Trump’s health care brain trust says no thanks
By Adam Cancryn and Alice Miranda Ollstein
6 hrs ago President Donald Trump promised a new plan to replace Obamacare. But the four Senate Republicans he tapped for the job aren’t jumping at the opportunity.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) says any new plan has to come from the White House — and that he had no warning Trump planned to make him part of the health policy group. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) won't say more than he and colleagues are “working on health care thoughts.†John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), when asked about the Republican plan, turned the question back on the opposition, saying, “Democrats want to go to the complete government takeover of health care.â€
And Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the fourth member of Trump’s team, hasn’t committed to anything more than “conversations with colleagues†about health care affordability.
It's clear that a week into the Trump-mandated makeover as the “Party of Health Care,†few lawmakers want ownership of an issue proven toxic to Republicans’ political futures. The GOP has been deadlocked on a replacement since its high-profile repeal effort collapsed in the fall of 2017. That’s left the party paralyzed — reluctant to contradict Trump but scared of entering another campaign cycle without a coherent health care message. Those most qualified to craft a plan have no interest in the job, while others eager for another repeal effort aren’t gaining traction.
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http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trumps-health-care-brain-trust-says-no-thanks/ar-BBVITsH?ocid=ientp
