Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Protesters Highlight Those Saved By ACA To Counter Political Rhetoric With Real Americans' Stories
USA Today: Senate Health Care Bill: Democrats Dial Up Opposition Over July 4 Break
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's decision to delay a vote on a GOP health care plan is giving Democrats a big opportunity to seize the July 4 recess to dial up the pressure to kill the bill. Several outside progressive groups are planning campaigns over the congressional recess to highlight the stories of real Americans who could lose health care – and targeting vulnerable and moderate Republican senators with paid media, phone calls and protests. (Przybyla, 6/28)
Politico: Both Sides Push For Edge In Health Care Fight
The Senate GOP’s Obamacare repeal effort may have stumbled, but activists on the right and left hustled into action on Wednesday to try to shape the rewrite on one side — or kill the bill outright, on the other. Liberals capped their third straight day of massive demonstrations against repeal by drawing a thousand-plus demonstrators to the Capitol, while gearing up to pressure moderate GOP lawmakers in their home states during next week’s recess. (Schor and Cancryn, 6/28)
Detroit Free Press: Protesters Urge Stabenow To Do More Against Trumpcare Bill
Eli Rubin and Gus Teschke want U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow to do more to stop Trumpcare from passing the Senate, saying it's the political hill that Stabenow and other Democratic senators need to be willing to die on. The two volunteers were among about 60 people protesting Wednesday morning on Fort Street in downtown Detroit. The members of the Ann Arbor Indivisible group brought signs and speakers to the rally to make their concerns heard. (Farrell, 6/28)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Protesters At Milwaukee Federal Courthouse Object To Medicaid Cuts
About 15 protesters gathered outside the Federal Courthouse Wednesday afternoon to voice opposition to Medicaid cuts contained in the health care bill under consideration by the U.S. Senate. One person, Pilgrim Tierney, was cited for disorderly conduct after refusing to leave the courthouse. (Oxenden, 6/28)
Denver Post: Protesters Spend Night At Cory Gardner’s Denver Office To Fight Health Care Bill
A handful of protesters were planning to spend a second night in U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner’s Denver office Wednesday, vowing to remain there until Gardner pledges to oppose the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Nine people, many of them disabled, spent the night Tuesday, saying in social media posts that they were locked into the downtown Denver building after being threatened with arrest. Their number grew to 12 by Wednesday morning. (Worthington, 6/28)
The Washington Post: As GOP Buckles Down On Health Care, Conservative Media Loses Interest
On Tuesday, the fate of the Republicans’ attempt to undo the Affordable Care Act dominated news out of Washington. Phones rattled with alerts about the decision to delay a vote until mid-July. Camera crews jostled for shots of senators meeting with President Trump, then boarding a bus that took them past jeering protesters. A viewer tuning into Fox News that night hardly saw any of it. (Weigel, 6/28)
