Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich says an Associated Press report got it wrong when it quoted him saying repeal of Obamacare is "not going to happen."
The governor, who has been mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2016,
says his position on Obamacare has never changed – it should be repealed and replaced, he contends – and that his prediction Monday night referred to repeal of the Medicaid expansion provision of the law, Business Insider reports, three reports say.
In the AP story Monday night, Kasich appeared to say he believes the law in its entirety couldn't and shouldn't be overturned,
The Wall Street Journal reports, causing a stir for the perceived criticism of staunch GOP opponents of the president's signature health care law.
Kasich later called the AP, along with
Politico, and The Journal to insist he was talking about a potential repeal of the Medicaid expansion provision of the law.
The AP story was subsequently
updated.
"It was a classic AP botch job," a Kasich staffer told
Business Insider.
But an unapologetic AP Washington Bureau Chief Sally Buzbee told Business Insider the wire service updated its story, as it "customarily does," after Kasich's aides and the governor called.
"The Associated Press stands by its reporting," Buzbee told Business Insider. "We accurately quoted Ohio Gov. John Kasich as predicting that repeal won't happen and that helping poor people gain health coverage is more powerful than political or ideological opposition."
She also said Republicans have focused nationally on repealing the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, not just the Medicaid expansion.
Buzbee noted the AP did not remove the quote from its updated story.
"As AP customarily does with many stories, we updated our report with the new comments from Kasich and his staff," she told Business Insider. "We did not change Kasich's original quote about a repeal because it was and remains accurate."
The unnamed Kasich staffer told Business Insider said there were some positive aspects of Obamacare that have "near-universal support," like the law's ban on discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions.
"We want to repeal and replace it with something that makes sense," the staffer said. "And the Medicaid expansion makes sense."
Kasich is one of nine Republican governors who've expanded Medicaid under the law; three other GOP governors are in negotiations with the feds about alternative forms of expansion, the AP notes.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.