Kasich, Colorado governor forwarding health-care plan
As promised, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper say they have come up with a bipartisan proposal to stabilize individual health insurance markets after Republicans in Congress failed to pass a health-care bill.
Kasich, a Republican, and Hickenlooper, a Democrat, are asking several other governors from both parties involved in discussions about a health-care solution to sign onto the plan.
In a tweet Monday, Kasich said: “Thrilled to share that @GovofCO and I have come to an agreement on a blueprint to stabilize individual health insurance markets.”
About the same time, Hickenlooper tweeted: “We’ve been working on bipartisan approach to improved healthcare. Together with @ JohnKasich ... we’ve agreed on framework to stabilize individual markets. A 1st step, BIG 1st step, to control cost & expand access.”
Kasich said the plan will be shared with like-minded governors and released later this week. It is also expected to be discussed before the Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee next month when lawmakers hear testimony from Hickenlooper and some other governors about possible fixes.
Details were not released Monday, but Kasich and Hickenlooper have long called for a bipartisan fix for to the nation’s health-care law. They previously said their proposal would focus on shoring up marketplaces in which people without access to employer coverage or government plans like Medicare can buy individual insurance policies.
Kasich and Hickenlooper also agree that the mandate requiring employers with 50 or more employees to provide health insurance is too low, saying that deters hiring at small businesses. The two governors also think states should be given greater flexibility to regulate markets so they can better reflect local conditions.
The proposal, they have said, will not address whether to continue Medicaid expansion, which both governors implemented in their states. Kasich said that issue should be dealt with later.