- Trump Opposes Required Health Benefits but Reveals Few Details of His Plan to End the ACA Washington Post by Amy Goldstein—In his first address to a joint session of Congress—a high-wattage moment to articulate his central goals—President Trump defied expectations he had repeatedly set that he was about to unveil a concrete plan to abolish the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and steer federal health policy onto a more conservative path. The five minutes Trump devoted to health care Tuesday night was largely a recitation of longtime Republican ideas that he has adopted, with an emphasis on removing the rules the Affordable Care Act placed on insurers to try to promote comprehensive health benefits.
- Health Care Is Front and Center in Democrats' Response to Trump Address New York Times by Jonathan Martin—The decision by the congressional Democratic leadership to invite former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, 72, who has been out of office for more than a year, was a departure from tradition for the opposition party, which usually chooses a rising star to offer the televised response to the president's speech. But Democratic leaders are determined to make health care—particularly Medicare and the Affordable Care Act—the centerpiece of their attacks against Republicans leading into next year's midterm elections. And as Mr. Beshear alluded to, he has a compelling story to tell about the effect of the health law in a conservative-leaning state.