WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement after two federal appeals court panels issued contradictory rulings in Halbig v. Burwell and King v. Burwell. These rulings address whether the federal government is permitted to subsidize the health premiums of those insured under the federal exchange.

“The Affordable Care Act was designed to provide affordable coverage to millions of Americans regardless of whether it was through a state-based marketplace or the federal marketplace--and it is succeeding. It would defy common sense to give the federal government the power to run exchanges for states and then withhold the ability to distribute subsidies, the key ingredient for the operation of the exchange. Conservative jurists and legislators are going to continue to try to pick apart this law, but the mounting, overwhelming evidence of its success is impossible for even the law's critics to ignore. I’m confident that this flawed decision will be overturned when it goes to the full D.C. Circuit, and that the logic employed by the Fourth Circuit in today's ruling upholding the subsidies will eventually prevail. By every possible measure - coverage, cost, and quality - the Affordable Care Act is working, despite the ceaseless political attacks.”