FixHealthCarePolicy

Republican Governors: Health Care Bills Omit Reform

Twenty Republican governors and governors-elect sent a letter to Congressional leaders today urging them to refocus and pass “meaningful health care reform, not hastily prepared partisan legislation which omits reform and saddles American taxpayers for generations to come.”

“Governors of both parties have said for months how bad this bill is for the states and our nation,” said RGA Chairman Haley Barbour.  “Now is the time for leaders in Congress to finally listen and restart this process so they can get health care reform right.”

 The governors criticized the lack of transparency in the legislative process and called the current health care bills “a lost opportunity to improve the lives of Americans, create a sustainable system of health care and help stabilize both our state and national economies.”

The governors highlighted that the House and Senate bills fail to fix the broken Medicaid and Medicare systems and instead entitle 15-20 million more people to Medicaid.  The net result of this expansion “will be a significant cost shift to those privately insured around the country” and will further damage already hurting state budgets.

They also criticized the inflexibility forced upon states in the current bills. The governors write that the current proposals would eliminate the ability of states to negotiate Medicaid provider rates and force the states into a one-size-fits-all, federally-designed health insurance exchange.

 Last, the governors urged Congress to take steps to create a system, which “eliminates red tape, empowers consumers to engage in making good health care decisions in the private market, and guarantees affordable coverage for patients with preexisting conditions.”

 Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here.

Tags: health reform, Republican Governors, RGA