Graham-Cassidy sponsors vow to press on with health-care reform

Graham-Cassidy sponsors vow to press on with health-care reform-thehill: The main sponsors of the last ObamaCare repeal bill committed on Thursday to hold hearings in the coming months in an effort to eventually pass their legislation.

Iowa’s proposed Medicaid cut could signal new GOP strategy

Iowa’s proposed Medicaid cut could signal new GOP strategy-ap: Iowa is seeking permission from President Donald Trump’s administration to cut a key benefit for all its Medicaid recipients, a move that could foreshadow other state-level efforts to change the safety net program after Congress repeatedly failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Dems see 2018 gains in repeated Obamacare repeal tries

Dems see 2018 gains in repeated Obamacare repeal tries-politico: To the Republicans vowing to keep their Obamacare repeal drive alive for as long as it takes, Democrats say: Please, and thank you.

Massachusetts seeks to move adults off Medicaid, limit drug coverage

Massachusetts seeks to move adults off Medicaid, limit drug coverage-modernhealthcare: Facing steadily rising costs, Massachusetts has asked for federal permission to cull its Medicaid rolls, curb access to in-home and long-term care supports and limit the number of drugs it must cover.

Trump vows another healthcare vote next year, eyes executive order

Trump vows another healthcare vote next year, eyes executive order-reuters: President Donald Trump, faced with the latest Republican failure to undo Obamacare, pledged on Wednesday to tackle it again next year, suggesting without evidence that he had the votes to pass reform and promising to work with Democrats in the meantime.

GOP tax reform effort up against one hurdle after another

GOP tax reform effort up against one hurdle after another-axios: There's now a legitimate push by some Republicans to pass tax reform while keeping its health care efforts alive, despite concerns that this could seriously threaten the party's chances of passing any major legislation by the end of the year.

Inside the life and death of Graham-Cassidy

Inside the life and death of Graham-Cassidy-politico: Sen. Lindsey Graham offered a eulogy for the GOP’s Obamacare repeal effort on Tuesday, but seized on one bright spot as a reason not to give up after a parade of health care disappointments.

Premiums Likely to Rise Amid Fallout From Graham-Cassidy Health Bill

Premiums Likely to Rise Amid Fallout From Graham-Cassidy Health Bill-morningconsult: In taking one last shot to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, Senate Republicans derailed a rare bipartisan push to stabilize the nation’s health insurance marketplaces and prevent double-digit rate hikes for many Obamacare customers next year.

U.S. healthcare bill's collapse escalates Republican infighting

U.S. healthcare bill's collapse escalates Republican infighting-reuters: The failure by President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans to dismantle Obamacare has infuriated the party’s conservative flank and is intensifying intra-party warfare ahead of the 2018 U.S. congressional elections.

Proposed healthcare bill may hurt U.S. economy: S&P

Proposed healthcare bill may hurt U.S. economy: S&P-reuters: A report from Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings on Monday suggested that the latest proposed healthcare bill to overhaul Obamacare could hurt the U.S. economy, states and health insurers.

GOP already eyeing next chance to revive Obamacare repeal

GOP already eyeing next chance to revive Obamacare repeal-politico: The supposedly hard deadline at the end of the month to repeal Obamacare might not be so hard after all.

CBO: Graham-Cassidy would lead to “millions” fewer people with insurance

CBO: Graham-Cassidy would lead to “millions” fewer people with insurance-vox: The Graham-Cassidy plan to repeal and replace Obamacare would reduce the federal deficit by at least $133 billion, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Monday afternoon, after reviewing a recent not final version of the bill.

McConnell Avoided Making a Promise He Couldn’t Keep

McConnell Avoided Making a Promise He Couldn’t Keep-rollcall: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell never quite guaranteed a floor vote on the latest Republican effort to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law as the clock ticked toward an end-of-September deadline.

