House GOP Health Plan Still Long Way Off
Politico examines the difficulties for Republicans in Congress as they weigh offering a health reform plan. Meanwhile, The Fiscal Times highlights four fixes that would help the current law.
Politico: GOP Health Plan Could Be Road To Nowhere
Here's the dirty secret about the House Republicans' efforts to replace Obamacare: They haven't even decided if they will hold a vote. Not to mention, the House GOP would still have to repeal Obamacare in order to implement whatever alternative health care plan they release, which isn't going to happen as long as President Barack Obama is sitting in the Oval Office (Bresnahan and Sherman, 3/18).
The Fiscal Times: Four Ways To Help Fix Obamacare
Now that a few million Americans have gained health coverage through the new insurance exchanges, Republicans have shifted their Obamacare-strategy. Instead of symbolically voting to repeal the law, the GOP is proposing "fixes" in order to satisfy voters ahead of the midterm elections. House Speaker John Boehner told reporters this week that the House GOP is working on an eight-to-10-point plan aimed at fixing the Affordable Care Act. Both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree that the law has issues that have had unintended consequences on families, businesses and the economy that need to be addressed -- including the millions of people whose plans were cancelled under the law last fall (Ehley, 3/19).
Meanwhile, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie is challenged on his actions on health care --
Politico: Christie, Obamacare Advocate Clash
Republican Gov. Chris Christie got into a testy exchange with an Affordable Care Act advocate at a town hall-style event in New Jersey on Tuesday, accusing her of misleading people about his position. Christie gained his reputation as a colorful straight-talker largely through interactions with critics like these -- but the potential White House hopeful has displayed that side less since a traffic scandal shook his administration earlier this year (Titus, 3/18).
