Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
One-Time Opponents Of Health Law Change Their Tune As Repeal Looms
The Wall Street Journal: Obamacare Provisions Gain Unexpected Backers As GOP Moves To Rewrite Law
When the Affordable Care Act was debated in 2010, the country’s biggest gynecologists’ group spoke out against it, saying it wouldn’t help doctors get paid more fairly or avoid frivolous malpractice lawsuits. Today, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is fighting efforts to fully repeal the law, pushing especially to keep a ban on charging women higher health insurance premiums than men. (Hackman, 2/8)
Stat: Obamacare Repeal Could Put Sick Patients At Risk, Advocates Warn
As Republicans confront the thorny realities of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, groups representing patients with the most serious diseases fear those plans could return the US health care system to one in which sick people are not guaranteed health insurance. It comes down to the individual mandate, the law’s most unpopular provision, which required every American to buy insurance or face a penalty. (Facher, 2/9)