Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Tuesday indicated that side deals offered to skeptics of the Senate’s Obamacare repeal bill from Republican leaders would not be enough to make up for the legislation’s funding cuts to the health care system, particularly to the Medicaid program.
During a joint press conference with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) in Washington, D.C., Kasich said that he told Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) that a “few billion” dollars for opioid addiction treatment in their state would be like “spitting in the ocean,” given the bill’s deep cuts to Medicaid.
The governor stressed that he sees the legislation’s main issue as a lack of resources.
“I think the bill is inadequate,” Kasich said at the National Press Club.
He said that while the Senate bill does have what he views as some good components, none of those improvements would help without sufficient funding. He said he was concerned about millions losing their health care coverage as a result of the bill, as well as the deep cuts to Medicaid and reduced funding for health insurance subsidies in the legislation.
“The problem is the resources have been significantly cut,” he said, noting that the Senate bill eliminates taxes imposed by Obamacare that provided more revenue for the health care system.
Kasich used the press conference to call on Democrats in the Senate to work with Republicans on a bill to fix issues with Obamacare.
“Today I would call on Democrat senators to hold a press conference and to state that they are willing to sit and work and constructively engage with Republicans in coming up with a sustainable solution,” he said. “If the Democrats don’t want to participate that way, shame on them, and they’re playing party politics over what’s good for our nation.”
OK Gov Kasich, explain to me how working with the rethugs has helped the D’s in the past. As if.
The rethugs refused every opportunity to work on legislation for the past 8 years except to block anything that improved the life of the middle class and poor. You know this. Stop pretending to be a moderate and ‘reach across aisle’ guy.
Remember when folks said Kasich was a moderate that anyone could vote for? The best GOP choice? Well there he is. With his “Democrat Senator” quip and pathetic attempt to fault Democrats for what’s a 100 % piece of shit made 100 % by GOP’ers. He’s just another disgusting party first politician. And I don’t see any good ideas coming from him either.
Good god, the Democrats have said endlessly they will work with Republicans to fix Obamacare. Kasich is one of those guys who from a distance I think I should find things to like, but up close he is just repugnant. A know-it-all self-righteous prig who out-talks everyone in the room.
Sheesh. The problem is that you get what you pay for. When and if Republicans are willing
to consider more spending on Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance subsidies, we’ll have
something to discuss. But while they’re trying to have $1T or so less spending, forget it.
We’ll stick with the ACA, flawed as it is, rather than vote for something clearly worse in every
dimension.
That’s the difference between realistic Republicans Governors and opportunistic GOP politicians in Congress…they actually use the word “revenues” as if it means something, particularly when it comes to funding vital gov’t programs.
For Republicans in Congress, “revenues” are never to be spoken out-loud unless they’re about tax give-aways to the wealthy donor class from the rest of us cogs, the American taxpayer, or wanting to pump more untraceable money into the Pentagon for those over-paid defense contractors that the military can usually do without.