Governor backs new ‘Obamacare’ repeal try

Ducey’s support may sway McCain’s position on bill

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced his support Monday for a Senate Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The legislation, introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., would keep much of the “Obamacare” tax structure in place but would give the money back to states in the form of block grants in order for them to design their own health-care systems.

The legislation would end subsidies for private insurance as well as the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid. Under the proposal, states could keep their Obamacare programs or replace them with new systems.

Ducey’s support of the plan could sway U.S. Sen. John McCain, who has previously said he consulted closely with the Republican governor’s office before he torpedoed the Senate effort in July to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law. McCain voted against the Senate GOP’s “skinny repeal” despite Ducey saying he was OK with it.

McCain, who remains critical of efforts to overhaul the health system without bipartisan participation, will presumably weigh Ducey’s position if the latest legislation comes to a vote.

The measure must pass the Senate by the end of this month or it will require 60 votes for passage, rather than

51.

Julie Tarallo, McCain’s spokeswoman, told The Arizona Republic Monday in an emailed statement that the senator is continuing to review the bill and its impact on Arizona.

“As he has said before, Senator McCain believes health-care reform should go through the regular order of hearings, open debate, and amendments from both sides of the aisle,” Tarallo wrote.

Ducey’s statement, posted to Twitter Monday morning, was unusual for a governor who tends to be less aggressive in his public messaging.

“Graham-Cassidy is the best path forward to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Ducey said in the statement. “I will continue to work with the Congress and the administration to give states more flexibility and more options moving forward. Congress has 12 days to say ‘yes’ to Graham-Cassidy. It’s time for them to get the job done.”

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., announced his support for the legislation on Sunday in a tweet.

“Given the choice between Arizona or Washington deciding how federal health-care dollars are spent in the state, I’ll take Arizona every day of the week,” Flake said in a written statement elaborating on his tweet. “The Graham-Cassidy plan puts that decision-making power back in the hands of the states, giving them the flexibility needed to innovate and lower premiums that have sky-rocketed in Arizona while maintaining protections to ensure access to quality, affordable care for those who want it, including individuals with preexisting conditions.”

Arizona’s House delegation gave no indication of their view on the Senate’s latest health care bill. Democratic U.S. Reps. Ruben Gallego and Raúl Grijalva made clear they remained opposed to the GOP plan, suggesting on social media that it “hurts the poor.”

Republican members, notably U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and Martha McSally, did not mention the issue. McSally, who holds a competitive Tucson-area seat, supported the House bill to repeal portions of Obamacare that passed in May. Biggs voted against it, saying it fell short of fully repealing the Affordable Care Act, as he had promised.

The bill doesn’t yet have an estimated price tag from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Ducey’s spokesman would not respond to a question from The Republic about whether the governor has assessed how the legislation would affect the state.

The left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that Arizona would stand to lose $1.6 billion in Medicaid spending under the bill.

Graham, a close friend of McCain’s, said in a statement that Ducey’s support of the legislation was “A great day for federalism, bad day for Obamacare.”

With Ducey’s support, he added, “we are gaining the momentum to repeal and replace Obamacare. Gov. Ducey rightly believes he can do a better job delivering health care to Arizonans than some nameless, faceless bureaucrat in Washington.”

Graham said Ducey and his administration “are providing the conservative leadership that will get us over the top” in passing the legislation.

Vice President Mike Pence weighed in on Twitter, praising Ducey’s support of the legislation: “As he said, it’s time to get the job done.”

Republic reporter Ronald J. Hansen contributed to this story.