Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With GOP Bill Nearly Dead Senators' CNN Debate Became More Theory Than Practice
The Washington Post: With Lower Stakes, Sanders And Klobuchar Debate GOP Repeal Bill’s Sponsors On CNN
Halfway through CNN’s prime-time debate on the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) went in for the kill. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had taken his umpteenth swing at “bureaucrats,” telling viewers that “Bernie’s solution is more government, not less,” warning that the Vermont senator would pour millions of people into Medicare when the system could not handle them.“It is easy to beat up on big, bad federal government,” said Sanders. “Guys, do you know what the most popular health insurance program in America is? It’s not the private insurance industry. It is…” Graham decided not to dodge. “Medicare,” he said. “Medicare, yeah!” said Sanders. “Which is falling apart,” said Graham. (Weigel, 9/26)
The Hill: Sanders: America Must Guarantee Healthcare 'As A Right For All People'
In his opening remarks during tonight's CNN healthcare debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) blasted Senate Republicans' latest attempt to repeal and replace ObamaCare by highlighting major opposition to the bill. "Every major health association in this country, whether it is the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer's Society, every single major medical organization in this county think this proposal is a disaster," Sanders said. (9/25)
The Hill: Sanders, Klobuchar Debate Graham, Cassidy On ObamaCare, Repeal And Single-Payer
Sanders and Klobuchar ran through a series of familiar arguments against the GOP bill, including that it would risk protections for those with preexisting conditions. Sanders also defended his single-payer proposal, even as Graham and Cassidy warned of creeping socialism. (9/25)
The Star Tribune: Sen. Klobuchar Steers Health Care Debate To Middle Ground
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar had 90 minutes on the national stage Monday to make her best case for protecting the Affordable Care Act. ... The 90-minute format gave senators a chance to discuss a fraught policy issue and to hear from Americans battling rising premiums and medical bills, or terrified that a change in the law could deprive a sick child of future coverage. (Brooks, 9/26)
Politico: Graham And Cassidy Vow In Debate To Continue Obamacare Repeal Effort
With their Obamacare repeal bill on the brink of failure, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy squared off with Sens. Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar in a nationally televised debate Monday night and vowed to keep up their effort. “We’re going to press on,” Graham said of his and Cassidy’s repeal bill, which appears all but dead amid firm opposition from three Republican senators. “It’s OK to vote. It’s OK to fall short.” (Schor, 9/25)
