Trump Promises ‘Phenomenal Tax Reform,’ But Says He Wants ‘To Do Health Care First’
President Donald Trump is not giving up on getting a Republican health care plan through Congress.
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Says Health-Care Revamp Still Priority Ahead Of Tax Overhaul
President Donald Trump said he would keep pressing to enact a health-care overhaul even if it means delaying another one of his policy goals: revamping the tax code. Last month, House Republicans conceded they didn’t have enough votes to pass their health-care bill, despite an aggressive lobbying effort by the White House. Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans say they haven’t given up and are still working to assemble the votes needed to overturn major pieces of former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. (Nicholas and Rubin, 4/11)
The New York Times:
What Trump Can Do Without Congress To Dismantle Obamacare
House Republicans left for spring break last week, without reaching a deal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Their bill to overhaul the health care system collapsed on the House floor last month, amid divisions in the caucus. Even without Congress, however, President Trump has the authority to modify important provisions of the health law, including many that House Republicans sought to change or repeal. Here are some examples of actions he could take (or has already taken). (Park and Sanger-Katz, 4/12)
The Washington Post Fact Checker:
Now, Democrats Attack Republicans For Failing To Protect Obamacare
Seven vulnerable Republican lawmakers are being targeted with $1 million in television spots by a liberal group backed by labor and progressive interests. The ads generally focus on the lawmakers’ apparent support for the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the failed House bill that was designed to replace the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. The ad tries to capitalize on the interesting shift in public sentiment about Obamacare, suddenly more popular as it has come under legislative assault by the Trump administration. Let’s walk through the claims in the ad aimed at Issa. (Kessler, 4/12)
In other national health news —
The Associated Press:
Pennsylvania Congressman Seen As Likely Pick To Be Drug Czar
The next national drug czar is likely to be a congressman who was an early supporter of President Donald Trump, the head of the Pennsylvania Republican Party said Tuesday. Party chairman Val DiGiorgio said "any day now" he expects an announcement from the White House that four-term U.S. Rep. Tom Marino has been nominated to be the next director of national drug control policy. (4/11)
USA Today:
New VA Chief On Public Scrutiny: Bring It
The Department of Veterans Affairs has a new message on public scrutiny: Bring it on. President Trump’s pick to lead the agency, VA Secretary David Shulkin, is unveiling a new web site that will reveal for the first time exactly how care at every VA hospital and clinic across the country compares with nearby private-sector hospitals and national averages. The site set to go live Wednesday, accesstocare.va.gov, also shows if veterans are satisfied with wait times at each facility and how long they are actually waiting on average. (Slack, 4/12)
Stat:
Companies And Communities Face Diversity Gap In Clinical Trials
Faced with an urgent need to recruit more patients of color into clinical trials, researchers are trying a flurry of new ideas — including training black pastors in Chicago to serve as recruiters and sending a bus outfitted with exam rooms throughout rural Georgia. The outreach comes from medical schools, pharma companies, tech entrepreneurs, and even the federal government, which aims to recruit a million volunteers willing to share their genetic and health data with the Precision Medicine Initiative. (Blau, 4/11)