Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Believes Some People 'Just Don't Deserve Health Care,' Democrats Say In Pointed Rebuttal
The New York Times: Health Care Is Front And Center In Democrats’ Response To Trump Address
In responding to President Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday, Democrats had to navigate between the expectations of their angry base in America’s cities and the need to appeal to a broader array of voters in parts of the country where the president is far more popular. The party handed that task to former Gov. Steven L. Beshear of Kentucky. ... Mr. Beshear noted that the Americans who had gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, a law he championed in his state, were the sort of “friends and neighbors” he surrounded himself with in the diner. (Martin, 3/1)
The Associated Press: Democrats In Speech Rebuttal Say Trump Will 'Rip' Away Care
"You and your Republican allies in Congress seem determined to rip affordable health insurance away from millions of Americans who most need it," Beshear said. Republicans believe lower-income people "just don't deserve health care, that it's somehow their fault" they lacked it, Beshear said. Twenty million Americans have gained coverage under Obama's law. (Fram and Freking, 3/1)
Politico: Democrats' Response To Trump: 'Reckless' President Will 'Rip' Health Care Away From Working Class
It was a direct shot at Trump's support among working-class Americans, many of whom have benefited from the Affordable Care Act's coverage expansion. And it came from a 72-year-old ex-governor sitting in a Kentucky diner, a departure from the typical practice of choosing a rising star to give the party's response. (Diamond, 2/28)
The Wall Street Journal: Democrat Steve Beshear Rallies Party To Protect Obamacare
Mr. Trump in his remarks to Congress anticipated Mr. Beshear’s defense of the health-care law. He cited Mr. Beshear’s successor as evidence the Affordable Care Act failed in Kentucky. “Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky just said Obamacare is failing in his state, the state of Kentucky, it is unsustainable and collapsing,” Mr. Trump said. (Epstein, 2/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: Bernie Sanders Laughs At President Saying That 'Nobody Knew Healthcare Could Be So Complicated'
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., burst into laughter during an interview when asked about President Donald Trump's recent claim that "nobody knew that health care could be so complicated." Trump made the comment in a White House meeting with dozens of governors Monday. While discussing his promise to completely overhaul the Affordable Care Act, the president told the governors, "It's an unbelievably complex subject. Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated." (Martichoux, 2/28)
