Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ryan Says House Would Vote On Senate's Bill: 'I'll Take Federalism Over Obamacare Any Day'
Roll Call: Ryan Says House Would Vote on Graham-Cassidy If Senate Passes It
Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Monday that the House would bring up a health care measure sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy for a vote if it were to pass the Senate. “It would be our intention to bring the matter through,” Ryan said at a news conference from a Harley Davidson facility in Wisconsin, where he was promoting GOP plans to overhaul the tax code. ... House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows agreed that the Graham-Cassidy measure is the GOP’s last shot. (McPherson, 9/18)
The Hill: Ryan: Graham-Cassidy 'Best, Last Chance' To Repeal ObamaCare
“We hope the Senate does pass Graham-Cassidy. We’re encouraged by the development of Graham-Cassidy,” Ryan said at a town hall-style event at the Harley-Davidson facility in Menomonee Falls, Wis. “And I am encouraging every senator to vote for Graham-Cassidy, because it is our best, last chance to get repeal and replace done. “And I do believe it is a far greater improvement over the status quo,” the Speaker continued. “I’ll take [the] federalism of Graham-Cassidy over a collapsing ObamaCare system any day.” (Wong, 9/18)
Politico: Freedom Caucus Chief: House Would Pass Obamacare Repeal Plan
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows predicted Monday that the House would pass a last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare if it clears the Senate, with conservatives getting on board. The North Carolina Republican said in an interview that while it’s too early for his group to take a position on the 11th-hour Obamacare replacement bill authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), he is “very optimistic” about its prospects in the House. (Bade, 9/18)
The Washington Post: Would The House Pass Graham-Cassidy? It’s Not A Slam Dunk.
As Senate Republicans work feverishly to try to revive plans to replace parts of the Affordable Care Act ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline, it’s easy to forget: There’s another chamber in Congress, and it is not a potted plant. One might assume that the House, which already passed a GOP health-care bill in May, would simply rubber-stamp any Senate bill, high-five, and call it a day, but things are not quite so simple. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed the House 217-to-213, meaning two flipped decisions would have stopped the bill cold. (DeBonis, 9/18)
