For Republicans, Knowing The Plan They’ll Be Voting On Is A ‘Luxury We Don’t Have’
Confusion reigns supreme on Capitol Hill as leadership continues to push for a vote next week.
The New York Times:
Senate Leaders Press For Health Care Vote, But On Which Bill?
Senate Republicans ended a demoralizing week on Thursday with their leaders determined to press ahead with a vote to begin debating health care next week, but with little progress on securing the votes and no agreement even on which bill to take up. With President Trump urging them to move forward on their seven-year quest to erase the Affordable Care Act, Republican senators on Thursday still had not decided whether to revive a proposal to replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law with one of their own, or to simply repeal it and work on a replacement later. (Kaplan and Pear, 7/20)
The Associated Press:
GOP Leaders Plan Tuesday Health Vote, It's An Uphill Climb
Republican leaders pushed toward a Senate vote next Tuesday on resurrecting their nearly flat-lined health care bill. Their uphill drive was further complicated by the ailing GOP Sen. John McCain's potential absence and a dreary report envisioning that the number of uninsured Americans would soar. (7/20)
USA Today:
McCain Absence Won't Stop Senate From Voting On Health Care
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is still expected to hold a vote to proceed on some form of legislation to repeal Obamacare next week, despite the fact that Sen. John McCain likely won’t be back in Washington to cast his vote. The Arizona Republican senator's absence, in addition to the GOP members who have announced their opposition to the bill, makes it even harder for McConnell to round up the votes to pass a bill. (Collins, 7/20)
NPR:
With 4 Bills In Play To Repeal Obamacare In The Senate, Confusion Reigns
On Thursday, the Senate unleashed yet another iteration of its effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and with it came another analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. If your head is spinning, you've got plenty of company, us here at Shots included. Here are the key versions of repeal and/or replace legislation so far this year. (Grayson, 7/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
GOP Floats Proposal To Ease Medicaid Cuts
Senate Republicans, scrambling to win support for their health-care bill, pushed a measure Thursday that they said could ease the impact of the bill’s Medicaid cuts on low-income people. Advocating for the new direction is a little-known health official who is now at the center of the health-care fight: Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the two federal medical programs. (Radnofsky and Peterson, 7/20)
The Washington Post:
Cloud Of Confusion Hangs Over Health-Care Bill
Senate Republican leaders’ latest attempt to salvage support for a GOP health-care bill floundered Thursday as leaders struggled to explain to rank-and-file members what exactly they would be voting on next week. Senators left town for the weekend under a cloud of confusion after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reopened talks on a discarded plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act under heavy pressure from President Trump. The White House intervention sparked a flurry of meetings and activity, but the rush produced no new evidence that the bill can pass. (Snell and Goldstein, 7/20)
Reuters:
Senate Republicans Complain Of Chaos In Healthcare Effort
U.S. Senate Republicans, scolded by President Donald Trump for failing to overturn Obamacare, tried to salvage their seven-year effort for a new healthcare law on Thursday, but leading senators indicated frustration over shifting goal posts. Trump on Wednesday told the Senate's fractured Republican majority to revive a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare that collapsed on Monday after Republicans from both moderate and conservative factions pulled their support. (Cornwell and Becker, 7/20)