Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Republicans Walk Political Tightrope With Proposed Health Plan
The bill is a political gamble for House Republican leaders. The party and President Donald Trump ran for office on promises to repeal and replace the health law. Republicans have said their plan is aimed at decreasing costs and boosting choice for consumers. But to do so, their proposals would likely provide coverage for far fewer people than the ACA, according to a number of research reports. 鈥淲orking together, this unified Republican government will deliver relief and peace of mind to the millions of Americans suffering under Obamacare,鈥 said House Speaker Paul Ryan. (Armour, Peterson and Hackman, 3/6)
The political ramifications couldn't be more significant. Perceptions that Republicans and President Donald Trump are not moving ahead with a wholesale Obamacare repeal would anger large swaths of the party's base, while the possibility of millions of Americans losing coverage could emerge as a top liability for Republicans ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. (Lee, Walsh and Fox, 3/7)
[T]he bill faces opposition from many conservatives who say it does not go far enough in uprooting the current law. The bill also faces attack from some Senate Republicans who are concerned about any plan that eliminates existing Medicaid coverage. The critiques from both left and right underscore the difficulty the GOP leadership faces in pushing the bill, despite the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. (Levey and Mascaro, 3/6)
The nation鈥檚 passionate debate about the role of government in providing health care for citizens and paying the costs is unlikely to be settled by the legislation newly revealed by House Republicans. With Republicans now controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, the bill would drive government policy down routes long advocated by conservatives. The course correction would take at least two years to get rolling, and probably longer to show definitive results. If it falls short, it would give rise to a fresh set of health care grievances. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Fram, 3/7)
