Missouri Gov. Greitens touts support of health care overhaul

Gov. Eric Greitens addresses members of the media during a Thursday news conference in his Missouri Capitol office. It was Associated Press Day at the Capitol and members of the Missouri Press Association attended the afternoon event to ask questions of the first-term governor.
Gov. Eric Greitens addresses members of the media during a Thursday news conference in his Missouri Capitol office. It was Associated Press Day at the Capitol and members of the Missouri Press Association attended the afternoon event to ask questions of the first-term governor.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is backing a contested health care overhaul proposed in the U.S. House.

Greitens joined seven other Republican governors in a Thursday letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan voicing support of the bill.

The letter comes as President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers are scrambling to get enough votes in the U.S. House to pass the proposed replacement for the federal health care law enacted under former President Barack Obama.

Greitens last week said he wants a program that offers flexibility to states to develop their own systems. That option was among changes unveiled this week and touted in the governors' letter.

Other Republican governors who signed the letter include Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.