Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives On Health Care Politics: Senate's 'Charade'; Fears About The Process
The New York Times: The Senate Health Care Charade
It is tempting to think that the Republican health care proposal, which would do so much damage to so many Americans, will collapse in the Senate, since conservatives and centrists alike have come out against it. But that would be premature. After all, House leaders managed to cobble together a narrow majority for their bill after similar protests in that chamber. At least some of the Senate opposition to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s opening bid in the health care wars is mere political theater. (7/10)
The New York Times: Three Legs Good, No Legs Bad
Will 50 Republican senators be willing to inflict grievous harm on their constituents in the name of party loyalty? I have no idea. But this seems like a good moment to review why Republicans can’t come up with a non-disastrous alternative to Obamacare. It’s not because they’re stupid (although they have become stunningly anti-intellectual). It’s because you can’t change any major element of the Affordable Care Act without destroying the whole thing. (Paul Krugman, 7/10)
Bloomberg: Republican Steamrolling On Health Care Should Terrify Wall Street
No matter which way the Republican health care bill goes, there's one group that should be seriously freaking out right now: Wall Street. Not because of what the bill says, but because of how Republicans are going about passing it. (Jonathan Bernstein, 7/10)
Bloomberg: Republicans Won't Stop Fighting With Each Other
The ruling Republicans are trying to defy Washington's political gravity: pushing through massive health-care and tax overhauls crafted largely in secret, on a partisan basis, brushing aside congressional expertise and overcoming the policy ignorance of President Donald Trump with products of dubious quality, at best. (Albert R. Hunt, 7/9)
The New York Times: Congress Is Facing A Time Crunch To Repeal Obamacare
Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, told his Republican colleagues that they needed to vote on their health bill before the July 4 holiday — then he gave them an extension. But don’t expect the health care debate to drag on forever. There are legal and political reasons that Republicans really do need to decide in the next few weeks whether their legislative effort will succeed or go back on the shelf. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 7/10)
The Washington Post: To My Colleagues In Congress: I Have MS. Don’t Make My Insurance Unaffordable.
All my life, I’ve mostly been active and healthy (save for the occasional sports injury). ... I thought I was in great health. I was not. ... I had multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system. ... A year later, I am no longer in Congress, and my future health care is uncertain. I am not employed, and I pay $800 a month for my COBRA coverage, which ends in June 2018. I’m not sure what I’ll do then. My medication, which has thankfully halted the progression of my MS, costs roughly $73,000 a year. (Donna F. Edwards, 7/7)
USA Today: Republicans' Best Play Amid Health Bill Chaos Is Failure
The Republican plan to undo the Affordable Care Act has spun out of control. GOP senators are frustrated by a process that excluded many of them and violates their promise to make health care more affordable. The abysmally unpopular plan is favored by only 12% in the latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll. In the face of this, the Republican Senate and president are abandoning their posts, and it’s now every man or woman for himself. Unless the bill dies, the result will reflect every bit of this chaos. (Andy Slavitt, 7/10)
Arizona Republic: Is Defending Obamacare Even A Real Message Anymore?
Democrats have to defend Obamacare because people will be hurt if the Republican repeal goes as planned. But they should not be distracted from the need to offer an uplifting vision of their own for America. (Linda Valdez, 7/7)
