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Governors Give Chilly Reception to Health Bill Push - The New York Times

posted onJuly 16, 2017
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Article snippet: PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A handful of Republican governors rebuffed on Saturday an attempt by their Democratic counterparts to issue a joint statement from the nation’s governors expressing opposition or even concern about the Senate health care bill. But a smaller, bipartisan group of influential governors still may release a statement of their own in the coming days, a move that would greatly imperil passage of a measure that is already listing. While Republican governors stopped well short of declaring common cause with Democrats on health care, state executives from both parties gave a brusque reception to Trump administration officials who trekked to Rhode Island to lobby governors for their support. Gov. John W. Hickenlooper of Colorado, a Democrat who is part of a group of seven governors who have been outspoken about their discomfort with the legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, said he expected an even larger bloc of the state chief executives to voice their unease about the proposal after the annual summer gathering of the governors concludes here this weekend. “I think there’s an appetite for more people to express themselves, it’s just so important to governors,” said Mr. Hickenlooper. The timing is critical because the Senate is expected to take up its Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have signaled they will closely follow the lead of their state’s governor. At a private luncheon for governors on Saturday, three Democratic governors called ... Link to the full article to read more

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