House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell are apparently determined to pursue a "repeal and delay" on Obamacare—push through the repeal part on the prayer that maybe there'll be a replacement down the line. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a fellow Republican, sees a problem there.
Kasich said it will be very difficult to get some conservative GOP House members to vote for a replacement plan if it includes any of the key components of Obamacare.
"I think there are some very conservative Republicans in the House who are going to say, 'just get rid of the whole thing'... and that's not acceptable when you have 20 million people, or 700,000 people in my state, because where do the mentally ill go? Where do the drug addicted go?"
Kasich said it's a "political impossibility" for Republicans to repeal the law without a replacement.
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He said the voter anger and frustration at recent town hall meetings across the country is proof that citizens are paying attention to what Congress does on the issue.
"I think it's having an impact from the standpoint of, 'hey, people are watching,'" Kasich said. "I don't think they mind reform, but don't take everything away."
People don't mind reform at all, provided that reform would maintain their coverage, make premiums more affordable, and reduce their out-of-pocket spending—like lower deductibles and co-pays. The leaked Republican plan does not do that. In fact, it does the opposite—people will pay more and they'll get less for their money.
And that's just the people who will be able to keep their coverage. Many of the 22 million covered under Obamacare won't keep their insurance. Kasich says that he had a conversation with Trump about this, that "I just told him it was inadequate. […] To me, it's not acceptable." Apparently, Trump listened, at least to a degree, and told his son-in-law Jared Kushner "Well, I like this better" than the House Republican plan.