"What's stunning to me is the willingness for these proponents of repeal to advance intellectually unsound, illogical proposals that cannot possibly work….I think we're going to be leaving people out in the cold, and that makes me feel angry, and deeply, deeply concerned."

--Don Berwick, M.D., former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

• The American Health Care Act: The Republicans' Bill to Replace Obamacare, Explained Vox by Sarah Kliff— House Republicans released their long-awaited replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act on Monday. The American Health Care Act was developed in conjunction with the White House and Senate Republicans. Two big questions—how many people it will cover and how much it will cost—are still unresolved: It will likely cover fewer people than the Affordable Care Act currently does, but we don't know how many. And the Congressional Budget Office has not yet scored the legislation, so its price tag is unknown.
  
  
• Obamacare 101: What's in the House Republicans' Replacement Plan?  Los Angeles Times by Noam Levey and Kyle Kim— A guide to what's covered under the Affordable Care Act and the proposed Republican healthcare plan—Obamacare is pretty complex. So it shouldn't be a surprise that what the GOP is proposing in its place has a few knotty details. Here's a short guide to what's in the Republican plan and what it could mean for Americans' health coverage.  
  
  
• The Massive Tax Cuts for the Rich Inside the GOP Health Care Plan Washington Post by Max Ehrenfreund— Republicans' new health care bill cuts taxes for the wealthiest Americans while cutting federal benefits for the middle and working class. Just two provisions in the Republican plan would allow the richest households to pay an average of nearly $200,000 less under the GOP plan, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. For the lower-middle class, the plan would replace the current system of benefits based on income with a new system based on age. As a result, a young person making less money would get less help to buy insurance than an older person who is making more.

• Budget Referee May Call Foul on Obamacare Repeal Politico by Rachana Pradhan— The fate of Obamacare may lie in the hands of a number-crunching Republican appointee whose bottom line might single-handedly blow up the GOP quest to repeal and replace it. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Keith Hall was handpicked two years ago by top Republicans in Congress—including now Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price— to lead a nonpartisan office that will soon release its estimate of how many Americans the Republican health care bill will cover and whether it shrinks or balloons the federal deficit. With the House repeal bill under attack by Republican moderates worrying about coverage and conservatives fuming about entitlements and spending, the CBO assessment will matter. It's widely expected early next week.

• GOP Leaders Claim Momentum as Health Bill Clears Hurdles AP by Erica Werner and Alan Fram—Republican leaders drove their long-promised legislation to dismantle Barack Obama's health care law over its first big hurdles in the House on Thursday, claiming fresh momentum despite cries of protest from right, left and center. After grueling all-night sessions, the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees both approved their portions of the bill along party-line votes. The legislation, strongly supported by President Donald Trump, would eliminate the unpopular tax penalties for the uninsured under the Affordable Care Act, replacing Obama's law with a conservative blueprint likely to cover far fewer people but—Republicans hope—increase choice. 
  
  
• Nobody Wants Their Name on the Republican Health Care Bill CNN by MJ Lee—The White House says don't call it "Trumpcare." Critics are labeling it "Ryancare" and "Obamacare lite." Hospitals hate it and insurers are pushing the panic button. The House GOP bill to repeal Obamacare is quickly becoming a bill that nobody wants to own. Since its introduction this week, legislation from top House Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has drawn a flood of opposition from lawmakers and a range of health care leaders and industry stakeholders, including major doctors and hospital groups. While the bill's writers and the White House confidently insist that the plan will pass, they have been far less eager to put their names on it.
  
  
• After Halting Start, Trump Plunges into Effort to Repeal Health Law New York Times by Maggie Haberman and Robert Pear—President Trump, after a halting start, is now marshaling the full power of his office to win over holdout conservatives and waffling senators to support the House Republicans' replacement for the Affordable Care Act. There are East Room meetings, evening dinners and sumptuous lunches—even a White House bowling soiree. Mr. Trump is deploying the salesman tactics he sharpened over several decades in New York real estate. His pitch: He is fully behind the bill to scotch President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement, but he is open to negotiations on the details.
  
