Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Despite Some Anxiety In The Ranks, House Expected To Pass Measure To Gut Health Law
The New York Times: House Expected To Follow Senate’s Lead On Rush To Repeal Health Law
The House is expected to give final approval on Friday to a measure that would allow Republicans to speedily gut the Affordable Care Act with no threat of a Senate filibuster, a move that would thrust the question of what health law would come next front and center even before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office. (Kaplan, Pear and Huetteman, 1/12)
The Hill: House To Take Critical Step Toward Repealing ObamaCare
The House will vote Friday on a budget resolution that would pave the way for ObamaCare's repeal despite some grumbling by some Republicans wary of moving forward without a firm replacement plan ready. The Senate approved the legislation early Thursday morning, and the House is expected to follow suit before adjourning until the inauguration. (Marcos and Wong, 1/13)
CQ HealthBeat: Budget Setting Up Health Care Repeal Advances To House Floor
In a session that turned fiery, the House Rules Committee on Thursday advanced a rule that would set up floor action on a budget resolution aimed at repealing the 2010 health care law. The panel voted 9-3 along party lines, setting up a Friday vote on the budget document, with one Democratic amendment allowed. The vote on the resolution is expected around noon. The panel turned back 22 amendments filed by Democrats that would maintain certain aspects of the health care overhaul (PL 111-148, PL 111-152) and several entitlement programs, as well as two separate Republican amendments related to Medicare and federal deficits. (McCrimmon, 1/12)
Bloomberg: Pressure On House To Back Obamacare Repeal Bid After Senate Vote
A top House leader said Thursday that there’s enough support to approve the measure in Friday’s scheduled vote. “Oh yeah, we’ll be fine,” Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said in a brief interview. (Dennis,1/12)
The Hill: Ryan Says Trump, GOP 'In Complete Sync' On ObamaCare
The incoming Trump administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill are “in complete sync” when it comes to repealing and replacing ObamaCare, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday. “We are in complete sync. We agree we want to make sure we move these things concurrently, at the same time repeal and replace,” Ryan told reporters at his weekly news conference in the Capitol. (Wong, 1/12)
The Washington Post: Anxious Lawmakers To GOP Leaders: What’s The Plan To Replace Obamacare?
House Republican leaders attempted to quell concerns of a skittish rank and file before a key vote Friday to begin unwinding the Affordable Care Act. The assurances came after lawmakers across the GOP’s ideological divides sounded anxious notes this week about advancing legislation that would repeal Obamacare without firm plans for its replacement. “We just want more specifics,” Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said Wednesday. “We need to know what we’re going to replace it with.” Meadows said he was personally undecided on his vote Friday and that other caucus members were leaning toward no. (DeBonis, 1/12)
Politico: House Liberty Caucus Opposes Budget To Trigger Obamacare Repeal
The House Liberty Caucus, a collection of libertarian-minded lawmakers, is urging the House to reject the Senate-passed budget resolution meant to clear the way for the repeal of Obamacare. “This may be the worst budget ever seriously considered by Congress,” said caucus Executive Director Matt Weibel, in a statement announcing the recommendation. “It never balances, and it grows the national debt by more than $9 trillion over the next decade—to nearly $30 trillion—dwarfing debt increases proposed by even the most far-left budgets.” (Cheney, 1/12)
Politico: 7 Times Republicans Said Reconciliation Was Wrong For Health Care Laws
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is old enough to remember when reconciliation was the wrong tool for rewriting the rules of American health care. It was 2010, and Republicans were furious that Democrats were passing Obamacare (née “the Affordable Care Act”) via reconciliation — a budget maneuver that allowed them to pass much of the law through the Senate with 59 votes and sidestep a GOP filibuster. That March, 41 Republicans, 23 of whom are still in office today, sent a letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to chide the then-majority for using reconciliation to pass parts of the law. (Jackson, 1/12)
