Metro

Top Dem blasts GOPers’ health-exchange challenge

ALBANY — Political fireworks erupted over ObamaCare yesterday as the state Senate’s top Democrat popped off at his GOP colleagues for questioning the legality of Gov. Cuomo’s plan to implement the law.

“Senate Republicans are again trying to hold the health and well-being of New Yorkers hostage,” said Senate Minority Leader John Sampson of Brooklyn.

“Their outrageous refusal to accept Gov. Cuomo’s executive order establishing a statewide health-benefit exchange demonstrates that they remain out of touch with New York state and its progressive values.”

Sampson said GOP lawmakers “caved” to “Tea Party anger” by refusing to pass a bill creating such an exchange, aimed at reducing medical costs for individuals and small businesses.

Senate Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau) told The Post Wednesday that with the US Supreme Court upholding ObamaCare, Cuomo’s order “has to be revisited.”

And Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif fired back yesterday, saying Democrats “raised taxes on health insurance and just about everything else during their two disastrous years” in the majority in 2009 and 2010.

He insisted the GOP has no plans to revisit the issue — at least for now.