Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Drive To Secure A Health Deal, Trump Reveals Lack Of Understanding On Nitty-Gritty Details
After two false starts on President Trump鈥檚 promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Trump administration officials ratcheted up pressure on the House on Monday to vote on a revised version of the Republican repeal bill this week, even as support may actually be eroding. The president complicated his pitch with a jumble of statements that indicated he did not fully understand the content of the measure he was pushing. (Pear, 5/1)
In interviews and Tweets, Trump has been notably off-topic and off-message about the state of affairs in Congress. His recent description of the health care bill suggested he was unfamiliar with how the bill addresses coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Congressional leaders and White House aides have struggled to agree on the level of optimism and timing for a vote. (Thomas and Werner, 5/1)
President Donald Trump said Monday the Republican health-care bill being negotiated in Congress ultimately will protect Americans with pre-existing conditions as well as Obamacare does. 鈥淚 want it to be good for sick people. It鈥檚 not in its final form right now," he said during an Oval Office interview Monday with Bloomberg News. "It will be every bit as good on pre-existing conditions as Obamacare." (Talev, Jacobs and Epstein, 5/1)
The White House delivered conflicting messages on Monday about whether there are enough votes among House Republicans to pass President Donald Trump鈥檚 long-promised overhaul of the 2010 health care law. Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters White House officials and GOP leaders are 鈥渃loser and closer鈥 to securing the votes needed to pass a measure (HR 1628) that would reconfigure the Obama administration鈥檚 signature domestic policy achievement. White House officials still "feel very good" about intraparty talks about getting the House GOP votes needed this week to pass a partial repeal and replace measure. There has been little evidence of major movement toward passage of the House GOP measure in recent days. 聽(Bennett, 5/1)
The congressional GOP鈥檚 protracted efforts to repeal Obamacare could exact a heavy toll on the rest of Donald Trump鈥檚 legislative agenda. If repeal in the House is successful, action on some of the president's top legislative priorities is expected to be pushed back to late this year or even next year, when lawmakers will be up for reelection and more reluctant to cast tough votes. The delay also threatens to sap whatever Republican momentum remains from the election, in the midst of what鈥檚 often the most prolific stretch of a new presidency. (Everett and Kim, 5/2)
Donald Trump broke the first campaign promise he made about Obamacare when he couldn鈥檛 scrap the law on the day he took office. He鈥檒l get another chance to make good on the pledge this week, if the House takes up a revised repeal-replace plan. But the version of the legislation he鈥檚 endorsing undermines other key promises candidate and President-elect Trump made about the cost and quality of health care in America 鈥 not to mention the way he said he鈥檇 bring about change. (Diamond, 5/1)
