Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Likely Chairman Of House Judiciary Committee To Probe Justice Department's Decision Not To Defend Health Law
Democrats will scrutinize the Trump administration's decision not to defend Obamacare in federal court, when Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year, a leading Democrat said on Monday. In June, the Department of Justice declared the healthcare law's individual mandate unconstitutional in federal court, which threatened to undermine insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions, and helped make healthcare a winning issue for Democrats in House elections on Nov. 6. (11/19)
Elsewhere on Capitol Hill聽鈥
Progressives in the House are calling for a vote on a single-payer 鈥淢edicare-for-all鈥 bill in the next Congress, but the expected chairmen who will set the agenda for next year say they have other health priorities. Still, the progressives鈥 push could earn more attention over the next two years as Democratic candidates begin vying to take on President Donald Trump in 2020. A handful of potential presidential candidates expected to declare interest have already co-sponsored 鈥淢edicare-for-all鈥 legislation, an issue that was also a flashpoint in Democratic primaries over the past year. (McIntire, 11/19)