Mark Begich: “It is a critical path to delivery because we do not have a VA hospital, for one.”

Just assuming the private sector is going to absorb all this is not realistic.

We have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Implementing the Affordable Care Act eclipsed things.

I want to make sure my colleagues hear exactly what you are saying, so a couple years from now, we do not hear complaints that, geez, why did you not do it?