Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives On Health Law: Sanders' Plan Could Upend Democrats; New Lies About Obamacare
The New York Times: Why ‘Medicare For All’ Will Sink The Democrats
Repeal-and-replace may be done for now, but for Senator Bernie Sanders, the war is just beginning — and it has already become a fracas that is dividing the Democratic Party, to its detriment. Mr. Sanders — who, of course, isn’t even a registered Democrat — is banging on about what he calls “Medicare for All,” a government-run plan that would provide health care coverage for every American. But now the crusty Vermont independent wants to be a senatorial pied piper for Democrats. He has made his proposal into a kind of litmus test for who is a “good Democrat,” inveigling 16 of his colleagues — more than a third of Senate Democrats — into endorsing it. (Steven Rattner, 10/24)
The Hill: Trump's Cynical Sabotage Of ObamaCare
“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” For years, Republicans used that exaggerated pledge to thrash the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and President Obama for not keeping his promise. Politifact labeled it as “lie of the year” in 2013. Politifact will have a lot of lies to choose from this year, given the hurricane of falsehoods and broken promises on healthcare made by President Trump. Who can forget Trump’s oft-repeated promise that “We will repeal and replace ObamaCare, and we will do it very, very quickly”? (Juan Williams, 10/23)
USA Today: Half Of America Skimps To Pay For Health Care. The Only Fix Is To Cut Waste.
As Congress decides the fates of Americans who cannot afford health insurance, our new data shows that this is a larger group than previously thought. In a new survey of 9,200 people across 15 states by my organization, the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute, 49% of respondents said they must cut other expenses to pay for health care. And they aren’t cutting back on frivolities like expensive electronics. Most often, they said, they had to cut back on their savings, as well as spending on food and clothing, to pay for health care. (Arthur “Tim” Garson Jr., 10/23)
Lexington (Ky.) Herald: Kentucky Doctor Says Medicare-Style Plan Could Curb Costs, Empower Consumers
The Affordable Care Act is not the cause of rising health-care costs. If it were, simple repeal would fix the problem. The cause is the massive mergers of health-care providers creating an economic and political behemoth. ... In Kentucky, antitrust laws have apparently been largely overlooked. Now all of Northern Kentucky has a single hospital system, which also employs the majority of doctors. ... The answer to health-care reform is simple. We must lower health-care costs. Either instill true provider competition or give more power to the purchasers with a variation of a single-payer system. (Kevin Kavanagh, 10/20)