Rand Paul's do-or-die health care demands

Rand Paul's do-or-die health care demands-axios: Rand Paul, who has become a do-or-die vote for the Republicans' last-ditch effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, is sending a list to the White House of what it would take to get him from no to yes.

Senators Revise Health Bill in Last-Ditch Effort to Win Votes

Senators Revise Health Bill in Last-Ditch Effort to Win Votes-nytimes: With time running short, the authors of the latest plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act shifted money in the bill to Alaska and Maine, which are represented by Republican senators who appear reluctant to support it.

Trump publicly backs healthcare effort, privately harbors doubts

Trump publicly backs healthcare effort, privately harbors doubts-politico: In public, President Donald Trump is all-in on the Senate’s final chance to repeal Obamacare. But privately, there’s ambivalence in the White House about the bill’s contents and its chances of clearing the tightly divided chamber next week.

HHS hints at major changes to Medicare that could mean higher costs for patients

HHS hints at major changes to Medicare that could mean higher costs for patients-stat: The Trump administration is signaling it will pursue significant changes to Medicare that could put beneficiaries on the hook for higher costs.

The key states that would lose funding under Graham-Cassidy

The key states that would lose funding under Graham-Cassidy-axios: A new estimate obtained by Axios from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that Alaska, home to key swing vote Sen. Lisa Murkowski, would lose 38% of federal funding for premium subsidies and Medicaid by 2026 under the Graham-Cassidy proposal. John McCain's home state of Arizona would also lose funding (-9% in 2026).

The unlikely group who brought Obamacare repeal back to life

The unlikely group who brought Obamacare repeal back to life-politico: Senate Republicans’ last-ditch attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare rests on the unlikely collaboration of a veteran senator who can’t stand health policy, a wonky freshman who has never passed major legislation and a former senator who lost his seat a decade ago.

Republicans plan healthcare vote; Obama and TV host denounce bill

Republicans plan healthcare vote; Obama and TV host denounce bill-reuters: Senate Republicans announced plans to vote next week on their latest bid to scuttle Obamacare even as a popular comedian who has become part of the U.S. healthcare debate denounced the bill and former President Barack Obama on Wednesday warned of “real human suffering.”

Republicans see political necessity in health care effort

Republicans see political necessity in health care effort-abcnews: It's divisive and difficult, but the Republican drive to erase the Obama health care overhaul has gotten a huge boost from one of Washington's perennial incentives: Political necessity.

What Remains on Congress’ To-Do List This September

What Remains on Congress’ To-Do List This September-rollcall: The House is out this week and the Senate is in for just three days. But there are several deadlines looming over Congress for the rest of September. Here’s a list of to-dos for the chambers by the end of the month.

Republicans rip Rand for rejecting Obamacare repeal

Republicans rip Rand for rejecting Obamacare repeal-politico: Rand Paul might soon go down as the Republican who saved Obamacare — and he couldn’t care less.

Republican Leaders Defy Bipartisan Opposition to Health Law Repeal

Republican Leaders Defy Bipartisan Opposition to Health Law Repeal-nytimes:  Eleven governors, including five Republicans and a pivotal Alaskan independent, urged the Senate on Tuesday to reject a last-ditch push to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

McConnell In Difficult Spot With Latest Health Care Push

McConnell In Difficult Spot With Latest Health Care Push-rollcall: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is counting on an 11th-hour attempt to repeal the 2010 health care law and change directions on a disappointing year for Republicans.

Momentum builds for Obamacare repeal

Momentum builds for Obamacare repeal-politico: Senate Republicans’ last-gasp Obamacare repeal effort is gaining steam, with key senators who tanked the last push in July signaling new openness to the latest attempt and GOP leaders growing increasingly bullish.

Murray makes big concession in bipartisan health talks

Murray makes big concession in bipartisan health talks-axios: Sen. Patty Murray has agreed to a key demand of Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which could potentially move bipartisan health care talks forward. Murray has agreed to "significant state flexibility" in order to reach an agreement, per a senior Democratic aide.

