Author: Thornrun

Lawmakers return to Washington this week facing a critical three-week period before the August recess. Without any major legislative achievements so far this year, Republicans will be focused on the tense Senate negotiations on legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). An agreement has yet to be reached on the legislative text that will reach the Senate floor, as Republican leadership deliberate on how to create a package that will placate both conservative skeptics — most notably Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) — and moderates, led by Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV) and Susan Collins (R-ME). The initial proposal in the Senate, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), was opposed by at least 10 Republicans on both sides of the ideological spectrum. A vote is not expected this week as the Congressional Budget Office is currently scoring some of the proposed changes, but the impending August recess is expected to be the final deadline for the Senate to move a package. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has suggested that a failure to do so will necessitate lawmakers working on a smaller package with Democrats that would shore up the ACA’s insurance markets.

Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: NDAA in the House and Nominations in the Senate as Congress Prepares Final Blitz Before August”

Congress has left for the July 4 recess, and will return to Washington the week of July 10. Awaiting lawmakers is a daunting agenda of major policy initiatives and must-pass items, with a limited calendar in which to pass them. Of course, chief among those items is the stalled effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as Republican leaders in the Senate work feverishly to craft a package that will be able to pass the upper chamber before the August recess. President Trump again weighed in on the effort in a statement on Twitter this morning, saying that if the current package fails, Congress should “immediately REPEAL and then REPLACE at a later date!” While Republicans had originally considered that option in February when their health care initiative first started, it is unlikely that moderates will go along with a new plan to repeal that would strip coverage and place a great deal of uncertainty in insurance markets. It remains far more probable that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will return from the July 4 recess with a package that includes a number of the legislative tweaks and make a last-ditch effort to pass the existing legislation.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Congress Reaches July 4 Recess With Daunting Schedule Ahead”

This week has the potential to be the most important of the year in healthcare, as the Senate could vote as early as Thursday evening on their version of a bill to repeal and replace major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will likely bring the bill to the floor soon after the release of the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) score, which is expected early this week. Before any votes can be cast, the legislation will also need to undergo a review from the Senate parliamentarian to decide which provisions, if any, violate the chamber’s budget reconciliation rules. One of the key unknowns still remaining is whether a process for states to waive essential health benefits and other market reforms will survive the Senate parliamentarian’s analysis. The waiver process was added to the House’s version of the bill as an amendment from Rep. Tom Macarthur (R-NJ) and was essential to the American Health Care Act’s (AHCA) approval in the lower chamber.

Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: McConnell Aims for Health Care Vote This Week; CBO, Parliamentarian, Opposition Hurdles Remain”