GOP Massachusetts Gov. Writes Letter Critical Of Republican Health Plan

The Republican governor of Massachusetts has written a letter to the commonwealth’s all-Democratic congressional delegation critical of the Republican plan to replace Obamacare, and urging them to “ensure the people of Massachusetts continue to have access to quality health care.”

Referencing the Congressional Budget Office’s recent pessimistic analysis of the American Health Care Act, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said the bill had the the potential to disrupt Massachusetts’ robust health care coverage numbers.

“Applying CBO’s assumptions to Massachusetts results in at least $1 billion of reduced federal revenue beginning in 2020, and we estimate reduced revenue of $1.3 billion in 2021, and $1.5 billion in 2022, with likely a greater impact in the years that follow,” Baker wrote.

Baker continued that the bill would result in substantial cuts to the state’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, MassHealth, and would eliminate Obamacare’s subsidies for individuals buying insurance on the individual market. The AHCA uses tax credits to offset insurance costs, but they are less generous than Obamacare’s subsidies and are based primarily on age, not income.

“Overall, our analysis indicates that the AHCA would increasingly strain the fiscal resources necessary to support the Commonwealth’s continued commitment to universal health care coverage,” Baker wrote, his most direct criticism of the bill.

Though the governor did not ask the delegation to vote against the measure, he wouldn’t have to: None of Massachusetts’ congresspeople or senators have expressed support for the AHCA.

Read Baker’s letter below, via the Boston Globe: