Senate chairman: Cures bill is next priority

Senate chairman: Cures bill is next priority-thehill: The Senate Health Committee will be turning its attention to a medical innovation bill now that it has completed the overhaul of No Child Left Behind, Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said. “No. 1, what we want to turn our attention to next is what we call our innovation bill,” Alexander said on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers.”

Marco Rubio seeks winning roadmap

Marco Rubio seeks winning roadmap-thehill: Sen. Marco Rubio is in the top tier of candidates vying for the GOP’s presidential nomination, but his roadmap to victory can’t avoid some speed bumps. Rubio is polling among the top four candidates in each of the first four states hosting contests — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — but victory is guaranteed nowhere.

How Democrats prevailed over Obama on the 'Cadillac tax'

How Democrats prevailed over Obama on the 'Cadillac tax'-thehill: As recently as three weeks ago, one of President Obama's top advisers warned Democratic leaders to leave the “Cadillac tax” alone. Asked on Dec. 1 whether Obama would veto any measure that chipped away at the unpopular tax on healthcare benefits, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough was stern.

Poll Shows Ben Carson Is Ahead of the Public With Health Plan

Poll Shows Ben Carson Is Ahead of the Public With Health Plan-morningconsult: Ben Carson calls them “health empowerment accounts.” He wants to give them to everyone with a Social Security number at birth. They are the centerpiece of what may be the most radical health care plan presented by a Republican presidential candidate — insurance and health services bought by the individual.

Ryan promises vote next month to roll back ObamaCare

Ryan promises vote next month to roll back ObamaCare-thehill: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday that House members will vote on a rollback of ObamaCare as one of their first acts of 2016.  “When we return in January, the House will put an ObamaCare repeal bill on the floor and pass it and put it on the president’s desk,” Ryan told reporters Thursday. “We are going to keep working to give families relief from this law while we work to dismantle and replace it altogether."

Clinton: ObamaCare pushing some people into part-time jobs

Clinton: ObamaCare pushing some people into part-time jobs-thehill: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said President Obama's healthcare is pushing some people into part-time positions.  “Well that’s why they’re going to part-time, that and also the Affordable Care Act,” Clinton said in Iowa while fielding a question about discrimination against workers under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), according to the Washington Free Beacon.

How the White House lost on the Cadillac Tax

How the White House lost on the Cadillac Tax-politico: The White House knew it was in trouble on the afternoon of Dec. 3, when the Senate overwhelmingly voted to repeal the so-called Cadillac tax on pricey health care benefits in a symbolic bipartisan vote. Ninety out of 100 senators, including scores of Democrats, backed scrapping the Cadillac tax, a key pillar of the Affordable Care Act. Beginning in 2018, the excise tax on high cost health plans was supposed to raise money to help pay for Obamacare and tamp down overall U.S. health spending.

In Likely Spending Plan, Congress Readies Blows to Obama’s Health Care Law

In Likely Spending Plan, Congress Readies Blows to Obama’s Health Care Law-nytimes: In a big package of tax and spending legislation that Congress is likely to approve this week, Republicans have forced President Obama to swallow three changes that undermine his signature health care law, including a two-year delay of a tax on high-cost insurance plans provided by employers to workers.

What’s Obamacare’s Tipping Point?

What’s Obamacare’s Tipping Point?-nationaljournal: Re­pub­lic­ans are a half-dec­ade in­to their “death by a thou­sand cuts” ef­fort to nul­li­fy Obama­care, and they made pro­gress on a few more in­cisions Wed­nes­day. In­cluded in the newly un­veiled budget-and-tax deal are sev­er­al meas­ures tweak­ing the Af­ford­able Care Act.

'Cadillac tax' opponents to keep fighting for full repeal

'Cadillac tax' opponents to keep fighting for full repeal-thehill: One of Congress’s strongest opponents of ObamaCare’s “Cadillac tax" says he will not halt the campaign to fully repeal the measure after congressional leaders reached a deal Tuesday for a two-year delay.  “I certainly am determined to keep doing what I've been doing, obviously, to work to strike this from the law,” Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said in a phone interview Tuesday.

