Overnight Healthcare: Ryan says key ObamaCare payments will continue during House lawsuit

by Peter Sullivan - 03/30/17 5:12 PM ET

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday that the administration will continue to fund key ObamaCare payments to insurers while a House lawsuit runs its course.

“While the lawsuit is being litigated, then the administration funds these benefits. That’s how they’ve been doing it and I don’t see any change in that,” Ryan told reporters.

Insurers are worried the payments could be discontinued, which could throw the market into chaos and cause insurers to pull out of the marketplaces.

Ryan indicated that the administration will continue funding the payments while the lawsuit runs its course.

However, Kristine Grow, a spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), said Thursday that it is not enough for the payments to simply continue during the lawsuit. She said insurers need certainty that the payments will be there throughout 2018, or else they might need to raise premiums for next year to factor in the uncertainty. Read more here. http://bit.ly/2nojn6y

Centrist group in House ‘will never’ meet with Freedom Caucus

The centrist Tuesday Group affirmed at a meeting Wednesday that it will not meet with the conservative House Freedom Caucus to negotiate changes to an ObamaCare replacement bill, according to Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.).

{mosads}”I am not speaking for the White House; I’m not speaking for the Speaker; but I will speak for the Tuesday Group,” Collins, a member of the group, told reporters. “We have never negotiated with the Freedom Caucus. There was never a meeting scheduled with the Freedom Caucus. We will never meet with the Freedom Caucus, because it’s not appropriate for a group of ad hoc members.”

“It’s not regular order, that’s not our role,” Collins added. He said the regular healthcare committees should handle the issue.

He said the Tuesday Group had a meeting on Wednesday and he can state “unequivocally” that other members of the group agree they should not meet with the Freedom Caucus. Read more here. http://bit.ly/2nkKcaH

Ryan won’t commit to healthcare vote

One week after the GOP ObamaCare repeal and replacement plan collapsed, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday he would not commit to holding another healthcare vote.

“I’m not going to commit to when and what the vote is going to look like, because it’s my job to make sure that House Republicans can coalesce and come together and draw a consensus,” Ryan told reporters at his weekly news conference.

“What I’m encouraging our members to do is figure out what solutions get us to a bill that everyone can vote for and pass,” the speaker added. “That’s the kind of conversations that are occurring.” Read more here. http://bit.ly/2nEUIx0

Pence breaks tie, allowing Senate to revoke Obama order on abortion provider funding

Vice President Mike Pence returned to the Senate Thursday afternoon — the second time in one day — to cast a tie-breaking vote on legislation to undo an Obama-era regulation on funding for abortion providers.

Pence cast the deciding 51st vote in favor of nixing the rule, after the legislation stalled in a 50-50 tie.

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) sided with Democrats to vote against repealing the Obama-era rule, prompting the need for the vice president to break the tie. Read more here. http://bit.ly/2nACTh5

What we’re reading

Six ways to tell if Trump is sabotaging ObamaCare (The Atlantic)

Anthem likely to retreat from ObamaCare in 2018, analysts say (Bloomberg)

Why didn’t Zika cause a surge of microcephaly in 2016 (NPR)

State by state

Kansas governor vetoes Medicaid expansion bill (Kansas City Star)

California state senator announces details on single-payer healthcare system (Sacramento Bee)

Arkansas lawmakers vote to keep hybrid Medicaid expansion (AP)

In case you missed it from The Hill

After repeal failure, GOP senators propose ObamaCare subsidy patch

Ryan breaks with Trump on healthcare: No Dems

GOP revival of healthcare repeal makes little progress