Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Conservatives' New Health Plan Has Little Chance Of Passing -- But It Shows There's Still An Appetite For Repeal
The Hill: Conservative Groups Outline New ObamaCare Repeal Plan
A coalition of conservative groups on Tuesday released the outlines of a new plan for repealing and replacing ObamaCare, indicating that at least some corners of the Republican Party are still pushing for repeal. The plan was drafted by groups led by the Heritage Foundation, the Galen Institute and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who have been leading meetings for months. (Sullivan, 6/19)
CQ: Conservative Groups Offer Health Law Alternative
The conservatives' plan, assembled by groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Galen Institute, with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, would provide block grants to states to offer medical coverage and would end most of the health care law's regulations, such as requiring plans to cover 10 categories of coverage. It would shift people from Medicaid to private coverage. The plan proposes expanding eligibility for health savings accounts and increasing the amount an individual or family can contribute annually to their tax-free HSA account. "After efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare fell short last year, many in Congress seem resigned to accepting the status quo or even willing to bail out and prop up the program," the group writes. "What’s needed is a fresh approach—one that gives Americans more choices of private, affordable coverage while making sure the most vulnerable are protected."(McIntire, 6/19)
The Wall Street Journal: Conservatives Make New Push To Repeal Affordable Care Act
The proposal risks irking centrist Republicans who want to focus on other subjects. Republican leaders have said they have no appetite for another push to repeal the ACA before the November midterm elections unless such a bill clearly has the votes to pass. Republicans faced a series of obstacles—including internal division and unified Democratic opposition—as their effort to repeal the ACA collapsed last year. There is little evidence those dynamics in Congress have changed. Still, the proposal’s release reflects the continuing eagerness of conservatives to topple the ACA, a longtime Republican promise whose window could close if Democrats make gains in the midterms as expected. But right-leaning groups are already at odds over the proposal, which drew swift condemnation from some organizations that said it retains too much of the health law’s spending. (Armour, 6/19)
The New York Times: How One Conservative Think Tank Is Stocking Trump’s Government
On the day after Thanksgiving in 2016, Ed Corrigan, then the vice president for policy promotion at the Heritage Foundation, was summoned to Trump Tower in New York to join the senior leadership team of the Trump transition. From inside the building where the climactic personnel decisions of “The Apprentice” were once taped, Corrigan oversaw the staffing of 10 different domestic agencies. Donald Trump, the former reality-TV star, was now the president-elect of the United States, and he had an administration to fill. (Mahler, 6/20)