It’s A Deal: Republicans Settle for Notable Omnibus Wins

It’s A Deal: Republicans Settle for Notable Omnibus Wins-rollcall: Speaker Paul D. Ryan has been offering members the same refrain since taking the gavel from John A. Boehner two months ago.
He’d been dealt a bad hand by the old regime, according to the Wisconsin Republican, and the best thing for everyone was make it through the end of the year so the Republican House can return to “regular order” and run the government as it should.

Week ahead: Budget battle to decide fate of ObamaCare taxes

Week ahead: Budget battle to decide fate of ObamaCare taxes-thehill: Congress will return for an extra week of its 2015 session seeking to finish an omnibus spending bill and tax extenders package of expiring or expired tax breaks.  Both measures have big implications for health policy.

Negotiators eye one-year suspension of ObamaCare's 'premium tax'

Negotiators eye one-year suspension of ObamaCare's 'premium tax'-thehill: Lawmakers are considering scaling back an ObamaCare tax on insurance companies as part of a year-end legislative deal. Two other ObamaCare provisions were already expected to be in the package: a two-year delay of the “Cadillac tax” on high cost health insurance and a two-year suspension of the excise tax on medical devices.

Dems warn against ObamaCare tax delays

Dems warn against ObamaCare tax delays-thehill: Some Democrats are raising concerns that an ObamaCare tax trade-off taking shape in Congress this week could whet the appetite of other industries looking to chip away at the law. House and Senate leaders say they are inching closer to a year-end tax package — likely wrapped into the governing spending bill — that would pause both the healthcare law’s "Cadillac tax" and its medical device tax for two years.

This Is What Carson-Care Would Look Like

This Is What Carson-Care Would Look Like-nationaljournal: Ben Car­son is try­ing again. After float­ing a plan that would re­portedly have scrapped Medi­care and Medi­caid, he took an­oth­er shot Wed­nes­day when he un­veiled a new health care pro­pos­al.

Two Obamacare Taxes Likely to Be Delayed for Two Years

Two Obamacare Taxes Likely to Be Delayed for Two Years-morningconsult: It is increasingly likely that two prominent Obamacare taxes that help pay for the law — on medical devices and high-cost health plans — will be delayed for two years. Congressional negotiations are overlapping on an omnibus spending bill and a bill to renew several expired tax provisions. Both bills could be merged into one giant end-of-year package, a GOP negotiator said Wednesday. Either way, the two Affordable Care Act tax provisions are in the mix of options.

Senators Condemn Big Price Increases for Drugs

Senators Condemn Big Price Increases for Drugs-nytimes: Senators from both parties on Wednesday denounced huge overnight price increases for decades-old drugs that have been made by some pharmaceutical companies lately, calling them unconscionable and detrimental to patients.

Top tax writer says ObamaCare could be part of 'extenders' bill

Top tax writer says ObamaCare could be part of 'extenders' bill-thehill: A two-year delay of the "Cadillac tax" and the medical device tax in ObamaCare may be added to a bill that renews expired tax breaks for two years, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said Tuesday.

Marco Rubio Quietly Undermines Affordable Care Act

Marco Rubio Quietly Undermines Affordable Care Act-thenewyorktimes: A little-noticed health care provision that Senator Marco Rubio of Florida slipped into a giant spending law last year has tangled up the Obama administration, sent tremors through health insurance markets and rattled confidence in the durability of President Obama’s signature health law.

Carson to outline alternative to Obama’s health law

Carson to outline alternative to Obama’s health law-thedetroitnews: Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson plans to announce his alternative to President Barack Obama’s health care program during a speech Wednesday at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Carson campaign spokesman Doug Watts confirmed Tuesday that Carson will use his visit to EMU to roll out his health care policy proposals.

Ryan vague on timeline for O-Care replacement

Ryan vague on timeline for O-Care replacement-thehill: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Monday that he does not have an “exact timeline” for rolling out an ObamaCare replacement plan next year, adding that committees will play a leading role in the plan’s development.

