Kasich urges Congress to couple ACA repeal with replacement

Gov. John Kasich visited legislators on Capital Hill this week to urge Congress to pass a replacement health reform law at the same time they repeal the Affordable Care Act (Source: “Kasich urges GOP congressional leaders to replace Obamacare with Ohio's setup,” Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 19, 2017).

And that replacement legislation should retain several important provisions of Obamacare even after the Affordable Care Act is repealed, Kasich says in letters to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other key GOP members of Congress.

"Based on our hands-on experience with these programs, we recommend Congress quickly repeal and replace the ACA, in a single package, and then move on to address the underlying market dynamics that are driving up the cost of care," said the six-page letter that also was signed by Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, the state's insurance director.

Kasich also took part this week in a pair of private health-care roundtables: one with Republican Senate Finance Committee members, the other with Republican House Energy and Commerce Committee members.