July 10, 2017/News
Every Regional GOP Governor Opposes Trumpcare. Still Nothing From Connecticut Republican Candidates.
Recognizing that the bill would be an utter disaster for their states, every GOP governor in New England opposes the Senate version of Trumpcare. Governors Charlie Baker (R-MA), Chris Sununu (R-NH), Phil Scott (R-VT), and even Paul Lepage (R-ME) have all come out against the bill. As Senate Republicans continue a push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, however, the voices of Connecticut’s Republican gubernatorial candidates remain conspicuously absent from the conversation.
Here’s where Connecticut’s GOP gubernatorial candidates stand:
| Candidate | Position |
| Mark Boughton | Refuses to answer |
| Tim Herbst | Refuses to answer |
| David Walker | Refuses to answer |
| Peter Lumaj | Refuses to answer |
| Steve Obsitnik | Refuses to answer |
| Toni Boucher | Refuses to answer |
| Mark Lauretti | Refuses to answer |
| Prasad Srinivasan | Opposed |
| Joe Visconti | Opposed |
Here’s why it matters to the next governor:
- Trumpcare would cost Connecticut taxpayers up to $2.9 billion per year.
- 1,200 Connecticut veterans would lose access to health coverage through Medicaid.
- 206,800 Connecticut residents could lose access to health coverage.
- Up to 249 Connecticut residents would die every year as a direct result of losing their health coverage.
- Medicaid coverage could be in jeopardy for nearly 17,000 nursing home residents.
- Medicaid coverage for addiction treatment would be eviscerated — in the middle of an opiod epidemic that killed more than 900 Connecticut residents last year alone.
- States would be given flexibility to allow insurers to waive essential health benefit and preexisting condition coverage requirements.
“The Senate health care repeal bill will hurt Connecticut, and the next governor will have to contend with its consequences. Every Democrat running for governor or exploring a run for statewide office is opposed to the bill and committed to protecting the care of as many Connecticut residents as possible. Every Republican governor in New England is opposed to the bill. But none of the top Republicans running in this state will take a stand. That’s unconscionable. The voters of Connecticut deserve to know exactly where gubernatorial candidates stand on this disastrous bill. It’s time for answers, not silence from Mark Boughton, Tim Herbst, David Walker, Peter Lumaj, Steve Obsitnik, Toni Boucher, and Mark Lauretti.” – Connecticut Democratic Party Executive Director Michael Mandell