Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Majority Of Americans Oppose Republicans' Replacement Bill, New Poll Finds
The Hill: Poll: Just 17 Percent Of Voters Back ObamaCare Repeal Plan
A majority of American voters oppose the Republicans' plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, while very few voters support it, a new poll finds. A poll published Thursday by Quinnipiac University found that 56 percent of voters disapprove of the GOP healthcare plan, while just 17 percent support it. Even among Republicans, only 41 percent support the American Health Care Act, while 24 percent oppose it. And 58 percent of Democratic voters disapprove of the plan. (Firozi, 3/23)
Politico: As Repeal Vote Nears, Obama Pleads To Preserve Affordable Care Act
Former President Barack Obama, who has remained on the sidelines for much of the contentious debate surrounding the Trump administration’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, urged lawmakers Thursday to preserve and build on his signature legislative achievement. The lengthy statement ... celebrated the merits of Obamacare and described the legislation as a watershed moment in determining that health care is “not just a privilege for a few, but a right for everybody.” (Sutton, 3/23)
Bloomberg: Democrats Aim To Weaponize Health Bill Against House Republicans
Democrats seized on the House health-care vote as an opportunity to inflict political damage on vulnerable Republicans.The Democratic National Committee has begun blanketing the districts of roughly 50 House Republicans with targeted emails and robocalls about the bill, urging recipients to call the lawmakers to express opposition to the bill...It’s the first time the DNC has carried out this kind of campaign since Perez became chair of the party last month and reflects the committee’s efforts to be a hub of anti-Trump activity. (Epstein, 3/23)
Meanwhile, protests against the GOP bill and in support of Planned Parenthood take place in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix and Detroit —
Reuters: Obamacare Supporters Rally Against Congressional Repeal Efforts
Supporters of Obamacare staged rallies across the country on Thursday denouncing efforts by President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders to repeal the landmark law that has extended medical insurance coverage to some 20 million Americans. Hundreds of demonstrators turned out in Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles marking the seventh anniversary of enactment of Obamacare, as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has become widely known. (Simpson, 3/23)
Los Angeles Times: Crowd In Downtown L.A. Protests Obamacare Repeal
Crowds marched through Downtown Los Angeles Thursday afternoon to protest efforts by Republican lawmakers to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. In a rally that occupied a portion of Temple Street outside of the Roybal Federal Building, speakers addressed a crowd of healthcare providers and advocates. (Kohli, 3/23)
Chicago Sun Times: Hundreds Rally, March Downtown To Decry American Health Care Act
Hundreds of protesters rallied and march through downtown Thursday afternoon, denouncing plans — since delayed — to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on the seventh anniversary of the bill becoming law. Rallying in Federal Plaza before heading north on Dearborn, eventually stopping across the Chicago River from Trump Tower, the crowd cheered as they learned that a vote on the American Health Care Act would not be held Thursday, as was originally planned. (Charles, 3/24)
Arizona Republic: Planned Parenthood Advocates Rally In Phoenix Against 'Obamacare' Repeal
As wrangling continued in Washington, D.C., on Thursday over a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Planned Parenthood supporters gathered in Phoenix and cities across the nation to oppose what they call the "worst piece of legislation for women in a generation." In Phoenix, about 50 people gathered outside the Arizona State Capitol to rally against the health bill. (Newman, 3/23)
Detroit Free Press: Detroit Protesters Stage 'Funeral' For Obamacare
Ahead of today's unsure vote on Republican changes to former President Barack Obama's signature health care reform, protesters in downtown Detroit staged a mock funeral of the Affordable Care Act, saying its replacement would leave millions without coverage. Among the protesters was Ed Weberman, a lawyer from White Lake Township whose 24-year-old son, Alex, is in remission from stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Weberman said his son's recovery was possible only because he could keep him on his insurance up to age 26 under Obamacare. (Helms, 3/23)
KQED: As House Vote Approaches, Protesters Of GOP Health Care Bill Get Creative
Wearing white coats and surgical scrubs, a small group of political activists passed out pink fliers in downtown Oakland Wednesday. They wore toy stethoscopes and shiny, circular mirrors on their heads. They’re not really doctors, but they dressed the part to grab the attention of pedestrians and warn them about the political efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. (Klivans, 3/23)
California Healthline: From ‘Stressed Out’ To Hopeful, Five Californians Weigh In On GOP Bill
[T]he GOP proposal could have a big impact on the nearly 14 million Californians — about one-third of the state’s population — who are covered by Medicaid, the health program for low-income people, known as Medi-Cal in California. The GOP plan would also likely scramble the health care calculations of people who buy their own coverage, especially if they do so through Covered California, the state’s insurance exchange, and get federal help with their premiums. (Gorman and Bazar, 3/23)
San Jose Mercury News: Bay Area Voters Not Surprised By GOP Health Care Vote Delay
Yet no matter where they got the news, and regardless of their political leaning, several people on the Bay Area News Group’s 25-member voters’ panel — assembled to evaluate President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office — said they weren’t surprised that the dismantling of Obamacare had gotten so gummed up in the nation’s capital that the GOP plan appeared to be going nowhere for now. (Seipel, 3/23)
