Senate Parliamentarian Tosses Another Roadblock Onto Already Bumpy Path To Health Vote
Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough says Republicans would need 60 votes to maintain abortion-related provisions in their legislation, in addition to others, because they don't relate to the budget. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is still pressing ahead with a vote this week.
The Associated Press:
Dems: Anti-Abortion Provisions In Health Bill In Jeopardy
The Senate parliamentarian added a new complication to Republican hopes for their floundering health care bill, ruling the GOP would need to win an all-but-impossible 60 votes to retain anti-abortion provisions in the measure, Democrats said late Friday. (Fram, 7/21)
The New York Times:
Senate Parliamentarian Challenges Key Provisions Of Health Bill
The provisions appear to violate Senate rules, the parliamentarian said, giving Democrats grounds to challenge them as the Senate prepares for a battle next week over the future of the Affordable Care Act. One provision questioned by the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, and cherished by conservatives would cut off federal funds for Planned Parenthood for one year. Another would prohibit use of federal subsidies to buy insurance that includes coverage for abortions. (Pear and Kaplan, 7/21)
The Washington Post:
Senate Rules Could Complicate Prospects For GOP Health Bill
While not a final ruling, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough’s assessment threatens to further anger conservatives such as Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who say the GOP health-care bill does not go far enough in repealing the Affordable Care Act. (Snell and Eilperin, 7/21)
The Washington Post:
Senate Republicans Plan To Plow Ahead With Health-Care Vote This Week
The Senate returns to Washington on Monday with its GOP leaders determined to vote this week on their years-long quest to demolish the Affordable Care Act, even though the goal remains mired in political and substantive uncertainties. Central questions include whether enough Senate Republicans will converge on any version of their leaders’ health-care plan and whether significant aspects of the legislation being considered can fit within arcane parliamentary rules. (Goldstein, 7/23)
The Associated Press:
GOP Health Bill Still A Mystery Before Planned Vote
The Senate will move forward with a key vote this week on a Republican health bill but it's not yet known whether the legislation will seek to replace President Barack Obama's health care law or simply repeal it. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Republican, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will make a decision soon on which bill to bring up for a vote, depending on ongoing discussions with GOP senators. (7/24)
Los Angeles Times:
'I Don't Even Know What We're Proceeding To Next Week.' Obamacare Vote Nears With Key Details Still Missing
The uncertainty so close to a major vote is feeding a growing sense of chaos on Capitol Hill, where GOP senators are openly fretting about the lack of information about legislation that could leave anywhere from 22 million to 32 million more Americans without health insurance. "I don’t even know what we’re proceeding to next week," said Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a centrist Republican who has called on her party’s leaders to take a more measured approach to fixing the current healthcare law. (Levey, 7/21)
The Associated Press:
More Reason For Rejecting GOP Health Bill Than Reviving It
There are many reasons why the Senate will probably reject Republicans' crowning bill razing much of former President Barack Obama's health care law. There are fewer why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell might revive it and avert a GOP humiliation. (Fram, 7/24)
The Associated Press:
Doctors' Group Tells Senate To Fix, Not Repeal 'Obamacare'
The nation's largest doctors' group urged senators on Friday to stop trying to repeal or replace Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act and instead begin a bipartisan effort to stabilize the insurance marketplace. The American Medical Association said proposed Republican bills — one to repeal and replace the 2010 health law, the other to repeal only — would cause too many people to lose coverage. (Johnson, 7/21)
USA Today:
Trump To Speak Monday On Health Care
President Trump on Monday will speak to the press at the White House about health care, minutes after meeting with what he calls “victims of Obamacare. ”The statement, announced late Sunday by the White House, comes nearly a week after Trump pressed Republican senators to agree to an alternative to the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, before taking an August recess. (Toppo, 7/23)
The Washington Post Fact Checker:
White House Video Misleads On CBO Health-Care Estimates
The venerable Congressional Budget Office is under attack. Established in 1975 by Congress to provide independent analyses of legislation, the nonpartisan agency is under fire for its estimates of the effect of Republican proposals to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. (Kessler, 7/24)