John Kasich argued that a better bill would give governors more leverage in dealing with pharmaceutical companies and negotiating the high costs of drugs. | AP Photo Kasich blasts GOP health care bill as inadequate

Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Sunday knocked the Republican health care bill as inadequate, arguing the just-passed House measure would leave many Medicaid patients and those with pre-existing conditions wanting.

"In the area of Medicaid, they are going to eliminate Medicaid expansion," Kasich said on CNN's “State of the Union." "And I cover in Ohio 700,000 people now, a third of whom have mental illness, drug addiction, and a quarter of whom have chronic disease."


According to the Republican governor, the House bill would force those Medicaid recipients to move to the exchanges, where they would be expected to pay very high deductibles.

"This was not great," Kasich said, "and it will go to the Senate. And I hope and pray that they are going to write a much bigger bill."

Kasich also slammed the $8 billion in funding that House Republicans proposed to dedicate to the "risk pools" that those with pre-existing conditions can join to lower their health care costs: "$8 billion is not enough to fund — it’s ridiculous. And the fact is, states will not opt for that."

The governor argued that a better bill would give governors more leverage in dealing with pharmaceutical companies and negotiating the high costs of drugs. "I told the president that," Kasich said. "And I told [White House economic adviser] Gary Cohn that. And I told him we need to have some leverage. There is none in here."

"I'm concerned about how this is going to affect people who find themselves in a very difficult position," Kasich continued.

"But for the grace of God go I, if I were in a position where I thought I was going to be able to not provide health insurance coverage to my family or to my friends," he said. "That is what I'm concerned about."