Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Bill Dealt Tough Blow With CBO Score, But Leadership Eyes Side Deals As Possible Path Forward
The Wall Street Journal: Senate Health Bill Raises Uninsured By 22 Million In 2026 Compared With ACA, The CBO Says
[The] assessment threw into doubt whether the bill would make it past an initial procedural hurdle as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) is engaged in last-minute negotiations with more than a half-dozen GOP lawmakers wavering in their support of the bill. Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) said she would vote against the bill, citing the CBO report. (Armour, Peterson and Radnofsky, 6/26)
Los Angeles Times: Senate Healthcare Overhaul Hits Trouble As Republicans Hesitant To Proceed To Vote
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped to start procedural votes by Wednesday, and President Trump called key senators over the weekend as support splintered. It's the same political dynamic that stalled the House Republican bill last month, as conservative and centrist factions wrestle for dominance. Conservatives want a more complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which they hope will lower premium costs, while centrists are trying to avoid leaving millions of Americans without health coverage. (Mascaro, 6/26)
The Associated Press: Budget Office Sees 22 Million Fewer Covered With Senate Bill
The CBO analysis suggested some ammunition GOP leaders could use, saying the Senate bill would cut federal deficits by $202 billion more over the coming decade than the version the House approved in May. Senate leaders could use some of those additional savings to attract moderate votes by making Medicaid and other provisions more generous, though conservatives would rather use that money to reduce red ink. (6/27)
Politico: Republicans Eye Billions In Side Deals To Win Obamacare Repeal Votes
Republicans in the White House and in Congress were pleasantly surprised that the bill included more savings than they expected — and are trying to figure out if they can dole it out for votes. The Senate has about $188 billion to play with. (Dawsey and Everett, 6/26)
Politico: Senate Obamacare Repeal On Brink Of Defeat
The GOP is well short of the votes needed to bring its bill to the floor, and party leaders and President Donald Trump are kicking into overdrive to save their imperiled health care overhaul. (Everett and Haberkorn, 6/26)
Where individual senators stand —
The Associated Press: These Senators Will Make Or Break The GOP's Health Care Push
President Donald Trump's campaign promise to repeal and replace "Obamacare" is now in the hands of a key group of GOP senators who are opposing —or not yet supporting — legislation Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing to bring to a vote this week. These lawmakers range from moderate to conservative Republicans, and include senators who were just re-elected and a couple facing tough re-election fights. (6/27)
WBUR: Senators Brace For Vote On Health Care Bill
The week begins with a number of questions about the Senate health care bill, chiefly whether it has enough votes to pass this week, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants. (Hobson, 6/26)
Boston Globe: Susan Collins Of Maine Says She Will Vote ‘No’ On Senate Health Bill
When it comes to the Senate health care bill, count Susan Collins out. The Republican US senator from Maine had been on the fence about the GOP bill in recent days, saying she wanted to wait for a Congressional Budget Office evaluation before making her decision. (Reiss, 6/26)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Republicans Struggle To Move Forward On Senate Health Care Bill
Collins was joined by several other Republicans in publicly saying that without changes, they are not ready to begin debate this week. (Dupree, 6/26)
The Hill: New CBO Analysis Imperils GOP ObamaCare Repeal
Even before Collins made her feelings known, the CBO analysis was raising alarm bells for centrist Republicans. “It certainly makes me more concerned,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said of the analysis on CNN. “It makes me want to explore this more.” (Sullivan, 6/26)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Republican Sen. Ron Johnson Slams Senate GOP Obamacare Repeal Legislation
In a series of interviews and an op-ed Monday, Senate Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin bluntly laid out his objections to the GOP Senate health care bill and to his party’s hurried push to get it passed this week... The Wisconsin Republican slammed the bill drafted by GOP Senate leaders for retaining some Obamacare mandates, such as the rule requiring insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions — a rule Johnson blames for driving up premiums. (Gilbert, 6/26)
Tampa Bay Times: Rubio Remains Noncommital On Obamacare Replacement But A Likely Yes Vote
Sen. Marco Rubio has been bombarded with phone calls, emails and on Monday, protests took place outside his offices in Doral and Palm Beach Gardens. But while the effort is most unlikely to dissuade the Florida Republican from voting for the Obamacare replacement -- if it even comes up for a vote this week -- he remains noncommittal. (Leary, 6/27)
Houston Chronicle: For Cornyn, An Open And Shut Door On GOP Health Care Plan
Amid growing doubts about quick Senate passage of the GOP's revised health care "discussion draft," Texas Republican John Cornyn and other Senate leaders on Monday were digesting a new estimate showing that their plan would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million. Cornyn, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, issued a statement focusing on the part of the new Congressional Budget Office estimate that favors the GOP plan: It would save $321 million over the next decade, more than the version that passed the House last month. (Diaz, 6/26)
The Hill: Murkowski: I Don't Have Enough Information To Vote In Favor Of Healthcare Bill
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Monday evening that she does not have enough information yet to vote in favor of the upper chamber’s legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare. “Today I don’t have enough information, I don’t have enough data, in terms of the impact to my state, to be able to vote in the affirmative,” Murkowski, considered a key swing vote on the bill, told CNN’s Dana Bash. (Shelbourne, 6/26)
CQ Roll Call: GOP Senators Hesitant To Advance Health Bill To Floor
“If you’re on the fence, if you’re looking at this as a political vote, this CBO score didn’t help you,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “So I think it’s going to be harder to get to 50 — not easier.” (McIntire, 6/26)
