Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden, Democrats Say Republicans Rushing Supreme Court Pick To Kill Obamacare
AP: Joe Biden: Vacancy About Health Law, Not Court Expansion
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wants voters to see Republicans’ push for a speedy Supreme Court confirmation as an end-run of Congress and the 2010 health care law. In remarks on Sunday, the former vice president sidestepped any talk of expanding the court to counter conservative gains should he defeat President Donald Trump in November and Democrats regain a Senate majority. Biden called that scenario a distraction from the practical effects that Trump’s nominee, conservative federal judge Amy Coney Barrett, could have if she succeeds the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Barrow and Weissert, 9/27)
The Washington Post: Democrats Focus Supreme Court Battle On Fate Of Health-Care Law Under Trump
President Trump attacked the Affordable Care Act as “terrible” on Sunday, as Democrats tried to make the fate of the law under a probable new Trump-driven conservative Supreme Court majority a reason to vote against him. As a Senate fight over Trump’s third and most consequential Supreme Court pick looms, Democrats on Sunday focused on the role Trump’s nominee could play in overturning President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law amid a pandemic. (Gearan and Sonmez, 9/27)
Bloomberg: Democrats Focus On Health Care In Opposing Trump Court Pick
“It’s no mystery what is happening here. President Donald Trump is trying to throw out the Affordable Care Act,” Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, said Sunday in Wilmington, Delaware. “This is about whether or not pre-existing conditions will continue to be covered. This is about whether or not a woman can be charged more for the procedures as a man,” Biden added in his first public remarks since Trump announced Barrett’s selection on Saturday. (Riley, Czuczka and Pager, 9/27)
Reuters: Biden, Fellow Democrats Focus On Healthcare In Supreme Court Fight
Barrett could be on the court’s bench for oral arguments on Nov. 10 in a case in which Trump and his Republican allies are seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - the 2010 law popularly known Obamacare. That could cost millions of Americans their healthcare coverage as well as protections for pre-existing health conditions. (Hurley and Ax, 9/27)
Politico: Schumer To Democrats: Focus On Health Care To Beat Barrett
Chuck Schumer has some simple advice for how to take down Amy Coney Barrett: Talk about “health care, health care, health care.” In a letter to his colleagues late Saturday, the Senate minority leader laid out how Senate Democrats will try to build opposition to Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court. The New Yorker said that if Barrett is confirmed, it spells the end of Obamacare, which is slated to come before the Supreme Court after Election Day. (Everett, 9/27)
The Hill: Democrats Turn Focus To Health Care For Supreme Court Fight
Democrats are increasingly focusing on health care in pushing back on President Trump's expected Supreme Court nominee, with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez warning Saturday that a bolstered conservative majority on the court could vote to overturn ObamaCare. Perez, speaking on NBC's "Today" show, warned that the issue of health care is at stake both in the presidential election on Nov. 3 and one week later when the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in a Trump administration-backed lawsuit seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA). (Axelrod, 9/26)
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The Hill: GOP, Democrats Look To Galvanize Women With SCOTUS Fight
Democrats and Republicans are looking to use the fight over President Trump's Supreme Court nominee to galvanize women ahead of November’s election, citing the influence his pick could have on decisions related to issues like abortion and health care. Suburban women, a once-loyal Republican voting bloc, have increasingly moved toward Democrats as the GOP under Trump has focused its energy on appealing to its conservative base. Trump’s pledge to nominate a woman to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen partly as an appeal to female voters in the weeks before the election. (Hellmann and Manchester, 9/25)
