New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu does not support the Senate Republican healthcare plan, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act, released last week.
"Healthcare reform requires robust participation from the nation's governors," Sununu wrote in a letter Tuesday to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "While we remain committed to reforming healthcare, the current version of the BCRA goes beyond addressing Obamacare's flaws. This is not an approach I can support, and I am opposed to the BCRA as currently written."
Sununu said on CNN's "New Day" Thursday that Medicaid cuts would hinder New Hampshire's ability to fight opioid addiction.
"The repercussions are pretty drastic for the state of New Hampshire, especially when you're looking at resources that would come in. You're looking at least at $1.5 billion of cost to the state of New Hampshire over the next 10 years," he said.
"We are a no income tax state. We have no sales tax, we have no income tax. We really control our costs at the local level. That downshifting of cost to a state like ours is unfair and more importantly, it's not practical. There's really no practical way to implement the plan as it is."
Senate GOP leaders delayed the vote on the bill, which had been scheduled for this week, until after the July 4th recess. Despite the setback and his concerns, Sununu said he remains optimistic.
"I have a lot of faith in the Senate to come together, revise the plan and hopefully put something forward that treats states a little more on parity with one another and not be as financially impractical, if I can, on states like New Hampshire facing things like the opioid crisis, where so many folks are getting services because of some of the Medicaid opportunities afforded to them."