FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington. About 9 in 10 Americans now have health insurance, more than at any time in history. But progress is incomplete, and the future far from certain. Rising costs could bedevil the next occupant of the White House. Millions of people previously shut out have been covered by President Barack Obama’s health care law. No one can be denied coverage anymore because of a pre-existing condition. But “Obamacare” remains divisive, and premiums for next year are rising sharply in many communities. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

COLUMBUS, Ohio  | A bipartisan group of governors is speaking out against a Trump administration decision that could narrow access to health insurance benefits for those with pre-existing conditions.

Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and the governors of Alaska, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Montana, Washington and Maryland issued a joint statement Monday.

They said the administration’s move would hurt families in their states, add uncertainty to insurance markets and go against American values.

The administration revealed in a recent legal brief that the Justice Department no longer plans to defend the portion of the Obama-era Affordable Care Act related to pre-existing conditions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told senators that Republican President Donald Trump supports accessible health insurance for those with pre-existing conditions.

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