Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) that the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will work on bipartisan legislation to stabilize and strengthen the health insurance market:

"For months, Coloradans have called on the Senate to work in a bipartisan manner to address the problems in our health care system. Today's announcement by Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray is a promising step in this direction. While our initial work will be to stabilize the individual market, I hope this will start a longer conversation on necessary reforms to increase competition, affordability, and transparency while lowering costs and improving quality."