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A pair of stars from the MSNBC media firmament mocked former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear as the Democrats’ first responder to President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress. One of the Bluegrass state’s youngest Democratic Party officials is not amused. Neither is this senior citizen Democrat and lifelong Kentuckian. “Instead of listening to the content of his message, they focused on the superficial,” said Daniel Hurt, 23, a member of the state party’s executive committee. (Berry Craig, 3/3)

Why did the national Democratic response to President Trump’s first speech to Congress come from former Gov. Steve Beshear, speaking from the downtown Lexington Diner? Mainly because national Democratic leaders think their best issue right now is health care, and they see Kentucky as an example of why Trump and Congress need to keep much of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act. The state is a good example in some ways, but Republicans aren’t conceding any of the point. (Al Cross, 3/3)

If Republican politicians want credibility on health care they should dispense with the fabrications and exaggerations because Americans deserve decisions rooted in reality. In recent days, we’ve heard Gov. Matt Bevin claim that the Affordable Care Act has “resulted in a remarkable decline in health care coverage” and “fewer people able to actually even see a doctor.” What’s remarkable is how wrong he is. (3/3)

For much of Minnesota, particularly its rural reaches, nursing homes are more than just a care provider for aging or disabled loved ones. They’re also a critical part of the local economy, often serving as an area’s largest employer. The vital role long-term care facilities play in their communities ought to factor prominently as Minnesotans evaluate the intensifying efforts by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. A dramatic overhaul of Medicaid, the public health program for the poor, appears to be on the table. Regrettably, too many policymakers and supporters of the ACA’s repeal fail to realize how federal funding cuts could affect families and communities dependent on these critical care providers. (3/3)

President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have made it clear that repealing the Affordable Care Act will be one of their top priorities in 2017. Because Obamacare is such a complex piece of legislation that covers so many aspects of health care, especially for the people of Ohio, we must not rush a decision that could impact millions. The federal government's handling of hospital payments is just one aspect of health care legislation that has a great impact on the people of Ohio and is of importance to the Ohio State Grange. (Robert L. White, 3/3)

If congressional Republicans gut or freeze Ohio's Medicaid expansion, hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, including many who vote in Ohio's Republican-represented congressional districts, would lose health-care coverage, or never get any. And some hospitals might go broke. (Thomas Suddes, 3/4)

As Congress begins to consider health care reform, we urge our lawmakers to keep protections that are currently provided for people with disabilities. The Affordable Care Act includes important provisions that advance the health and economic security of people with disabilities — people who are part of our families, our neighborhoods, our communities. (Leah Rosenbaum, 3/3)