Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP May Unveil New Health Bill This Week
Bloomberg: Revised Health-Care Plan To Be Unveiled This Week In Senate
Senate Republican leaders plan to unveil a revised version of their health-care bill later this week after making little progress on winning over party holdouts. GOP leaders will hold a vote on the measure next week, John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told reporters on Monday. They haven’t said publicly how they’re planning to change the proposed legislation to win more support. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been negotiating with his Republican colleagues over revisions to a bill he proposed last month that combines tax cuts with deep reductions in health spending. (Litvan, 7/10)
Politico: GOP Struggles To Revamp Ailing Obamacare Repeal Bill
New bill text could be unveiled to senators as soon as Thursday, according to sources familiar with the proposal. A Congressional Budget Office score is likely to follow as soon as next Monday. (Everett, Haberkorn and Dawsey, 7/10)
Roll Call: Senators Skeptical Of Leadership Health Care Timeline
But some Republicans appear skeptical of that timeline. “We’re going to want to see the amendments, and we’re also going to want to make sure that we have a chance to see what the score is and understand it. And then also, we’re going to want to be able to talk to people in the industry,” Sen. John Hoeven of South Dakota told reporters. “It’s going to take some time to work through that and understand that.” (Williams, 7/10)
CQ Roll Call: Senate GOP Aiming For Health Care Vote Next Week
Republicans are weighing a number of different changes to the legislation to appease both flanks of the caucus. While conservatives have called for insurance policies that don’t meet the health law’s requirements to be sold on the individual exchanges, moderates are seeking to mitigate cuts to Medicaid and provide more generous tax credits than the original draft to help individuals afford insurance, among other potential changes. (McIntire, 7/10)
USA Today: Senate Health Care Bill: Republicans Aim To Vote Next Week
When asked about a timeline for a new draft bill, McConnell’s spokesman David Popp was more vague. “I don't have any expectations of an exact bill release date, but the Leader said over the past couple weeks that a (Congressional Budget Office) score is forthcoming,” Popp told USA TODAY. The nonpartisan CBO analyzes costs and impacts of legislation and is reviewing changes to the draft health care bill Republicans are floating in hopes of winning support from more senators. (Collins, 7/10)
The Hill: Senate GOP To Get Briefing On Healthcare Bill Changes Tuesday
Senate Republicans are scheduled to be updated on legislation repealing and replacing ObamaCare during a closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday. "We're supposed to find out more at lunch," GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) told reporters, after saying she wasn't able to comment on any changes made to the bill during the July Fourth recess. (Carney, 7/10)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: CBO Did Use Outdated Data In Scoring Health Bill
White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short said recently that the CBO is counting millions of nonexistent people in its estimate of the number of Americans who stand to lose insurance coverage under the Senate’s proposed health care bill. Short’s claim is a variation on a recent Republican talking point: The CBO report did not use its most recent baseline estimates when scoring the Senate health care bill. (Carroll, 7/11)
