For the last seven years, Sen. Dean Heller has supported repealing the Affordable Care Act and voted at least 20 times to do so. But now that Republicans have control of Congress and the White House, Dean Heller wakes up every day trying to pander to a different side. He’s twisting himself in knots trying to please all sides of the healthcare debate. But he cannot hide his real record of consistently fighting against Nevadans’ healthcare.
Timeline of Dean Heller’s Healthcare Pandering
- January 2011 – January 2017: Heller voted 20 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
- March 2017: Heller opposed ACA repeal and promised to protect Medicaid expansion.
- April 2017: Heller said he will do everything he can to “get to a yes” on ACA repeal bill.
- May 2017: Heller announced opposition to the House version of ACA repeal, and again promised to protect Medicaid expansion.
- June 6, 2017: Heller confirmed that he supports a seven-year phase out that would end Medicaid expansion.
- June 23, 2017: Heller announced opposition to the Senate version of ACA repeal at press conference with Gov. Sandoval.
- June 23, 2017: Pro-Trump outside group launched ads against Heller for opposing ACA repeal bill.
- June 27, 2017: Pro-Trump outside group pulled ads as Heller comes “back to the table” on ACA repeal.
- July 13, 2017: Heller said he was undecided on the motion to proceed to a debate over GOP health care bill that he had stated he opposed.
- July 19, 2017: Heller laughed when Trump remarked “he wants to remain a Senator, doesn’t he” about him at a health care lunch.
- July 20, 2017: Heller ducked questions on healthcare, saying he wanted more information and to see a score before he made a decision about a health care bill.
- Late-July 2017: Heller faced threats of a primary challenge from Trump allies and conservative groups angered by his self-serving position on health care.
- July 25, 2017: Heller votes “yes” on the Motion to Proceed to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
- July 26, 2017: Heller said he would vote for the “skinny bill” that would decimate insurance markets.
- July 27, 2017: Heller endorses Graham-Cassidy bill that would shift major obligations to the states, end Medicaid Expansion, and cut funding for Medicaid.
- July 28, 2017: Heller voted for “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act that would leave 16 million Americans without health insurance and premiums would be 20 percent higher.
- August 11, 2017: Heller said he was “real pleased” with how the healthcare vote turned out and that he never changed positions on healthcare.
- August 14, 2017: Heller flip-flopped and said, “no one was more disappointed than myself that we didn’t repeal and replace Obamacare.”
- August 16, 2017: Heller took credit for Skinny Repeal not including Medicaid, after voting to end Medicaid expansion repeatedly.
- August 21, 2017: Heller hoped to find 50th vote for ACA repeal.
- September 12, 2017: Heller formally signed onto Graham-Cassidy-Heller, which guts Medicaid.
Published: Sep 13, 2017