The Los Angeles Times: Republicans Offer No Plan To Repeal Obamacare As More Party Members Express Concern
After demanding for six years that the Affordable Care Act be gutted, Republican leaders refused Wednesday to outline concrete steps to repeal and replace it, even as members of their party voiced growing reservations about rolling the law back without a viable alternative. (Levey and Mascaro, 1/4)

Politico: GOP Airs Obamacare Divisions In Pence Meeting
Republicans are fast-tracking the process of repealing Obamacare, aiming to get it done in several weeks. But they’re not even close to agreement about what comes next — or even when the repeal should take effect. Those disagreements spilled over Wednesday at a closed-door meeting with Vice President-elect Mike Pence that had been intended to unify the Senate GOP. Instead, multiple senators stood up to express concern that the party’s plans to repeal and replace the law could blow massive holes in the budget, according to a source familiar with the exchange. (Haberkorn and Everett, 1/4)

The New York Times: Senate Republicans Open Fight Over Obama Health Law
Congress opened for battle over the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday as Republicans pushed immediately forward to repeal the health care law and President Obama made a rare trip to Capitol Hill to defend it. The bitterness that has long marked the fight intensified as Republicans seized the opportunity to make good on a central campaign promise to get rid of the law, a pledge reinforced on Wednesday by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who met with House Republicans not far from where the president gathered with Democrats. (Kaplan and Thrush, 1/4)

The Associated Press: Obama, Pence Harden 'Obamacare' Battle Lines At Capitol
Outnumbered in the new Congress, Democrats didn't sound confident in stopping the Republicans cold but signaled they wouldn't make the GOP's job any easier. New Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that if the Republicans do scuttle the health care law, they will have to come up with a replacement plan before Democrats consider whether to help them revamp the system. That adds pressure on Republicans, who for years have battled among themselves over what a new law would look like, including how to finance its programs and whether to keep Obama's expansion of Medicaid for more lower-income people. (Fram, 1/4)

LA Daily News: California, LA County Fret Over What ‘Trumpcare’ Could Mean After Obamacare
With the Trump administration and lawmakers moving swiftly to do away with Obamacare, many in Los Angeles County are bracing for the ripple effects in a region that could be among the hardest hit. “Prior to the Affordable Care Act, Los Angeles was ground zero for the health care crisis,” said Anthony Wright, executive director for Health Access, a California-based consumer advocacy group. “To undo the success made would set us back even worse to before the Affordable Care Act.” (Abram, 1/4)

ABC7 San Francisco: California Could Face Some Serious Consequences If Affordable Care Act Repealed
Over 5 million Californians have insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act. If repealed, there could be serious consequences for the state. President-elect Donald Trump wants to keep a few provisions, like covering those with preexisting conditions and keeping children under 26 on their parents' policy. "Repeal and replace" is expected to have a significant impact because roughly 25 percent of Americans covered under the law live in this state. (1/5)

CBS Los Angeles: Health Care Expert: Enroll And Be Alert As Obamacare Battle Reignites
In Santa Monica on Wednesday, Barbara Lipscomb says she is convinced that her pre-existing medical condition, asthma, might cause her to lose her health insurance. “I’m very much worried. Will we be able to get coverage that is anywhere close to affordable?” Lipscomb asked. Lipscomb says she is especially concerned, given the events in Washington on Wednesday, with members of the incoming Trump administration promising immediate repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. (1/4)

Los Angeles Times: California Braces For A Trump Presidency By Tapping Former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder For Legal Counsel
Bracing for an adversarial relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, the California Legislature has selected former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to serve as outside counsel to advise on the state’s legal strategy against the incoming administration. ... [Legislators] have also indicated that fights are on the horizon over expanded healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act and policies to combat climate change, two issues that mark a major departure from Trump’s positions. (Mason, 1/4)

The New York Times: Trump Takes On Democrats And Health Law In New Twitter Blitz
President-elect Donald J. Trump lashed out at Democrats early Thursday over their efforts to preserve President Obama’s health care coverage law, insulting their top legislative leader and denouncing the measure as a “lie” as he called for a less expensive and more effective system. “The Democrats, lead by head clown Chuck Schumer, know how bad ObamaCare is and what a mess they are in,” Mr. Trump wrote in the first of three early morning posts on Twitter. (Davis, 1/5)

The Wall Street Journal: GOP’s Health-Law Attack Spurs Messaging Battle
The new Congress is moving swiftly to decide the fate of the ACA, and both sides appeared to be as mindful of the political stakes as of how any changes would affect consumers. While opponents of the law point to sharp premium increases on the ACA insurance exchanges, the latest government estimates indicate about 20 million previously uninsured people have obtained coverage under the law. (Nicholas, Peterson and Armour, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Democrats: Trump Will Make America Sick Again
Democrats can’t stop the Republicans from gutting the Affordable Care Act so they want to make sure Donald Trump and the GOP take the full blame for any blow-back of and when the health-care system comes apart. Their message: Trump wants to Make America Sick Again. (Snell, 1/4)

