Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Despite Rising Dissent, Speaker Ryan Guarantees 'We Will Have 218 Votes' To Push Through Bill
The Hill: Ryan Guarantees Health Bill Will Pass The House
Facing the start of a conservative revolt over the GOP healthcare plan, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) vowed Tuesday that the ObamaCare replacement bill would pass the House. “We will have 218 votes,” Ryan told reporters at a Tuesday-evening news conference that capped an extraordinary day, which saw the GOP break into open warfare over the health proposal. (Wong, 3/7)
The Washington Post: Whip Count: Here’s Where Skeptical Republicans Stand On The GOP’s Obamacare Replacement
The magic number in the House of Representatives is 218, and in the Senate 50. Republicans conceivably have enough lawmakers to get to those majorities, but not by much. Assuming no Democrats support the bill, Republicans can lose only 21 votes in the House and just two in the Senate. (Phillips, 3/7)
The Hill: GOP Senator: ObamaCare Repeal Bill May Not Have Votes To Pass
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of House leadership, said Tuesday the GOP's plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare as it stands may not be able to get the support needed to pass the Senate. "What I don't like is, it may not be a plan that gets a majority votes and let's us move on. Because, we can't stay where we are with the plan we've got now," Blunt said on KMBZ, as first reported by CNN. Blunt, a former vote counter, said the final plan would need to be negotiated. (Hellmann, 3/7)
The Hill: Healthcare Bill Faces Steep Climb In Senate
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has only three weeks to unify conservatives and moderates in his conference behind an ObamaCare repeal and replacement bill. The American Health Care Act, which Vice President Pence on Tuesday declared “the framework for reform,” will move first in the House, but it faces perhaps an even steeper climb in the Senate. (Bolton, 3/7)
