Missouri lawmakers want to hear from Greitens on Obamacare repeal

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)

May 31--JEFFERSON CITY -- Two Democratic state lawmakers are calling on the governor and other top Missouri leaders to weigh in on Congress' latest attempt to repeal Obamacare.

Sen. Jill Schupp, a Creve Coeur Democrat, and Rep. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, issued a joint letter Wednesday calling on Gov. Eric Greitens, Attorney General Josh Hawley and Lt. Gov. Mike Parson to share their thoughts on a plan approved by the U.S. House that would give states more power when it comes to health care spending.

The two lawmakers said the trio of GOP statewide officeholders campaigned "vigorously" against Obamacare during the 2016 election season and should outline where they stand on the latest attempt to repeal it.

In particular, they said provisions that would allow states to no longer pay for insurance for people with pre-existing health conditions.

"While current law bars insurance companies from denying coverage or charging more to people who have a pre-existing health condition, the plan crafted by Republicans in Congress would allow Missouri's state leaders to 'opt-out' of those provisions," they wrote.

In March, Greitens expressed concern about a House-led repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but later urged congressional leaders to move forward on its passage. That plan, however, failed to advance.

He has not offered any public comments on the latest version and a spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for information from the Post-Dispatch Wednesday.

Hawley, too, has remained mum on the topic. He ran on a platform largely based on his role in a lawsuit against the ACA that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

As a private attorney, he worked with more than a dozen lawyers on a case in which Hobby Lobby and other businesses challenged a federal requirement to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives for employees.

Neither Hawley's office nor the lieutenant governor's office immediately responded to a request for comment.

Schupp and Arthur, who sit on key health care committees in the Legislature, said other Republican governors, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, have expressed opposition to the House version of the legislation.

"Sharing your views is increasingly important, because a key provision of the health care overhaul would allow state leaders in Jefferson City to cancel critical protections for people who have previously been sick and have a pre-existing health condition," the letter notes.

The U.S. Senate is expected to take up the legislation when it returns to Washington D.C. next week. It remains unclear whether they will attempt to change the House version of the plan or completely restart negotiations after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the House version would knock 23 million people off the insurance rolls and trigger spikes in premiums for seniors and those with pre-existing conditions.

"We are deeply concerned that Republicans in Congress are pursuing a health care bill that independent experts say will significantly hike costs for older Missourians, and result in thousands of Missourians losing their health insurance. But even more pressing is whether you will support canceling critical protections for Missourians who have been sick in the past and have pre-existing health conditions," Schupp and Arthur added.

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