Malliotakis: No Opinion On Healthcare Bills



Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis had little of substance to say Wednesday concerning the ongoing effort by U.S. Senate Republicans to repeal or dramatically change Obamacare.  Malliotakis replied “I haven’t read these bills” when I asked for her view of the Senate’s motion to proceed, adopted Monday, and whether she supports any of the iterations being considered by the Senate this week.  (“I haven’t read the bills” has been Malliotakis’ repeated answer on this topic, offered in May and June.)

Malliotakis did urge Congress to “stop bickering” and “work together”, but did not offer any policy views.  When I asked whether she’s supportive of continuing the Medicaid expansion, a key target for many Congressional Republicans, Malliotakis said “I can be ok keeping the Medicaid,” but immediately turned to expressing concerns over higher insurance policy premiums and deductibles.

Reductions or eliminations in Medicaid would likely have profound effects on New York City, both directly in the hospitals it runs and on the several million Medicaid enrollees in the City.

Video:

Here’s our exchange during Wednesday’s City Hall press conference: