Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Intra-Party Discord Continues To Threaten Republicans' Success
So much for President Donald Trump's charm offensive with conservatives. Conservative Hill leaders warned on Sunday that they won鈥檛 support the House GOP Obamacare alternative as it鈥檚 written, saying they鈥檒l let the bill fail if they don鈥檛 get concessions. (Bade, 3/12)
Conservative Republicans demanded tougher changes Friday in insurance requirements and Medicaid than the House GOP health care bill proposes and warned they鈥檇 oppose the legislation if it isn鈥檛 reshaped. The White House signaled an openness to negotiate, but there was resistance from House leaders. (Fram, 3/10)
Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump had won the White House, House Speaker Paul Ryan triumphantly proclaimed the start of a new era of Republican leadership that would 鈥渉it the ground running.鈥 Six weeks into Trump鈥檚 administration, Republicans are running 鈥 just in different directions. As congressional leaders move forward with efforts to undo former President Barack Obama鈥檚 health care law, conservative activists and GOP lawmakers are slamming the proposal as 鈥淥bamacare lite,鈥 鈥樷橭bamacare 2.0鈥 and 鈥淩INOcare鈥 鈥 RINO standing for Republicans In Name Only, a term of derision. (Lerer and Beaumont, 3/13)
The internal Republican battle over replacing the Affordable Care Act has become the GOP鈥檚 first chance to break the House Freedom Caucus, the bloc of more than two dozen conservative lawmakers who have frustrated leadership for two years. And President Trump is likely to play a leading role. (Weigel, DeBonis and Snell, 3/11)
Virginia Republican Rep. Tom Garrett (@Rep_Tom_Garrett) joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to discuss why he won't vote for the health care proposal that his party put out this week, unless some changes are made to the measure. Garrett says the issue is "too important to rush." (Hobson, 3/10)
Meanwhile, in the Senate聽鈥
If the Republicans' plan to dismantle most of Obamacare is approved later this month by the U.S. House of Representatives, where it cleared initial hurdles last week, it would go next to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain. At least nine Republican senators have expressed concerns about the plan, which is moving forward in the House without a clear assessment of its impact on the federal budget or how it would impact the level of health insurance among Americans. (3/13)
Sen. Dean Heller panned House Speaker Paul Ryan's bill to repeal and replace Obamacare during a closed meeting with constituents on Saturday, according to audio obtained by POLITICO. The remarks by Heller, the most vulnerable GOP senator on the ballot next year, are another sign of the difficult prospects the House bill faces in the other chamber. Already, more than a half-dozen senators have criticized the bill, and Republicans can afford to lose only two votes. (Everett, 3/12)
Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday that Republicans lack sufficient votes to even begin 鈥渞eal鈥 negotiations on House leaders鈥 Obamacare replacement plan. 鈥淲e are still in the pre-negotiation period,鈥 the Kentucky Republican told host John Dickerson on CBS鈥 鈥淔ace the Nation.鈥 (McCaskill, 3/12)
Arizona's congressional delegation highlights how the situation has聽lawmakers off balance as President Donald Trump's聽first high-stakes聽legislative battle takes shape. Not only must they consider that opposing the plan would put them at odds with the president 鈥斅燼nd his Twitter account 鈥斅燽ut also with significant interest groups and donors who fund their campaigns, as聽well as their leaders in Congress, who can yield significant influence over their career path on Capitol Hill. (Hansen and Nowicki, 3/12)
Duard Rutledge voted for Donald Trump and Rand Paul for the same reason: They鈥檙e not afraid of a fight. That鈥檚 why the 66-year-old retired Toyota worker wasn鈥檛 worried to see Kentucky鈥檚 junior senator getting in the way of the Republican plan to replace Obama鈥檚 health care law. 鈥淲hen you get two thoroughbreds, they are high strung,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut if you get them headed the right way they can both win the race.鈥 (Beam, 3/10)