TPMDC American Medical Association
House Republicans
GOP's Gambit To Alienate Dems On Medicare Savings Board
Republicans have lost some, if not all, of the bipartisan cover they once had for their effort to repeal a key piece of President Obama's health care law. Could they have done so on purpose?
One health policy insider thinks that's possible -- and sees a political upside to putting all Democrats on the wrong side of powerful interest groups.
"It's an election year," the industry lobbyist and former GOP aide told TPM in an email. "One doesn't need legislative victories ... just tough votes for the other team!"
At issue is the House's Thursday vote to repeal a powerful Medicare cost-cutting panel created by the Affordable Care Act. Many Democrats also dislike the so-called Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), and were set to join the GOP repeal effort. But that was before the GOP proposed paying for the cost of repealing it with a medical malpractice reform bill.
That will cost Republicans the support of dozens of Democrats who were otherwise on board to eliminate IPAB, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer told reporters. Repeal is also nonstarter in the Senate and faces a veto threat from the White House.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Affordable Care Act, American Medical Association, Democrats, House Republicans, IPAB, Independent Payment Advisory Board, Medicare
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Obama To Face BP's Leaders
President Obama will meet today with BP's top executives, in a high-stakes meeting in which he will demand the creation of an escrow account to handle damage claims. The Associated Press reports: "The cost of such a fund would be enormous. The White House insists is has the legal authority to make it happen. Still, administration officials also acknowledge a negotiation is at play here, and key issues remain unsolved. Among them: Who will oversee the escrow fund, who will make that decision, how large will the fund be and whether BP will pay the salaries of oil workers idled by a six-month moratorium on new deep-water oil drilling."
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will attend a meeting with BP executives at 10:15 a.m. ET, will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10:35 a.m. ET, and will receive the economic daily briefing at 11:05 a.m. ET. Obama will deliver a statement to the press at 12:15 p.m. ET. He will have lunch with Biden at 12:30 p.m. ET. He will meet at 1:45 p.m. ET with senior advisers. He will meet at 2:30 p.m. ET with Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA). At 5:35 p.m. ET, he will deliver remarks at the American Nurses Association House of Delegates.
Topics: 2010 elections, American Medical Association, BP, Barack Obama, David Axelrod, Health Care, John Cornyn, NV-SEN, Roundup, Scott Brown, Sharron Angle
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