June 27, 2017 11:27 AM UTC

Hickenlooper, Kasich Jab Senate Republicans on Healthcare

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Via the New York Times–apparently you’re not the only one who can’t get ahold of Cory Gardner:

Hickenlooper (D) says he's been unsuccessfully seeking a mtg w Cory Gardner (R) on the health care bill #copolitics https://t.co/GQQawW8EQ3 pic.twitter.com/DtcjjKsOdV

— Nick Riccardi (@NickRiccardi) June 27, 2017

This can’t go on forever. It can’t, can it?

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While Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) tries to ignore the CBO score of the Republican Senate healthcare bill, Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) is in Washington D.C. with Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) to voice strong bipartisan disagreement with Trumpcare. From CBS News:

Democrat Hickenlooper applauded Kasich’s “courage” to stand up to Republicans, saying the health care debate “isn’t a political discussion, it’s a moral issue.”

“The fact that the Senate is going to do a bill in secret in a short period of time and try to sell the notion that this is an improvement of health care is a bad joke,” said Hickenlooper.

The governor said in his state alone, 188,000 people, more than half in rural areas, would see negative impacts by the bill, many losing coverage as a result.

“Governor Kasich and I won’t agree on everything, but agree we’ve got to control the rise in health care costs on all levels,” said Hickenlooper.

Hickenlooper echoed Kasich’s suggestions for bipartisan action on a new version of the bill, which he recommended would take 6-8 months to complete.

Kasich also dismissed the idea that the Senate bill could be more appealing if billions of dollars were included for specific opioid treatment programs. Kasich said on Tuesday that a “few billion” dollars for opioid addiction treatment in Ohio would be like “spitting in the ocean,” given the bill’s deep cuts to Medicaid.