GOP health care bill: Kasich, Brown, Portman have concerns

COLUMBUS – Ohio’s John Kasich and governors from several other states that opted to expand Medicaid are wary of the Senate Republican plan to end the added federal funding for it within seven years.


The proposal released Thursday calls for a slower phase-out of the Medicaid expansion than a bill adopted by the House. Yet it still would force those states to figure out what to do about the millions of lower-income Americans who used it to gain health coverage.

The doubts about the latest plan are coming from Republicans, Democrats and the nation’s one independent governor.

Among the Republicans voicing concern are Kasich and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. They say the GOP plan could leave hundreds of thousands of people in their states without coverage, including those dealing with chronic health problems.

Reaction to the bill has been mixed, with Ohio’s Sherrod Brown and his fellow Democrats lined up against it, four GOP senators opposed to it as it is and some Republicans, like Rob Portman of Ohio, who are reserving judgment until after the Congressional Budget Office analyzyzes the bill next week.

“There are some promising changes to reduce premiums in the individual insurance market, but I continue to have real concerns about the Medicaid policies in this bill, especially those that impact drug treatment at a time when Ohio is facing an opioid epidemic,” Portman said in a statement. “”If the final legislation is good for Ohio, I will support it. If not, I will oppose it.”

“This bill takes away the number one tool we have in the fight against opioids – Medicaid treatment,” Brown said. “We cannot allow Washington to rip the rug out from under Ohio communities.”

According to Brown, the bill would end Medicaid expansion and replace it with $2 billion to address the drug crisis nationwide. Last year, Medicaid covered 70 percent of the $939 million Ohio spent on the opioid epidemic.