Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Face Of Mounting Dissension, McConnell Blinks And Delays Health Bill Vote Until After Recess
The New York Times: Vote Delayed As G.O.P. Struggles To Marshal Support For Health Care Bill
Facing intransigent Republican opposition, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, on Tuesday delayed a vote on legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, dealing another setback to Republicans’ seven-year effort to dismantle the health law and setting up a long, heated summer of health care battles. (Kaplan and Pear, 6/27)
The Associated Press: GOP 'Obamacare' Repeal Teeters After Senate Shelves Vote
The surprise development leaves the legislation's fate uncertain while raising new doubts about whether President Donald Trump will ever make good on his many promises to erase his predecessor's signature legislative achievement. (6/28)
The Hill: Senate GOP Delays ObamaCare Repeal Vote Past Recess
The GOP leader put on a brave face after an emergency meeting at the White House with President Trump and his conference, telling reporters that his members just needed a little bit more time. (Roubein, Sullivan and Hellmann, 6/27)
Politico: Senate GOP Yanks Obamacare Repeal Bill
“Legislation of this complexity almost always takes longer than anyone would hope,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. “But we’re pressing on.” McConnell said he opted to delay a planned vote on the Senate bill after several members asked for more time to review the sweeping legislation. (Haberkorn and Everett, 6/27)
CQ Roll Call: GOP Leaders Cancel Health Care Vote This Week
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, said Tuesday afternoon that his GOP colleagues needed "a little more time" to work on their health care legislation. "It's a conversation and we haven't finished having our conversation," said Cornyn. (McIntire and Lesniewski, 6/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Intraparty Disputes Stall Republicans’ Legislative Agenda
“It’s almost like we’re serving in the minority right now. We just simply don’t know how to govern,” said Rep. Steve Womack (R., Ark.). “How we’ve been given this opportunity to govern and we are finding every reason in the world not to is absolutely incredible to me.” (Peterson and Rubin, 6/27)
The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Lacking Support, Republicans Postpone Vote On Health-Care Bill
Looming in the recent memory was the House push to repeal the law. When plans for a vote on it collapsed in March, Speaker Paul Ryan conceded that Obamacare would remain in force. Weeks later, with some more wrangling and a deal with conservatives brokered by Rep. Tom MacArthur of New Jersey, the House narrowly approved a modified proposal. (Tamari, 6/27)
The Washington Post: More Republicans Announce Opposition To Health-Care Bill — Only After Vote Is Delayed
Three more Republican senators announced opposition to the Senate’s health-care bill on Tuesday — but only after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he will delay a vote to begin debating the legislation. (O'Keefe, 6/27)
The Hill: Three More GOP Senators Announce Opposition To Healthcare Bill
Republican Sens. Jerry Moran (Kan.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) and Rob Portman (Ohio) announced Tuesday afternoon that they will vote against the Senate GOP bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare in its current form. Moran said in a statement on Twitter that the bill "missed the mark," adding that he was "pleased" that the vote on the Senate bill was delayed by Republican leadership until after the July 4 recess. (Bowden, 6/27)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Sen. Rob Portman Says He Opposes GOP Healthcare Bill -- After Bill Was Yanked
Sometime before 2 p.m. Tuesday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell yanked the Obamacare-repeal-and-reform bill from consideration, saying he wanted more time to work on it. It was obvious by then the bill couldn't pass.About two hours later -- after McConnell's announcement -- Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who was on the fence, announced he was opposed to the bill and could not vote for it. (Koff, 6/27)
Columbus Dispatch: Senate Delays Health-Care Vote; Portman Opposes Obamacare Replacement For Now
[Portman] said the Senate draft “falls short and therefore I cannot support it in its current form.” “In the days and weeks ahead, I’m committed to continue talking with my colleagues about how we can fix the serious problems in our health-care system while protecting Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens.” (Torry and Wehrman, 6/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: Opposition In GOP Ranks Forces Delay In Vote On Obamacare Overhaul
Another moderate Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, welcomed the possibility that the legislation, opposed by the Senate’s 46 Democrats, could eventually be abandoned to open the way for a bipartisan effort to fix the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature 2010 health legislation. (Lochhead, 6/27)
Kansas City Star: Jerry Moran Says Health Care Bill ‘Missed The Mark For Kansans’ After Senate Vote Delayed
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran came out against a Republican health care bill Tuesday shortly after Senate GOP leaders announced plans to delay a vote until after July 4. Moran, a Kansas Republican, has emerged as a key vote in the fight over a Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, that would result in 22 million people losing insurance by 2026, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. (Lowry, 6/27)
Texas Tribune: Senate Republicans Halt Health Care Overhaul As Cruz Maintains Opposition
After days of arm-twisting, Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday essentially conceded that they had not secured the votes to move forward on a massive overhaul of the American health care system and would pick up the issue again in July. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky emerged with the updated plans from a lunch with other GOP senators, along with the news that the chamber's Republicans were headed to the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump. (Livingston, 6/27)
The Associated Press: Wisconsin Senator's Health Care Stance Welcomed Back Home
Conservatives and liberals in Wisconsin both see hope in Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's steadfast refusal to back the current version of the GOP Senate health care bill. Although they disagree with the reasons for his opposition, liberals see Johnson's stand as a chance to sink the entire Republican effort to kill the existing health care law enacted under former President Barack Obama. (6/27)
The Hill: McConnell: ObamaCare Repeal Isn't Dead
Democrats quickly claimed victory on the discussion, but urged supporters to keep up pressure on a handful of undecided GOP senators over the upcoming recess. (Carney, 6/27)
The Hill: Ryan Defends CBO Director Amid Backlash On Senate Healthcare Bill Score
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) defended the head of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Tuesday, just a day after the White House lashed out at the CBO’s estimate that the Senate GOP healthcare bill would leave 22 million more people uninsured during the next decade. Ryan expressed confidence in the integrity and impartiality of CBO Director Keith Hall, noting that then-Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) — President Trump’s current Health and Human Services secretary — was among the GOP leaders who hired Hall in 2015. (Wong, 6/27)
