Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
They Won An Early Victory -- Now GOP Faces Pressure To Deliver On Promises
The Associated Press: Early Win On Budget Pressures GOP To Deliver On Health Care
Republicans have won a gateway victory in Congress in their seven-year trek toward scuttling President Barack Obama's health care law. Now with Donald Trump a week from taking the presidential oath, achieving that goal is possible, but the pressure is on for them to deliver a final product. (1/14)
WBUR: GOP's Go-Slow 'Rescue Mission' Plan To Replace Obamacare
As their first major act of the new Congress, Republicans rushed approval of a budget resolution this week that sets up a framework for repealing Obamacare, but what exactly to replace it with is still a puzzle Republicans are piecing together. And it could take a while. (Davis, 1/14)
Modern Healthcare: Obamacare Repeal Heads To Committees
Congress has approved the first step toward dismantling the Affordable Care Act. By a near party-line 227-198 vote, the House approved a budget Friday that prevents Democrats from using a Senate filibuster to derail a blueprint that would repeal and replace President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. Nine Republicans joined all voting Democrats in opposing the budget. The Senate approved the measure Thursday. It does not need the president's signature. (1/13)
Wall Street Journal: Vice President-Elect Mike Pence Says Lawmakers Can Replace Health-Care Legislation By April
Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Sunday the incoming Trump administration would move to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with new health-care legislation by April. “The short answer is, yes, we can do it,” he said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “The president-elect made it very clear to leaders in the Congress this week that he wanted to do both at the same time.” (Timiraos, 1/15)
And in other news on Republicans' efforts to repeal the health law —
The Washington Post Fact Checker: GOP, Democrats Offer Dueling Talking Points About People Losing Their ‘Health Care’
Either tens of millions of people will lose their “health care” if Obamacare is repealed — or millions have already lost their health care. How is an intelligent voter supposed to understand this? Let’s explain what’s going on here. (Kessler, 1/17)
The Hill: GOP Makes Pitch For Replacing ObamaCare
Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) on Saturday pushed Republicans' case for repealing and replacing ObamaCare, while knocking Democrats' plan "to frighten Americans about this process." “How many of you have seen your health care costs increase? How many of those you know have lost their health care? In November, the American people said, ‘Enough.’ They asked us to stop the hurt," the lawmaker said in the weekly GOP address. (Vladimirov, 1/14)
Bloomberg: Senator Paul Drafting Health-Care Measure To Replace Obamacare
Republican Senator Rand Paul said he’s drafting legislation for a health-care insurance plan that could replace Obamacare, including a provision to “legalize” the sale of inexpensive insurance policies that provide abbreviated coverage. “That means getting rid of the Obamacare mandates on what you can buy,” Paul said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. Obamacare, which Republicans are moving to repeal, requires insurers to cover a number of procedures -- such as preventive care and pregnancy -- that Paul said drives up the cost. (Weiss, 1/15)
Minnesota Public Radio: QA: Rep. Paulsen On The Future Of The Affordable Care Act
The house voted along party lines this on Friday to approve the same senate budget blueprint that would allow the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act, despite concerns from some Republicans in Congress about the party's strategy to repeal the Affordable Care Act before actually having a replacement plan in place. Republican Representative Erik Paulsen, of the 3rd Congressional District, joined All Things Considered host Tom Crann to talk about the state of the Affordable Care Act, and and plans to replace it. (Crann, 1/16)
The Hill: Hispanic Dems Warn Latinos Will Be Hit Hard By ObamaCare Repeal
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) warn that repealing ObamaCare without an appropriate replacement would disproportionately hurt Latino families. "First and foremost we need to protect and defend healthcare for the American people," Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) told The Hill on Thursday. House Republicans on Friday passed a measure to begin dismantling the Affordable Cart Act (ACA) through a process known as budget reconciliation, which can bypass a Senate filibuster. (Bernal, 1/16)
Arizona Republic: Arizonans Face 'Obamacare' Angst As GOP Speeds Toward Repeal
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives this week passed budget resolutions as initial steps toward repealing President Barack Obama's signature health-care law that extended coverage to more than a half million Arizonans. President-elect Donald Trump has called on Republican leaders to adopt an ambitious timeline to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. But details of any such replacement plan have not been publicly revealed, making Arizona health consumers increasingly anxious about when and how their coverage may be affected by any "Obamacare" replacement. (Alltucker, 1/13)
