Trump, GOP Lawmakers Pump The Brakes On Replacement Amid Political Backlash

The New York Times: From ‘Repeal’ To ‘Repair’: Campaign Talk On Health Law Meets Reality
Asked at a confirmation hearing two weeks ago if he was working with President Trump on a secret plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, Representative Tom Price, Mr. Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, smiled broadly and answered: “It’s true that he said that, yes.” The committee room, filled with health care lobbyists, consumer advocates and others with a vital stake in the future of the health care law, erupted with knowing laughter at Mr. Price’s careful formulation. (Shear and Pear, 2/6)

KPBS: Trump, GOP Reverse Course On Speedy Obamacare Repeal 
President Trump and some Republicans in Congress are backing off on their pledge to immediately repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, soon. During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to get rid of Obamacare as soon as he took office. The president still calls the act a disaster, but now says Congress might not repeal it until next year. (Bowen, 2/7)

In other national health care news —

Politico: Trump Administration Weighs Obamacare Changes Sought By Insurers
The Trump administration is considering major changes to Obamacare that may help convince insurers to remain in the law's marketplaces while Congress drafts a replacement plan — but the proposals may also limit enrollment and increase costs for older Americans, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. The administration is looking to alter rules around insurers charging older customers more, how much cost they can shift onto customers, and who's allowed to sign up outside the standard enrollment window. They represent changes that the industry had previously asked the Obama administration to make. (Diamond, Haberkorn and Demko, 2/6)

McClatchy: Obamacare Repeal Would Kill Millions Of Jobs Nationwide 
It may not crash the economy, but repealing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act would certainly create job losses in every state. That’s the consensus of a growing body of studies that suggest the economic fallout from the health law’s partial demise would ripple through the entire economy, not just the health care sector. Josh Bivens, Director of Research at the Economic Policy Institute, estimates the proposed repeal would eliminate nearly 1.2 million jobs in 2019. (Pugh, 2/7)

The Hill: Study: Medicaid Block Grants Would Save Feds $150 Billion
A Republican proposal to fund Medicaid through block grants could save the federal government more than $100 billion over five years, according to a new analysis released Monday. The analysis from healthcare firm Avalere Health shows that if Medicaid were funded through block grants instead of through the open-ended commitment the program receives now, the federal government would save $150 billion by 2022. Similarly, shifting to per capita caps, in which states would receive a set amount of money per beneficiary, would save $110 billion over five years. (Hellmann, 2/6)

The New York Times: Trump’s Travel Ban, Aimed At Terrorists, Has Blocked Doctors
The Trump administration has mounted a vigorous defense of its ban on travel from seven majority-Muslim nations, saying it is necessary to prevent terrorists from entering the United States. But the ban, now blocked by a federal judge, also ensnared travelers important to the well-being of many Americans: doctors. (McNeil, 2/6)

Stat: 'I Was Needed': How An Iraqi Doctor Won Trust In Trump Country
Many foreign-born doctors work in rural communities because that lets them stay in the US after their medical residency instead of returning home for two years. [Dr. Chalak] Berzingi, though, had already earned his US citizenship when he chose to work here. He gave up the chance at a more lucrative private practice, accepted a grueling commute that takes him from his family — and has stuck with it for the past five years, logging more than 100,000 miles to get to the Elkins clinic three days a week. (Blau, 2/7)

Stateline: ACA Repeal Seen Thwarting State Addiction Efforts
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) offered states the ability for the first time to provide Medicaid coverage to adults without children, with the federal government paying most of the bill. That change, and the law’s mandate that all insurers cover addiction treatment at the same level as medical and surgical procedures, has allowed states to ensure that low-income people can get the care they need, said Linda Rosenberg, CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, which represents nonprofit addiction treatment organizations. Since 2014, an estimated 1.6 million uninsured people with addictions have gained Medicaid coverage in the 31 states plus the District of Columbia that opted to expand the federal-state health care program under the ACA. Not all of the newly insured have sought help for their addictions, but treatment providers are reporting a surge in new patients since the law took effect. (Vestal, 2/6)