Group of governors comes out against repeal-only plan

A bipartisan group of governors on Tuesday came out against the Senate’s effort to move forward with a plan to first repeal ObamaCare, then pass a replacement later.

“Congress should work to make health insurance more affordable by controlling costs and stabilizing the market, and we are pleased to see a growing number of senators stand up for this approach,” the group said in a statement.

“The Senate should immediately reject efforts to ‘repeal’ the current system and replace sometime later.”

The governors’ statement comes as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) attempts to move forward with a repeal-only bill and a delayed replacement after failing to secure enough votes for the Senate’s repeal-and-replace plan Monday. But the repeal-first plan appears to be quickly collapsing, with several GOP senators coming out against the proposal.

{mosads}The governors said in the statement that this plan could leave millions of Americans without coverage.

“The best next step is for both parties to come together and do what we can all agree on: fix our unstable insurance markets,” the statement said.

The group called for lawmakers to work with governors to create a successful healthcare plan.

“Going forward, it is critically important that governors are brought to the table to provide input, and we stand ready to work with lawmakers in an open, bipartisan way to provide better insurance for all Americans,” the statement said.

The statement was signed by 11 governors, including members of the Republican and Democratic parties.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) tweeted out the statement, saying he was “proud” of those who worked together to “share an important message on healthcare reform.”

Proud of the 11 Republican and Democrat governors who have pulled together to share an important message on health care reform. pic.twitter.com/IcmUyM4m4g

— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) July 18, 2017