Begich Applauds Health Care Act Benefits For Alaska

U.S. Senator Mark Begich is applauding the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the key element of President Barack Obama’s signature health care overhaul.

Begich says the bill maintains several elements that, he says, will benefit Alaska – like a permanent authorization for the Indian Health Services.

He says the final ruling should put the political issue to rest

“This battle has gone to the Supreme Court – a conservative Supreme Court. They’ve ruled it’s constitutional. We can argue as time progresses if there are things that need to be modified or changed, and I’m never opposed to reviewing that. If there’s things that aren’t working, we need to resolve that. But it’s time to move forward,” Begich said.

There’s no indication this issue is over. House Republicans say they’ll move forward with another repeal bill – they’ve already passed one. And U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski says the Senate will proceed with a repeal bill, too. Though she did not indicate when.

• Supreme Court Opinion (PDF)