Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bolstered By Trump's Support, Conservatives Push To Include Repeal Of Individual Mandate In Tax Bill
The Associated Press: House GOP Weighs Repeal Of Health Mandate In Tax Bill
Republicans are weighing a repeal of a key tenet of the Obama-era health care law in their tax overhaul as the House's tax-writing committee begins work on shaping the bill. Speaker Paul Ryan said Sunday Republicans are discussing whether their tax plan should include a repeal of the Obama health law's requirement that people have insurance coverage or face a penalty, a step pushed by President Donald Trump but seen by some GOP lawmakers as possibly imperiling a much-needed legislative victory. (11/6)
Politico: Conservatives Push To Repeal Obamacare Mandate In Tax Package
Conservatives are attempting to revive efforts to gut Obamacare’s individual mandate as part of the Republican overhaul of the tax code. But the House's top tax writer, while leaving the door open to a measure President Donald Trump supports, said Friday that such a move would complicate the tax package's prospects, particularly in the Senate. (Demko and Cancryn, 11/3)
Roll Call: Trump Pulling Hard For Health Care Change In Tax Overhaul, Brady Says
President Donald Trump has been lobbying hard to ensure a repeal of the individual mandate makes it into a tax overhaul before a bill reaches his desk. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said Trump has talked to him about it twice by phone and once in person. (McPherson, 11/3)
CQ: Health Industry Officials Monitoring Tax Bill
Health care industry lobbyists are watching closely to see if tax writers may add a repeal of the requirement to get medical coverage to the House tax bill. A key committee chairman suggested Friday that it is a possibility, as conservatives and the president push for its inclusion. The issue is one of several the industry is monitoring in the bill. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said he expects to release on Monday another version of the bill with substantial changes. He said Friday that tax writers asked congressional scorekeepers for an updated cost estimate of the provision. (McIntire, 11/3)
The Washington Post: They Spent Years Planning To Live With Alzheimer’s Disease. The GOP Tax Bill Threatens Those Plans.
When Diane Thorsen began to show signs at an early age of the Alzheimer’s disease that had stolen her mother’s mind, she and her husband, Richard Davis, were as ready as they could be. They sold their house in California to prepare for the cost of care and moved to Minnesota to live with one of Thorsen’s daughters. Davis planned their finances methodically; once Thorsen’s long-term care insurance ran out, the daunting $98,000 bill for her nursing home would be manageable — because they could deduct medical expenses from their tax bill. (Johnson, 11/4)
