Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
McConnell's Gloomy Attitude Over Health Law Has Some Wondering If Larger Strategy Is At Play
The Wall Street Journal: McConnell’s Reserved Approach On Health Bill Leaves Lawmakers Guessing
Before he began clicking through a PowerPoint presentation on Republican health-care options this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a private warning to his Senate Republicans: If they failed to pass legislation unwinding the Affordable Care Act, Democrats could regain power and establish a single-payer health-care system. Mr. McConnell (R., Ky.) has been nearly as downcast in his public comments about Senate Republicans’ chances of passing sweeping legislation to overhaul the country’s health-care system. (Peterson, Armour and Radnofsky, 6/9)
The Associated Press: GOP's Pursuit Of Health Care Overhaul Comes With Risks
Republicans are taking a big political risk on health care. They're trying to scale back major benefit programs being used by millions of people. And they're trying to do it even though much of the public is leery of drastic changes, and there's no support outside the GOP. It's not stopping them. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/12)
The Hill: Senate GOP Sees Path To ObamaCare Repeal
A path is emerging for Senate Republicans to pass their ObamaCare repeal bill, even though there are major obstacles ahead. Critically, Senate moderates are indicating that they can agree to ending the additional federal funds for ObamaCare's expansion of Medicaid, albeit on a slower timetable than other Republicans want. A compromise on Medicaid funding would remove one of the biggest obstacles for the bill. (Sullivan, 6/11)
The New York Times: Flexibility That A.C.A. Lent To Work Force Is Threatened By G.O.P. Plan
In recent years, millions of middle- and working-class Americans have moved from job to job, some staying with one company for shorter stints or shifting careers midstream. The Affordable Care Act has enabled many of those workers to get transitional coverage that provides a bridge to the next phase of their lives — a stopgap to get health insurance if they leave a job, are laid off, start a business or retire early. (Abelson, 6/11)
The Hill: GOP Looks To Blunt Impact Of Health Bill On Older People
GOP senators are trying to strike a balance that’s proving difficult: lowering healthcare insurance premiums for young adults while shielding older people from massive price hikes. At issue is an ObamaCare provision that essentially caps how much insurers can charge older people for premiums. Republicans want to raise that cap, saying it vastly undercharges older people for their healthcare services, creating higher costs for younger, healthier adults. (Hellmann, 6/11)
Bloomberg: Cruz Goes From ‘Lucifer’ To Dealmaker In Health-Care Overhaul
The first-term senator from Texas is seeking to unite warring wings of the Republican Party around an effort to kill Obamacare and is showing a new willingness to compromise with colleagues to devise a replacement plan. It’s a significant departure for the formerly obstructionist [Ted] Cruz, who lost the Republican presidential contest to Donald Trump and has long had icy relations with other lawmakers. Cruz once called Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a liar on the Senate floor, and former Republican House Speaker John Boehner once called Cruz “Lucifer in the flesh” and the most “miserable son of a bitch” he had ever worked with. His most notable legislative accomplishment so far has been to help force a shutdown of the government for 16 days in 2013 in an unsuccessful effort to strip funding from Obamacare. (Dennis, 6/12)
Kansas City Star: Twitter Reacts To Claire McCaskill Tirade About GOP Health Plan
In a three-minute scolding during a Senate Finance Committee meeting, McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, dressed down committee chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, for what McCaskill called a legislative process even more partisan than what transpired during passage of the Affordable Care Act. ... By mid-morning Friday her remarks had triggered more than 12,000 retweets on Twitter. (Montgomery, 6/9)
Roll Call: Democrats Stick To Health Care Message Amid Russian Intrigue
Despite the daily drip about Russia and the Trump administration, national Democrats who hope to exploit Republicans’ vulnerabilities in 2018 are focusing their messaging squarely on health care before the July 4 recess. Just minutes after former FBI Director James B. Comey concluded his testimony Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee — in which he said the president lied to the America people — the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee blasted out a release. The subject? Nevada Sen. Dean Heller’s reported support for phasing out Medicaid expansion. (Pathé, 6/12)
The Hill: Ex-Medicare Head: GOP Using 'Sabotage, Speed And Secrecy' To Pass ObamaCare Repeal
Andy Slavitt, acting administrator for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under President Obama, penned an op-ed in The Washington Post Saturday that slams Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for using “sabotage, speed and secrecy” to work on passing the GOP healthcare bill in the upper chamber. ... He cited instances where Republican senators will break from the party vote if the bill proves to negatively impact a lawmaker’s state, pointing states dealing with the opioid crisis that may be hurt if Medicaid gets drastically cut. He acknowledged that McConnell may try to appease these senators by including "a small 'opioid fund'" in the bill. (Beavers, 6/11)
Meanwhile, crowdfunding sites are poised for a wave of medical requests if the legislation is passed —
Bloomberg: America’s Health-Care Crisis Is A Gold Mine For Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe and YouCaring have turned sympathy for Americans drowning in medical expenses into a cottage industry. Now Republican efforts in Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare could swell the ranks of the uninsured and spur the business of helping people raise donations online to pay for health care. But medical crowdfunding doesn't have to wait for Congress to act. Business is already booming, and its leaders expect the rapid growth to continue no matter what happens on the Hill. (Woolley, 6/12)
