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Having stiff-armed political risk for quite a while, market participants now have to think a lot more about the issue in general -- and specifically, about how much the Trump administration’s legislative agenda will suffer on account of Republicans’ last-minute decision on Friday to pull their health-care bill from an imminent vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. Some may be inclined to predict other failures that would impact forthcoming economic bills, given the erosion of Republicans’ political capital and the Washington blame game that’s sure to play out. But the situation on the ground is a lot more complicated than that. (Mohamed A. El-Erian, 3/24)

Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in March 2010, President Obama repeatedly promised that the typical family’s health premiums would go down by (sometimes “up to” but frequently “on average”) $2,500. That decline did not occur because the ACA strengthened the control that insurance companies—as opposed to patients—have over health care spending. In fact, Americans’ increasing dependence on health insurance over the last seven decades has been a major contributor to exploding health costs. (John R. Graham, 3/27)

The House of Representatives last week postponed voting to gut Obamacare after new provisions weakening the essential benefits guarantee failed to win the support from right-wing Republicans, who are opposed to any form of subsidized health insurance. Suffice it to say that the last-minute maneuvering clarified how far the modern Republican Party is willing to go in undermining health insurance, and the healthcare system along with it. (Merrill Goozner, 3/25)

More states will pursue expansion of Medicaid health benefits for poor Americans under the Affordable Care Act after Republicans failed to repeal and replace the law. ... At least two states – Kansas and North Carolina – are already working toward becoming the 32nd and 33rd states to expand Medicaid under the ACA. (Bruce Japsen, 3/26)