After Years Of Absorbing Political Punches Over Health Care, Dems Angling To Turn The Tables
Some experts are even predicting control of the House is within reach if the backlash to the Republicans' health care plan is strong enough.
Politico:
Democrats To Turn Obamacare Attacks Against GOP In 2018
The past four election cycles, Democrats have been battered and bruised by political attacks over Obamacare. Now, they say, the time has finally arrived to take the fight to Republicans. (Everett and Caygle, 3/12)
The New York Times:
The G.O.P.’s High-Risk Strategy For Health Law Repeal
President Trump and House Republicans are pressing forward with a high-risk strategy to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, disregarding the views of medical professionals and potentially imperiling the party’s political future in conservative states where many voters stand to lose their health care. The effort could cause upheaval in an already roiled insurance market next year, as Republicans face voters for the first time with Mr. Trump in the White House — though that turmoil would happen only if the plans manage to clear a divided Senate. (Pear and Kaplan, 3/11)
In other news —
The Hill:
Sanders: GOP Healthcare Proposal An 'Absolute Disaster' And A 'Disgrace'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday slammed the proposed GOP healthcare plan as an "absolute disaster” and a "disgrace." “It is an absolute disaster. It is a disgrace. And by the way, this really has nothing to do with healthcare,” Sanders told CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”...House Republicans last week unveiled two measures to repeal and replace ObamaCare. The proposed legislation is experiencing opposition both from Democrats and conservative members of Congress. The new GOP plan would get rid of some components of ObamaCare while keeping others in place. It would dismantle ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion and eliminate the individual mandate requiring people purchase coverage or pay a fine to the government. The GOP plan, instead, would allow insurance providers to charge a 30 percent penalty for gaps in coverage. (Shelbourne, 3/12)
The Associated Press:
Familiar Democratic Name Kennedy Fights GOP On Health Care
A familiar name from Massachusetts, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, is carrying his family legacy into a new era, battling Republicans who want to undo Barack Obama’s health care law. Kennedy, the 36-year-old grandson of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and great-nephew of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy, has been a low-key presence in the House since he was first elected in his Boston-area district in 2012. He emerged last week as a major Democratic voice against the Republican health care bill, delivering several speeches in a committee’s all-night session that have been viewed millions of times on the internet. (Jalonick, 3/13)
The Hill:
Sebelius On GOP Healthcare Plan: 'I'm Not Sure What The Goal Is Here'
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she doesn't know what the focus of the GOP's plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare is. "We were clear in the Obama administration about what the goal was: insure everybody. Get everybody into the health system. We knew we had to change insurance rules to do that," she said on NBC's "Meet The Press." (Savransky, 3/12)