Daily on Healthcare: Republicans steamroll Trump on Obamacare

REPUBLICANS STEAMROLL TRUMP ON OBAMACARE: Republicans in Congress declared victory Tuesday after steamrolling President Trump on healthcare and forcing the White House to punt plans to repeal and replace Obamacare into 2021, after the 2020 elections, reports the Washington Examiner’s David Drucker.

Republicans’ relief over avoiding Obamacare politics could be short lived. The Affordable Care Act is guaranteed to become a top election-year issue on the heels of a midterm campaign that saw Republicans lose their House majority in spectacular fashion partly because voters rejected their drive to repeal former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law. Republicans now are sidestepping repeal and talking about aspects of Obamacare they support.

Coverage protections for patients with pre-existing conditions, prohibitions on lifetime caps on insurance payouts, and the expansion of the Medicaid healthcare program for the poor are just a few of the benefits that have become quite popular and transformed public opinion of Obamacare. “Those are things nobody should be questioning and I certainly would always fight to protect,” Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., told the Washington Examiner.

Sen. John Cornyn, up for re-election next year, doesn’t want to run on repealing and replacing Obamacare either. The Texas Republican emphasized that his campaign would pitch proposals to reduce healthcare costs using mechanisms built into the Affordable Care Act.

“I’m going to run my own campaign and have my own set of priorities,” Cornyn said.

At first, Republicans said they would not address the issue without a detailed plan from the White House. Then, on Monday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., informed Trump during a telephone conversation that Republicans in his chamber would not consider comprehensive, repeal-and-replace healthcare legislation during this session of Congress, regardless of any blueprint submitted by the West Wing.

“I made it clear to him we were not going to be doing that in the Senate,” McConnell told reporters. “He later did say, as he tweeted, that he accepted that and that he would developing a plan that he would take to the American people during the 2020 campaign.”

A couple of hours after McConnell and Trump spoke, the president posted a short Twitter thread announcing that he was dropping plans to pursue and Obamacare repeal bill this year, although the court case is still lingering and might force the issue sooner than Election Day.

“Vote will be taken right after the Election when Republicans hold the Senate and win back the House,” Trump tweeted.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a staunch Trump ally, argued that the president didn’t back down in the face of GOP opposition to his healthcare plans. He blamed the change in power in the House, although Republicans failed to replace Obamacare during the previous two years when they ran both chambers of Congress.

“I think it’s acknowledging the fact that there’s Democrats that control the House and any particular healthcare solution that would be supported by the GOP conference is not going to make it through this House,” Meadows said.

Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at [email protected]. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.

SINEMA, CASSIDY TEAM UP FOR FIRST BIPARTISAN PAID LEAVE IDEA: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is set to be the first Democrat to work alongside Republicans on a paid parental leave idea, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Wednesday.

“It is the first bill that is bipartisan,” Cassidy said at an event about paid family leave at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

As with several other plans Republicans have rolled out in recent weeks, the idea is expected to center on allowing new parents to take Social Security early to pay for leave, in exchange for delaying retirement later, but that’s not certain yet.

DEMOCRATS MOVE FORWARD ON ACA RESOLUTION: House Democrats voted on Tuesday to advance the rules for a resolution condemning the Trump administration’s lawsuit to undo Obamacare, and on Wednesday they’re set to vote on the resolution’s passage.

What Republicans are saying: During House floor debate on Tuesday, Republicans slammed Democrats for a move they said was merely symbolic and didn’t help people on the individual market. Walden called the resolution a “taxpayer funded equivalent of a press release.”

But that’s not the only move Democrats are taking: The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday morning are marking up six bills meant to help stabilize Obamacare, and another six to address high drug prices. The Obamacare bills would fund $10 billion in reinsurance a year to help keep premiums down, would give states $200 million to build their own exchanges, and would roll back the Trump administration’s short-term plans, among other measures. Tune in.

Republicans won’t be supporting the ACA bills: Walden, who is the top Repubilcan on the committee, said that the Obamacare stabilization bills, unlike the drug pricing bills, were not bipartisan. The party is offering a series of amendments on Wednesday that Walden’s office said would “seek to lower costs for patients facing rising premiums and deductibles and expand options for consumers shopping for more affordable coverage.”

“Despite spending hundreds of millions, and in some cases billions, of dollars, none of the bills make structural changes to improve access or delivery to care, and none of the bills are paid for,” Walden said in opening remarks. The bill is not expected to be taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Over in the Senate: All Democrats on Tuesday signed on to support a resolution that would reverse the Department of Justice’s stance on Obamacare. The resolution was authored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is up for re-election in 2020.

“We democrats will not stop fighting tooth and nail to protect american’s healthcare: Today, tomorrow, and on through 2021,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a Democratic rally outside the Supreme Court Tuesday.

INSULIN HEARING IS SET FOR NEXT WEEK: The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is holding another hearing about insulin prices on April 10. This time, they’ll be hosting insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, and the three largest pharmacy benefit managers CVS, Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth. A hearing on Tuesday focused on patients and diabetes care advocates.

