Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rank-And-File Senators Kept In Dark As GOP Leaders Claim They Are Getting Close To A Bill
USA Today: Obamacare Repeal Drafted Quietly By Senate Republicans
Top Senate Republicans and their staff are plowing ahead with a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare in the hopes of getting legislation on the floor by mid-summer — even if their own GOP colleagues have no idea what the bill will contain. “It’s coming together and there’s a lot of feedback of (Congressional Budget Office) trying to get scores on different policy options ... but it’s coming,” South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, told reporters Monday evening. (Collins, 6/12)
Roll Call: Republican Senators Unaware Of Health Care Details
Several Republican senators have no knowledge of the specific policy proposals GOP leadership is weighing for inclusion in the pending legislation to overhaul the U.S. health care system. The lack of widespread knowledge among members about the exact policy under review calls into question whether Republicans will be able to advance a bill before the Fourth of July recess, the timeline that GOP aides say Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is operating under. (Williams, 7/12)
Politico: Senate GOP Reins In Expectations For Killing Obamacare
Senate Republicans are aggressively trying to rein in expectations for their Obamacare repeal effort, wary of blowing a deadline or falling short of 50 votes on a promise that has driven the GOP's political strategy for much of the past decade. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is still aiming for an Obamacare repeal vote in June, though his lieutenants acknowledge that deadline could slip into July. And while GOP leaders want to hold the vote as soon as possible, Republicans continue to avoid hard deadlines and say factors outside their control could strike. (Everett, 6/12)
CQ Roll Call: Republicans Signal Uncertainty About June Vote On Health Bill
Senior Senate Republicans on Monday signaled doubts about meeting their goal of voting on a major health care bill before the July Fourth recess. Republicans continue to debate among themselves how to make major revisions to Medicaid and insurance policies...Senators have already begun sending pieces of their legislation to the Congressional Budget Office, said John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Republican in that chamber. But several GOP senators said they want to analyze the legislation as a complete bill. (Young, 6/12)
The Hill: Senate GOP Considers Adding Opioid Funding To ObamaCare Repeal Bill
Senate Republicans are considering adding funding for opioid abuse treatment to their ObamaCare repeal bill, according to senators and aides. The move would be meant to ease concerns about the effect on opioid addiction treatment from rolling back ObamaCare’s expansion of Medicaid, which currently plays a major role in providing coverage for that treatment. But it's unclear how much funding would be included and whether that could meaningfully fill the gap. (Sullivan, 6/12)
The Hill: Insurer Exits Bolster GOP Case For ObamaCare Repeal
The departure of insurers from ObamaCare is emboldening Republicans, helping them make the case to the public and to each other that the time has come to repeal the law. In recent weeks, insurers in many states have grown skittish about offering ObamaCare plans in 2018, raising the possibility that large swaths of the country will be left without a coverage option on their exchanges next year. (Weixel, 6/13)
Meanwhile, the congressman-elect from Montana, who got in a scuffle with a reporter following a question about health care, is sentenced to anger management classes —
The Washington Post: Congressman-Elect Gianforte Gets Anger Management But No Jail Time For Assaulting Reporter
Congressman-elect Greg Gianforte will perform community service and anger management classes but serve no jail time for body-slamming a reporter on the eve of his election last month. Gianforte pleaded guilty to charges that he assaulted Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs at the politician’s campaign headquarters on May 24 — an incident that was witnessed by other journalists and captured on audiotape. (Mettler, 6/12)
