Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
McConnell: Senate To Vote On Repeal This Week, Replace Plan Will 'Rapidly' Follow
The Associated Press: GOP Lawmakers Vow Quick Action To Enact New Health Care Law
Top Republicans said Sunday they’ll move quickly to enact a new health care law, but they won’t say how long that might take or what might replace President Barack Obama’s version. Questions surrounding the future GOP plan have unnerved key parts of the health care industry, including hospitals and insurers that have warned Congress against uncertainty. (1/8)
Reuters: Senate To Act This Week On Obamacare Repeal, McConnell Says
The U.S. Senate will take its first steps toward repealing President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform act by the end of the week, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Sunday. Speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation," McConnell said: "There ought not to be a great gap" between repealing the act and replacing it and that Republicans would be "replacing it rapidly after repealing it." (Clarke, 1/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Mitch McConnell Vows New GOP Health Plan Soon
Congress will quickly devise a new health-insurance system after moving to repeal the Obama administration’s signature health-care law in coming days, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday, despite growing questions within the Republican Party over the GOP’s strategy. (Talley, 1/8)
The Hill: Senate Braces For ObamaCare Vote-A-Rama
As ObamaCare repeal moves along, the debate is only getting more intense. The Senate is expected to take a long string of votes on Wednesday, known as a "vote-a-rama," on a budget resolution that is the first step to repealing ObamaCare. That series of votes gives Democrats an opportunity to offer a series of provisions designed to make things uncomfortable for Republicans and put them on record about popular aspects of ObamaCare. (Sullivan, 1/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Senate Looks To Move Fast On Trump Administration Hearings, Health Law
The Republican-controlled Senate, brushing aside concerns from Democrats and a government-ethics watchdog, is moving quickly this week to help President-elect Donald Trump staff his administration, scheduling multiple confirmation hearings on a single day on which the chamber also could vote on a step toward repealing much of the Affordable Care Act. (Hughes, Andrews and Peterson, 1/8)
Politico: Conway, Priebus Won't Promise Immediate Repeal-And-Replace
Kellyanne Conway and Reince Priebus, top advisers to Donald Trump, said Sunday that the president-elect is still considering his options when it comes to the speed of replacing Obamacare. Republican leaders in Congress have been discussing a repeal of Obamacare that would take effect two years or more after the vote to repeal to give them time to craft a replacement plan so that millions of Americans would not suddenly lose coverage. But some conservatives, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, have said Congress should pass a replacement plan immediately. Other senators have suggested delaying repeal until a replacement plan is ready. (Robillard, 1/8)
The Hill: Conway Refuses To Commit To ObamaCare Repeal And Replacement On Same Day
Incoming White House counselor Kellyanne Conway refused to say President-elect Donald Trump will replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the same day Republicans in Congress repeal the law, also known as ObamaCare. "Well, it really depends [on] what the piece of legislation is. What does it look like?" she said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked if Trump agrees with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that a replacement is needed the same day the ACA is repealed. "I can confirm that he is committed to replacing ObamaCare with something that actually is affordable and accessible and allows you to buy health insurance over state lines," she added. (Shelbourne, 1/8)
The Associated Press: Paul: Trump Backs Health Repeal, Replacement At Same Time
A Republican senator who challenged Donald Trump for the White House nomination says the president-elect "fully supports" repealing President Barack Obama's health law only when there's a viable alternative to replace it. Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Congress are moving toward a vote on repeal legislation in coming weeks, but they anticipate a transition period of months or years to a replacement. Some Republican lawmakers are expressing reservations about scrapping the law, which now covers 20 million people, without a near-term replacement. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who clashed with Trump during the GOP primary, said in a tweet late Friday that the two had a conversation and that Trump agreed with Paul's approach. (Colvin and Fram, 1/7)
Boston Globe: How Donald Trump Could Repeal Obamacare — And Why
Changes are coming to the nation’s health care system. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal President Obama’s signature health care law, and having a Republican-led Congress boosts the odds he can make good on that promise. Republicans have yet to detail what new plan they want to implement in place of the Affordable Care Act. Here’s what we know about what’s happening to the national health care law and what it means for Massachusetts. (McCluskey, 1/9)
Don't miss: Today marks the launch of Repeal & Replace Watch, a KHN feature that tracks the efforts of the Trump administration and Congress to revamp the U.S. health care system.
