Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Graham-Cassidy Bill Did What Other GOP Attempts Didn't: Unified Industry Opposition
The New York Times: Why The Latest Health Bill Is Teetering: It Might Not Work
Health insurers, who had been strangely quiet for much of the year, came off the sidelines to criticize it. Many state Medicaid directors could not stomach it, either. For months now, proposals to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act have risen and fallen in the House and the Senate, almost always uniting health care providers and patient advocacy groups in opposition but winning support among conservatives, including Republican policy makers. But the version drafted by Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — and hastily brought into the spotlight last week — went further. (Stolberg and Pear, 9/23)
The Washington Post: Here’s A List Of Medical Groups Opposing The Cassidy-Graham Health-Care Bill
One factor in the bill's apparent (although not yet certain) demise: Cassidy-Graham has mobilized nearly the entire American health-care community in opposition. Dozens of national advocacy groups representing patients, doctors, insurers and hospitals have issued strongly worded condemnations of the proposal. The American Medical Association warns it violates doctors' oath to “first do no harm.” Kaiser Permanente says that any changes to health-care law should “increase access to high-quality, affordable care and coverage for as many people as possible” and that “the Cassidy-Graham bill does not meet any of those tests.” (Ingraham, 9/22)
The Hill: Medical Groups Urge Lawmakers To Reject Graham-Cassidy Bill
Leading medical associations are calling on lawmakers to reject Republicans' latest attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. In a statement issued Saturday, several doctor and hospital trade groups, including the American Medical Association and the Federation of American Hospitals said that the bill introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) ultimately falls short of key benchmarks, weakening patient protections and the individual insurance market. (Greenwood, 9/23)
Bloomberg: Hospitals, Insurers Rise As McCain Opposes GOP Obamacare Repeal
Hospital and health insurance stocks moved upward Friday after Republican Senator John McCain said he would withhold his vote from a GOP proposal to repeal much of Obamacare, potentially dooming efforts to bring the measure to the floor. The Republican proposal would cut planned federal spending on health care by $215 billion through 2026, according to consulting firm Avalere Health. It would also end a requirement that all Americans have insurance coverage. Both policies helped expand insurance coverage to millions of Americans, providing insurers with more clients and hospitals with more paying customers. (Rausch, 9/22)
Meanwhile, Americans are also voicing their opposition to the measure —
The Hill: Poll: Americans Favor ObamaCare To Graham-Cassidy
Americans favor ObamaCare to the Graham-Cassidy health-care legislation by more than 20 points, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. Fifty-six percent of Americans surveyed said they preferred the current health-care law to the latest repeal-and-replace legislation put forth by Senate Republicans, while only 33 percent of those polled said they supported the new legislation. (Manchester, 9/22)
NPR: The Affordable Care Act Expanded Coverage To Many: Here Are Five
As the nation has debated the GOP proposals to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, NPR member station reporters have been talking to people around the country about how the proposed changes in the health law would affect them. Here are five of those stories. (Grayson, 9/23)
