Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pence, Price Try To Woo Governors, But Many Remain Skeptical
The New York Times: Governors Give Chilly Reception To Health Bill Push
A handful of Republican governors rebuffed on Saturday an attempt by their Democratic counterparts to issue a joint statement from the nation’s governors expressing opposition or even concern about the Senate health care bill. But a smaller, bipartisan group of influential governors still may release a statement of their own in the coming days, a move that would greatly imperil passage of a measure that is already listing. While Republican governors stopped well short of declaring common cause with Democrats on health care, state executives from both parties gave a brusque reception to Trump administration officials who trekked to Rhode Island to lobby governors for their support. (Martin and Burns, 7/15)
The Associated Press: Pence Tells US Governors It's Time For 'End Of Obamacare'
Vice President Mike Pence told a bipartisan gathering of governors on Friday that he and President Donald Trump believe the revised health care bill before the U.S. Senate is the "right bill at the right time to begin the end of Obamacare." (7/14)
The Hill: Pence Pitches Governors On ObamaCare Repeal Bill
“Yes, President Trump will lead this Congress to rescue the American people from the collapsing promises of ObamaCare,” Pence told the National Governors Association summer meeting in Rhode Island. "Whatever your politics or your party, you know we’re talking about real people, a real crisis,” he added. (Manchester, 7/14)
Boston Globe: GOP Governors Fret Over Senate Health Care Proposals
Declaring President Trump a “champion of federalism,” Pence told governors in a keynote the Senate bill would help “rescue” states as they dealt with the “collapse” of the Affordable Care Act. (O'Sullivan, 7/14)
The Washington Post: White House Launches Aggressive Push To Flip GOP Governors Opposed To Senate Health Bill
Despite the administration’s sales pitch, however, four influential governors reiterated their concerns about the bill’s impact on their states’ most vulnerable individuals — underscoring the challenge facing the White House and Senate Republicans as they seek to fulfill a seven-year GOP promise to undo the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “I’ve still got to come back to my concerns with regard to the Medicaid population,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval (R-Nev.) on his way to a private session with Vice President Pence here at the summer meeting of the National Governors Association. Pence had earlier delivered a detailed speech to the entire group defending the bill. (Sullivan, Eilperin and Balz, 7/14)
The Washington Post: Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval Still Doesn’t Support The Senate Health-Care Bill. That’s Big Trouble For Republicans.
Among the 32 state executives who attended the National Governors Association summer meeting here this weekend, no one drew more attention and interest than Sandoval, a square-jawed 53-year-old with neatly parted dark hair, a made-for-TV smile and a political disposition that is the antithesis of President Trump. All weekend, he has been besieged — by reporters taking his temperature and by administration officials, including Vice President Pence, trying to persuade him that the Senate bill would not hurt his Nevada constituents despite its deep federal spending cuts to Medicaid. (Sullivan and Balz, 7/15)
The Associated Press: White House Pitches Health Bill To Skeptical US Governors
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma made their pitch Saturday morning during a closed-door meeting of the bipartisan National Governors Association. Vice President Mike Pence also met several of the governors privately after his public address at the Rhode Island conference on Friday. (7/15)
Politico Pro: GOP Governors Withhold Criticism Of Senate Health Bill
Several Republican governors said they hadn’t yet taken a position because the bill was still a work in progress. They said they hoped their concerns could be addressed through additional amendments. (Pradhan, 7/14)
The Hill: Governors Voice Resistance To Senate Health Bill
Governors on both sides of the aisle came out on Friday against Senate Republicans' revised plan to overhaul the country's healthcare system, as the White House launched a forceful bid to win over GOP governors. At an annual summer meeting of the nation's governors in Providence, R.I., both Republicans and Democrats voiced misgivings about the measure, which largely echoed the concerns of fellow partisans in the Senate. (Greenwood, 7/15)
Bloomberg: White House Takes Pitch For Health-Care Bill To U.S. Governors
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican and former presidential candidate, said he met with Pence and Price on Friday but still hasn’t taken a final position. “We’re hopeful they’re going to get to a point where they’re going to have a repeal and replace that works,’’ Walker said. (Niquette, 7/15)
The CT Mirror: Pence, Malloy Compete To Define What GOP Is Doing To Health Care
As the governor of Connecticut, a state where one in every five residents gets his or her health care through Medicaid, Malloy sees the latest Republican efforts to revamp the Affordable Care Act as bad public policy — a massive shift of expenses from the federal government to states that already are financially strapped. (Pazniokas, 7/14)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Kasich, Pence Spar Over GOP Obamacare Replacement Bill
"The Senate plan is still unacceptable," Kasich said in a statement Friday. "These shortcomings flow from the fact that the Senate plan commits the same error as Obamacare – it’s not bipartisan." (Balmert and Shesgreen, 7/14)
San Francisco Chronicle: White House Tries To Sell Health Bill To Wary Governors
The conference’s host, Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo, said she didn’t think anyone’s mind was changed. (O'Brien, 7/15)
