Kasich: Republicans' plan for high-risk pools 'ridiculous'

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) mocked House Republicans’ recently passed healthcare bill, saying its plan to establish high-risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions is “ridiculous.”

“The business of these [high]-risk pools, they are not funded; $8 billion dollars is not enough to fund,” Kasich said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning, laughing. “It’s ridiculous.”

Kasich said states wouldn’t have an incentive to move to a high-risk pool system and would instead stay in the healthcare exchange.

“There would be no reason to move to a high-risk pool, because a high-risk pool is not funded,” he said. 

Kasich also pushed for more authority for governors over pharmaceutical and insurance companies to help drive down costs.

“That is not in this bill,” Kasich said. 

The House-passed American Health Care Act has been criticized for its potential to drastically raise costs for people with pre-existing conditions. An amendment added to the bill just before its passage would add $8 billion in funding to address those concerns, but critics say that isn’t enough.

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