Governors Send Letter to Senate Leadership Opposing AHCA

A bipartisan group of seven governors from key states in the policy discussion surrounding health care reform sent a letter on June 16 to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), expressing concerns about the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA) and urging a path forward based on guiding principles the governors see as important to “positively impact[ing] the coverage and care of millions of Americans.” On the House bill, H.R.1628, the governors say that it “does not meet [the] challenges” of improving the national private health insurance system, particularly for those dealing with mental illness chronic health problems, and drug addiction. 

 

The governors lay out a set of guiding principles they believe the Senate should follow in drafting its version of the AHCA. The principles are:

• Improving Affordability
• Restoring Stability to Insurance Markets
• Providing State Flexibility and Encouraging Innovation
• Improving the Regulatory Environment

The governors who sent the letter are John Kasich (R-OH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Steve Bullock (D-MT), Charles Baker (R-MA), Brian Sandoval (R-NV), Tom Wolf (D-PA), and John Bel Edwards (D-LA).