One PBM is already taking action: Express Scripts, which is owned by Cigna, announced Wednesday that patients with diabetes, and who are not under government plans, will have to pay no more than $25 for a month-long supply of insulin through a program the company is rolling out later this year.

The Senate is also asking questions: Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote Tuesday to CVS Health, Optum, and Cigna Corporation, asking for information about their relationships with insulin makers and insurance programs in light of the recent run-ups in insulin prices.

GOP KICKS OFF PETITION TO FORCE VOTE ON INFANTICIDE BILL: Republican House leaders on Tuesday launched a petition to bypass Democratic leaders and force a floor vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which clarifies that doctors must provide medical care to babies that have survived abortions or else face criminal charges.

Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., will need 218 signatures — a simple majority — to force a vote on the floor. The names of those who have signed onto the bill will be updated and posted online every day. So far, the petition has 193 signatures. Among Democrats, Dan Lipinski of Illinois and Ben McAdams of Utah have signed it, and Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Henry Cuellar of Texas had co-sponsored the bill.

“The whole country is going to be watching, and ultimately, they’ll be watching that list of signatures,” Scalise said.

HHS IG RESIGNS AFTER 15 YEARS: Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel Levinson submitted his resignation Tuesday, according to his office, and is planning to leave office next month. Levinson’s departure date is May 31, and Principal Deputy Inspector General Joanne Chiedi will step in as acting inspector general on June 1.

NIH DIRECTOR WARNS CUTS COULD IMPERIL NEXT GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS: Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said in appropriations testimony that he was most concerned about providing resources, including funding, to the next generation of scientists. He said IDeA states, those that do not have research institutions or universities, need better tools to encourage scientific research in the younger generation.

Rep. Lowey says Gottlieb was late on e-cigarettes: Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., questioned the witnesses at the hearing about efforts to curb teen tobacco use. Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse said more can be done to combat this crisis and it requires more intervention and education. Lowey said the epidemic is only getting worse, and that outgoing Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb was late on tackling the issue.

Opioid treatment outcomes are worse for minority groups: Volkow said that black citizens are less likely to receive comprehensive treatment for opioid use disorder, and less likely to be given life-saving drugs like Narcan to reverse an overdose. She said that more funding for opioid treatment research must be dedicated to rural and underserved communities.

KAINE, BENNET RE-INTRODUCE MEDICARE X: Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., on Tuesday reintroduced Medicare X, a plan for a public option allowing anyone to buy a Medicare plan while leaving the current healthcare system otherwise intact. The plan would allow people of any age to buy a plan that includes all Obamacare benefits, and would provide tax credits to lower-income individuals. The public option has become increasingly popular among Democrats as a more moderate alternative to Medicare-for-all.

DEMOCRATS RALLY AROUND GUN VIOLENCE LEGISLATION: Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., was joined by trauma surgeons and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., to introduce legislation to require the surgeon general to provide annual reports to Congress on public health impacts of gun violence. No GOP representatives have signed on to support the bill.

Republicans have been open to looking at gun violence through a public health lens when it is tied to mental health, given that two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides. For homicides and injuries, however, they say law enforcement should continue taking the lead and they oppose the possibility of health agencies advocating for gun control, a practice that is banned.

KANSAS GOV PUSHES FOR MEDICAID EXPANSION VOTE THIS WEEK: Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, demanded action Tuesday for a senate vote on the state’s Medicaid expansion. A bipartisan commission in the House passed the measure for expansion about two weeks ago, but Senate President Susan Wagle, a Republican,says that Medicaid only fuels “an entitlement crisis… bankrupting states across the nation.” She said the bill will be put on hold and reviewed over the summer.

OPINION: TRUMP’S OBAMACARE PROBLEM: REPUBLICANS HAVE ALREADY FOOLED THE PEOPLE TOO MANY TIMES

The Rundown

Politico Poll: Majority of voters don’t trust Trump on healthcare

The Hill Google requiring temporary workers, contractors get health care coverage, parental leave

Nj.com N.J. Democrats looking for cuts in public worker health care costs instead of Murphy’s millionaires tax

The Advocate Gov. Edwards shelves Medicaid work requirement idea despite earlier statements calling for them

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Judge lets Wisconsin out of two Obamacare lawsuits, handing Gov. Tony Evers a victory

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | April 3

House and Senate in session.

9 a.m. House Appriation’s Committee’s Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on the president’s budget request for the Food and Drug Administration. Tune in.

9:30 a.m. 2123 Rayburn. House Energy and Commerce markup of healthcare bills. Tune in.

3 p.m. 2359 Rayburn. House Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee hearing on defense health programs. Details.

FRIDAY | APRIL 5

Scott Gottlieb’s final day as Food and Drug Administration commissioner.

TUESDAY | April 9

10 a.m. Rayburn 2008. House Appropriation Committee’s Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the Indian Health Services budget.

10:15 a.m. 215 Dirksen. Senate Finance Committee hearing with pharmacy benefit managers.