Overnight Healthcare: Top conservative pushes for Medicaid changes in ObamaCare bill

by Peter Sullivan - 03/09/17 5:53 PM ET

The chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) says that if the House adopted two Medicaid amendments he is pushing, he would vote yes on GOP leadership’s ObamaCare repeal bill.

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the RSC chairman, is pushing amendments to move up the end of ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion for new enrollees to 2018 instead of 2020, as it is in the current bill.

The other amendment would institute work requirements for “able-bodied,” childless adults on Medicaid.

“We are a ‘yes’ if we get both of them, and we are ‘lean yes’ if we get one of them,” Walker told reporters.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/2n4F7HN

States warn millions could lose coverage under GOP plan

Democratic and Republican officials outside of Washington are warning Congress that millions will lose healthcare coverage if the House GOP’s proposal to replace ObamaCare becomes law.

Almost all governors and state executive officers who object to the replacement hail from states that opted to accept federal funding to expand Medicaid under ObamaCare. The Republican replacement would roll back funding for the Medicaid expansion, forcing states to either shoulder the billions of dollars in costs themselves or drop new Medicaid recipients from the rolls.

In many states, budgets already stretched thin and threatened by declining growth in tax revenue have governors concerned they won’t be able to cover the costs without significant tax hikes.

The Hill’s Reid Wilson has more: http://bit.ly/2mG63Na

…And Paul Ryan on Thursday made his pitch for the repeal plan with a slideshow presentation

Jacket off and sleeves rolled up, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday ditched the podium and delivered a 25-minute TED Talk-like presentation on why the new GOP health bill represents the best, and perhaps only, chance to repeal ObamaCare.

“This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing ObamaCare,” Ryan told reporters at the end of his slideshow presentation. “The time is here; the time is now. This is the moment.”

The Speaker typically stands behind a podium and answers questions from reporters during his Thursday news briefings. But on this day, reporters in the room weren’t the intended audience. The Hill’s Scott Wong has more: http://bit.ly/2n4VX9Q

What we’re reading

GOP healthcare bill would drop mental health mandate covering 1.3 million Americans (Washington Post)

Expect the CBO to estimate large coverage losses from the GOP healthcare plan (Brookings Institute)

What CBO got right – and wrong – on ObamaCare (CNN)

State by state

Colorado could owe feds up to $43 million for Medicaid “systems error” (Denver Post)

Most Iowa lawmakers ignore call to reimburse health costs (Des Moines Register)

Medicaid spending caps in GOP health plan could be costly for Florida (Miami Herald)

ICYMI from The Hill

Budget referee caught in ObamaCare crossfire

Cruz: Let’s overrule Senate officer to expand ObamaCare bill

Healthcare groups unload on GOP bill