Delay of ObamaCare's 'Cadillac Tax' goes down to the wire

Delay of ObamaCare's 'Cadillac Tax' goes down to the wire-thehill: Lawmakers are debating the size of a year-end tax package that could include a delay of ObamaCare’s “Cadillac tax,” with the talks going down to the wire. A senior GOP lawmaker on Monday said action on the Cadillac tax would depend on whether negotiators reach a broad tax deal, or instead fall back on a narrower package.

Not Even Catharsis Is Seen in Senate Vote to Repeal Health Law

Not Even Catharsis Is Seen in Senate Vote to Repeal Health Law-nytimes: Senate Republicans have finally fulfilled their long quest to pass legislation repealing President Obama’s landmark health care law, and Congress will soon send the measure to the White House, where it might have a chance of being folded into origami or a fleet of paper airplanes, but no possibility of being signed into law.

Hillary Clinton hits drug ‘price gouging’ in new ad

Hillary Clinton hits drug ‘price gouging’ in new ad-stat: Hillary Clinton promises to “crack down on price gouging” and speed the approval of generic drugs in a new TV ad, the latest in a series that highlights her plan to rein in rising prescription drug costs.

Ryan vows to offer ObamaCare replacement plan in 2016

Ryan vows to offer ObamaCare replacement plan in 2016-thehill: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday he plans to roll out a long-awaited replacement plan for ObamaCare in 2016, lifting healthcare reform to the top of the House GOP’s agenda in a presidential election year.

Senate Approves Bill to Weaken Obamacare, Defund Planned Parenthood

Senate Approves Bill to Weaken Obamacare, Defund Planned Parenthood-nationaljournal: The Sen­ate passed a bill re­peal­ing ma­jor pro­vi­sions of Obama­care on Thursday, gain­ing the sup­port of al­most all GOP mem­bers, even the staunch con­ser­vat­ives who pre­vi­ously threatened to vote against a meas­ure that didn’t an­nul as much of the health care law as Sen­ate rules al­lowed.

Dems, Obama battle over health law’s ‘Cadillac’ tax

Dems, Obama battle over health law’s ‘Cadillac’ tax-thehill: Democrats are growing more confident that they’ll win their battle with the White House over whether to include the repeal of ObamaCare’s “Cadillac” tax on high-cost insurance plans in a package of tax extensions both parties want to approve before the end of the year.

GOP Is Relying on Obama to Veto Reconciliation Bill

GOP Is Relying on Obama to Veto Reconciliation Bill-nationaljournal: Sen­ate Re­pub­lic­ans have craf­ted an al­tern­at­ive to the House-passed re­con­cili­ation bill that guts an ex­tens­ive list of Af­ford­able Care Act pro­vi­sions while con­tinu­ing to strip Planned Par­ent­hood of fund­ing.

McConnell boxes in Cruz, Rubio on Obamacare repeal

McConnell boxes in Cruz, Rubio on Obamacare repeal-politico: Mitch McConnell is close to pulling off a feat that at first seemed impossible: Coax Ted Cruz and antagonistic conservative groups to back his strategy to repeal Obamacare.

CQ Roll Call Survey Finds Little Shutdown Fear Among Hill Staff

Survey Finds Little Shutdown Fear Among Hill Staff-rollcall: The budget brinksmanship is over. At least so say big majorities of both Democratic and Republican congressional aides surveyed in late November by CQ Roll Call.  Three in four Democratic aides said there would be no government shutdown this month, as Republicans and Democrats race to assemble an appropriations package in advance of the Dec. 11 end of the fiscal 2016 continuing resolution (PL 114-53).

Senate GOP Coming Around on Reconciliation Bill

Senate GOP Coming Around on Reconciliation Bill-nationaljournal: One of Re­pub­lic­ans’ top re­main­ing pri­or­it­ies—passing a bill that would gut Obama­care—could soon be an item checked off the GOP’s list, even though it will surely be ve­toed.

GOP candidates stuck on drug prices-politico: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio blamed skyrocketing drug costs on “pure profiteering” by drug companies at a private campaign event in New Hampshire. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson complained in Iowa that “the same drug that costs 60 dollars here for a pill, you can go to another country and get it for a quarter.”