Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Who Are The GOP Holdouts And What Do They Want?
Bloomberg: GOP Holdouts Are Blocking The Health Bill. Here’s What They Want
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is working to win over Republican holdouts on his health-care bill after facing a revolt from conservatives and moderates who weren’t ready to act this week. Some of the holdouts may be easier to persuade than others. A few announced their opposition to his draft bill only after he delayed a planned vote. But others are more dug in. Several conservatives say the bill doesn’t go nearly far enough in dismantling Obamacare. Moderates worry about the phaseout of the Medicaid expansion, as well as the Congressional Budget Office estimate that 22 million fewer Americans would have health care in a decade under the bill, H.R. 1628. (Litvan, 6/29)
The Hill: Healthcare Wish Lists: What Moderates, Conservatives Want
Senators from the two camps have vastly different ideas about what needs to be changed in the repeal-and-replace legislation, and it’s unclear what kind of compromise GOP leadership can present that would satisfy both sides. Conservatives want the bill to end as many ObamaCare regulations and taxes as possible, while the moderates want more federal spending on Medicaid. Lacking a clear path forward, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delayed a vote on the bill until after the July Fourth recess. (weixel, 6/28)
Bloomberg: Key Republicans Want To Scrap Health Bill’s Tax Cuts For Wealthy
Several Senate Republicans began to question Wednesday whether their health-care bill should repeal a tax on high-income Americans imposed by Obamacare when the legislation would scale back subsidies for the poor. Susan Collins of Maine and Mike Rounds of South Dakota both criticized the draft bill released by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for repealing a surtax on net investment income imposed under Obamacare. (Kapur and Dennis, 6/28)
The Hill: Top GOP Lawmaker Questions Tax Break For Wealthy In Healthcare Plan
A top GOP lawmaker is pressing leadership to rethink a tax break for high-income earners in the Senate health bill. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday bashed the bill's repeal of a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for high earners. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that repealing that tax could cost the federal government $172 billion over ten years. (Hellmann, 6/28)
CQ HealthBeat: Senate Negotiations Over Health Care Bill Continue
Senate GOP leaders seeking to recover from the cancellation this week of a vote on their health care bill are entertaining a range of requests from swing vote senators and opponents. Lawmakers spotted entering the office of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Wednesday included Dean Heller, R-Nev.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va.; and Bill Cassidy, R-La. The negotiations highlight the challenges McConnell and the Trump administration face after the setback with this legislation, which they hope to rewrite and send to the Congressional Budget Office as early as the end of this week. (Young and McIntire, 6/28)
Des Moines Register: Grassley Says He Won't Take Stance On Health-Reform Bill While It's A Work In Progress
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley wouldn’t say Wednesday how he would have voted on his party’s health-reform bill if it had come to a vote this week, as originally planned. “This bill is changing by the hour, and why would I talk about what I might do or might not do with a bill that’s changing?” the Iowa Republican told reporters in a conference call. Grassley added that it would be “very stupid of me” to say how he’d vote on a bill that isn’t done. (Leys, 6/28)
