Republican Governors Go To Bat For Health Law Their Party Wants To Eradicate
At least five GOP governors have warned congressional Republicans of the disastrous consequences that could befall states that took expansion money if the law is dismantled.
Politico:
GOP Governors Fight Their Own Party On Obamacare
Republican governors who reaped the benefits of Obamacare now find themselves in an untenable position — fighting GOP lawmakers in Washington to protect their states’ health coverage. This rift between state and federal GOP officials is the real battle on Obamacare at a time when Democrats have only marginal power in Congress. The voices of even a handful of Republican governors intent on protecting those at risk of losing coverage could help shape an Obamacare replacement and soften the impact on the millions who depend on the law. (Pradhan, 1/13)
USA Today/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Walker, Health Execs: State Shouldn't Lose From Obamacare Repeal
Gov. Scott Walker and state health care executives are pushing to ensure that an Obamacare repeal doesn't disadvantage Wisconsin compared with states that embraced the law — an issue with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. (Stein, 1/12)
Boston Globe:
Republican Baker Urges Congress To Keep Key Provisions Of Obamacare
With the GOP-controlled Congress moving rapidly to dismantle President Obama’s health care law, Governor Charlie Baker is urging fellow Republicans to maintain several key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including allowing Massachusetts to keep its first-in-the-nation mandate that all its residents have health insurance. In a letter to House majority leader Kevin McCarthy, made public Thursday, Baker laid out a position in stark contrast to his fellow Republicans in Washington, who, with President-elect Donald Trump’s backing, are already working to eliminate Obama’s health care plan. (Miller and Dayal McCluskey, 1/12)
Nashville Tennessean:
Haslam To Congress: ACA Reform Should Give Power To States
Gov. Bill Haslam is calling on Congress to cede more control over health policy and regulation to the states, as the debate over repealing or replacing the Affordable Care Act rages on in Washington. In a 19-page blue-print of his vision, the Republican Tennessee governor lays out what he and state officials think are cost drivers to rising health care and insurance costs, as well as encouraging Congress to "be flexible in the timing of any new reforms or revisions to health insurance statutes." (Fletcher and Ebert, 1/12)
McClatchy:
Republican States Still Face Big Health Care Costs As Obamacare Is Unwound
States that fought and shunned the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, hoping to avoid the cost of covering millions of working-poor families, will be left with substantial growth in the program even after the Republican-led Congress unwinds the law. From Florida and Texas to Georgia and North Carolina, enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program has soared since the passage of the health care law, as the poor and uninsured have come out of the woodwork to apply for coverage. And those new enrollees – 2.4 million people across 19 states that decided not to expand Medicaid – aren’t going anywhere immediately after the incoming Donald Trump administration signs repeal legislation into law. (Pugh, 1/13)
