Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Republicans Are Quietly Working To Undermine Key Parts Of Obamacare
Congressional Republicans are pursuing changes to the Affordable Care Act that would mean 10.7 million fewer Americans using its insurance marketplaces and Medicaid, a huge reduction that some view as a way to accomplish part of the health-care coverage cancellation that failed in 2017. They鈥檙e not branding it a repeal of President Barack Obama鈥檚 signature health care law this time around, and this year鈥檚 effort wouldn鈥檛 erase its marketplaces or Medicaid expansion. (Winfield Cunningham, 6/2)
A new coalition called Keep Americans Covered is seeking to dial up pressure on lawmakers to continue the funding, launching a new ad in a seven-figure campaign. It features a woman named Jessica, a restaurant manager in Arizona whose daughter has a chronic illness. She says the ACA tax credits 鈥渉ave been particularly helpful for our family鈥 to help afford the coverage they need. 鈥淲e need Congress to take action now. It鈥檚 vital for us,鈥 she says in the ad. 鈥淲e need these health care tax credits passed today.鈥 (Kapur, 6/2)
On Medicaid 鈥
The White House plans to confront resistance to Medicaid cuts from Senate Republicans by arguing that any reductions in coverage would only affect people who didn鈥檛 deserve it in the first place. A strong bloc of Republicans in the Senate has signaled that they are uncomfortable with Medicaid reductions in the sweeping tax-and-spending bill enacted last month by the House. President Donald Trump鈥檚 advisers are determined to confront those concerns by claiming that cuts would chiefly target undocumented immigrants and able-bodied people who should not be on Medicaid. (Cancryn and Traylor, 6/2)
Democratic lawmakers are admonishing President Trump鈥檚 budget chief for claiming the GOP鈥檚 mega-bill will not cause anyone to lose Medicaid benefits, contradicting independent assessments that war billions could lose coverage if it becomes law. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought told CNN鈥檚 Dana Bash on Sunday鈥檚 episode of 鈥淪tate of the Union鈥 that聽concerns over the Trump administration鈥檚 domestic policy package are 鈥渞idiculous.鈥澛(O鈥機onnell-Domenech, 6/2)
Also 鈥
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is prioritizing the acceleration of technology under President Donald Trump, according to the agency鈥檚 new deputy administrator and chief of staff Stephanie Carlton.Carlton, a Trump appointee, spoke at the Association of Health Care Journalists鈥 annual conference last week in Los Angeles. She was previously acting administrator of the CMS. (Gliadkovskaya, 6/2)
The Healthy Opportunities Pilot, a Medicaid program that addressed the nonmedical health needs of low-income North Carolinians, will cease operations July 1, according to an announcement obtained by NC Health News. The first-in-the-nation effort that has drawn national attention and praise was launched in 2022 and has provided assistance to nearly 30,000 people across three largely rural regions of the state. Beneficiaries received deliveries of food, rides to doctor鈥檚 appointments and other services designed to combat the social, economic and geographic factors that keep people on Medicaid from getting and staying healthy. (Baxley, Hoban and Vitaglione, 6/3)