Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
There Are Few Votes To Spare As Leadership Courts Both Sides Of GOP Party's Extremes
The Wall Street Journal: Senate Republicans’ Support For Health Bill Wavers
The opposition is coming both from conservative Republican senators, who believe the proposal doesn’t repeal enough of the Affordable Care Act, as well as GOP centrists, who are balking at steep cuts to Medicaid that would leave more people uninsured. The situation is fluid and could change, but the political double bind leaves GOP leaders with little room to maneuver. Lawmakers on both ends of the GOP spectrum are also increasingly joining Democrats in criticizing the lack of transparency and rapid-fire timeline for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) plans to release draft legislation Thursday morning; many lawmakers said they hadn’t seen the bill’s text as of Wednesday afternoon. (Armour, Peterson and Radnofsky, 6/21)
Politico: Senate Republicans Set To Unveil Obamacare Repeal Bill
It won’t immediately be clear if Cornyn and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have the votes until sometime next week, after a Congressional Budget Office analysis illustrates how many fewer Americans are likely to be insured by the bill and answers the crucial political question of whether premiums would be reduced. Republicans are hoping for broader buy-in from the healthcare industry Thursday than the House bill received, some senators said. Republicans also said they expected the bulk of the caucus will endorse the bill immediately, with leadership allies expected to give the legislation a quick jolt of momentum. (Everett, Haberkorn and Cancryn, 6/22)
CQ Roll Call: Senate Leaders Struggle To Gain Consensus On Health Bill
At least one Senate Republican is already expressing strong concerns about the direction that the chamber’s GOP leadership is heading with its health care bill. The plan so far appears to revise, and not undo, a major component of the Democrats’ 2010 health law, argues Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. “There’s a great danger, from the point of view of somebody that thought we were repealing Obamacare, that we’re going to actually be replacing Obamacare with Obamacare,” Paul told reporters on Wednesday. (Young, 6/21)
USA Today/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin's Ron Johnson Objects To Party's Push For Obamacare Repeal Vote By Next Week
Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson objected Wednesday to his party’s plan to push an Obamacare repeal plan through the U.S. Senate next week. "I have a hard time believing anybody will have enough time to have a true evaluation and get (public) input on this by next week,” Johnson said in an interview Wednesday. (Gilbert, 6/21)
The Hill: GOP Senator: I 'Can't Imagine' Voting Yes On Health Bill In A Week
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) on Wednesday cast doubt on whether he would vote for the Republican ObamaCare repeal bill next week, pointing to the short timeframe to review the bill. “What I’ve told leadership very clearly is I’m going to need time, and my constituents are going to need time to evaluate exactly how this is going to affect them, so I personally think that holding a vote on this next week would definitely be rushed,” Johnson said on CNN. “I can’t imagine, quite honestly, that I’d have the information to evaluate and justify a yes vote within just a week.” (Sullivan, 6/21)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Even Before GOP Health Care Bill Is Introduced, Battle Lines Clear In PA, NJ
Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, the region’s lone Republican, defended the GOP plan and its closed-door work crafting the bill. He said he expected the measure to include a version of his plan to scale back spending on Medicaid, the health program that provides coverage to millions of poor and disabled people. (Tamari, 6/21)
The Hill: GOP Senator On Healthcare Plan: 'If I Don’t Get To Read It, I Don’t Vote For It'
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on Wednesday that he wouldn't vote for a healthcare bill if he wasn't first able to read and study it. During an interview on MSNBC, Cassidy was asked whether he thinks he'll get the chance to see the GOP healthcare plan and decide whether it is satisfactory before a vote. "If I don't get to read it, I don't vote for it," he said. (Savransky, 6/21)
The Hill: McConnell Courts GOP Centrists For Health Bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday was focused on winning the support of GOP centrists for an ObamaCare repeal-and-replace bill that his members are expected to see on Thursday. McConnell can only afford two defections, and votes from conservative Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) were in serious doubt as GOP leaders sought to appease moderate Republican demands. (Bolton, 6/21)
