Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Praises Bipartisan Efforts, But Doesn't Offer Actual Guidance On Health Bill Stalled In Senate
Politico: Trump Tells Senate To Fix Taxes — Not Obamacare
President Donald Trump on Tuesday steered Senate Republicans toward tax reform and away from health care, pushing off any deal to fund controversial Obamacare subsidies to the end of the year at best. Trump joined Senate Republicans at their weekly policy lunch but gave no direction on what he wants to see in a health care bill. He praised Sen. Lamar Alexander's (R-Tenn.) work on a bipartisan deal meant to stabilize the Obamacare markets, but his emphasis on taxes led senators in the room to believe Trump doesn't want a stand-alone Obamacare vote anytime soon. (Haberkorn and Cancryn, 10/24)
The Hill: Trump Stops Short Of ObamaCare Deal Endorsement
President Trump expressed appreciation for work on a bipartisan ObamaCare deal in a meeting with GOP senators on Tuesday but did not endorse the bill, multiple lawmakers said."He just encouraged us to continue to work on it. He made it clear that he appreciated what Sen. [Lamar] Alexander [R-Tenn.] was doing," Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said. (Sullivan, 10/24)
Meanwhile —
Bloomberg: Trump’s Next Chance To Wreck Obamacare: Open Enrollment
The four-year-old Obamacare marketplaces will face their toughest year yet when the window to buy coverage opens on Nov. 1. Already, even before enrollment opens, President Donald Trump has halted payments to insurers that reimburse them for reducing out-of-pocket costs for low-income people. That means those who turn up seeking health coverage, despite the steep cuts to outreach and marketing and an an abbreviated enrollment period, will face even higher premiums. The combination is likely to depress the number of people who purchase health plans, although no one can predict by how much. (Tozzi, Tracer and Rausch, 10/25)
Politico Pro: Trump's Cutting 'Bailouts' Won't Slow Insurer Profits
President Donald Trump says he won’t support any Obamacare stabilization bill that "bails out" health insurers reaping record profits. ...In fact, the five big national insurers have lost so much money, they’ve mostly fled those markets and won’t even be eligible for the “bailout” cash, as the president refers to the monthly payments that help cover the health care costs of low-income consumers. (Demko, 10/24)
