Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Four Republicans Swiftly Announce Opposition, Endangering Bill's Chance Of Passage
The Associated Press: McConnell Faces Hunt For GOP Votes For Senate Health Bill
Shortly after the 142-page bill was distributed, more than a half-dozen GOP lawmakers signaled concerns or initial opposition. McConnell, R-Ky., has little margin for error: Facing unanimous Democratic opposition, "no" votes by just three of the 52 GOP senators would sink the legislation. McConnell, eager to approve the legislation next week, indicated he was open to changes before it reaches the Senate floor. But he said it was time to act. "No amount of 11th hour reality-denying or buck-passing by Democrats is going to change the fact that more Americans are going to get hurt unless we do something," he said. (Fram and Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/23)
Los Angeles Times: Republican Senators Seek Changes In Obamacare Repeal Bill They Can All Agree On. It Won't Be Easy
Within just a few hours, four key conservative senators — Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky — jointly announced they could not possibly vote for the bill as is, unless it more fully guts the Affordable Care Act. Likewise, centrists withheld their support unless they can push the bill the other way, as they mull the fallout from leaving millions more Americans uninsured. (Mascaro, 6/22)
Roll Call: The ‘Wait And See’ Caucus Vs. The ‘Not Yet’ Quartet
The quartet wields enough influence to sink the legislation should they all choose to vote against the bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled he will bring it to the chamber floor for a vote late next week. Under the fast-track budget procedure known as reconciliation that the GOP is using to advance the bill, McConnell can afford only two defections, which would give him 50 votes and allow Vice President Mike Pence to break the tie. (Williams, 6/23)
The Washington Post: McConnell Decides To Call GOP Colleagues’ Bluff With Health-Care Proposal
After weeks of secretive talks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell finally unveiled his proposal to dramatically reshape the health-care industry knowing full well that — as currently written — it lacks the votes to win approval. But using a time-honored tactic of congressional leadership, the Kentucky Republican decided it was time to call the bluff of his GOP colleagues. (Kane, 6/22)
USA Today: Senate Health Care Bill Already Under Fire From GOP Members
"Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor," Paul, Cruz, Johnson and Lee said in a joint statement. "There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs." (Kelly and Collins, 6/22)
Morning Consult: Four GOP Senators Not Ready To Support Obamacare Repeal Bill
Paul defended the statement on Thursday, saying it would force GOP leaders to negotiate. (Reid, 6/22)
Bloomberg: Four GOP Senators Spurn Health Plan Aimed At Unifying Party
Cruz gave flyers to fellow Republicans with his demands: letting states design coverage without getting a federal waiver, allowing consumers to buy insurance across state lines, and allowing insurers that meet federal mandates to also sell other plans that don’t comply. (Dennis, Litvan and Tracer, 6/22)
Politico: Senate GOP Reveals Obamacare Repeal Bill But Still Lacks The Votes
Cruz is pushing for an amendment to allow catastrophic, low premium plans, but it's not clear if the parliamentarian will allow them, according to Republicans. (Cancryn, Everett and Haberkorn, 6/22)
Texas Tribune: Cruz Declines To Support Senate GOP Health Care Bill, While Cornyn Defends It
Cruz, who has a history of creating trouble for GOP leaders, has positioned himself in recent weeks as something of a consensus-builder within the Senate GOP conference on health care. (Livingston, Evans and Duehren, 6/22)
The Hill: Four Senate Conservatives Say They Oppose ObamaCare Repeal Bill
The early opposition of Senate conservatives is a blow to the bill but doesn’t mean it’s dead yet, even though Republicans control only 52 seats and can afford no more than two defections and still pass the measure. (Bolton, 6/22)
NPR: Senate Health Care Bill Could Be In Jeopardy As Conservatives Announce Opposition
The Tea Party-aligned group FreedomWorks also said in a statement that the bill doesn't live up to promises by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., of a full repeal of the ACA. "Unfortunately, the Senate bill is an amendment to ObamaCare, not a repeal of it," said FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon. (Taylor, 6/22)
The Washington Post: Senate GOP’s Health Plan Debuts Amid Doubts
No Republican senators definitively said they would vote against the bill, instead focusing attention on the provisions that would need to be changed to earn their vote. President Trump predicted the final product is “going to be great” — but only after some more negotiations take place. (Sullivan, Snell and Eilperin, 6/22)
USA Today: Senate Health Care Bill Analysis: Despite Risk, Republicans Don't Have A Choice
For Senate Republicans, the only thing worse than voting on a controversial health care bill may be not voting on it. The GOP has been vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act almost from the day it was passed, hammering the issue through four successive elections — campaigns in which Republicans managed to win control first of the House, then of the Senate and finally the White House last year. (Page, 6/22)
