Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Reaches Out To Dems On Health Care, But Schumer Makes Clear Repeal Is Off Table
The New York Times: Schumer Says He Rebuffed Another Offer From Trump On Health Care
President Trump reached out to the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, on Friday to propose yet another effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but Mr. Schumer later said he had quickly shot down the offer. Mr. Trump’s phone call, which he announced in a tweet on Saturday morning, was his latest overture to Democrats, after reaching a bipartisan spending deal and forging an unexpected, if tentative, alliance on immigration with Mr. Schumer and the House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi. (Landler, 10/7)
The Associated Press: Trump Reaches Out To Democrats In Bid For 'Great' Health Law
Trying to revive health care talks, President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had spoken to the Senate's Democratic leader to gauge whether the minority party was interested in helping pass "great" health legislation. The answer back: Democrats are willing to hear his ideas, but scrapping the Obama health law is a nonstarter. (Thomas, 10/7)
Bloomberg: Trump Confirms That He Called Schumer To Discuss Health Care
“I called Chuck Schumer yesterday to see if the Dems want to do a great HealthCare Bill,” the president wrote on Twitter Saturday morning. “ObamaCare is badly broken, big premiums. Who knows!" (Wallbank, 10/7)
Politico: Trump Vents To Wealthy Donors About Failure To Repeal Obamacare
Trump, appearing at the Greensboro home of Republican Party donor Louis DeJoy, did not pinpoint any lawmakers for criticism, as he has done previously with Arizona Sen. John McCain and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, both of whom have balked at getting behind the specific repeal efforts. Trump also chose not to attack Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, another past target of his frustration, the two attendees said. (Isenstadt, 10/8)
The Washington Post: Trump Says He Called Schumer To Broker Deal With Democrats For ‘A Great HealthCare Bill'
"The president wanted to make another run at repeal and replace and I told the president that's off the table," Schumer said in a statement. "If he wants to work together to improve the existing health care system, we Democrats are open to his suggestions. A good place to start might be the Alexander-Murray negotiations that would stabilize the system and lower costs." (Rucker, 10/7)
The Hill: Schumer: I Told Trump That ObamaCare Repeal Was 'Off The Table'
A Democratic aide told The Hill in an email Saturday, "Particularly after the birth control decision yesterday, the administration has to stop sabotaging the law before anything real can happen." (Byrnes, 10/7)
Politico: Democrats Accuse Trump Of ‘Sabotage’ On Obamacare Sign-Ups
Obamacare's first open enrollment season under the Trump administration is expected to be a flop — and even the law's most ardent supporters are worried there's little they can do to change that. With less than a month before sign-up begins, the federal government has gutted outreach and marketing, slashed funding to outside enrollment groups and left state officials in the dark on key details. (Demko and Cancryn, 10/6)
The Hill: Critics See Trump Sabotage On ObamaCare
The administration has cut funding for advertising and outreach by 90 percent, raising the odds that fewer people will join the health-care exchanges during the fall enrollment period. It has slashed funds by 41 percent for outside groups that help reach and enroll likely ObamaCare consumers. (Sullivan and Roubein, 10/7)
The Hill: GOP Senator: ObamaCare Repeal 'Alive And Well'
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Sunday pushed back on the thinking that the GOP's effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare collapsed. "Just ran out of time," Johnson said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I wouldn't say collapsed, I think it's still alive and well ... We need more time." Republicans have long been pushing to repeal and replace ObamaCare, but multiple efforts stalled in the Senate due to a lack of GOP support. (Savransky, 10/8)
