The healthcare industry is in full-on panic mode over the Trump regime's continuing sabotage of Obamacare, which means they're in full-on pressure mode with Congress—specifically with the Senate, where they apparently believe their only hope for sanity lies.
Senate Republicans face increasing pressure to rescue health insurance markets and protect coverage for millions of Americans amid growing fears the Trump administration is going to let the markets collapse.
In recent days, leading hospitals, physician groups, health insurers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have pleaded with the Senate to step in, effectively going around the White House.
“Congress must take action now,” the groups warned in a letter to Republican and Democratic Senate leaders. “At this point, only congressional action can help consumers.” […]
In addition to the healthcare groups and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, state insurance regulators — Republicans and Democrats — also are pleading with the Senate to step in.
“Your immediate action is critical to the viability of the individual insurance markets in a significant number of states across the country,” the National Assn. of Insurance Commissioners wrote in a letter to Senate leaders last week.
That means a short-term fix and effort at stabilizing the market for at least the next year and immediately resolving the issue of cost-sharing reduction payments, the reimbursements to health insurers for subsidizing low-income customers' out-of-pocket costs. Trump has been playing games with those payments, letting a cloud of uncertainty hang over the industry for months and giving no indication that he gives a damn. The out-and-out sabotage on the part of the administration seems to actually be an issue for some Republicans, who recognize that they'll be on the hook politically if it all comes crashing down.
"There clearly has to be sort of a short-term solution," says Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. "We have to do that. There's got to be certainty in the marketplace. There has to be some certainty with the insurers." He's the No. 3 guy in leadership, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, so the concern has trickled up that far. The rank-and-file have been there for a while. Even dumber-than-a-bag-of-rocks Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin gets it. "This process dragged on longer than I would have liked it and in fairness to the insurance companies and even more importantly the American people, they need some certainty in terms of what's going to happen in 2018," Johnson said.
On the House side … well, you can see why the industry is pinning its hopes on the Senate.
"It's controversial," said Florida Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart. […]
"I have no thoughts," Rep. John Shimkus, a member of the House's Energy and Commerce Committee, told CNN when asked about whether Congress needs to appropriate the money now for the Obamacare subsidies.
How very helpful. The Energy and Commerce Committee, by the way, is one of two in the House which deals with everything health care-related. House members, though, don't seem to be quite as clued in to the politics of this yet. Another week at home facing constituents during Memorial Day recess might do the trick.