Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Winners: Insurance Companies, Young People And The Rich
Stat: As Health Care Bill Heads To Senate, 7 Winners And Losers
It’s the first step toward fulfilling a promise Republican legislators have campaigned on for seven years. But even though the House voted Thursday to repeal major elements of the Affordable Care Act, the effort still faces a number of major political hurdles, not the least of which is that little is known about this legislation’s impacts. (Facher, 5/4)
Vox: 3 Winners And 3 Losers From The Republican Vote To Replace Obamacare
If the bill makes it through the Senate and becomes law, Republicans will have achieved a campaign promise they’ve been making for the past seven years. Millions of Americans will lose health insurance altogether, according to CBO estimates based on an earlier version of the bill. Taxes will drop for the wealthiest Americans. And for those still buying individual plans, the American health insurance system will prioritize the needs of young and healthy people more, and sicker people less. (Kliff, 5/4)
And the potential losers? —
The Wall Street Journal: GOP Health Bill Jeopardizes Out-Of-Pocket Caps In Employer Plans
Many people who obtain health insurance through their employers—about half of the country—could be at risk of losing protections that limit out-of-pocket costs for catastrophic illnesses, due to a little-noticed provision of the House Republican health-care bill, health-policy experts say. The provision, part of a last-minute amendment, lets states obtain waivers from certain Affordable Care Act insurance regulations. Insurers in states that obtain the waivers could be freed from a regulation mandating that they cover 10 particular types of health services, among them maternity care, prescription drugs, mental health treatment and hospitalization. (Armour and Hackman, 5/4)
The Washington Post: Planned Parenthood Defunded For One Year Under GOP Health Bill
In passing their health-care bill, Republicans have also taken a first step toward dramatically slashing federal dollars for Planned Parenthood clinics.The women’s health provider stands to lose roughly 30 percent of its revenue under a provision in the GOP health-care bill to block it from getting Medicaid reimbursements for one year unless its hundreds of clinics stop offering abortions. (Cunningham, 5/4)
The Hill: American Medical Association Condemns House Healthcare Bill Passage
The nation's largest doctors group on Thursday blasted the House's passage of a GOP measure repealing large parts of ObamaCare, warning that the bill could turn back the clock on protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. "The bill passed by the House today will result in millions of Americans losing access to quality, affordable health insurance and those with pre-existing health conditions face the possibility of going back to the time when insurers could charge them premiums that made access to coverage out of the question," American Medical Association President Andrew Gurman said in a statement. (Greenwood, 5/4)
NPR: Here's What's In The House Republican's Health Care Bill
Republicans approved their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act on Thursday.Here's a rundown of key provisions in the American Health Care Act and what would happen if the Senate approves them and the bill becomes law. (Kodjak, 5/4)
