What Went Down On Health Care This Week

As the Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein points out, six Republicans who voted against repeal and delay today — Alexander, Capito, Heller, McCain, Murkowski and Portman — voted for an essentially identical bill in 2015.

Like Heller, Jerry Moran of Kansas gave a somewhat impassioned defense of Medicaid recently. He voted against the repeal and replace bill last night, and for the repeal and delay today. Both deeply cut Medicaid. But he has managed to 1. kill off the the bill (repeal and replace) that had a real chance of being passed 2. vote for a repeal bill that he knew had no chance 3. keep his conservative bonafides while so far defending rural hospitals, which he says is his goal. His role in all of this is interesting and worth watching.

Heller dug in his heels early, including on cuts to Medicaid. But he has really softened his stance since then, Micah, and has said he’s open to a skinny repeal. The skinny repeal may not include big Medicaid cuts now, but other Republicans are saying that they will use that conference to bring back the cuts to Medicaid. If they get to conference, it will be hard for him to stop the party momentum, but I think the Medicaid cuts in particular are a serious issue for many senators. I guess this is a question of where Taniel is putting his bookends!