GOP’s Replacement Plan Does Little To Inch Toward Ever-Elusive Balanced Budget

The Associated Press: Republican Health Care Plan Creates Budget Problems For GOP
Republicans intent on scrapping Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act have a budget problem. As it turns out, repealing and replacing the law they hate so much won't save nearly as much money as getting rid of it entirely, the goal they've been campaigning on for seven years. That means trouble for the federal deficit and for Congress' fiscal conservatives who repeatedly warn about leaving their children and grandchildren worse off financially. (Taylor, 3/18)

Reuters: Republican Healthcare Bill Would Harm State Finances: Moody's
The Republican-proposed bill to replace Obamacare would be a credit negative for U.S. states, according to Moody's Investors Service, because it would shift a greater share of the cost of Medicaid to the states. The bill, known as the American Health Care Act, aims to replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. (Respaut, 3/17)

CNBC: GOP Health Plan Would Hit State Budgets Hard: Moody's
The Republican-proposed bill to replace Obamacare would hurt the credit ratings for U.S. states, according to Moody's Investors Service, because it would shift a greater share of the cost of Medicaid to the states. That could raise borrowing costs for states and lower the value of bonds already held by investors. (Schoen, 3/18)

Politico: How To Fix Obamacare With This One Amazing Trick
One simple way to fix Obamacare is to do something that no one is willing to do: Kick hundreds of thousands of young, mostly healthy Americans off their parents’ coverage. Obamacare allowed young adults to stay on their parents’ plans until they turn 26. It’s a wildly popular feature and a successful one. The uninsured rate for 18- to 25-year-olds has dropped by more than 50 percent since 2010 — a steeper decline than for any other age group. Taking away this provision of the law — even though it might help stabilize the broader health system — is politically toxic to both Democrats and Republicans because it would antagonize millions of middle-class voters. (Demko and Cancryn, 3/19)

Politico: GOP Assault On Obamacare Rattles Workers In California's 'Gig Economy'
Republican plans to scrap Obamacare and roll back its Medicaid expansion are sending tremors through the burgeoning "gig economy" — and nowhere more so than in California. With the Silicon Valley and on-demand companies like Lyft and Uber in its backyard, the Bay Area will be a laboratory for determining whether repeal efforts shift employment away from temporary jobs and startups into more traditional employment — potentially dampening innovation. (Colliver, 3/18)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Planned Parenthood Beseeches GOP Moderates To Save Health Care For Poor Women
Planned Parenthood, a major provider of contraception and other preventive health care to poor women in Pennsylvania, is betting that congressional efforts to pull federal funding for those services will backfire. Planned Parenthood is targeting moderate Republicans in the House – including several representing competitive districts in the Philadelphia region – in hopes of stopping a proposal it says could force half of its 2.5 million patients nationwide to go elsewhere for birth control. The agency received about $500 million in federal money last year. (Fitzgerald, 3/19)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Selling Health Insurance Across State Lines – It’s Already Legal Under Obamacare 
When you talk to GOP lawmakers in the Congress about an overhaul of the Obama health law, one of the most mentioned items by Republicans is making it possible for insurance companies to sell health coverage policies across state lines, as the Trump Administration argues that will help promote competition, and bring down prices for consumers. (Dupree, 3/18)

Previous KHN coverage: Sounds Like A Good Idea? Selling Insurance Across State Lines

NPR: How Millennials Lose And Win Under The GOP Health Bill
Designing skateboards is just one of Luke Franco's gigs. He has just enough time before his next shift to chat at a café in downtown Providence, R.I. "I work at the YMCA Monday through Friday with kindergartners through fifth graders. It's split shift; seven to nine, two to six daily," he says. "With the rest of my day, I also work at a local pizza place. And in addition to that, I also own and operate a small skateboard company." (Gourlay, 3/19)

WBUR: Debunking Common Claims About The U.S. Health Care System 
In pushing for a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Republicans have put forth a number of claims about their own bill. (Chakrabarti, 3/17)

CQ Roll Call: AARP, Hospitals Try To Stir Up Opposition To GOP Health Bill
Two of Washington’s most influential lobbying groups on Friday announced separate plans to stir up opposition to a House bill that could shrink the number of Americans with health insurance. The efforts from AARP and the American Hospital Association may complicate the already daunting task for GOP leaders of finding enough support for the bill ahead of a Thursday vote, amid continued intra-party squabbles and staunch Democratic opposition. (Young, 3/17)

Modern Healthcare: AHA Moves Lobbying Effort To Stop ACA Repeal To Senate 
Feeling unheard in the House, the American Hospital Association is turning to the Senate to stop the American Health Care Act from becoming law. The hospital industry's largest lobbying organization met and shared its concerns with House leadership about provisions of the law it feels will result in millions of people losing coverage, which could ultimately harm the financial stability of many hospitals when their uncompensated-care costs soar. (Dickson, 3/17)