Kasich on GOP Heath Care Bill: 'We Better Pay Attention' to People Who 'Feel Very Disenfranchised'

Tuesday at the National Press Club, Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) discussed the Republican Senate’s health care bill and suggested we “pay attention” to people who “feel very disenfranchised and warned that “cutting” Medicare for them would have “a negative impact” on the middle class.

Kasich said, “We could have taken those people and put them on the exchange if the exchange was adequately funded, but under this bill, it was not. So, I understand there were campaign promises and all that stuff. I try not to make campaign promises that I can’t keep. And if I make one that I think doesn’t measure up, I’m going to be a big enough person to say, ‘You know, I’m looking at it a different way.’ But I don’t think that it makes any sense in America today.

He continued,”By the way, even though we’re just talking about the poor, over time, this kind of actions will impact the middle class. It will have more people living in emergency rooms, which drives up all of our health care costs. The working poor, people that we want to be able to have bigger income who can join the middle class are on the edges of the middle class could be hurt if these things are not funded appropriately.”

He added,”I went to a major newspaper, and I had somebody sit next to me — the paper has been very critical of a lot of the health care stuff  — the lady sitting next to me said, ‘Could I speak to you after the meeting?’ I said ‘sure.’ She whispered after everybody left the room. ‘Thank goodness you expanded Medicaid because if you hadn’t my cousin would have died.’ It kind of shocked me. Almost knocked me off my chair. So, I think there’s things we hear in politics and things that go on. But, you know, the reality of the matter is we better to pay attention to people, many of whom feel very disenfranchised in this country and that doesn’t lead to a healthy America, not just a healthy person.”