Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Governors Crafting Medicaid Compromise With Promise Of Ensuring Flexibility And Coverage
A group of Republican governors is preparing a compromise plan for their peers in Congress who want to roll back Obamacare’s Medicaid benefits, asking them to preserve the law’s expansion of coverage to millions of poor people. The compromise proposal has been initiated by a group including Ohio Governor John Kasich and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and would hold on to parts of the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of the program. It’s meant to satisfy Republican goals of repealing Obamacare and giving more control of Medicaid to the states, while also maintaining coverage of people such as childless adults and those just above the poverty level. It would also open the door for states such as Wisconsin to broaden Medicaid eligibility. (Tracer and Edney, 3/2)
A week after his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, Ohio Gov. John Kasich continues to push for his own version of an Obamacare replacement. Thursday, the Republican governor spoke by telephone with Vice President Mike Pence, who was in the Cincinnati area to discuss health care with business leaders. Kasich repeated his concerns about maintaining coverage for low-income Ohioans added to Medicaid rolls with federal aid provided under the Affordable Care Act. (Rowland, 3/3)
Gov. Scott Walker Thursday will urge his fellow Republicans in Congress to overhaul Obamacare but also caution them about going too far in the process. On the invitation of U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville, Walker is meeting Thursday with the House Republican Conference to talk about how he dealt with massive labor demonstrations in 2011 and how they can deal with contentious town hall meetings over Obamacare. The Wisconsin governor is also meeting with other high-level Republicans in Congress. (Stein, 3/2)
Ten state governors seeking to avoid millions of dollars in federal healthcare cuts under Republican plans to replace Obamacare pressed their case in a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday, according to two people briefed on the talks. The governors are worried that repealing former President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare law without a detailed replacement will take coverage away from millions of Americans and land the states with a large financial hit. (Abutaleb and Cornwell, 3/2)