Bloomberg: Republicans Want To Kill Obamacare Without The Blame 
Republicans have a problem. They’ve vowed to repeal Obamacare, but they don’t want to take the blame when some of the 20 million people who get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act lose it. The GOP strategy is to argue that they aren’t actually killing Obamacare; all they’re doing is giving it a proper burial. (Coy and Kapur, 1/4)

As the political rhetoric heats up, news outlets provide some fact checking —

NPR: As Republicans And Democrats Argue Over Obamacare Repeal, Facts Are Stretched
Both sides are trying to position themselves as the protectors of Americans' health care, while branding the other party as a dangerous threat. As usual, the truth may be somewhere in between. Here we take a closer look at some of the claims being floated by both parties. (Horsley, 1/4)

The Associated Press: AP Fact Check: Trump’s Hit-And-Miss ‘Obamacare’ Tweet
Taking a swipe at “Obamacare” on Twitter, President-elect Donald Trump correctly identified two of its most pressing problems — a spike in premiums and high deductibles. But he failed to acknowledge the subsidies that soften the hit for many consumers, though not all. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: Obamacare Lite Deal May Look Increasingly Attractive To GOP 
Could President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans decide it's politically smarter to reach a deal with Democrats this year to modify the Affordable Care Act, rather than repealing it and trying to create a new system from scratch? It's possible, say both conservative and liberal health policy experts. There are plenty of areas where pragmatic Republicans and Democrats could reach agreement, such as tightening enrollment rules to reduce costs, giving insurers more leeway in setting premiums, and replacing the ACA's individual mandate with strong incentives for people to maintain continuous insurance coverage. (Meyer, 1/4)

The New York Times: Republicans’ 4-Step Plan To Repeal The Affordable Care Act
How they can uproot a law deeply embedded in the nation’s health care system without hurting some of the 20 million people who have gained coverage through it is not clear. Nor is it yet evident that millions of Americans with pre-existing medical conditions will be fully protected against disruptions in their health coverage. But a determined Republican president and Congress can gut the Affordable Care Act, and do it quickly: a step-by-step health care revolution in reverse that would undo many of the changes made since the law was signed by President Obama in March 2010. (Pear, 1/4)

The Associated Press: Health Overhaul Revisited: The Impact Of Some GOP Ideas
Dozens of GOP-inspired ideas are being bandied about on Capitol Hill, and it could take months or years to fully understand the costs and benefits of complex changes lawmakers are considering. A GOP replacement may cover fewer people than the 2010 Affordable Care Act, or ACA. But Republicans are betting that their goal of "universal access" with fewer requirements will be more politically acceptable than the Democratic ideal of "universal coverage," with Washington in charge. A look at the potential impact of some of the ideas put forth by Republicans. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: How Republicans Might Replace Obamacare
Republicans are preparing to follow through on their vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. But it is far from clear what will replace it. Various Republicans have put forward a grab bag of policy ideas about what could take the place of President Barack Obama’s health law, but have yet to reach a consensus. It remains uncertain what happens to current health plans that people bought through the law’s insurance exchanges. (Armour, 1/4)

The Hill: Study: ObamaCare Repeal Would Cost $350 Billion
Repealing ObamaCare would increase the budget deficit by $350 billion over 10 years, according to a new study. The analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) finds that repealing the law’s spending on providing coverage would save $1.55 trillion, but that would be canceled out by repealing $800 billion in tax increases and $1.1 trillion in Medicare and other cuts. The CRFB warned that Republicans should be trying to reduce the debt, not increase it, and that they also will need savings in order to pay for a replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). (Sullivan, 1/4)

The Fiscal Times: Obamacare Repeal Is A Fiscal Minefield For The GOP
Congressional Republicans have begun the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act, which will not only force them to come up with a plan to replace the program, but as an analysis released by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget demonstrates, to fill a hole in the federal budget of as much as $350 billion through 2027. (Garver, 1/4)

Bloomberg: Obamacare Sign-Ups Reach 8.8 Million As Repeal Efforts Start 
Obamacare sign-ups for 2017 coverage rose about 2.3 percent from the same time last year, as efforts to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care reform begin in Congress. About 8.8 million people enrolled in individual insurance plans through the HealthCare.gov website as of Dec. 31, compared with 8.6 million last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in an e-mailed statement. The figures are the first to include automatic re-enrollments, providing the most complete picture to date of participation. Sign-ups for Obamacare plans are a key measure of the program’s success, as Republicans in Congress have begun efforts to repeal at least parts of the 2010 health law. (Tracer, 1/4)

