�鶹Ů��

The Republican plan to replace Obamacare has a health problem.On Wednesday, the U.S.’s biggest advocacy group for doctors came out against House Republicans’ legislation, while the insurance lobby expressed concerns with the bill, adding to growing opposition from the country’s top trade groups for physicians and hospitals who worry that it will leave more people uninsured or with limited coverage. In a letter to Congress, the American Medical Association said it “cannot support the AHCA as it is currently written,” referring to the American Health Care Act, as the Republican proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is named. The association calls itself the largest physician advocacy group in the country, and backed the nomination of Tom Price as President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary and point person on the health law. (Tracer and Edney, 3/8)

Major associations representing physicians, hospitals, insurers and seniors all leveled sharp attacks against the House GOP’s plan to rewrite the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, as some Republicans publicly questioned whether the measure can clear the House of Representatives. While industry groups warned that the proposal could leave vulnerable Americans with fewer protections than they now have, GOP leaders pressed ahead, bringing legislation before two key committees that are expected to approve the bills by week’s end. They were also working in concert with the White House to win over conservatives, who have complained that the proposal preserves too much of the current law. (DeBonis and Eilperin, 3/8)

House Republicans scored a pre-dawn triumph Thursday in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, but it masked deeper problems as hospitals, doctors and consumer groups mounted intensifying opposition to the GOP health care drive. After nearly 18 hours of debate and over two dozen party-line votes, Republicans pushed legislation through the Ways and Means Committee abolishing the tax penalty Obama's statute imposes on people who don't purchase insurance and reshaping how millions of Americans buy medical care. (Fram and Alonso-Zaldivar, 3/9)

Associations representing virtually every type of hospital wrote to members of Congress on Wednesday to voice their opposition to the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. "We are very concerned that the draft legislative proposal being considered by the House committees could lead to tremendous instability for those seeking affordable coverage," read the letter from seven hospital associations. (O'Donnell, 3/8)

Influential groups representing hospitals and nurses came out on Wednesday against a Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, joining doctors and the retirees’ lobby to warn that it would lead to a rise in the uninsured. ... House Republicans have been left scrambling to marshal support from businesses and other interests that stand to benefit from lower taxes if the bill passes. Insurers are on the fence, and other powerful forces like pharmaceutical companies remain largely on the sidelines. (Goodnough, Pear and Kaplan, 3/8)

Powerful industry groups are taking sides in the politically charged fight over repealing and replacing ObamaCare. Healthcare associations, including those representing doctors and hospitals, have largely come out in opposition to the legislation from House Republicans. Meanwhile, some of the nation’s largest business groups have expressed support for it. (Wilson, 3/8)

An extensive list of major health care organizations that are opposing a Republican overhaul measure were consulted as it was crafted, but the White House says those groups’ views were cast aside in favor of a “patients-centric bill.” From the American Medical Association to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, to the American Hospital Association to the AARP, a seemingly ever-growing list of influential groups that backed the Obama administration’s 2010 overhaul push are opposed this time around. But each are part of the Washington “swamp” of plugged-in policy influencers that President Donald Trump vowed to drain, which his White House made clear Wednesday. (Bennett, 2/9)

How would insurers fare under the GOP's proposal to replace Obamacare?It depends. A review of profit results for the six health insurers in the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index since the start of 2014 — the year the Affordable Care Act rule went into effect that mandated that people who can afford coverage must get it or pay a fine — shows mixed results. (Shell, 3/8)