Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes On The Ongoing Effort To Repeal And Replace Obamacare
Bloomberg: Hey, Congress, Smart Health-Care Reform Takes Time
After some nudging from President-elect Donald Trump, Republicans in Congress may have changed their minds about repealing Obamacare without first deciding what will replace it. Here's the next hard truth they'll need to absorb: Rushing that decision, on the bogus premise that the current law is collapsing, is almost as foolhardy as providing no replacement. Consider the amount of work and time that's involved. To begin, Republicans will have to answer the basic questions they have so far evaded -- mainly, are they serious about covering most of the 20 million or so Americans now insured under Obamacare? (1/13)
The Wall Street Journal: The First Votes For ObamaCare Repeal
The press is full of ObamaCare stories about disarray among Republicans, and there has been some of that, but maybe this untidiness is a normal part of governing. Congress ended the week by voting to start an orderly repeal and replace process, without much internal division. (1/15)
The Washington Post: Donald Trump May Have Just Destroyed The Republican Effort To Repeal Obamacare
When even the most committed Republicans came around to support Donald Trump in 2016, they made a kind of bet. It wouldn’t matter much that Trump had no apparent fealty to conservative ideology or that he was a complete ignoramus about policy, because he’d be leaving all that boring stuff to them. The Republican Congress would pass its agenda, he’d sign whatever they put in front of him, and they’d all live happily ever after. (Paul Waldman, 1/16)
The New York Times: The G.O.P.’s Health Care Death Spiral
Last week, President-elect Donald J. Trump called Obamacare “a complete and total disaster,” and pushed for a swift repeal of the Affordable Care Act and a replacement within weeks. But at the moment, there is no workable replacement. So what happens to the individual insurance market — whose problems did not start with the Affordable Care Act and will not be easily solved — when it is destabilized so dramatically? (J. B. Silvers, 1/17)
The Washington Post: Big Health-Care Issues Republicans Must Confront
Republicans’ scheme to repeal Obamacare and then, sometime later, get around to replacing it effectively died last week. On Sunday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who will be presenting his own plan, said flat out, “I believe that it’s incredibly important that we do replacement on the same day as we do repeal. We have had six years to complain. And we have complained. I have been one of those complaining about Obamacare. Replacement should be the same day.” He deserves credit for a level of honesty that has been generally absent among fellow Republicans. (Jennifer Rubin, 1/16)
The New York Times: The Biggest Changes Obamacare Made, And Those That May Disappear
It looks like the beginning of the end for Obamacare as we know it. After years of vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, as it is formally known, Republican lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have now passed a bill that will make it easier to gut the law. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 1/13)
The Health Care Blog: Pig In A Poke Health Reform
From a political perspective, House Speaker Paul Ryan’s trashing of ObamaCare (a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act or ACC) during CNN’s recent town hall meeting probably was quite effective. One would, of course, not expect a staunch political opponent of ObamaCare to render a “fair and balanced” picture of the program, to plagiarize a Fox News mantra. Not surprisingly, the Speaker dwelt solely on some serious shortcomings of ObamaCare that are by now well known among the cognoscenti. (Uwe Reinhardt, 1/16)
The Washington Post: Republicans Should Stamp Out The Fuse On Obamacare Before It’s Too Late
Republicans lit the fuse on Obamacare Friday, approving the first step of the “reconciliation” procedure they can use to gut much of the law over even unified Democratic objections. Many Republicans are nervous. They should be: Millions of people’s lives are on the line, and the GOP has just set the country down a perilous path without a clear map showing where it will end up. (1/14)
Boston Globe: Elizabeth Warren: The GOP’s Strategy For Obamacare? Repeal And Run.
For eight years, Republicans in Congress have complained about health care in America, heaping most of the blame on President Obama. Meanwhile, they’ve hung out on the sidelines making doomsday predictions and cheering every stumble, but refusing to lift a finger to actually improve our health care system. The number one priority for congressional Republicans is repealing the Affordable Care Act and breaking up our health care system while offering zero solutions. (Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 1/15)
USA Today: My Sister Died Without Obamacare
It isn’t every day I have reason to admit I wept on the office voicemail of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. But I just did, and you need to know why. In my defense, a brief synopsis: My oldest sister is dead (2013), from colon cancer. No Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, no screening. My youngest sister lives despite ovarian cancer. Her Obamacare meant screening, surgery, treatment. It’s a hard story to tell to a machine. It’s a hard story to tell you. But it matters, so I will try. (Kim Painter, 1/17)
Arizona Republic: 4 Ideas To Reform Obamacare For Good
After Barack Obama was elected, it was clear there would be a major push to change the nation's health care system. Hospital and health care executives across the country — including right here in Arizona — made suggestions for sensible reform that would improve care and provide greater access. As the former head of Maricopa County's public health-care system, I was one of several leaders sharing ideas, including that changes be incremental rather than a sweeping replacement of the whole system. One of our concerns was that legislation would lead to changes that were impractical or too expensive to sustain. (Betsey Bayless, 1/15)
Georgia Health News: May His Memory Be An Inspiration
The ACA is not perfect. But, contrary to partisan political rhetoric, our health care system is much better today than it was six years ago by any objective measure. I know about the many persistent challenges — affordability, high pharmaceutical costs, too few primary care providers, and too much attention to treatment and not enough to prevention. But I also see improved access and health in the newly insured and the overwhelming data from across the country showing the transformative — yes, transformative — gains being made. (Harry Heiman, 1/15)
Modern Healthcare: Blame Congress For The Coming ACA Repeal And Delay 'Death Spiral'
Despite repeated warnings from conservative realists, the Senate and House last week put in motion an Obamacare “repeal and delay” strategy that would destabilize the individual health insurance markets that provide coverage for over 11 million Americans. (Merrill Goozner, 1/14)
Louisville Courier-Journal: ACA Repeal Will Kill People
I am a physician who has cared for uninsured and underinsured patients for my entire 31 years of practice. In the past I have written editorials in support of the Affordable Care Act and with the likelihood of its repeal without a viable replacement I feel that I need to provide a voice for my patients who will be adversely affected by this change. (Barbara R. Casper, 1/13)
USA Today: I Voted For Trump, Not Against Planned Parenthood
I voted for Donald Trump because I wanted to see change in our country. One change I didn’t want to see was access to health care at Planned Parenthood blocked. But Republican congressional leaders have already promised to do just that, with a provision to stop reimbursements for the health care Planned Parenthood provides. (Melody Forbes, 1/17)
The New York Times: The Assault On Health And Safety Begins
Donald Trump has been consistent on one thing. He wants to weaken or end regulations on businesses and industries. As if on cue, House Republicans and a handful of Democrats recently passed three bills that would radically deregulate corporate America. (1/16)
Los Angeles Times: How To Fight Back When An Insurer Denies Your Healthcare Claim
Insurance companies are playing the odds, patient advocates say. They’re counting on people not having the stamina to challenge every denied claim, even when there’s a valid medical reason for a drug or treatment being covered.“It’s intimidating,” said Betsy Imholz, special projects director for Consumers Union. “It’s hard to understand the process and many people feel that the default answer from insurers is no.” (David Lazarus, 1/17)