2 GOP heavyweights brawl over Obamacare bill

2 GOP heavyweights brawl over Obamacare bill-politico: As if Sen. Lamar Alexander didn’t face enough difficulties trying to craft a bipartisan bill to shore up Obamacare, he’s taking hostile fire from one of his most powerful Republican colleagues — the other health care chairman.

Key senator whipping last-ditch ObamaCare repeal bill

Key senator whipping last-ditch ObamaCare repeal bill-thehill: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is measuring support for a new bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare as lawmakers head toward an end-of-the-month deadline.

Centrist Democrats Turn to Pragmatism, Seek Bipartisan ACA Fixes

Centrist Democrats Turn to Pragmatism, Seek Bipartisan ACA Fixes-morningconsult: While some progressives campaigned this week for “Medicare for all,” a group of moderate House Democrats aligned themselves with a more modest push to stabilize the Affordable Care Act, arguing that it could spur broader health care reforms in the future.

GOP Sees Offensive Opening on Health Care for 2018

GOP Sees Offensive Opening on Health Care for 2018-rollcall: As more and more Democrats come out in favor of some form of “Medicare for all” legislation, Republican campaign strategists are salivating.

Trump is 'open' to ObamaCare fix, lawmakers say

Trump is 'open' to ObamaCare fix, lawmakers say-thehill: President Trump was "open" to the idea of a bipartisan ObamaCare stabilization bill but did not make any commitments during a meeting Wednesday with a group of House lawmakers, attendees said.

How the Trump administration is reshaping health care — without Congress

How the Trump administration is reshaping health care — without Congress-politico: While Congress tussles over Obamacare, the Trump administration is quietly pressing ahead with plans to gut major Obama-era rules and relax federal oversight of swaths of the health care industry.

Scott Gottlieb vows to shake up the FDA, backing a trend toward faster drug development

Scott Gottlieb vows to shake up the FDA, backing a trend toward faster drug development-endpointnews: FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb has sounded a crystal clear warning over the high — and growing — cost of drug development. And in a speech to regulatory execs on Monday, Gottlieb committed the FDA to backing up more efficient drug development programs with new measures to clear the regulatory path for developers barreling ahead to relatively swift pivotal data in search of an accelerated OK.

Sanders, GOP push banner health care bills

Sanders, GOP push banner health care bills-washingtonpost: Liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders is ready to unveil his bill for starkly reshaping the country’s current hodge-podge health care system into one where the government provides medical insurance for everybody.

FDA begins digital health hiring efforts

FDA begins digital health hiring efforts-healthcaredive: The FDA posted a job opportunity on Monday for its Digital Health Team. The position — Digital Health Advisor (Interdisciplinary Engineer) — is one of the first job opportunities posted as part of the agency's plan to build a new team solely focused on digital health.

Paul: Cassidy-Graham health care bill not 'going anywhere'

Paul: Cassidy-Graham health care bill not 'going anywhere'-thehill: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Monday that he opposes a new Republican ObamaCare replacement effort, saying it does not go far enough to repeal the law.

How Single-Payer Health Care Could Trip Up Democrats

How Single-Payer Health Care Could Trip Up Democrats-nytimes: Many Democrats giddy from their recent health policy successes are starting to reach enthusiastically for a mountaintop goal: establishing a single-payer system for all Americans.

Why Most House Republicans Voted for a Deal They Loathed

Why Most House Republicans Voted for a Deal They Loathed-rollcall: Most House Republicans griped about the fiscal package they were forced to vote on Friday, but ultimately, a relatively small portion of the conference was willing to vote against it.

Could More House Retirements Imperil GOP Majority in 2018?

Could More House Retirements Imperil GOP Majority in 2018?-rollcall: House retirements are a staple of each election cycle. But the decision by three moderate Republicans not to seek re-election is worrying party members, already nervous about holding the majority in 2018.

