Ohio Republicans Can’t Get on Same Page For Affordable Care Act Repeal

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 7 -- The Ohio Democratic Party issued the following news:

If the Ohio congressional delegation is any indication, Republicans' plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act is in big trouble -- Sen. Rob Portman is opposing the House GOP's draft proposal for failing to provide "stability for Medicaid expansion populations," while Rep. Jim Jordan is refusing to support anything that keeps Medicaid expansion.

"Rob Portman today acknowledged that the House Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act would result in chaos -- precisely, it would lead to a 'disruption in access to health care for our country's most vulnerable and sickest individuals,'" said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper. "Portman and John Kasich know it would be a 'a very, very bad idea' to phase out the ACA's Medicaid expansion, which has provided health coverage for nearly 700,000 Ohioans. Meanwhile, Jim Jordan wants even more chaos because his so-called 'Freedom Caucus' is refusing to back any plan that doesn't eliminate the Medicaid expansion.

"After seven years of empty promises and overheated rhetoric, Republicans now have only themselves to blame for failing to come up with a real Affordable Care Act replacement plan. They have been hiding their proposal from public view -- and even the view of fellow Republicans. One of the nation's most powerful advocacy groups, AARP, has come out against their plan because it will raise premiums on older Americans. And conservative bloggers are revealing that the proposal could result in up to 20 million Americans losing their employer-provided coverage."

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