Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Will There Be Art To This Deal? Trump, House Leaders Make Last-Ditch Bids For Health Plan
With one day to go until the biggest vote of his brief presidency, [President Donald] Trump is using all the trappings of his office to try to clinch the needed 215 votes. It鈥檚 unclear whether it will be enough to save the legislation. But late Wednesday, the White House floated a major change to the bill in a bid to win over roughly three dozen House conservatives. It was over the same issue [Rep. Steve] King had raised in the White House meeting earlier in the day. (Bade, Bresnahan and Cheney, 3/22)
President Trump and GOP leaders are pulling out all the stops to win over House conservatives to their 颅ObamaCare replacement bill ahead of a crucial up-or-down vote scheduled for Thursday. At press time, it appeared that Trump still lacked the votes in the House, but late-breaking developments suggested a deal that could win over House Freedom Caucus members was possible. (Sullivan, Wong and Lillis, 3/22)
The Republican push to replace Obamacare 鈥 backed forcefully by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan 鈥 is in jeopardy, as a last-ditch bid by the White House to win conservative support late Wednesday appeared to repel moderates. Moderate Republicans huddled with Speaker Paul Ryan and House leaders for nearly two hours Wednesday night but emerged without consensus. Immediately after exiting the meeting, Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), leader of the House鈥檚 moderate Tuesday Group, panned the bill, known as the American Health Care Act. (Cheney, Bade and Bresnahan, 3/22)
Hard-line House Republicans considering voting against the House GOP health bill are bracing for payback from a president who claims his favorite biblical passage is "an eye for an eye." Many appear ready to risk it. (Lemire, 3/22)
If House Freedom Caucus members sink the GOP leadership鈥檚 health care bill Thursday, they should be stripped of plum committee assignments and denied access to campaign committee resources, Rep. Chris Collins told reporters Wednesday. 鈥淚f this goes down, they鈥檙e not on our team,鈥 the New York Republican said. (McPherson, 3/22)
A Republican member of the House is warning President Trump that his first term in office could be his last if the GOP's current healthcare measure becomes law. During an appearance on CNN Wednesday night, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said that the plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will only become less popular over time, further degrading its already tepid support. (Greenwood, 3/22)
