Health-Care Groups Weigh Involvement in GOP Overhaul Push
Lobbies are split on whether to shape a new measure or try to kill it
Largely shut out of the talks, they actively opposed the bill, firing off angry letters and in some cases airing ads aimed at vulnerable House Republicans.
.. in the Senate, which hopes to complete its own version of a health overhaul by August
.. “We are not philosophically opposed to ‘repeal and replace,’ but Americans need to have a conversation about whether replacement is better than what we’ve got,” said Andrew Gurman, president of the American Medical Association. The House health measure “was in our estimation a potentially very bad bill.”
.. Some groups, believing it is inevitable that legislation passes the Senate in some form, plan to offer proposals they believe would improve it. Others, in contrast, hope they can convince at least three GOP Senators to oppose any effort, stripping Republican leaders of the majority they need.
.. Hospitals are concerned about the impact of potential cuts to Medicaid, and their proposals include using state waivers to introduce structural changes to the program that could bring down costs to the federal government.