Constituents to Senate GOP on TrumpCare: “It’s Pretty Frightening”
As the House and Senate reconvene this week, it seems the District Work Period did not go very well for the GOP, who once again got an earful from their constituents who oppose TrumpCare. Of course, that should come as no surprise following the latest CBO score that confirmed 23 million Americans will lose coverage and premiums will spike for millions of others. Here is a look at how it’s playing out in the press:
“Republican senators return on Monday from a 10-day recess with immediate decisions to make on their quest to overhaul the 2010 health care law… Some members, however, are now openly doubting whether Republicans can follow through on their seven-year effort to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.”
“Now, lawmakers return to Washington, D.C., having spent the past week in their home states where they were expected to hear from both constituents and business leaders about the effort. Sen. Bill Cassidy, for example, was grilled on health care issues at a town hall. The Louisiana Republican was one of the few senators to host one over the recess.”
“During a recent Senate GOP conference lunch, Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran stood up and told his colleagues that constituents at his church came up to him in tears over loved ones with pre-existing conditions, expressing concern that they might not have continued health care coverage under the Republican plan.”
“‘Ithink Jerry Moran’s observation/wisdom was reinforced as I was home this past week,’ Cassidy said. ‘Other issues are abstract. Health care is not abstract.’”
“Craig Barnum, a school administrator, took the afternoon off recently and drove three hours to Sen. Chuck Grassley’s town-hall meeting to press the Republican senator on the GOP plan to overhaul health care.”
“Mr. Barnum has health insurance through his work. But his family depends on Medicaid to help cover the medical costs of his 9-year-old son, Koan, whose delayed development means he needs expensive therapy and equipment including leg braces.”
“An independent voter who lives in Cedar Rapids, Mr. Barnum said he is worried about the impact of Republican plans to cut Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor and disabled, as part of legislation to dismantle and replace the underpinnings of the Affordable Care Act. ‘It’s pretty frightening for a family in my position,’ Mr. Barnum told Mr. Grassley.”
“Senators went into a recess skeptical over whether they could agree to legislation repealing and replacing ObamaCare. They will return on Monday more doubtful than ever.”
“Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), one of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) most loyal allies, said Thursday that it’s ‘unlikely’ the GOP will get a healthcare deal.”
“More unhelpful news came in the form of a Kaiser Family Foundation poll underscoring how unpopular the bill approved by the House is. It found that three-quarters of Americans surveyed think the House bill does not fulfill President Trump's promises on healthcare.”
“Senate Republicans may be all over the map on an Obamacare repeal plan, but on one fundamental point — reducing insurance premiums — they are in danger of overpromising and underdelivering.”
“…Republicans will need to make some hard decisions to hit their goal. But the effort to drive down premium prices will inevitably create a new set of winners and losers and complicate leadership’s path to the 50 votes they need to fulfill their seven-year promise to repeal Obamacare.”