Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Parsing The Plan: Graham-Cassidy Is A 'Horror' And 'Legislative Malpractice'
The Washington Post: Avoiding A Health-Care Horror
It is difficult to decide which is the worst aspect of the Republicans’ latest try at repealing Obamacare: the irresponsibility, the cruelty or the lies. And it is impossible to ignore that the climax of this battle will take place under the shadow of President Trump’s shameful, racially charged attacks on prominent African American athletes. Once again, Trump has demonstrated his lack of seriousness about the responsibilities of his office, his autocratic habit of demonizing dissent, and his willingness to play racial politics to divide and distract. (E.J. Dionne Jr., 9/24)
The New York Times: The Health Care Cul-De-Sac
Before John McCain put yet another Republican health care plan on life support on Friday, I was going to do with the Graham-Cassidy legislation what I’ve done with previous Republican bills, and weigh the plausible ideas that it contains against its hastily rigged-up architecture and predictable G.O.P. stinginess. But sometimes, when a party has spent most of a year producing health care bills that excite almost nobody and that even the senators voting for them can’t effectively defend, it’s worth stepping back and thinking about our national priorities. (Ross Douthat, 9/23)
Boston Globe: Latest Health Care Bill Is Legislative Malpractice
In a last-ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy are offering a policy mirage. ... This 11th-hour ploy constitutes gross legislative malpractice. (Jon Kingsdale, 9/25)
The New York Times: One Way For G.O.P. To Achieve Some Repeal Goals? It’s Already Part Of Obamacare
On Friday, Senator John McCain of Arizona announced that he would not support the latest Republican push to overhaul the health care system. He didn’t disapprove of the objectives of the bill, but to its process, which was too rushed and partisan, he said in a statement: “A bill of this impact requires a bipartisan approach. ”Mr. McCain’s vote most likely dooms the current Obamacare repeal effort, which can afford to lose the votes of only two Republican senators. (Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Senator Susan Collins of Maine are generally regarded as no votes as well.) But there is, in fact, a bipartisan effort that could help Congress achieve many of the goals that the recent bill’s authors say they hope to accomplish. The catch: It would be hard for Republicans to call it Obamacare repeal. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 9/23)
Los Angeles Times: GOP Health Bill: Whatever Happened To Expertise?
A long list of healthcare experts says the Republican bill to dismantle most of President Obama’s health insurance program would be a disaster. The American Medical Assn. is against it. Insurance providers are against it. Patient groups are against it. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s bill, coauthored with Sen. Lindsey Graham, would cut federal spending on Medicaid by amounts one consultant called “jaw-dropping.” If the bill passes, 21 million fewer people would have health insurance in 2026 than under current law, according to a study by the Brookings Institution and USC. To which Cassidy says, in effect: Pay no attention to the experts. (Doyle McManus, 9/24)
Roll Call: Another Health Care Bill, Another Health Care Biff
Maybe we have finally established a lasting legislative principle for both parties: Don’t ever again try to pass major health care legislation using parliamentary gimmicks to avoid a filibuster. The Democrats, under Barack Obama, followed this route in 2010 after they lost their filibuster-proof Senate majority when Republican Scott Brown unexpectedly won the special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat. As a result, final tinkering and technical improvements could not be made in the Obamacare legislation using a House-Senate conference. What the Senate Republicans have been attempting is far worse. (Walter Shapiro, 9/25)
Forbes: Ten Reasons Why Every State Should Welcome The Graham/Cassidy/Heller/Johnson Health Reform Bill
Three states – California, New York and Massachusetts -- are receiving 37 percent of all Obamacare funds , according to a group of Republican senators. As an example of this inequity, Pennsylvania has nearly twice the population of Massachusetts, but it receives less than half as much Obamacare money. The senators propose to radically change that distribution by giving each state Obamacare funds in the form of a block grant. Eventually, each state’s share of the total would equal its share of the country’s poor and near-poor population. That means the people who are the principal target of Obamacare funding will have access to the same federal resources – regardless of where they live. (John C. Goodman, 9/18)
The Washington Post: The Real Reason Health Care In America Is A Mess
Until Donald Trump briefly applied himself to the subject, “nobody knew that health care could be so complicated.” President Van Winkle said this in February 2017. The wonder of discovery is a delight to behold no matter how late in life it awakens. In fact, everyone with a chronic disease in the United States knows health care is complicated. Rich or poor, young or old, their illnesses open their eyes to the fact that the so-called health-care industry, which amounts to roughly one-sixth of the U.S. economy, is not an industry at all. It is a chaotic crossroads of many different industries and professions, often in fierce competition, each adapted to its own culture and pursuing its own business model. (David Von Drehle, 9/23)
USA Today: Trump Voter Who Survived Cancer: Graham-Cassidy Health Bill Worst By Far
The last Democrat I voted for was Jimmy Carter. The last Republican I voted for was Donald Trump. After the past eight months, I am now a health care voter. My story, and my family’s story, is like so many others. In 2008, after a 20-year career in health care, I became another statistic in the number of uninsured Americans and no longer had a job or employer-provided health care. I had followed the American dream and started my own small business. I am a barber in Tennessee and I love it. I was able to get insurance through my wife’s job. (Dennis Wallace, 9/25)
The Washington Post: McCain Shows How Pathetic His GOP Colleagues Are
At a rally for Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) on Friday night, President Trump claimed Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) decision to vote no on the Cassidy-Graham health-care bill was “an unexpected thing.” If so, Trump is oblivious and his legislative liaisons are rotten at their jobs. McCain’s decision was unexpected only if one hadn’t been paying attention or hadn’t taken him seriously when he nixed the prior version of Trumpcare. (Jennifer Rubin, 9/24)
Arizona Republic: John McCain Ignores Doug Ducey (Again) On Graham Cassidy Bill
Sen. John McCain on Friday announced he won’t be jumping on the Senate Republicans’ bullet train to destinations unknown (a k a Graham-Cassidy.) McCain’s opposition will likely kill yet another fast-track plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. (Laurie Roberts, 9/22)
