Months after the Obamacare rollout, Republican Senate leaders are soliciting ideas from GOP governors about alternatives to the healthcare law as written.
“We believe this law is flawed beyond repair, and the only true solution is to repeal Obamacare,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) wrote to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, chairman of the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee. “But that’s not enough. Obamacare must be replaced with reforms that Americans support. We have advocated some of these types of reforms for many years, approaches like insurance policies tailored to those with pre-existing conditions, promoting wellness and reining in junk lawsuits.”
The senators said they hope for thoughts on “policies to replace Obamacare with commonsense, step-by-step reforms,” indicating that they’re amenable to a piecemeal approach to chip away at the law after many failed attempts (about 40 in the House alone) to repeal it.
Recognizing “that Washington is not the only repository of good ideas — far from it,” the trio said they’ve hoping that, like welfare reform and tax reform were policy innovations that came from the states first, the governors can help them with a viable repeal and replace.
“As Republicans, we believe that Washington works best when it listens more, and lectures less,” the letter says. “That is why we write . . . to ask Republican governors to share with us how Obamacare is impacting your states and solicit your thoughts on how we can work together on policies to replace Obamacare with commonsense, step-by-step reforms that will lower costs and increase access to care.”
“That’s why we want to work with you to develop our best ideas together, and show Americans who are frustrated and fearful of Obamacare that there is a better way.”
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