Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Mull Short-Term 'Rescue' Bill For Health Law To Stabilize Marketplace
The Associated Press: Senate Republicans Quietly Working On Health Overhaul Bill
Remember the Republican health care bill? Washington is fixated on President Donald Trump's firing of FBI chief James Comey and burgeoning investigations into possible connections between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. But in closed-door meetings, Senate Republicans are trying to write legislation dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law. (Fram, 5/22)
Politico: McConnell Steps Into Obamacare Firing Line
Mitch McConnell has sidestepped the Russia controversy that’s dogged Donald Trump all year and eluded the wrath rained down on Paul Ryan over the GOP’s Obamacare repeal effort. But the health care reform battle is now squarely in McConnell’s court: He will decide the contents of the Senate’s plan, most likely behind closed doors. And he is on the hook for getting something through a sharply divided Senate Republican Conference in the midst of an increasingly imperiled presidency. (Everett and Haberkorn, 5/21)
CQ Roll Call: MacArthur Confident Health Care Bill Will Survive New CBO Score
A lawmaker who helped shape the latest version of the House GOP’s health care bill expressed confidence Friday that the ambitious measure remains within the dictates of complex Senate budget rules. Republicans need to keep it within bounds so they can try to pass it over unified Democratic opposition... The Congressional Budget Office on Friday said it will post an estimate on the House health care bill (HR 1628) on Wednesday. GOP leaders added several amendments affecting insurance rules shortly before the vote to win over reluctant Republicans. (Young, 5/19)
The Hill: Ryan Downplays Possibility Of Re-Vote On ObamaCare Repeal
The House will probably not be forced to re-vote on the GOP's ObamaCare replacement bill despite a potential technical issue, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Friday...The House, despite passing the American Health Care Act two weeks ago, is waiting to send the legislation to the Senate until the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) produces its analysis of the bill. (Hellmann, 5/19)
Kaiser Health News: Republicans Race The Clock On Health Care — But The Calendar Is Not Helping
Back in January, Republicans boasted they would deliver a “repeal and replace” bill for the Affordable Care Act to President Donald Trump’s desk by the end of the month. In the interim, that bravado has faded as their efforts stalled and they found out how complicated undoing a major law can be. With summer just around the corner, and most of official Washington swept up in scandals surrounding Trump, the health overhaul delays are starting to back up the rest of the 2018 agenda. (Rovner, 5/22)
Roll Call: New Mail Campaign Highlights AHCA Impact On Older Voters
Older voters in two GOP districts are the targets of a new direct mail campaign highlighting higher costs for seniors under the GOP health care bill. The liberal advocacy group Save My Care is launching a direct mail campaign this weekend aimed at 30,000 voters between the ages of 50 and 64 in Arizona’s 2nd District, home to Rep. Martha McSally, and Nevada’s 2nd District, represented by Rep. Mark Amodei. (Bowman, 5/19)
And in the states —
Boston Globe: Baker Asks US Senate Not To Undermine Massachusetts’ Success
Republican Governor Charlie Baker is again warning that House GOP efforts to restructure the American health care system would hurt Massachusetts...The Baker administration opposed the House-passed health measure, which aims to repeal and replace president Barack Obama’s overhaul. (Miller, 5/19)
Denver Post: Effort To Repeal Obamacare Tests Colorado’s Cory Gardner
Three years after running on a pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado has a chance to do just that — having been named to a 13-member team of Senate Republicans tasked with dismantling the massive health care law. But Gardner isn’t approaching the assignment with the same kind of public gusto seen in lawmakers such as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has advocated for a strategy that would pull out all the stops to repeal Obamacare. Instead, Gardner has kept a lower profile — a reflection of both his policy goals and the political peril that comes with undoing President Barack Obama’s signature law. (Matthews, 5/22)
Nashville Tennessean: If Obamacare Is Repealed, Tennessee Faces A Big Decision
Two weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA). It is now in front of the Senate. If it ultimately becomes law, Tennessee will have a big decision to make as a state. The decision relates to how Tennessee wants to approach two insurance regulations that have garnered a lot of controversy ever since Obamacare was passed. The AHCA would give Tennessee the ability to “opt out” of them. Many predict that this option will be “front and center” in Tennessee and all 49 other states if it becomes a reality. (Tolbert, 5/21)
