Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democrats' Reaction: This Bill Is Worse Than Expected
Politico: Democrats Call Senate Health Bill Even 'Meaner' Than The House Version
The minority leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, and nearly 30 of his Democratic colleagues sped to the floor to lambaste the 142-page health care bill that was released less than an hour before by Republicans. They quickly outlined their objections that they had been pushing for weeks: Deep cuts to Medicaid, a lack of protection for pre-existing conditions, tax breaks for the wealthy. “It’s every bit as bad as the House bill. In some ways, it’s even worse,” Schumer said. (Kim and Schor, 6/22)
The Washington Post: Pelosi To Trump: Senate Bill Is ‘Mean And Heartless’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) denounced the Senate’s health-care bill Thursday as “mean and heartless.” It was a direct challenge to President Trump, who has called the House version “mean” behind closed doors after publicly celebrating its passage. Speaking at a weekly news conference, Pelosi said the bill would cause “millions and millions and millions of people” to lose their health care, “inflict great suffering on veterans, on seniors, on working families, on rural communities” and “clobber the states” by making them unable to fund their Medicaid programs. (Viebeck, 6/22)
The Hill: Sanders: Senate ObamaCare Bill 'Worse Than Expected'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday slammed the plan put forth by Senate Republicans to repeal and replace ObamaCare, saying the legislation “is even worse than expected.” “The bill Republicans announced today is even worse than expected and by far the most harmful piece of legislation I have seen in my lifetime,” Sanders said in a statement. (Shelbourne, 6/22)
The Oregonian: Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley Decries Senate Health-Care Bill As 'Diabolical,' Points Out Its 'Pregnancy Tax'
For weeks, a small group of Republicans in the U.S. Senate have been secretly crafting health-insurance legislation in response to the House of Representatives bill that President Donald Trump recently called "mean." Now the Senate GOP's effort is out in the open: the bill wouldn't repeal the Democrats' controversial 2010 Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) but it would eliminate most of its taxes while arguably softening the House bill's Medicaid cuts and rollback of safeguards for people with preexisting conditions. (Perry, 6/22)
Concord (N.H.) Monitor: Shaheen Cites Concord Boy In Response To Senate Health Care Bill
Bodhi Bhattarai, who suffers from a rare genetic neuromuscular disease, uses an expensive wheelchair to move around, giving the 3-year-old Concord boy a level of independence his parents once thought he’d never have. Now the couple is worried again, after Senate Republicans unveiled a health care bill Thursday that some fear would strip coverage from those with pre-existing conditions. New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen cited this concern on the Senate floor, showing a picture of Bodhi sitting next to his mother. (6/22)
Detroit Free Press: Michigan Democrats Attack Senate Republican Health Care Proposal
As Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate today revealed a draft of health care legislation they say will stabilize individual insurance markets, Democrats from Michigan and elsewhere attacked it as mean-spirited and stingy, saying it will hurt lower-income families and seniors. “Frankly, we’d like to have a ceremony and light this on fire,” U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said on the Senate floor, waving a copy of the 142-page draft legislation as she argued against the bill, which is intended to repeal and replace the 7-year-old Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. (Spangler, 6/22)
