Hogan: Last-Ditch GOP Health Care Effort 'Not A Solution That Works'

Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday came out against his fellow Republicans' last ditch effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

“As I have said from the start, the Affordable Care Act needs to be fixed. We need to keep what works, improve the parts that do not, and do it in a way that protects Marylanders' coverage and stops rates from continually skyrocketing," Hogan said in a statement. "I will support any solution – no matter which side of the aisle it comes from – that helps us reach this outcome."

The governor did not put his name to a letter signed by a bipartisan group of 10 governors to Senate leaders. Hogan, a moderate Republican, joined such a letter in July, during earlier debates on the landmark health bill. That letter called for Congress to instead work to shore up "unstable insurance markets."

NEW: Bipartisan group of governors send letter opposing Graham-Cassidy: "Only open, bipartisan approaches can achieve true, lasting reforms" pic.twitter.com/Mj0E9nqU1Q — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 19, 2017

The initial Republican effort crashed in July in the GOP-run Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after that defeat that he’d not revisit the issue without the votes to succeed.

South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy are leading the new GOP charge.

They’d transform much of Obama’s law into block grants and let states decide how to spend the money, in addition to repealing the law's individual mandate, employer mandate and subsidies. It would also end funding for the Medicaid expansion, which Maryland participated in.

They’ll need support from 50 out of 52 GOP senators to succeed. House Speaker Paul Ryan says that if the Senate passes the measure, the House will act on that bill without revisions.

They only have until Sept. 30. Special procedures expire after that and they’d need 60 votes. That would entail support from Democrats, which they won’t get. The deadline is also too soon for the Congressional Budget Officer, which tweeted Monday that it would take "at least several weeks" to estimate the measure's effect on coverage and premiums.

“Unfortunately, the Graham-Cassidy bill is not a solution that works for Maryland," Hogan said. "It will cost our state over $2 billion annually while directly jeopardizing the health care of our citizens. We need common sense, bipartisan solutions that will stabilize markets and actually expand affordable coverage. It is time for Republicans and Democrats to come together, fix what is so clearly broken, and finally get something done for the American people.”

Like the rest of their Democratic caucus, Maryland's Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen have also voiced their opposition to the effort.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.