Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Care PACs Pump Millions Into Political Spending
Roll Call: How The Health Care Industry Has Been Giving To Congress
As health care came to the forefront this year in Washington, groups focused on the issue continued using their political action committees to attempt to influence the debate. Though there was no sharp pickup in spending this year, these PACs have already spent millions of dollars in 2017, according to reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission at the end of last month. During the first half of the year, the 34 health-care related political action committees that contributed at least $500,000 in the previous two-year election cycle have spent a combined $69 million. (McMinn and Kelly, 8/8)
In other news concerning Congress —
Roll Call: CBO Would Disclose Research Models, Data Under Lee Measure
The hits keep coming for the Congressional Budget Office, as Republicans in Congress continue to lash out against the nonpartisan scorekeeper following its unflattering analysis of recent GOP health care proposals. Republican lawmakers and White House officials in recent months have accused the CBO of partisan bias; called for slashing its budget; singled out individual employees; and suggested the agency is now obsolete. The latest jab comes from Sen. Mike Lee, who has introduced a bill that would require the CBO to make publicly available the models and data used in its legislative scores. (McCrimmon, 8/9)