What the Senate has in mind for the ACA's "innovation waivers"

What the Senate has in mind for the ACA's "innovation waivers"-axios: The Senate HELP Committee this week is scheduled to resume its hearings on stabilizing the Affordable Care Act, and it's already clear Chairman Lamar Alexander wants that effort to focus on the process by which states can obtain what are known as "innovation waivers."

Closed-Door Process Might Threaten Tax Timeline in Senate

Closed-Door Process Might Threaten Tax Timeline in Senate-rollcall: The closed-door process under which Republican congressional leaders and the Trump administration are crafting an overhaul of the United States tax code could impede the Senate’s timeline for the effort.

Ratings Changes in 14 House Races

Ratings Changes in 14 House Races-rollcall: With 14 months to go before Election Day, the House battleground continues to take shape. Even though there is some uncertainty about what the political climate will look like next fall and whether normal historical midterm trends will hold under President Donald Trump, the House playing field is expanding, almost entirely in the Democrats’ direction.

Chris Murphy’s stealthy single-payer pitch

Chris Murphy’s stealthy single-payer pitch-politico: While Bernie Sanders readies a single-payer health care bill that the GOP is itching to attack, one of his Democratic colleagues is proposing a step toward that goal that could give cover to the party’s vulnerable incumbents.

Senate Pins Health Care Hopes On Bipartisan Bill

Senate Pins Health Care Hopes On Bipartisan Bill-rollcall: A last-ditch attempt by Senate Republicans to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law appears unlikely to get off the ground, as lawmakers from both parties pin all their hopes for a health care fix on a long-shot bipartisan bill to stabilize the insurance markets.

Cassidy-Graham: the Obamacare repeal plan McCain is supporting, explained

Cassidy-Graham: the Obamacare repeal plan McCain is supporting, explained-vox: The senator who cast the final vote to kill Obamacare repeal is unexpectedly helping to revive that effort from the dead.

Bid to shore up Obamacare faces time crunch, conservative countereffort

Bid to shore up Obamacare faces time crunch, conservative countereffort-politico: A bipartisan group of senators has palpable momentum but little time to make good on a bid to shore up Obamacare insurance markets, even as conservative Republicans press a parallel attempt to make good on their promise to repeal the health care law.

MacArthur: Agreement reached with House Freedom Caucus chair on health plan

MacArthur: Agreement reached with House Freedom Caucus chair on health plan-thehill: Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) says he has reached an agreement with Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, on the terms for a bill aimed at stabilizing ObamaCare markets.

Trump wants one last Senate push on Obamacare repeal

Trump wants one last Senate push on Obamacare repeal-politico: President Donald Trump and some Senate Republicans are refusing to give up on Obamacare repeal, even after this summer’s spectacular failure and with less than a month before a key deadline.

Senate panel begins bipartisan hearings to try to improve Affordable Care Act

Senate panel begins bipartisan hearings to try to improve Affordable Care Act-washingtonpost: After years of high-wattage partisan feuding over the Affordable Care Act, a Senate committee on Wednesday is holding the first in a series of hearings to try to build momentum for lawmakers to agree on some ways to strengthen the law’s insurance marketplaces.

Trump and GOP Lawmakers — Even More on the Rocks

Trump and GOP Lawmakers — Even More on the Rocks-rollcall: Can this marriage of convenience be saved?

Obstacles await as Congress resumes health care fight

Obstacles await as Congress resumes health care fight-ap: Republican hopes for repealing and replacing former President Barack Obama’s health care law are still twitching in Congress, though barely.

Lessons for the next act on health care

Lessons for the next act on health care-axios: When Congress comes back next week, it's going to start the next chapter on the Affordable Care Act — and it probably will set its sights a lot lower for changing the law, now that the repeal effort has collapsed. There are a lot of lessons Republicans can learn from the failure that effort — and a few that Democrats can learn too, if they're honest about their own experiences since the ACA became law.