Two Republican Senators Temper Expectations On Completely Scrapping Health Law
Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both active players in the health care debate, admitted that completely repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act doesn't look like it's going to be in the cards.
The Associated Press:
Iowa's GOP Senators Cast Doubt On Health Care Law Repeal
Lowering expectations, Iowa's two Republican senators say the long-promised repeal of "Obamacare" is unlikely, and any final agreement with the Republican-controlled House is uncertain. The comments Tuesday by Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst come as the Republican-controlled Senate moves forward on its work to dismantle the 2010 health care bill while facing conflicting demands within their own party and lockstep Democratic opposition. Both senators are active players in the health care debate. (5/31)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Wants Senate Rules Changed To Speed Up Health-Care, Tax Legislation
President Donald Trump called for a change to Senate rules to allow all bills to pass with a simple majority, elbowing aside Senate Republicans’ current legislative strategy on taxes and health care that already rests on obtaining such a majority. “The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. (Radnofsky, Rubin and Hughes, 5/30)
McClatchy:
Obamacare Repeal Legislation Could Bring "Junk Insurance" To Millions
If certain parts of the House Republican health care bill become law, states that opt out of Obamacare protections could see an explosion of “junk insurance” in their individual markets – which could leave millions of people with very little coverage. Such plans often can be dirt-cheap, but they offer so few benefits that the recent Congressional Budget Office score on the Republicans’ American Health Care Act said such coverage basically amounted to no coverage at all. (Pugh, 5/30)
USA Today:
Medicaid Chief Seema Verma Blames Obamacare's Collapse On Its Founders
When the Obamacare insurance exchanges collapse and leave some Americans stranded without health coverage, top Trump administration official Seema Verma says, blame the folks who created them in the first place. "Right now, if we look at it, this is all because of the Affordable Care Act," says Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "I mean, the individual market was working much better than it is now, so this is all the impact of the Affordable Care Act." (Page, 5/30)