What’s In The Senate Health Plan? Medicaid Changes, Preexisting Conditions, Tax Cuts And More

The Washington Post: Senate Republicans Set To Release Health-Care Bill, But Divisions Remain
Senate Republicans on Thursday plan to release a health-care bill that would curtail federal Medicaid funding, repeal taxes on the wealthy and eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood as part of an effort to fulfill a years-long promise to undo Barack Obama’s signature health-care law. The bill is an attempt to strike a compromise between existing law and a bill passed by the House in May as Republicans struggle to advance their vision for the country’s health-care system even though they now control both chambers of Congress and the White House. The Senate proposal largely mirrors the House measure with significant differences, according to a discussion draft circulating Wednesday among aides and lobbyists. (Winfield Cunningham, Eilperin and Sullivan, 6/21)

The Associated Press: AP Sources: Senate GOP Health Bill Would Reshape Obama Law
After weeks of closed-door meetings that angered Democrats and some Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell planned to release the proposal Thursday. The package represents McConnell's attempt to quell criticism by party moderates and conservatives and win the support he needs in a vote he hopes to stage next week. In a departure from the version the House approved last month, which President Donald Trump privately called "mean," the Senate plan would drop the House's waivers allowing states to let insurers boost premiums on some people with pre-existing conditions. It would also largely retain the subsidies Obama provided to help millions buy insurance, which are pegged mostly to people's incomes and the premiums they pay. (Fram and Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/22)

The New York Times: Abortion Adds Obstacle As Republicans Plan To Unveil Health Bill
Abortion flared up Wednesday as the latest hot-button issue to complicate passage of a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which Senate Republican leaders hope to unveil on Thursday and pass next week. The repeal bill approved last month by the House would bar the use of federal tax credits to help purchase insurance plans that include coverage of abortion. But senators said that provision might have to be jettisoned from their version because of complicated Senate rules that Republicans are using to expedite passage of the bill and avoid a filibuster. (Pear and Kaplan, 6/21)

Los Angeles Times: Senate Set To Unveil Secretive Obamacare Repeal Bill, With A Vote Likely Next Week
McConnell hopes to call a vote on the measure next week, all but daring Republican holdouts to oppose it and prolong what has already been a painstaking process to advance their promise to do away with Obamacare. “It will not be the best possible bill; it will be the best bill possible,” Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas said as he headed into a closed-door meeting. “We’ve been in the backseat of Thelma and Louise’s convertible for quite a while, and we’re getting pretty close to the canyon. It’s time for us to get out of the damn car.” (Levey and Mascaro, 6/22)

Politico: Senate Republicans Set To Unveil Obamacare Repeal Bill
It won’t immediately be clear if Cornyn and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have the votes until sometime next week, after a Congressional Budget Office analysis illustrates how many fewer Americans are likely to be insured by the bill and answers the crucial political question of whether premiums would be reduced. Republicans are hoping for broader buy-in from the healthcare industry Thursday than the House bill received, some senators said. Republicans also said they expected the bulk of the caucus will endorse the bill immediately, with leadership allies expected to give the legislation a quick jolt of momentum. (Everett, Haberkorn and Cancryn, 6/22)

Politico: McConnell Tries To Split The Difference On Protections For Sickest Americans
Senate Republican leaders racing to finalize their health care bill want to preserve Obamacare’s central protections for people with pre-existing conditions to avoid the firestorm that nearly derailed the House’s repeal effort a few months ago. But Senate Leader Mitch McConnell can’t afford a conservative rebellion as he attempts to ram through an Obamacare repeal bill before the July 4th recess. (Cancryn, 6/21)

Bloomberg: Senate GOP Health Bill To Break With House Bill On Key Points 
As in the House bill, states could receive waivers of some of Obamacare’s consumer protections including provision of “essential health benefits.” However, unlike the House bill, they couldn’t waive them for people with pre-existing health conditions. On abortion, the Senate bill, like the House bill, would ban funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. However, the measure won’t include abortion restrictions on the tax credits used in the insurance exchanges after the Senate parliamentarian ruled against their inclusion. Senate leaders are trying to work out an alternative approach. (Litvan, Kapur, 6/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Republicans’ Support For Health Bill Wavers
The opposition is coming both from conservative Republican senators, who believe the proposal doesn’t repeal enough of the Affordable Care Act, as well as GOP centrists, who are balking at steep cuts to Medicaid that would leave more people uninsured. The situation is fluid and could change, but the political double bind leaves GOP leaders with little room to maneuver. Lawmakers on both ends of the GOP spectrum are also increasingly joining Democrats in criticizing the lack of transparency and rapid-fire timeline for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) plans to release draft legislation Thursday morning; many lawmakers said they hadn’t seen the bill’s text as of Wednesday afternoon. (Armour, Peterson and Radnofsky, 6/21)

Reuters: Most Americans Say Republican Healthcare Plan Will Be Harmful: Reuters/Ipsos Poll
When U.S. Senate Republicans unveil their plan to overhaul America's healthcare system, they will face a skeptical public that already does not buy the justification for an earlier version that passed the House of Representatives, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. The June 9-13 poll shows that a majority of the country thinks the American Health Care Act would be harmful for low-income Americans, people with pre-existing health conditions and Medicaid recipients. (Kahn, 6/21)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Says He Hopes Senate Healthcare Bill Has 'Heart'
As Senate Republicans prepare to unveil their version of an Obamacare alternative, President Trump expressed his hope for a final plan “with heart.” “I can’t guarantee anything, but I hope we’re going to surprise you with a really good plan,” Trump said at a campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday night. (Memoli, 6/21)