Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Capitalizing On Antipathy Against Health Law, E&C Chairman Now Focusing On 'Repair And Rebuild'
Politico: Obamacare Attack Dog To Lead GOP Effort To Replace It
Rep. Greg Walden spent four years capitalizing on Americans’ unease with Obamacare to usher in the largest House Republican majority in 90 years. Now, he has to help figure out how to replace it. (Cheney and Bade, 1/18)
CNN: Mike Pence: Trump 'Getting Very Close' To Obamacare Replacement
Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Wednesday that Republicans do not yet have a bill to replace Obamacare, but that he has "seen a lot of great ideas" and that transition officials and GOP leaders are "getting very close" to having a replacement. "It's being crafted right now," Pence said Wednesday in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, when asked about a replacement to the President's signature health care law. "We're getting very close. We expect to have that plan come forward in the early days of the administration." Pence's comments came after Trump said in an interview Saturday with The Washington Post that his health care replacement plan "is very much formulated down to the final strokes." (Diamond, 1/18)
The Washington Post: Republicans Look To Avoid YouTube Moments In Fight Over Obamacare Repeal
Seven years after unruly Democratic town halls helped stoke public outrage over the Affordable Care Act, Republicans now appear keen to avoid the kind of dustups capable of racking up millions of views on YouTube and ending up in a 2018 campaign commercial. One week after the Republican Congress kicked off the process of repealing the landmark health-care legislation, only a handful of GOP lawmakers have held or are currently planning to host in-person town hall meetings open to all comers — the sort of large-scale events that helped feed the original Obamacare backlash in the summer of 2009. (DeBonis, 1/19)
On the public opinion front —
The Associated Press: AP-NORC Poll: Americans Of All Stripes Say Fix Health Care
Sylvia Douglas twice voted for President Barack Obama and last year cast a ballot for Democrat Hillary Clinton. But when it comes to "Obamacare," she now sounds like President-elect Donald Trump. This makes her chuckle amid the serious choices she faces every month between groceries, electricity and paying a health insurance bill that has jumped by nearly $400. "It's a universal thing, nobody likes it," Douglas, a licensed practical nurse in Huntsville, Alabama, said of Obama's signature law. (Kellman and Swanson, 1/18)
The Hill: GOP Rep Faces Testy Crowd At Constituent Meeting Over ObamaCare
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) on Tuesday had contentious exchanges with some constituents during a local meeting about the GOP plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare. Dozens showed up to a meeting with Brady, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, meant as a chance for "local people affected by ObamaCare" to "share their experiences with rising costs and loss of coverage and choice," the Houston Chronicle reported. (Savransky, 1/18)
Houston Chronicle: Woodlands Crowd Grills Brady Over ACA Repeal
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, faced a skeptical and at times testy crowd Tuesday as dozens of people arrived at an afternoon meeting to make sure he knew they would not let the Affordable Care Act end without a fight. The hourlong session, tucked away in a back meeting room at The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce headquarters, was not publicly announced and was billed by Brady's staff as a chance for "local people affected by ObamaCare" to "share their experiences with rising costs and loss of coverage and choice." ... But if he was expecting a completely friendly, like-minded group, he quickly found something else from many in the 50 or so who crowded the room. (Deam, 1/18)
And in other health law news —
The Washington Post: Can Donald Trump And The Republicans Repeal Obamacare? Here’s What Hundreds Of Forecasters Predict.
No item on Donald Trump’s agenda seems to have received as much publicity as his desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with “something terrific.” Since his election, the prospects for repeal have taken many a twist and turn. Two weeks ago, repeal suddenly appeared doubtful — as key Senate Republicans balked at the idea of repeal without a full-fledged replacement. (Sides, 1/19)
Kaiser Health News: One Foot Out The Door, Medicare Chief Launches His Own Twitter Barrage
Government bureaucrats are not often Twitter celebrities. But Andy Slavitt, current head of the agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid, is making a name for himself with a barrage of fiery Tweets in defense of the Affordable Care Act, breaking with the traditionally mute posture taken by federal employees. As the Act — known as Obamacare — is coming under attack by the new Republican-controlled Congress and incoming Trump administration, Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, isn’t being shy online. (Bluth, 1/19)
The Associated Press: California Withdraws Immigrant Health Care Request
California officials on Wednesday withdrew their request to sell unsubsidized insurance policies to people who can't prove they're legally in the United States after learning the decision would fall to President-elect Donald Trump's administration. (Cooper, 1/18)
Sacramento Bee: Trump's Imminent Inauguration Prompts California To Drop Healthcare Waiver Request
California has withdrawn its request to the federal government for permission to allow undocumented people to obtain health insurance from the state exchange, with a lawmaker linking the decision to concerns about the incoming Trump administration. State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, called the action “the first California casualty of the Trump presidency.” (Miller, 1/18)
Denver Post: Colorado Hospitals Could Close If Obamacare Is Repealed And Not Replaced, Execs Say
Hospitals across the state could be forced to cut back services or even close if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without an adequate replacement, several health care executives in Colorado warned on Wednesday. A hospital in the San Luis Valley, for instance, may not be able to maintain a level of care that means patients currently don’t have to leave the valley for chemotherapy or to have surgery on broken bones, its CEO said. A hospital in Delta County — already with a profit margin only in the low single digits — could see its revenue dip dangerously close to the red, its CEO said. (Ingold, 1/18)
PBS NewsHour: Reassessing The Value Of Care For Chronic Health Conditions
Surgeon Atul Gawande says we need to reconsider health care’s focus on generously rewarding physicians who practice heroic interventions, rather than those who practice incremental medicine for chronic conditions. Gawande talks with William Brangham about the value of that kind of care, and the potential effects of a Republican repeal of the Affordable Care Act. (Brangham, 1/18)
The Baltimore Sun: Evergreen Health Finalizes Deal With Investors, Severs Ties With Federal Co-Op Program
Evergreen Health, an innovative Baltimore-based health insurer, took a big step toward assuring its future by finalizing a deal to repay part of a federal startup loan and sever ties with the Affordable Care Act program under which it was founded. The deal with federal health regulators, made possible by an influx of cash from unnamed investors, allows Evergreen to move forward with plans to seek state approval to convert to a for-profit insurer. (Gantz, 1/18)
California Healthline: Foul-Up Means Thousands On State Exchange Surprised By Higher Premiums
Thousands of Covered California enrollees face higher-than-expected bills from their insurers because the exchange sent incorrect tax credit information to the health plans. The exchange confirmed it gave insurers wrong subsidy information for about 25,000 policy holders, resulting in inaccurate bills. Insurers are now sending out new bills correcting the errors, and in most cases that means higher premiums than consumers had initially anticipated. (Bazar, 1/18)
California Healthline: California’s Community Clinics, Big ACA Beneficiaries, Worry About Their Future
Paula Wilson has seen some tough times in her 23 years as the CEO of Valley Community Healthcare, a clinic that provides care for the poor in North Hollywood, Calif. But nothing was quite like November 9, the day after the U.S. elections, when walking around the office “was like coming into a funeral,” she said. Her staff worried that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, long promised by Republicans, would obliterate their jobs. Patients fretted it would jeopardize their care. (Brown, 1/19)
California Healthline: Fight Is On To Protect Health Care In California, Says Foundation Head
As Republicans seek to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, advocacy organizations around the nation are strategizing on how best to respond. Do they defend the law at all costs? Do they take part in the repeal conversation so they can help design an alternative? (Gorman, 1/19)
