Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Future Of ACA Takes Center Stage At Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing
The Hill: Democrats Warn Of ObamaCare Threat From Barrett, Trump
Democrats on Monday painted Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s high court nominee, as an existential threat to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), allowing them to go on offense in the fight over the Supreme Court and the fast-approaching election. Democrats view health care as a politically potent issue that resonates with voters and galvanizes their base with only 22 days left to go until Nov. 3, when they are hoping to win back both the White House and the Senate majority. (Kruzel and Carney, 10/12)
The Washington Post: Barrett Promises To Be Apolitical As Democrats Warn Of Threat To Health Care
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett presented herself to the nation Monday as a humble and apolitical judge, opening a pandemic-altered Senate confirmation hearing that Democrats tried to make as much about health care, covid-19 and President Trump as about Barrett’s qualifications. It was the start of what will be an acrimonious four days, as Republicans embark just weeks before Election Day on a historic move to lock in a long-sought 6-to-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court and perhaps boost Trump’s and their own reelection prospects. (Barnes, Min Kim and Hawkins, 10/12)
The New York Times: Two Parties Offer Dueling Views Of Barrett As Confirmation Fight Begins
Republicans and Democrats offered sharply divergent arguments on Monday in a Supreme Court confirmation fight whose outcome is likely to steer the court to the right for years, vying to define Judge Amy Coney Barrett and frame the political stakes of President Trump’s rush to install her before he faces voters. In a marathon day of opening statements, Democrats assailed Judge Barrett as a conservative ideologue who would overturn the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights, and whose nomination amounted to an illegitimate power grab by a president in the last days before the election. (Fandos, 10/12)
AP: Barrett To Face Senators On Health Care, Legal Precedent
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett will face senators’ questions over her approach to health care, legal precedent and even the presidential election during a second day of confirmation hearings on track to lock in a conservative court majority for years to come. The mood is likely to shift to a more confrontational tone as Barrett, an appellate court judge with very little trial court experience, is grilled in 30-minute segments Tuesday by Democrats gravely opposed to President Donald Trump’s nominee, yet virtually powerless to stop her rise. Republicans are rushing her to confirmation before Election Day. (Sherman, Mascaro and Jalonick, 10/13)
AP: Health Care Law On Line At Court, But Is It Likely To Fall?
To hear Democrats tell it, a Supreme Court with President Donald Trump’s nominee Amy Coney Barrett could quickly get rid of the law that gives more than 20 million Americans health insurance coverage. But that’s not the inevitable outcome of a challenge the court will hear Nov. 10, just one week after the election. Yes, the Trump administration is asking the high court to throw out the Obama-era healthcare law, and if she is confirmed quickly Barrett could be on the Supreme Court when the court hears the case. (Gresko and Sherman, 10/13)
Also —
The Washington Post: Sen. Lee, Recently Infected With Coronavirus, Speaks Without A Mask At Barrett Hearing
On Sept. 29, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) attended a party together to watch the first presidential debate. Two days later, feeling sick, Lee took a test for the novel coronavirus, receiving a positive diagnosis, the first of three GOP senators to announce in a 24-hour span that they contracted the virus. Less than 11 full days later, Lee participated in Monday’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, delivering an opening statement in person — with no mask — and periodically whispering to his GOP colleagues. (Kane, 10/12)
NPR: Joni Ernst Focuses On Amy Coney Barrett's Gender In Hearing
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst zeroed in on the issue of gender at Monday's confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett. She used her opening statement to link herself to Barrett "as a fellow mom, a fellow Midwesterner" and accused Democrats of launching attacks on the judge's religious beliefs — even though Republicans were the only ones bringing up the issue at the hearing. Ernst pointed out Monday that this was her first chance on the Judiciary Committee to be involved in a confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court nominee. She was one of two female GOP senators added to the panel in 2019 after a contentious confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 highlighted the then-all male lineup on the Republican side of the committee. (Walsh, 10/12 )
Dallas Morning News: Dems Use Supreme Court Hearing To Slam Cornyn Over Obamacare Repeal, Election-Year Confirmation
Democrats on Monday sought to turn the opening day of a contentious, four-day confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, into a fight over the sweeping health care law known as the Affordable Care Act. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican facing a tough reelection challenge, ended up right in the thick of it – thanks to, of all people, a Democratic senator from Rhode Island. (Benning, 10/12)
The New York Times: Showtime In A Potential Petri Dish
There is, traditionally, a predictable rhythm to the start of a “much-awaited hearing” on Capitol Hill. There are protesters and counterprotesters, enhanced police and news media presences, insufferable opening statements and an overall sense that something more momentous than usual might be going on. The start of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Monday had all of that. But like everything else in Washington these days, this was an entirely different kind of pinstripe rodeo. Start with the hazmat suits. (Leibovich, 10/12)
