Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Defeated Republican Congressman: John McCain's 'No' Vote On Repeal Cost Republicans The House
The Associated Press: Ousted Minnesota Republican Faults McCain For Losing House
A recently defeated Republican congressman is blaming the Democratic House takeover on the late Republican Sen. John McCain's vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act. First-term Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis argued in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece first published Sunday that McCain's vote against repealing the federal health care law last year "killed the reform effort." Lewis said the vote also unleashed a wave of Democratic attack ads against Republicans across the country on health care issues. (11/12)
The Washington Post: Rep. Jason Lewis Blames House GOP Defeat On John McCain
“The Republican Party lost its House majority on July 28, 2017, when Sen. John McCain ended the party’s seven-year quest to repeal ObamaCare,” Lewis writes in the op-ed. “House leadership had done an admirable job herding cats. On the second try, we passed the American Health Care Act in May. Then McCain’s inscrutable vote against the Senate’s ‘skinny repeal’ killed the reform effort.” (Sonmez, 11/12)
Bloomberg: Democrat Sinema Wins Republican-Held U.S. Senate Seat In Arizona
Kyrsten Sinema became the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona in three decades, after an extended vote count delivered an upset victory and a blow to Republicans and President Donald Trump. ... Sinema is a former Green Party activist who over time became a moderate Democrat. Like many on the ballot from her party, she stressed her support for Obamacare and its popular protection for people with pre-existing health conditions. But she also distanced herself from more liberal Democrats by rejecting a push to expand Medicare to cover all Americans. (Litvan, 11/12)
