Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The GOP Infighting Begins As Dream Of 'Repeal And Replace' Comes Closer To Reality
Politico: GOP Feuds Over How To Kill Obamacare
For some Republicans, obliteration of Obamacare can’t come soon enough. Others want a gradual phaseout, fearing both the political and practical consequences of throwing 20 million Americans off their health plans virtually overnight. And President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed to repeal and replace “the disastrous” Obamacare, sent mixed signals Friday about how he will proceed. (Haberkorn, 11/11)
The Hill: Republicans Face Divisions Over ObamaCare Repeal
Congressional Republicans face internal divisions over how far to go in repealing and replacing ObamaCare, one of their top political priorities of the past six years, without disrupting the lives of millions of Americans. Conservatives like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) and Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) are pushing for the law to be ripped out “root and branch,” something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has promised to do. One Senate Republican aide said the far-reaching repeal measure passed by the Senate in 2015 should be the “baseline” for unwinding the law. “I wouldn’t expect anything less than that, and of course people will be pushing for more,” the aide said. (Bolton, 11/13)
Reuters: Some Republicans See Attacking Obamacare Through Regulation
Congressional Republicans are looking for the quickest ways to tear down Obamacare following Donald Trump's election as U.S. president, including rapidly confirming a new health secretary who could recast regulations while waiting for lawmakers to pass sweeping repeal legislation. Trump's victory on Tuesday means Republicans will control the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. But congressional Democrats are expected to put up a huge fight against Republican efforts to repeal the 2010 law considered President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. (Cornwell, 11/12)
Modern Healthcare: Repeal And Replace Obamacare? It's Not Gonna Be Easy
President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republican leaders are promising to make repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act one of their highest priorities in the first 100 days after they take full control of the federal government in January.But both Republican and Democratic health policy experts say the road will be rocky and that it may take a lot longer and involve a lot more compromises than they think. They predict Republicans may seek Democratic support in crafting a replacement to avoid full responsibility for any problems that follow.Some predict bipartisan support is highly unlikely if Republicans pursue their goal of completely wiping out the ACA framework rather than making more modest fixes. (Meyer, 11/12)
Columbus Dispatch: GOP Faces Hurdles To Repeal, Replace Obamacare
John Davidson looked eagerly to January, when the health-insurance plan he bought on the federal marketplace would go into effect. The plan, made available through the 2010 health-care law known as Obamacare, cost less than the policy the Ohioan received through a small company where he is vice president of operations. The new plan included vision and dental coverage, something his family of six had gone without before. But with President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans vowing to repeal the 2010 law they love to hate, Davidson, 43, of Canton, said he's in limbo. (Holbrook, 11/14)
Detroit Free Press: Some Obamacare May Linger In A Trump World
The Affordable Care Act in its existing form has been a dead man walking since Donald Trump won the presidency last week, following months of campaigning to "repeal and replace" the insurance overhaul that always lacked Republican support. But health care experts say an immediate decapitation of the health care law, also known as Obamacare, is unlikely and impractical as tens of thousands of Michiganders (and many more nationwide) have already begun shopping on the Healthcare.gov marketplace for 2017 individual market coverage that will kick in Jan. 1 — three weeks before the Trump inauguration. (Reindl, 11/12)
Kaiser Health News: Republicans Likely To ‘Give Themselves Time’ To Set Health Law Replacement
Julie Rovner, of Kaiser Health News, joined NPR’s Scott Horsley and USA Today’s Alan Gomez on PBS NewsHour on Thursday to discuss the Trump administration’s priorities in the first 100 days, including dismantling the Affordable Care Act. (11/11)
USA Today/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Obamacare Is Doomed. Now What?
After surviving two challenges that reached the U.S. Supreme Court and more than six years of unrelenting controversy, the Affordable Care Act in its current form is doomed. Now the questions are how the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress will go about dismantling the law, how soon that may happen, and what would replace it. That’s where all this could get messy. (Boulton, 11/13)
The Hill: How Trump Could Start Dismantling ObamaCare On Day One
President-elect Donald Trump could not completely dismantle ObamaCare on his first day in office. But there is plenty he could do. Without any action by Congress, Trump on his first day in the Oval Office could immediately cancel “cost-sharing reductions,” the payments that help low-income ObamaCare enrollees afford their deductibles. House Republicans have sued the Obama administration over these payments, arguing they are being made unconstitutionally because Congress has not provided an appropriation for them. (Sullivan, 11/11)
Nashville Tennessean: Experts: Health Care Reform Should Spotlight Disease, Costs
The steepest challenges facing health care are not the reforms of the Affordable Care Act, but persistent demographic trends that have long unsettled the industry, said experts who worry the real problems will be overlooked in the clamor for a repeal-and-replace policy in the next federal administration. The U.S. is mired in health care challenges. It’s battling a rapidly aging population and rampant chronic disease amid a physician shortage and an expensive shift in technology. (Fletcher, 11/12)
Meanwhile, Congress has returned, but its lame duck session could look a lot different than predicted —
Politico Pro: Trump's Election Throws Wrench Into Lame-Duck Health Agenda
Congress returns this week with diminished expectations for action on major health care legislation following the GOP's electoral sweep. Political jockeying over Obamacare repeal could dominate the lawmakers' health care agenda during the lame-duck session, overshadowing efforts to overhaul the FDA drug approval process, reform the mental health care system and provide funding to battle the nation's opioid epidemic. (Cancryn, 11/13)
