Conservative Republicans Rally Behind Plan That Focuses On HSAs

The Washington Post: Freedom Caucus Backs ACA ‘Repeal And Replace’ That Counts On Private Health Care
House conservatives, frustrated by GOP leadership’s slow and tentative approach to replacing the Affordable Care Act, have gotten behind legislation by Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would repeal most of the law and move millions of Americans Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). “We were tired of waiting,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) at a Wednesday press conference on the legislation, “and that’s why we said: Let’s go. Let’s go now.” (Weigel, 2/15)

Roll Call: Conservatives Rally Around Their Own Health Care Plan
Conservative Republicans on Wednesday staked out their position on a proposed replacement to the 2010 health care law. But their views are likely to muddle the path toward GOP consensus. The House Freedom Caucus endorsed legislation authored by one of its members, Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. “Conservatives have come together to say that this is the replacement plan that we not only want to promote but debate and hopefully fine-tune,” said North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, the caucus chairman. (McPherson, 2/15)

The Hill: Conservative GOP Lawmakers Back ObamaCare Replacement 
The plan would include a tax credit of up to $5,000 per person to fund part of a Health Savings Account to pay for medical care, as well as a provision to allow insurers to sell policies across state lines. Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) will introduce a companion of Paul's bill in the House. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the 40-member House Freedom Caucus, said the replacement proposal will fix a shattered healthcare system. "It will finally be able to address many of the concerns that we're hearing whether it's at town halls or personal calls," Meadows said. (Hellmann, 2/15)

The Hill: House GOP Floats Option To Deal With Medicaid Expansion
A key House Republican in the healthcare fight said Wednesday that lawmakers are considering a way to deal with their dilemma on ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion by increasing payments to states that rejected the expansion. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), the vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, told reporters that one option under consideration is to freeze new enrollment in the 31 states that expanded the program, while increasing certain payments to the 19 states that did not expand. (Sullivan, 2/15)

More From KHN on HSAs: ‘Tax-Break Trifecta’ Or Insurance Gimmick Benefiting The Wealthy?

The Associated Press: House GOP Batting Around Options For Revamping Health Law
House GOP leaders are offering rank-and-file lawmakers options for replacing President Barack Obama's health care law. Lawmakers, aides and lobbyists say the proposals take a conservative approach dominated by tax breaks and a transition away from today's Medicaid program. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other House leaders planned to discuss details of their plans with lawmakers Thursday and gauge their receptiveness. (Fram, 2/16)

The Washington Post: House GOP Leaders Will Elaborate On Their Obamacare Plans
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters Wednesday that committee leaders will brief GOP lawmakers on some specific proposals at a closed-door meeting scheduled for Thursday morning. The meeting comes as leaders are working to rally sharply divided GOP members around a single plan to remake the health-care law. Asked whether leaders planned to announce specific elements of the repeal-and-replace plan that will be included in upcoming legislation McCarthy said, “Yes.” McCarthy did not say which elements of the plan would be detailed at the meeting. (Snell, Weigel and DeBonis, 2/15)

Modern Healthcare: GOP Conservatives And Moderates Hit Discordant Notes On ACA Repeal
Divisions sharpened Wednesday between hard-right and more pragmatic Republicans over a strategy for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. One of their biggest disagreements is over the future of the ACA's expansion of Medicaid coverage to more than 10 million low-income adults. Those differences -- along with the apparently slow progress in drafting actual legislation that could be scored by the Congressional Budget Office on cost and coverage impact -- underscore the struggle Republicans face while dismantling Obamacare and establishing an alternative system. House GOP leaders promise, however, that they'll soon have a bill they can pass before the Easter recess. (Meyer, 2/15)

New HHS Secretary Tom Price was also on Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers, but few concrete details on a replacement plan emerged —

Politico Pro: Price Has No Guidance For Senators On Obamacare Repeal-Replace
HHS Secretary Tom Price failed to give Republican senators clear direction on how to repeal Obamacare but acknowledged problems facing the GOP, including delicate Medicaid politics, according to several lawmakers who attended a closed-door gathering Wednesday. (Haberkorn, Pradhan and Cancryn, 2/15)

CQ Roll Call: Price Offers Senators Few Details On Trump's Repeal Plans
Newly installed Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price offered Senate Republicans few concrete details about the administration's specific goals for repealing and replacing the health care law, lawmakers who attended the meeting told CQ Roll Call. Lawmakers said they did not expect that Price or the Trump administration would roll out their own legislative blueprint. President Donald Trump had suggested at a news conference earlier this year that he would unveil his own plan after Price's confirmation. (Mershon, 2/15)

Constituents continue to make their concerns known at town halls —

The Associated Press: 18,000 Call In To Illinois GOP Congressman's Phone Town Hall
About 18,000 callers participated in a telephone town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a suburban Chicago Republican who has been criticized for canceling smaller in-person meetings and declining debates. ... Roskam abruptly canceled a smaller meeting with constituents this month to hear concerns about repealing the Affordable Care Act. Protesters have since shown up to his events. The League of Women Voters has also invited him to debates and town halls, which he has declined. (2/15)

The Baltimore Sun: Harris Faces Criticism For Not Holding An In-Person Meeting On Obamacare 
Rep. Andy Harris said the people who are showing up at town hall meetings held by Republican members of Congress to voice concern over the repeal of Obamacare are "organized" and funded by out-of-district interest groups, and said he will not conduct such a meeting until Republicans announce a plan to replace the law. Harris, an anesthesiologist who made opposition to the health care law a central component of his 2010 campaign for Congress, described the angry confrontations his fellow Republicans have faced in constituent meetings as "George Soros-funded," referring to the prominent Democratic donor. The claim has been made by GOP lawmakers in other states as well. (Fritze, 2/15)

Roll Call: Mia Love’s Rules for Constituent Meetings: No Recording, No Media
Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, is getting criticism from constituents over new rules she set for meeting with them. ... “I was told that we could do a meeting with four to five people at a time, in the office,” [Terry] Mitchell said, adding that Love’s office informed her no recording devices or media would be allowed. ... Republican lawmakers have faced rowdy crowds at some meetings in their districts. Fellow Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, head of the House Oversight Committee, had several tense exchanges with the audience at a meeting in his district last week. (Chuang, 2/15)