Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Traditionally Vocal Health Groups' Silence Over Plan Reflects Newly Splintered Industry
The Washington Post: Why Some Major Health Groups Are Unusually Quiet About The Senate Bill
Major health care industry groups have well-oiled war machines that they have regularly deployed to bolster — or torpedo — proposed policy in the past. But with the Senate health bill threatening to reshape a sector that makes up one-sixth of the American economy, many of the most powerful industry voices have been notably absent from the public debate. (Johnson, 6/27)
Bloomberg: Hospitals Attack GOP Health Bill In $1 Million New Ad Campaign
Powerful hospital and medical school lobbying groups are spending at least $1 million on television ads opposing Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. The ads ask viewers to consider whether they’ll be among the millions of Americans projected to lose their health coverage under the Senate proposal, Rick Pollack, chief executive officer of the American Hospital Association, said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. (Mattingly, 6/27)
The Associated Press: Major Veterans' Groups Voice Concern Over Senate Health Bill
Major veterans' organizations are voicing concerns about a Senate GOP bill to repeal the nation's health care law, fearing the impact of rising insurance costs and worried the underfunded Department of Veterans Affairs won't be able to fill the coverage gap. (Yen, 6/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Bill Jangles Nursing-Home Nerves
Nursing-home executives are intensifying their opposition to the Senate’s health-care overhaul, concerned that the proposed multibillion-dollar cuts to Medicaid would gravely wound the industry. Before Senate Republicans postponed a vote on the legislation Tuesday, a conference call organized by the American Health Care Association drew nearly 800 participants. They were asked to contact their senators and representatives to discuss the bill’s potential impact, and to involve employees and family members of residents in the lobbying effort. (Simon, 6/27)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: State Health Systems And Other Stakeholders Speak Out Against Health Care Bills
The bill passed by the House and the bill now before the Senate have prompted an array of organizations that try to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to take clear stands. ... The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated on Monday that the Senate bill would increase the number of people without health insurance by 22 million by 2026. (Boulton, 6/27)
Media outlets look at others' reactions to the Republicans' efforts as well —
CQ Roll Call: Chamber Of Commerce Pressures Senators To Support Health Bill
An influential supporter of Republican leaders’ efforts to pass a health care and tax repeal package on Tuesday urged reluctant GOP senators to debate the controversial measure. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced it might include lawmakers’ votes on a motion to proceed to the health bill in its annual scorecard on legislators’ performance. The lobbying push is part of a broad effort by the Trump administration and its allies to overcome Republicans' hesitation on voting on the bill. (Young, 6/27)
The Hill: Chamber Of Commerce Urges Repeal Of 'Cadillac Tax' On High-Cost Employer Health Plans
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged Senate Republicans to repeal ObamaCare's "Cadillac Tax" on high-cost employer insurance plans in its healthcare replacement bill. The tax isn't slated to go into effect until 2020, and the current Senate draft would further delay its implementation until 2026 to comply with the chamber's budget rules. (Hellmann, 6/27)
The Hill: Club For Growth Opposes Senate ObamaCare Repeal Bill
The Club for Growth announced its opposition on Tuesday to the Senate GOP’s ObamaCare repeal-and-replace legislation, arguing it would make the United States' healthcare system worse. The conservative group said the Senate bill would actually “restore” ObamaCare by creating new mandates and imposing taxes. (Hellmann, 6/27)
KCUR: Sebelius: Republican Health Care Plans Are ‘A Very Cruel War On The Poor’
In a post Tuesday on the Health Affairs blog, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius calls the Republican health care plans passed by the House and proposed by the Senate “a very cruel war on the poor.” The post, co-authored with Ron Pollack, founding executive director of consumer health group Families USA, states, “By far, no demographic group would be hurt more by these legislative proposals than low-income people. They are the bulls-eye!” (Margolies, 6/28)
