Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Time To Crank Up The Outrage': Galvanized Protesters Plan On Going Hard Against Bill During Recess
Under a blistering sun, protesters let out a cheer on Tuesday across Capitol lawns as word spread that the Senate Republican leader had delayed a vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act. But amid the celebration, Democrats urged the crowds to keep the heat on lawmakers whose opposition to the health care overhaul could grow cold over the coming Fourth of July recess. (Chilkoti and Cochrane, 6/27)
“We’ve got to fight even harder over the Fourth of July and every day until we bury this atrocious bill,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democrats’ 2018 Senate campaign efforts. “All of you: When your senators go back to their states, when they go to barbecues and parades, will you be there to tell them to kill this awful bill?” (Weigel, 6/27)
Senate Democrats are warning supporters that the fight to repeal and replace ObamaCare isn't over, even after Republicans delayed a vote on their bill until next month. "Over the next couple of weeks, we know that Leader [Mitch] McConnell will try to use a slush fund to buy off Republicans, cut back-room deals, to try and get this thing done," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Tuesday. (Carney, 6/27)
Americans broadly disapprove of the Senate GOP's health care bill, and they're unhappy with how Republicans are handling the efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. Just 17 percent of those surveyed say they approve of the Senate's health care plan, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. (Taylor, 6/28)
Overall, the Affordable Care Act helped 25,000 people in far Northern California buy plans through the state marketplace, Covered California. But the law helped three times as many people, 75,000, enroll in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program that provides free health coverage for low-income residents. (Dembosky, 6/28)
Nearly two dozen protesters gathered across the street from Ted Cruz's offices in downtown Houston Tuesday afternoon to pressure the junior senator from Texas on his coming vote on the Republican healthcare bill. Cruz is seen as one of a handful of GOP senators whose vote would be critical to the legislation's passage. The senator has said he is not prepared to vote on the bill and reportedly has been serving as a mediator to make the bill more palatable to conservatives. (Kadifa, 6/27)
