Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walker's Health Plan Designed To Dismantle Obamacare, Give More Control To States
Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker's plan for replacing President Barack Obama's health care law would extend refundable tax credits to help pay for private health insurance based on age instead of income, restructure Medicaid and allow people to shop for insurance across state lines. The Wisconsin governor provided details of his proposal to The Associated Press in advance of a Tuesday speech in suburban Minneapolis where he was to outline his first major policy initiative of the presidential campaign. (8/18)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker plans to hit a favorite Republican target, "Obamacare," in an effort to excite many of the Republican primary voters who have ignored him in the five weeks since he entered the presidential primary. ... Walker plans to travel to Minnesota on Tuesday to give a detailed plan to repeal and replace President Obama's healthcare plan. He promises to limit government interference while still 鈥渆nsuring affordable coverage for those with preexisting conditions, and removing the fear that something as simple as changing jobs could result in loss of coverage.鈥 (Bierman, 8/17)
The Wisconsin governor and GOP presidential candidate says the plan wouldn鈥檛 add to the federal deficit and would completely repeal and dismantle the Obama administration鈥檚 health-care law. Mr. Walker says his plan would give more control to the states, overhaul Medicaid and do away with tax credits based on income. It would also toss out the law鈥檚 requirement that insurers offer plans that cover essential health benefits such as maternity care and mental-health services. (Epstein and Armour, 8/18)
Walker says he would replace Obamacare with a plan that would return authority to the states and provide sliding-scale tax credits directly to consumers who don鈥檛 get coverage at work to help them buy insurance. He would also expand the role of health savings accounts and allow consumers to buy insurance across state lines 鈥 standard Republican ideas. States would also be able to set up high-risk pools with federal funds to help consumers with pre-existing health problems purchase coverage. In a nod to Republican opposition to federal control over health care, Walker would also give states greater say over Medicaid, which he would break into separate plans for different groups, such as poor families, people with disabilities and low-income seniors. (Haberkorn and Cheney, 8/18)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will roll out his first big policy proposal Tuesday in Minnesota when he unveils his plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Walker says Obamacare's backwards approach has driven up health care costs and reduced access to medical care for too many people. (Donner, 8/18)
Meanwhile, what about "Kasich-care" -
[John Kasich] wants to ensure insurance coverage for people who have pre-existing conditions. He likes insurance exchanges. And he thinks everyone should have health insurance 鈥 even young, healthy people who need an incentive to sign up. Yet he says he鈥檇 push to repeal President Barack Obama鈥檚 health care law and replace it with something else 鈥 something better, he says 鈥 if his presidential campaign were to prove successful. ... Kasich鈥檚 ideas about health care illustrate the difficulty the Ohio governor may have distancing himself from a law that so many of his fellow Republicans detest. Because a lot of what the governor wants to do is already part of Obamacare. (Thompson, 8/17)