Ducey goes to D.C. to talk about health care

Meetings come after loss of GOP plan in Senate

With the GOP’s efforts to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act still smoldering, Gov. Doug Ducey flew to Washington, D.C., to meet Monday with members of President Donald Trump’s administration and fellow governors about the future of health care.

A top aide to Ducey told The Arizona Republic on Sunday evening that the Arizona Republican governor would meet with “other governors and Trump administration officials on issues that affect the state.”

Ducey’s aides did not respond to requests for more details about who the governor met with and what was discussed.

On Monday, the governor tweeted about the gathering.

“The problems with Obamacare and the damage it’s inflicting on health care insurance markets, especially in AZ, are real and continue,” Ducey wrote. “Today I met with governors and admin officials on a pathway forward to address these issues and identify a better solution for Arizona.”

Ducey has described Arizona as “ground zero” for the damage caused by President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, dubbed “Obamacare” by critics. He has cited high premiums and narrow options for Arizona residents who buy their health insurance on the individual markets created by the law.

Through Medicaid expansion, Arizona covered more than 400,000 low-income residents under the ACA. With that broadened population, the state brought in more money in federal reimbursements, as well as insurance-tax revenue.

While Ducey ran on a promise to support efforts to repeal and replace it with a program that gives states more flexibility in how they pay, he has long said states should not “pull the rug” out from under those who rely on the expanded Medicaid program.

Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin also attended the meeting, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

And Politico reported that Sen. Bill Cassidy, RLa., met Monday with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and top Medicaid official Seema Verma, as well as White House legislative director Marc Short, to discuss healthcare reform. The story reported Ducey was among those present, in addition to Govs. Phil Bryant of Mississippi and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas.

The White House press office did not respond to a request for more information about the meeting.

Ducey’s stance on health-care policy was key in the lead-up to last week’s Senate vote on a proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Sen. John McCain had invoked Ducey’s name, saying he wanted to ensure any new law didn’t punish their home state of Arizona.

Ducey tweeted that he agreed with McCain “that the bill on the table clearly isn’t the right approach for Arizona.”

But ahead of the early Friday vote — and after talking to Vice President Mike Pence — Ducey spoke by phone to McCain and Sen. Jeff Flake, RAriz., in the Senate’s GOP cloakroom. During the conversation, Ducey gave his blessing to their voting for the “skinny repeal.”

A Republican aide familiar with conversations between the governor and the senators told The Republic that the governor “was OK with this moving forward if it meant it was going to be a vehicle for a better bill.”

Following that conversation, McCain, who is fighting brain cancer, cast the deciding vote to kill Republicans’ so-called “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act. He joined GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and every Senate Democrat to bring down the bill on a 49-51 vote.

Follow the reporter on Twitter @yvonnewingett and reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizona republic.com or 602-4444712. Reporter Dan Nowicki contributed.