Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Promotes ACA 'Death Spiral,' But Increasing Fragility Of Marketplace Is Still His Problem
The Washington Post: White House Touts The ACA’s Demise Even As Insurers Seek Help In Stabilizing Its Marketplace
The event Wednesday on an airport tarmac in Cincinnati was just the latest opportunity for the White House to disparage and undercut a law it officially must carry out. Standing in front of Air Force One along with two small-business owners, President Trump recounted how they “have had their lives completely upended by the disaster known as Obamacare.” One saw her choice of doctors shrink while her premiums and out-of-pocket costs rose, he said. The other has curtailed new investments in his company to maintain employees’ health benefits. “The coverage is horrendous,” the president declared, ticking off insurers’ recent decisions to pull out of federal marketplaces in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere. “Obamacare is in a total death spiral. The problems will only get worse if Congress fails to act.” (Eilperin and Phillip, 6/7)
The Hill: Trump: ‘Democrats Are Really In Our Way’ On Healthcare
"We're having no help; it's only obstruction from the Democrats. The Democrats are destroying health care in this country,” Trump said. (Weixel, 6/7)
Cincinnati Enquirer: In Cincinnati, Trump Joins Obamacare 'Victims'
Trump cited skyrocketing insurance premiums, 86 percent in Ohio and 75 percent Kentucky. That statement is true – with key caveats. Premiums in the individual markets have risen, but most people get insurance from their employers, not the individual market. Those numbers also do not take into account tax credits low-income people get when they buy insurance on the exchange. (Sparling and Shesgreen, 6/7)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Calls Obamacare A ‘Horrendous’ Disaster
Mr. Trump’s comments came on the heels of lawmakers’ return to Washington Monday, and a White House visit with GOP congressional leaders on Tuesday in which the president said he was confident Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) could “get a bill across the finish line this summer” that would overturn much of the 2010 health law and enact Republican measures in its place. (Radnofsky, Armour and Peterson, 6/7)
Politico: Trump ‘All In’ On Senate Obamacare Repeal
President Donald Trump is increasingly invested in Senate passage of a bill to repeal Obamacare, realizing that a successful vote in the upper chamber will provide a major boost to his domestic agenda, say Republicans who have spent time with him recently. (Everett and Dawsey, 6/7)
The Associated Press Fact Check: Trump's Dodgy Data On Health Care, Stimulus
President Donald Trump sought Wednesday to give new life to a Republican health-care bill that's facing uncertain prospects in Congress, using a speech about infrastructure in Cincinnati to go after "Obamacare," too. He mangled some facts and repeated familiar exaggerations. A look at a few of them. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/7)
