Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With No Votes To Spare, Two More Republican Defections Effectively Kill Senate Health Bill
The New York Times: Health Care Overhaul Collapses As Two Republican Senators Defect
Two more Republican senators declared on Monday night that they would oppose the Senate Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, killing, for now, a seven-year-old promise to overturn President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement. (Kaplan, 7/17)
The Washington Post: Two More Senate Republicans Oppose Health-Care Bill, Leaving It Without Enough Votes To Pass
They joined Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine), who also oppose it. With just 52 seats, Republicans can afford to lose only two votes to pass their proposed rewrite of the Affordable Care Act. All 46 Democrats and two independents are expected to vote against it. (Sullivan and Bernstein, 7/18)
Modern Healthcare: Senate ACA Replacement Bill Dies After More Senators Withdraw Support
Moran and Collins, another centrist, have expressed strong concerns about the bill's Medicaid cuts and coverage losses, while Paul and Lee have criticized the bill's failure to roll back more of the ACA's insurance regulations and coverage subsidies. (Meyer, 7/17)
The Hill: New GOP Health Bill Lacks The Votes To Pass
Highlighting the challenges faced by McConnell, Lee argued the measure is not conservative enough, tugging in the opposite direction from moderates. (Carney, 7/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Two More GOP Senators Oppose Health-Care Bill
“In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle-class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations,” Mr. Lee, one of the Senate’s most conservative Republicans, said in a statement Monday night. (Peterson and Armour, 7/17)
Bloomberg: McConnell Abandons Obamacare Replacement To Seek Straight Repeal
A repeal without a replacement is almost certain to get blocked in the Senate as well. The inability to deliver on seven years of GOP promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would be the biggest failure yet for Trump and Republicans since they won control of Congress and the White House. (Litvan and Dennis, 7/17)
Los Angeles Times: Two More Republican Senators Announce Opposition To Healthcare Bill, Dooming Latest GOP Plan
In a tweet Monday, President Trump voiced support for repeal only: “Republicans should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!” (Mascaro, 7/17)
KCUR: With Kansas Senator's Opposition, GOP Healthcare Bill Stopped
At town hall meetings over Congress’ July 4 break, Moran said he was concerned the bill wouldn’t lower overall consumer costs and wouldn’t provide adequate protection for those with pre-existing conditions. He also expressed concerns that deep cuts in Medicaid over the next decade could threaten the survival of already struggling rural hospitals and nursing homes. (Mclean, 7/18)
McClatchy: McConnell Gives Up On Repeal And Replace For GOP Health Care Bill
Republicans needed at least 50 votes — Vice President Mike Pence would break a tie — to pass their repeal and replace effort. But senators were divided on the bill, with some saying it didn’t do enough to roll back Obama’s signature legislation, and others arguing it was too harsh and would kick their constituents off their current plans. (Welsh, 7/17)
Kaiser Health News: Postcard From Capitol Hill: When Health Care Takes A Breather
As one senator’s health care emergency upended what was supposed to be an action-packed week for the Senate health care bill, Capitol Hill’s denizens began rebooking Monday. Like T.J. Petrizzo, a lobbyist whose clients include children’s hospitals and cancer centers. On Monday afternoon, he was sitting alone in a nearly deserted Senate cafeteria looking at his phone. (Bluth, 7/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Dollar Slumps After Senate Deals Blow To Trump’s Policy Agenda
The dollar’s doldrums are deepening. On Tuesday morning in Asia, investors dumped the U.S. currency after it emerged that Republican lawmakers were pulling the plug on a contentious health-care bill—the latest sign that President Donald Trump is having trouble implementing his policy agenda. (Vaishampayan, 7/18)
