September 19, 2017

The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader
United States Senate
317 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer Minority Leader
United States Senate
322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer:

As you continue to consider changes to the American health care system, we ask you not to consider the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson amendment and renew support for bipartisan efforts to make health care more available and affordable for all Americans. Only open, bipartisan approaches can achieve true, lasting reforms.

Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray have held bipartisan hearings in the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and have negotiated in good faith to stabilize the individual market. At the committee’s recent hearing with Governors, there was broad bipartisan agreement about many of the initial steps that need to be taken to make individual health insurance more stable and affordable. We are hopeful that the HELP committee, through an open process, can develop bipartisan legislation and we believe their efforts deserve support.

We ask you to support bipartisan efforts to bring stability and affordability to our insurance markets. Legislation should receive consideration under regular order, including hearings in health committees and input from the appropriate health-related parties. Improvements to our health insurance markets should control costs, stabilize the market, and positively impact coverage and care of millions of Americans, including many who are dealing with mental illness, chronic health problems, and drug addiction.

We look forward to continuing to work with you to improve the American health care system.

Sincerely,

John Hickenlooper Governor
State of Colorado

Bill Walker Governor State of Alaska

John Kasich Governor State of Ohio

Steve Bullock Governor
State of Montana

Tom Wolf
Governor
State of Pennsylvania

John Bel Edwards Governor
State of Louisiana

Charles D. Baker Governor
State of Massachusetts

Terence R. McAuliffe Governor
State of Virginia

Brian Sandoval Governor
State of Nevada

Phil Scott Governor
State of Vermont