The Washington Post: House Panel Recommends Cutting Funding For Planned Parenthood, Reigniting Old Debate
A House panel formed by Republicans to investigate the procurement of human fetal tissue for medical research has recommended stripping federal funds from Planned Parenthood, heralding a new congressional assault on the nation’s largest provider of abortions and women’s health care. The GOP majority on the Select Investigative Panel included the recommendation in the 471-page final report, which was issued Tuesday on the dissolution of the panel. It was formed in 2015 after antiabortion activists recorded a series of undercover videos that they said documented abuses by abortion providers and intermediaries that provide fetal tissue to researchers. (DeBonis, 1/4)

The Associated Press: GOP House Panel: Halt Federal Money For Planned Parenthood 
A Republican-run House panel created to investigate Planned Parenthood and the world of fetal tissue research urged Congress on Wednesday to halt federal payments to the women’s health organization. Democrats said the GOP probe had unearthed no wrongdoing and wasted taxpayers’ money in an abusive investigation reminiscent of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy. (1/4)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Poway Sues Palomar Health For Unpaid Water Bills 
After six months of failed negotiations, the city of Poway has sued Palomar Health for up to $800,000 the healthcare district was mistakenly undercharged for city water used by Pomerado Hospital between 2008 and 2015. For seven years, due to a meter-reading error, the city charged Pomerado Hospital for just 10 percent of the actual water that was delivered to its Poway hospital campus. (Jones, 1/4)

The Desert Sun: Desert Regional Profits Could Support Larger Desert Healthcare District
Money coming from the hospital in Palm Springs could help pay for new health services throughout the Coachella Valley, and most notably in eastern communities, under one of several plans put forward to raise millions of additional dollars for local health care needs. The idea of having Tenet Healthcare Corp. — or whoever someday runs Desert Regional Medical Center — contribute funds for valleywide health services has come up amid ongoing plans by the Desert Healthcare District to more than double its reach and boost services in the under-served east. No decisions have been made and no details of a potential agreement have been worked out, but the option has strong support from state Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia of Coachella. (Newkirk, 1/4)

Central Valley Business Times: Doctors Praise State Program To Improve Central Valley Healthcare
Healthcare could be improved in the Central Valley and others parts of the state where the number of physicians is low under a three-year, $100 million allotment from California’s General Fund. The money targets the shortage and training of primary care physicians in the state’s medically underserved areas. (1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Spending More On Specialty Drugs Under Medicare
Federal spending on a Medicare program for people with high drug costs has ballooned over the past five years, largely due to the soaring costs of expensive specialty medications, a new government report has found. Federal payments for Medicare Part D catastrophic coverage, which pays 80% of drug costs after a beneficiary has spent a certain amount annually, surpassed $33 billion in 2015, more than triple the amount paid in 2010. (Hackman, 1/5)

In other Medicare news —

Bay Area News Group: Diagnosing Alzheimer’s: Medicare Now Pays Doctors To Stop And Assess Memory Loss
After years of pressure from patient advocate groups, starting this month, Medicare will reimburse doctors for the time it takes to test patients with cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, at any stage, and offer information about care planning. While that may seem odd to many who might assume that doctors — mostly primary care physicians — would already be doing this, that’s not always the case. (Seipel, 1/4)

USA Today: CDC Keeps Secret Its Mishaps With Deadly Germs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has faced congressional hearings and secret government sanctions over its sloppy lab safety practices, is keeping secret large swaths of information about dozens of recent incidents involving some of the world’s most dangerous bacteria and viruses. CDC scientists apparently lost a box of deadly and highly-regulated influenza specimens and experienced multiple potential exposures involving viruses and bacteria, according to heavily-redacted laboratory incident reports obtained by USA TODAY. (Young, 1/4)

The Associated Press: Volunteers Get Bit To Test New Strategy For Malaria Vaccine
Researchers infected lab mosquitoes with genetically weakened malaria parasites, and then recruited volunteers willing to be bitten — a lot — to test a possible new strategy for a vaccine. The idea: Vaccinate using living malaria parasites that are too weak to make people sick. It’s a huge challenge, and while Wednesday’s study is a small step, it illustrates the urgent quest for a powerful malaria vaccine. (Neergaard, 1/4)

In other public health news —

Kaiser Health News: A Peer Recovery Coach Walks The Frontlines Of The Opioid Epidemic
Charlie Oen’s battle with addiction started when he was 16 and his family moved to Lima, Ohio. It was the last stop in a string of moves his military family made — from Panama to North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas and Germany. “I went toward a bad group because those were the people that accepted me,” he says. Drugs became a substitute for real friendships. ... One year later, he started working as a peer recovery coach, using his own experiences to help other people stay in recovery. (Herald and Sable-Smtih, 1/5)