- Future of Revamped Health Care Bill Remains Dubious in House AP by Alan Fram and Julie Pace—Eager for a victory, the White House is expressing confidence that a breakthrough on the mired Republican health care bill could emerge in the House next week. The chamber's GOP leaders, burned by a March debacle, are dubious and signs are scant that an emerging plan is gaining enough votes to succeed.The White House optimism is driven largely by a deal brokered by leaders of the conservative Freedom Caucus and the moderate Tuesday Group aimed at giving states more flexibility to pull out of "Obamacare" provisions.
- White House Pressures GOP Leaders on Obamacare Showdown Next Week Politico by Rachael Bade, Josh Dawsey and Adam Cancryn—A frantic and impatient White House is pressuring House GOP leaders for another showdown vote on repealing Obamacare next week so it can notch a legislative win before President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. But while the outlines of a possible deal are starting to come together, it's far from clear that House Republican leaders have found the sweet spot to pass their embattled alternative health plan.
- Conservatives' Goal to Relax Mandatory Health Benefits Unlikely to Tame Premiums Kaiser Health News by Julie Rovner—The House Freedom Caucus and members of a more moderate group of House Republicans are hammering out changes to the GOP bill that was pulled unceremoniously by party leaders last month when they couldn't get enough votes to pass it. At the heart of those changes, reportedly, is the law's requirement for most insurance plans to offer 10 specific categories of "essential health benefits."
- Health Subsidy Demand Jams Up Shutdown Fight The Hill by Mike Lillis and Cristina Marcos—Democrats' demand that Obamacare subsidies be wrapped into a must-pass spending package is complicating GOP efforts to prevent a government shutdown at the end of next week. The issue puts Ryan and the Republicans in a difficult spot. On one hand, they're still fighting to dismantle Obamacare—a law they've railed against for seven years—and that effort includes sponsorship of the lawsuit challenging the payments. On the other, they don't want to suffer the political blowback if their actions spike costs and erode coverage for the millions of patients newly insured under Obamacare.