of federal dollars out of Alaska.

I share the goal of most Alaskans of improving the ACA, rather than repealing it and replacing it with nothing.  I oppose taking away health insurance from thousands of Alaskans, and I oppose removing hundreds of millions of federal dollars from our economy.

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