Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
No Path To 50 Votes: Two More Senators Oppose Health Legislation
CNN: Latest Health Care Bill Collapses Following Moran, Lee Defections
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was handed devastating news Monday evening just hours after the Senate was gaveled back into session: Two more defections on his health care bill. The dramatic and simultaneous announcement from Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas and Mike Lee of Utah means McConnell officially does not have the votes to even begin debate on his legislation to overhaul the Affordable Care Act -- and that the Republican Party's years-long quest to kill former President Barack Obama's legacy accomplishment is, for the time being, halted without a path forward. (Lee, Mattingly and Barrett, 7/17)
The Associated Press: 2 More GOP Senators Oppose Health Bill, Killing It For Now
McConnell is now at least two votes short in the closely divided Senate and may have to go back to the drawing board or even begin to negotiate with Democrats, a prospect he’s threatened but resisted so far. Or he could abandon the health care effort, which has proven more difficult than many Republicans envisioned after campaigning on the issue for years, and move on to tax legislation, a bigger Trump priority to begin with. (Fram and Werner, 7/17
Bloomberg: GOP Opponents Deal Devastating Blow To McConnell’s Health Bill
The defection of the two Tea Party-backed senators is a stunning blow to McConnell and President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which he called a disaster. (Litvan and Dennis, 7/17)
ABC News: 2 More Senators Oppose Health Bill In Apparent Body Blow To GOP Effort To Replace Obamacare
Two other Republicans, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Susan Collins (R-Me.) had already announced their opposition. Now with Lee and Moran’s declaration, the bill appears to be dead on arrival. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was quick to comment on the bill’s apparent body blow, saying in a statement, “This second failure of Trumpcare is proof positive that the core of this bill is unworkable.” (Khan and Rogin, 7/17)
The New York Times: Health Care Overhaul Collapses As Two More Republican Senators Defect
“There are serious problems with Obamacare, and my goal remains what it has been for a long time: to repeal and replace it,” Mr. Moran said in a statement. “This closed-door process unfortunately has yielded” the Senate repeal bill, which, he asserted, “failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act or address health care’s rising costs.” (Kaplan and Pear, 7/17)
Politico: Four Republicans Block Obamacare Repeal Bill In Senate
“In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations," Lee said of the Senate legislation. Moran criticized the closed-door process for developing the bill and criticized the legislation for not repealing the entire 2010 health law. (Everett and Haberkorn, 7/17)
The Washington Post: Two More Senate Republicans Oppose Health-Care Bill, Leaving It Without Enough Votes To Pass
Republican leaders had returned to the Capitol on Monday still pledging to press ahead with plans to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health-care system, but the news of Lee and Moran digging in against the bill created the deepest doubts yet as to whether it could pass. The day had already begun with uncertainty as the health of Sen. John McCain thrust the future of the flagging effort deeper into doubt. (Sullivan and Bernstein, 7/17)
