Alexander Optimistic About Health Deal Despite Trump’s Zig-Zagging And GOP Leaders’ Opposition
It was a roller coaster in Washington after Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) released their bipartisan plan to stabilize the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. There are some who are writing off the bill as dead, but Alexander still thinks it will pass in some form by the end of the year.
The New York Times:
Trump Pulls Back From Senate Deal To Fund Health Subsidies
President Trump on Wednesday backed away from his endorsement of a bipartisan Senate proposal to stabilize health insurance markets, throwing the legislative effort into doubt even as the chief architect of the deal predicted that it would become law before the end of the year. The latest actions by the White House confused Republicans on Capitol Hill and irked Democrats — but in the end, their effect was not clear. (Kaplan and Pear, 10/18)
The Associated Press:
Republican Says He’ll Push Health Deal, Trump Keeps Distance
The authors of a bipartisan plan to calm health insurance markets said Wednesday they’ll push the proposal forward, even as President Donald Trump’s stance ricocheted from supportive to disdainful to arm’s-length and the plan’s fate teetered. “If something can happen, that’s fine,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “But I won’t do anything to enrich the insurance companies because right now the insurance companies are being enriched. They’ve been enriched by Obamacare like nothing anybody has ever seen before.” (Fram, 10/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Signals Opposition To Bipartisan Health-Care Deal
Mr. Trump touched off confusion on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, tweeting he “can never support bailing out ins co’s who have made fortune w/O’Care,” echoing criticism from conservatives that the deal is a bailout for insurers, a characterization the sponsors dispute. ... Mr. Trump’s comments on Wednesday cheered conservatives, troubled some Republicans who support the bill and left many Democratic lawmakers frustrated. Some Capitol Hill aides said they thought Mr. Trump’s remarks might be a negotiating tactic to get more concessions from Democrats, and GOP lawmakers began looking at potential changes that might ultimately get the president’s backing. (Armour and Peterson, 10/18)
The Washington Post:
Trump Appears To Back Further Away From Bipartisan Health-Care Push
President Trump became the subject of an unusual public lobbying campaign over the fate of the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday as Senate Democrats and a key Republican sought to salvage a bipartisan health deal while conservatives pressured the president to disavow the agreement. ... The convoluted campaign, in which Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted that a deal remained in reach even as he blasted the president’s “zigging and zagging,” underscored the unpredictable nature of dealmaking in Trump’s Washington. With constantly shifting alliances, the city’s key political players are jockeying to win the president’s support one issue at a time. (Eilperin and Sullivan, 10/18)
The Hill:
Ryan Opposes ObamaCare Payments Deal
A spokesman for Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday indicated Ryan won’t support a bipartisan deal to stabilize the ObamaCare insurance markets as opposition to the proposal mounts. "The speaker does not see anything that changes his view that the Senate should keep its focus on repeal and replace of Obamacare,” Doug Andres wrote in an emailed statement. (Roubein, 10/18)
The New York Times Fact Check:
Calling Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments ‘A Bailout’ Is Misleading
Most people think of the term “bailout,” as a political pejorative, often involving hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars being funneled to failing companies. It’s now become one of President Trump’s oft-repeated rhetorical cudgels against the Affordable Care Act and federal payments to insurance companies. (Qiu, 10/18)
The Associated Press:
Are Insurers 'Enriched' By Obama Health Law, As Trump Says?
President Donald Trump says health insurers have been "enriched" by President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. So why are companies pulling back from the law's insurance marketplaces? (10/18)
The Washington Post Fact Check:
President Trump’s False Claim That Insurance Companies ‘Have Made A Fortune’ From Obamacare
President Trump has defended his decision to end cost-sharing reduction (CSR) subsidies — an element of the Affordable Care Act that helped lower the cost of deductibles and co-pays for people making less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level — by pointing to the gain in stock prices for health-insurance companies. (Kessler, 10/19)
The Associated Press:
Trump's Health Subsidy Shutdown Could Lead To Free Insurance
If President Donald Trump prevails in shutting down a major "Obamacare" health insurance subsidy, it would have the unintended consequence of making free basic coverage available to more people, and making upper-tier plans more affordable. The unexpected assessment comes from consultants, policy experts, and state officials trying to discern the potential fallout from a Washington health care debate that's becoming harder to follow. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/19)