Resigned To ‘Replace’: Some Dems Facing Tough Midterms Willing To Work With GOP
There are a number of Democratic senators up for reelection in 2018 in hostile territory who may be open to Republicans' ideas on fixing health care coverage. Meanwhile, a study has found that taxpayers will have to pay an extra $10 billion because of premium hikes.
Politico:
Democrats Open To Replacing Obamacare
Senate Democrats will never vote to repeal Obamacare. But once the deed is done, a surprising number of them say they’re open to helping Republicans replace it. “If it makes sense, I think there’ll be a lot of Democrats who would be for it,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). As Republicans aim to make good on their years-long vow to quash Obamacare and replace it with their own health care vision, they’ll have to do something Democrats were never able to: Bring members of the opposing party on board. (Everett and Haberkorn, 12/15)
The Associated Press:
Study: Premium Hikes Add $10B To Taxpayers' Health Law Tab
Taxpayers will fork over nearly $10 billion more next year to cover double-digit premium hikes for subsidized health insurance under President Barack Obama's law, according to a study being released Thursday. The analysis from the Center for Health and Economy comes as the Republican-led Congress is preparing to repeal "Obamacare" and replace it with a GOP alternative whose details have yet to be worked out. (12/15)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
Obama Bars States From Denying Federal Money To Planned Parenthood
Mindful of the clock ticking down to a Trump presidency, the Obama administration issued a final rule on Wednesday to bar states from withholding federal family-planning funds from Planned Parenthood affiliates and other health clinics that provide abortions. The measure takes effect two days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald J. Trump. The rule was proposed three months ago, when many Democrats assumed the next president would be Hillary Clinton; she presumably would have promoted the rule’s completion if it were still pending. (Calmes, 12/14)
The New York Times:
Go To The Wrong Hospital And You’re 3 Times More Likely To Die
Not all hospitals are created equal, and the differences in quality can be a matter of life or death. In the first comprehensive study comparing how well individual hospitals treated a variety of medical conditions, researchers found that patients at the worst American hospitals were three times more likely to die and 13 times more likely to have medical complications than if they visited one of the best hospitals. (Abelson, 12/14)