Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Now That Bill Is Unveiled, Leaders Focus On Drumming Up Support From Reluctant Senators
The New York Times: Senate Leaders Try To Appease Members As Support For Health Bill Slips
Senate Republican leaders scrambled Sunday to rally support for their health care bill as opposition continued to build inside and outside Congress, and as several Republican senators questioned whether it would be approved this week. President Trump expressed confidence that the bill to repeal the guts of the Affordable Care Act would pass. (Pear and Kaplan, 6/25)
The Washington Post: Senate Health-Care Bill Faces Serious Resistance From GOP Moderates
The vast changes the legislation would make to Medicaid, the country’s broadest source of public health insurance, would represent the largest single step the government has ever taken toward conservatives’ long-held goal of reining in federal spending on health-care entitlement programs in favor of a free-market system. That dramatic shift and the bill’s bold redistribution of wealth — the billions of dollars taken from coverage for the poor would help fund tax cuts for the wealthy — is creating substantial anxiety for several Republican moderates whose states have especially benefited from the expansion of Medicaid that the Affordable Care Act has allowed since 2014. (Eilperin and Goldstein, 6/25)
The Washington Post: Senate Republicans Face Key Week As More Lawmakers Waver In Support For Health-Care Bill
The mounting dissatisfaction leaves Senate Republican leaders and the White House in a difficult position. In the coming days, moves to narrow the scope of the overhaul could appeal to moderates but anger conservatives, who believe the legislation does not go far enough to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. A key moment will arrive early this week when the Congressional Budget Office releases an analysis of the bill that estimates how many people could lose coverage under the Republican plan, as well as what impact it might have on insurance premiums and how much money it could save the government. (Parker, Weigel and Costa, 6/25)
The Washington Post: With Five Holdouts On Health-Care Bill, McConnell Is In For A Final Frenzy Of Negotiation
It sets up a final frenzy of negotiation, as McConnell has determined he will finish with the legislation one way or another by the end of this month. If he’s not careful, the GOP leader could end up being lambasted by conservatives and liberals alike for cutting narrow deals to try to buy off votes from individual senators in a similar manner used for passing the Affordable Care Act. McConnell can afford to lose only two of the 52 Republicans in the Senate, but as the week went on, he had many more holdouts than that. (Kane, 6/24)
Los Angeles Times: Republican Senators Seek Changes In Obamacare Repeal Bill They Can All Agree On. It Won't Be Easy
After being widely panned by Democrats and Republicans alike for crafting the bill with unprecedented secrecy keeping details even from GOP senators — McConnell may now be eager to convey a sense of open debate and negotiation. But if the process that played out in the House last month is any guide, expect the deal-making to only go so far before Republicans quickly unify — preferring to hold hands and jump off the political cliff together rather than risk losing their best opportunity to fulfill the Republican promise to stop Obamacare. (Mascaro, 6/22)
The Wall Street Journal: GOP Senators Lay Out Demands On Health Bill
Demands for getting on board include adding funds for particular areas, such as opioid treatment. But GOP senators are particularly divided over the bill’s cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor that covers one in five Americans. In addition, four conservative senators object to the bill’s retention of requirements for insurers to cover patients at the same price regardless of their medical history and with set benefits packages. Those provisions have created new consumer protections but also driven up premiums for younger, healthier people in particular, which the senators have cited as a primary concern. “It’s going to be a challenge,” Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) said Sunday on CBS , about ameliorating centrists’ concerns over the Medicaid changes in the bill. (Radnofsky, 6/26)
Politico: Senate Republicans Skeptical Obamacare Repeal Can Pass This Week
Senate Republicans are casting doubt on their leaders’ plans to vote this week on repealing Obamacare, with lawmakers from all wings of the party so far withholding support from the massive reshaping of the health care law that they campaigned on for seven years. (Schor and Kim, 6/25)
The Hill: Senate Republicans Reluctant To Rush Vote On Healthcare Bill
Lawmakers said they need more time to analyze and amend the bill. Senate Republicans just released a draft last Thursday, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been pushing the upper chamber to vote on the legislation next week. (Savransky, 6/25)
Modern Healthcare: Race Is On To Pass Senate Healthcare Bill Despite Industry Opposition
Healthcare providers and insurers had differing reactions to the Senate Republican bill unveiled last week to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The "discussion draft" draft bill bombed with healthcare providers, while some insurers reveled at the offering of cost-sharing reduction payments and tens of billions in temporary reinsurance funding. But it may not matter what industry stakeholders think. They say GOP lawmakers didn't ask for their input. "I've never seen anything so rushed or secretive," said Dr. Bruce Siegel, CEO of America's Essential Hospitals, which represents 300 safety-net systems. (Meyer, 6/24)
Modern Healthcare: Will McConnell Succeed In Passing ACA Repeal Bill?
Next week promises to one of the most turbulent, consequential weeks in U.S. healthcare history, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tries to quickly pass a far-reaching bill, unveiled only last Thursday, to restructure and cut Medicaid and reshape the individual health insurance market. The Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, along with its House-passed cousin, the American Health Care Act, faces intense opposition from Democrats; provider, public health and consumer advocacy groups; and safety-net health plans. It also has elicited skepticism from both conservative and moderate Senate Republicans, whose votes McConnell needs to pass the bill with a bare majority under budget reconciliation rules. (Meyer, 6/23)
Bloomberg: McConnell's Health Bill Gamble Hinges On Converting GOP Holdouts
And for McConnell, it will show whether he can move beyond his reputation as an obstructionist and deliver on his party’s biggest priorities. (Litvan and Dennis, 6/26)
The Hill: GOP’s Message On ObamaCare Is Us Versus Them
Do you want to be known as the Republican who killed the repeal of ObamaCare? That’s the question every GOP senator will weigh over the next week, and it’s an integral part of the Republican leadership’s strategy to get the prized legislation a step closer to President Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to force a vote this week, despite complaints from conservatives that his draft bill doesn’t really repeal ObamaCare — and deep reservations from centrist Republicans that it goes too far. (Cusack and Swanson, 6/26)
The Hill: McConnell Allies Confident In Healthcare Win
Republicans close to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are confident he can save the Senate’s teetering healthcare reform bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, over the next five days -- though its shaping up to be a daunting task. Some Republican senators are skeptical that McConnell can stick to his ambitious plan of passing a major overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system before Congress takes off for the July 4 recess. (Bolton, 6/26)
Politico: CBO Score Sure To Add To McConnell’s Headaches
The CBO is poised to tell Senate Republicans this week that their health plan will leave millions more uninsured than Obamacare — with the losses estimated from 15 million to 22 million over a decade, according to a half dozen budget analysts polled by POLITICO. (Cancryn and Diamond, 6/26)
