Satisfied With Removing ‘Heart’ Of Health Law, McConnell Eschews Full Repeal For Stabilizing Marketplaces

The Associated Press: Senate GOP Leader Skeptical About Another Run At Health Law
The top Senate Republican is skeptical at best about revisiting the Senate's botched efforts to dismantle Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act despite one GOP lawmaker's insistence the health care law will be scrapped. In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pointed out that the GOP-controlled Senate was "unable to go forward with 52 Republican senators. Whether it's possible to go forward with 51 Republican senators is an open question." Republicans have lost a seat with the election of Alabama Democrat Doug Jones. (Taylor, 12/21)

Politico: McConnell: ‘We’ll Probably Move On’ From Obamacare Repeal In 2018
"Well, we obviously were unable to completely repeal and replace with a 52-48 Senate," McConnell said referring to the partisan split in the chamber. "We'll have to take a look at what that looks like with a 51-49 Senate [once Alabama Democratic Sen.-elect Doug Jones is seated]. But I think we'll probably move on to other issues. "McConnell’s comment drew a sharp rebuke from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is hoping to revive a bill next year repealing Obamacare in favor of block grants to states. (Lima and Haberkorn, 12/21)

The Hill: McConnell: Senate Probably Moving On From ObamaCare Repeal 
McConnell said the Senate would shift its focus next year to stabilizing the insurance markets. He noted the commitments he made to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to support passage of two bipartisan bills aimed at shoring up ObamaCare early next year. "There will be some adjustments that have to be made. I’ve committed to Sen. Collins, for example, that we can figure a way forward to help her. And she was a supporter of getting rid of the individual mandate, but we want to steady the insurance markets if we can," he said. (Sullivan, 12/21)

Roll Call: Senate GOP Leans Away From Obamacare Repeal, Toward Stabilization
Senate Republicans appear unlikely to attempt a complete overhaul of the 2010 health care law next year and instead have shifted their focus toward stabilizing the insurance markets. Members say the repeal of the penalty for not having insurance that was included in the GOP tax plan removes a crucial aspect of the law, rendering it largely unworkable. Now, they say a bipartisan fix will be necessary. And Republicans are focusing more on “reform” than “repeal,” at least in their rhetoric. (Williams, 12/21)

Politico Pro: Alexander And Murray Say They’ll Keep Talking; ACA Bill Could Expand
Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in separate interviews Thursday that they want to resume their talks on a bipartisan Obamacare package and that the legislation may expand. President Donald Trump called Alexander on Thursday morning to “reaffirm his interest in a bipartisan health care bill and [to] get it done in January,” the Tennessee Republican told POLITICO. (Haberkorn, 12/21)

Modern Healthcare: Calls For Obamacare Market Stabilization Intensify As Individual Mandate Penalty Is Axed 
With President Donald Trump poised to sign a tax bill that would effectively kill off the mandate requiring most Americans to buy health insurance coverage or pay a fine, calls for federal legislation to stabilize the individual insurance market are intensifying. But some experts doubt that federal help for 2018 is on the way, and wonder if states would be better off taking action on their own to prop up their markets. The House and Senate this week voted in favor of a $1.5 trillion tax proposal that included a provision zeroing out the individual mandate penalty. (Livingston, 12/21)

Roll Call: White House Reiterates Support For Bipartisan Health Measures
The White House on Thursday signaled it is aligned with Senate Republicans who are moving away from repealing and replacing the 2010 health law in favor of stabilizing insurance markets. A senior administration official on Thursday listed President Donald Trump’s goals for 2018. Absent was something on which Trump campaigned hard and continued to push after taking office: getting rid of Barack Obama’s health law and replacing it with a GOP-crafted plan. (Bennett, 12/21)

The Associated Press: AP-NORC Poll: Health Care Is The Issue That Won't Go Away
As President Donald Trump completes his first year in office, Americans are increasingly concerned about health care, and their faith that government can fix it has fallen. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 48 percent named health care as a top problem for the government to focus on in the next year, up 17 points in the last two years. (12/21)