Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With About Three Months Until Midterms, Democrats Press Hard On Health Care To Nab Swing Voters
The Washington Post: A Year After GOP Measure’s Demise, Democrats See Health Care As A Winning Issue
One year ago, with the flick of his thumb, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) foiled the Republican Party’s quest to undo the Affordable Care Act and fulfill a seven-year promise to remake the health-care system. Now, three months from the midterm elections, health care remains a gaping political vulnerability for the GOP. Although Republicans have been unable to produce an alternative to the law, they have succeed in undoing key provisions that critics say are leading to rising premiums for individual buyers of health insurance. (DeBonis and Goldstein, 7/25)
The Hill: Poll: Majority Says They Will Hold Trump Accountable For ObamaCare Failings
A majority of the public says they hold the Trump administration and Congress accountable for any problems with ObamaCare because they have made changes to the law, according to a poll released Wednesday. The Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll found that a majority of those surveyed — 58 percent — said they hold the administration and Republican members of Congress responsible for any problems with the ACA moving forward, since they have made a number of changes to the law. (Hellmann, 7/25)
Reuters: Insurer Anthem Profit Beats Estimates On Lower Patient Costs
Anthem Inc reported a better-than-expected profit on Wednesday, driven by higher premiums and lower patient medical costs even as fewer people enrolled in its insurance plans. Enrollment fell about 2.2 percent to 39.5 million members at the end of the quarter, hit by a decline in the number of people signing up for Medicaid as well as for its Obamacare plans. (Banerjee and Mathias, 7/25)
And some health law votes came out of Capitol Hill —
The Hill: House Votes To Delay ObamaCare Health Insurance Tax
The House on Wednesday passed a measure to delay ObamaCare’s health insurance tax for two years and expand Health Savings Accounts, part of a GOP effort to try to lower premiums. The bill, which passed 242-176, is part of a Republican effort to blunt Democratic attacks on the GOP for rising premiums – a key argument in the midterm elections this year. (Sullivan, 7/25)
CQ: House Passes Bills Targeting Health Savings Accounts
The votes come on the heels of Tuesday's House passage of a bill (HR 184) that would repeal the medical device tax and ahead of the House’s August recess, offering Republicans a health care message to point to when talking with constituents over the next few weeks. Republicans are touting the bills as a way to put Americans in greater control of their health spending as health care costs continue to rise. Health savings accounts, which are paired with high deductible health plans, allow people who maintain them to contribute pre-tax earnings to them each year and save for medical expenses. (McIntire, 7/25)
CQ: After House Win, Medical Device Industry Pushes For Senate Vote
Industry groups say they’ll continue their hard press to secure a Senate vote to repeal a tax on medical device manufacturers this year. The House voted, 283-132, on Tuesday to repeal the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers levied under the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152), but the Senate hasn’t indicated any plans to take up the legislation. (McIntire, 7/25)
