Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump, Republican Candidates Seize On Obamacare Premium Increases As Campaign Issue
The New York Times: Donald Trump Says ‘Obamacare Is Just Blowing Up,’ Citing Rate Increases
Donald J. Trump, desperate for a winning political issue in the final two weeks of the presidential race, mounted a new offensive Tuesday, tying Hillary Clinton to sharp premium increases that will hit some Americans covered under the Affordable Care Act, the signature program of her closest ally, President Obama. “It’s over for Obamacare,” Mr. Trump declared on Monday night at a rally in Tampa, Fla. On Tuesday morning in Miami, he proclaimed that “this election is going to be about Obamacare.” And he said, “Obamacare is just blowing up” — a message his advisers said he would hammer at two rallies and in interviews through the day. (Healy and Goodnough, 10/25)
The Washington Post: Trump, Clinton Campaign Spar Over Obamacare
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used his South Florida golf course and its employees on Tuesday to attack price spikes for government health-care insurance premiums, saying that the program known as Obamacare is “blowing up.” Trump’s broadsides came at the start of a full day of campaigning in Florida, a state that he said he has to win to capture the White House. His campaign announced, meanwhile, that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, will pay a visit Wednesday to Utah, where polls show Trump is at risk of losing the once-reliable GOP state to Democrat Hillary Clinton or a little-known third-party challenger. (Sullivan, Gearan and O'Keefe, 10/25)
CNN: Republicans Go On Offense Over Obamacare
Obamacare's woes are back -- just two weeks before Election Day. The government said Monday that premiums for Obamacare's benchmark plan are set to rise an average of 22% next year. That sticker shock is emerging as a potent issue in the final stretch of the 2016 campaign, giving GOP nominee Donald Trump and Republicans running for Congress a unifying rallying cry. (Collinson, 10/25)
Fox News: Republicans Blast ObamaCare After Premium Hike Announcement
Trump’s running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence echoed his partner’s words, saying on Twitter “Higher premiums, less competition & fewer choices lie ahead for ObamaCare. Hillary Clinton wants more of the same.” Before taxpayer-provided subsidies, premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will increase an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by the federally run online market, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Some states will see much bigger jumps, others less. (10/25)
NPR: Trump Blasts Obamacare At His Miami Golf Course But Misstates Employees' Coverage
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump seized on rising health insurance premiums Tuesday as evidence that "Obamacare is just blowing up." But the general manager of a Trump golf course in Florida corrected his boss for suggesting that Trump's own employees would be personally affected. (Horsely, 10/25)
Politico: Trump Bobbles Attack On Obamacare
Speaking with Trump National Doral Miami resort employees behind him, the GOP nominee pledged to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, which he said has raised health care costs for those who buy insurance through exchanges created by the legislation. “And I can say all of my employees are having a tremendous problem with Obamacare. You folks, this is another group. Is that a correct statement?” he said, gesturing to the crowd. “You look at what they’re going through with their health care is horrible because of Obamacare. So we’ll repeal it and replace it. But this is about jobs. And we have thousands of employees in Florida.” Moments later, Trump appeared to contradict himself, stating that his employees don’t have to deal with Obamacare exchanges because his corporation provides them with health care coverage. (Nelson and Stokols, 10/25)
