ELECTION/GOP/HEALTHCARE/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump says the GOP is now the ‘party of health care.’ But Republicans have no real plan to deliver on that. Trump’s unexpected demand that Republicans take another crack at replacing Obamacare came on the heels of his Justice Department backing a lawsuit intended to gut the entire law. The last time the party tried to get rid of Obamacare, it cost them control of the House and several state capitols. Those lessons aren’t lost on Republicans. They know the more they talk about repealing Obamacare, the more likely it is that the battle over the health law and the popular protections for people with pre-existing conditions drags into the 2020 elections, damaging vulnerable Republicans. They’d rather slow-walk the issue while sticking to health care topics that have appeal on both sides of the aisle…That could include addressing ‘surprise’ medical bills that hit insured people who end up with an out-of-network doctor even when they’ve chosen an in-network hospital, as well as more steps to address high drug costs and opioids. His counterpart on the Health, Education, Labor and Education Committee, Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) was singing a similar tune on Wednesday, telling reporters: ‘We’re working in a bipartisan way.’ Alexander has recently turned his focus to health care costs, rather than repeal.”
–Alice Miranda Ollstein and Burgess Everett, “‘We need a plan’: GOP shaken by Trump’s health care demands,” Politico, March 27, 2019 8:08 pm