Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and his Republican counterpart from Ohio, John Kasich, on Thursday morning released their bipartisan plan to stabilize the individual health insurance market.

The framework, outlined in a seven-page letter dated Wednesday and sent to congressional leadership, is also signed by six other governors. It includes recommendations that the controversial individual mandate stay in place for at least the immediate future and that Congress create tax exemptions for insurance carriers who offer plans in underserved counties.

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“As Congress considers reforms to strengthen our nation’s health insurance system, we ask you to take immediate steps to make coverage more stable and affordable,” the letter says. “The current state of our individual market is unsustainable, and we can all agree this is a problem that needs to be fixed. Governors have already made restoring stability and affordability in this market a priority, and we look forward to partnering with you in this effort.”

Other governors who are signatories of the letter (read it below) are Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Bill Walker of Alaska, Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and Steve Bullock of Montana. Sandoval is the only Republican signatory besides Kasich, and Walker is an independent. The others are Democrats.

The letter was sent to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The letter includes a framework for how to address everything from controlling health care costs and creating federal-state partnerships to improving the regulatory environment and stabilizing risk pools.

Among their recommendations:

The Trump administration should commit to making cost-sharing reduction payments to keep premiums from going up 20-25 percent and increasing the federal deficit.

Congress should create a temporary stability fund for states to create reinsurance programs that reduce premiums.

Congress should encourage health insurance companies to enter underserved counties by exempting insurers that do so from the federal health insurance tax on their exchange plans in those counties.

Keep the individual mandate (for now) to prevent the rapid exit of carriers from the market.

Maximize market participation by encouraging young people to get insurance.

Modify and strengthen federal risk-sharing mechanisms, including risk adjustments and reinsurance to stabilize risk pools.

Kasich and Hickenlooper also outlined ways the federal government and states can better work with each other on reforms, like by not duplicating efforts that preempt state authority to regulate health insurance.

Hickenlooper touted the plan in an announcement Thursday morning at the Colorado Capitol. The effort sets “a framework by which we can move toward bipartisan solutions and strengthening the individual insurance market in this country,” he said.

Kasich and Hickenlooper formed an alliance earlier this year to suggest an alternative to the Republican-led efforts in Washington to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare. Instead, they pushed for a bipartisan solution that didn’t shift costs to the states.

The pair and their health care advisers have been worked behind the scenes for the past several weeks to develop the blueprint released Thursday.

Staff writer John Frank contributed to this report.