The National Governor’s Winter meeting became sharply divided Saturday over Medicaid.
Republicans, including Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, argued the Affordable Care Act is failing the Medicaid system and needs reforming.
Arizona is one of the states looking to expand Medicaid, but Ducey told fellow governors that failing to see the Affordable Care Act’s shortcoming is shortsighted.
"We don't want to see any citizen have the rug pulled out from underneath them, yet we know Obamacare is failing," Ducey said. "We're working hard to put together a plan that will replace Obamacare and actually be an improvement for health care, be a real reform of the Medicaid system."
Democrat governors at the meeting accused GOP governors of being dishonest about the effects of their plan and claimed the proposed changes will take away people’s health coverage, while cutting taxes for the wealthy.
A Medicaid Health Care analyst told the Governors the House plan for health care reform would leave tens of thousands of Americans without insurance in most states.
Meanwhile, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows that 8 in 10 people nationally say lawmakers should preserve federal funding that has allowed states to add coverage for roughly 11 million low-income people. Almost 7 in 10 Republicans polled agreed, according to the survey by the nonpartisan group.
The entire Governors’ group meets with President Trump and Congress Monday.
