Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Where The 2020 Hopefuls Stand On The Plethora Of Health Bills Circulating On Capitol Hill
The Hill: Democratic Proposals To Overhaul Health Care: A 2020 Primer
About 20 million Americans have gained coverage under ObamaCare since it was passed in 2010, but nearly 9 percent — 30 million people — still don’t have health insurance. All Democrats running for president say they want to provide universal health care coverage to Americans. But they have different ideas about how to get there. (Hellmann, 4/14)
Politico: Trump’s Health Care Blundering Soothes Democratic Infighting
House Democrats disagree sharply over where to take the nation’s health care system, but the infighting has eased — and for that they can thank President Donald Trump. The Trump administration’s renewed assault on Obamacare has quelled for the moment the simmering tensions over "Medicare for All" between Democrats’ vocal progressive wing and more moderate members and leaders. (Ollstein and Cancryn, 4/12)
The Washington Post: Resilient Health-Care Law More Popular Despite Trump’s Repeated Assaults
President Trump has begun a fresh assault on the Affordable Care Act, declaring his intent to come up with a new health-care plan and backing a state-led lawsuit to eliminate the entire law. But Trump and Republicans face a major problem: The 2010 law known as Obamacare has become more popular and enmeshed in the country’s health-care system over time. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid — including more than a dozen run by Republicans — and 25 million more Americans are insured, with millions more enjoying coverage that is more comprehensive because of the law. (Winfield Cunningham, 4/13)
Meanwhile, the industry reacts to all the turmoil —
Modern Healthcare: Health Insurer Stocks Stumble Amid Medicare For All, Drug Rebate Fears
Publicly traded health insurer stocks took a hit this week amid fears that Medicare for All momentum and the federal government's proposal to nix drug rebates to pharmacy benefit managers could threaten their business models or even their existence. The stock price of the largest publicly traded insurers were all trading down on Friday and for the week, with Anthem taking the biggest hit, falling almost 14%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 stock index was up. (Livingston, 4/12)
