Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
What Will The Replacement Look Like?
Los Angeles Times: Republicans Offer No Plan To Repeal Obamacare As More Party Members Express Concern
After demanding for six years that the Affordable Care Act be gutted, Republican leaders refused Wednesday to outline concrete steps to repeal and replace it, even as members of their party voiced growing reservations about rolling the law back without a viable alternative. Neither President-elect Donald Trump nor Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who met with House and Senate Republicans at the Capitol, offered lawmakers details about their repeal plan — a centerpiece of their winning campaign — short of vague promises that Trump would take executive action after he assumes office in just over two weeks. (Levey and Mascaro, 1/4)
The New York Times: Republicans’ 4-Step Plan To Repeal The Affordable Care Act
How they can uproot a law deeply embedded in the nation’s health care system without hurting some of the 20 million people who have gained coverage through it is not clear. Nor is it yet evident that millions of Americans with pre-existing medical conditions will be fully protected against disruptions in their health coverage. But a determined Republican president and Congress can gut the Affordable Care Act, and do it quickly: a step-by-step health care revolution in reverse that would undo many of the changes made since the law was signed by President Obama in March 2010. (Pear, 1/4)
The Wall Street Journal: How Republicans Might Replace Obamacare
Republicans are preparing to follow through on their vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. But it is far from clear what will replace it. Various Republicans have put forward a grab bag of policy ideas about what could take the place of President Barack Obama’s health law, but have yet to reach a consensus. It remains uncertain what happens to current health plans that people bought through the law’s insurance exchanges. (Armour, 1/4)
The Associated Press: Health Overhaul Revisited: The Impact Of Some GOP Ideas
Dozens of GOP-inspired ideas are being bandied about on Capitol Hill, and it could take months or years to fully understand the costs and benefits of complex changes lawmakers are considering. A GOP replacement may cover fewer people than the 2010 Affordable Care Act, or ACA. But Republicans are betting that their goal of "universal access" with fewer requirements will be more politically acceptable than the Democratic ideal of "universal coverage," with Washington in charge. A look at the potential impact of some of the ideas put forth by Republicans. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/4)