  
• GOP Leaders Turn Up the Pressure on Reluctant Republicans To Support Obamacare Replacement Los Angeles Times by Lisa Mascaro and Noam Levey— Republican leaders worked frantically Wednesday to salvage their health care overhaul, warning naysayers in the party to join or risk being blamed for breaking the GOP's promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) insisted that President Trump was on their side and he sharpened his tone to push reluctant Republicans to embrace "what we've all been dreaming about," rather than doom the bill over their differences. Ryan said he had "no doubt" the bill would pass, brushing off discontent from opponents as the "inevitable growing pains" of tackling a difficult policy now that Republicans control the White House as well as Congress. "This is the choice we face: Are we going to stay with Obamacare and ride out the status quo?" Ryan said. "Or are we going to do what we said we'd do? Are we going to repeal and replace Obamacare with something better?"

• Doctors, Hospitals, and Insurers Oppose Republican Health Plan Washington Post by Juliet Eilperin and Mike DeBonis—Major associations representing physicians, hospitals, insurers, and seniors all leveled sharp attacks against the House GOP's plan to rewrite the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, as some Republicans publicly questioned whether the measure can clear the House of Representatives. While industry groups warned that the proposal could leave vulnerable Americans with fewer protections than they now have, GOP leaders pressed ahead, bringing legislation before two key committees that are expected to approve the bills by week's end.
  
  
• The Three GOP Factions That Could Doom Republicans' Obamacare Replacement Bill Washington Post by Amber Phillips—As they roll out their Obamacare replacement plan, Republicans are quickly finding out what Democrats learned eight years ago: Even if you win control of Congress and the White House, there are still plenty of obstacles to passing laws that, in principle, your whole party agrees with. Several factions within the Republican Party don't like some key details about this new health care plan. Here's a look at the three main ones: 1) Western/Midwestern GOP senators, 2) conservative/libertarian senators, 3) moderate Planned Parenthood supporters.
  
  
• Republican Governors Complain About GOP Health Care Plan AP by Thomas Beaumont and Alison Noon— Republican governors complain that a GOP proposal to replace former President Barack Obama's health care law would force millions of lower-income earners off insurance rolls or stick states with the cost of keeping them covered. Governors, especially those from political battleground states, were generally cool to the bill put forth in the Republican-controlled U.S. House. Some signaled that they would continue working on their own legislation to compete with the measure introduced Monday. "We've said all along, 'Work with the governors,' that it should be a governor-led effort and for the Congress to rely on the governors," Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said Tuesday. "Well, they came out with their own bill, which doesn't include anything that the governors have talked about."

• In Major Shift, White House Privately Backing Earlier Rollback of Medicaid Expansion CNN by Jeremy Diamond—The White House is privately lining up behind conservative calls to roll back Obamacare's Medicaid expansion sooner than the health care reform bill currently calls for, two senior administration officials and a senior House conservative aide told CNN on Thursday. White House officials are beginning to urge House GOP leadership to include an earlier sunset of the Medicaid expansion funds authorized under Obamacare than the 2020 date set by the current bill. The change comes just days after the bill was unveiled and follows a blitz of activism aimed squarely at the White House and President Donald Trump, who has met with conservative leaders in recent days. Such a move, however, could blow up the already fragile efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. 

• Trump, Dems Look for Common Ground on Drug Prices Kaiser Health News by Sarah Jane Tribble—For years, congressional Democrats have tried to pass legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for millions of beneficiaries. Now, they believe they have a not-so-secret weapon: President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) met privately for about an hour with Trump and newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to discuss ways to combat high drug prices. They were joined by Johns Hopkins Hospital President Redonda Miller. The congressmen pitched a House bill that would expand the federal government's ability to negotiate drug prices, and they left feeling optimistic about what Trump will do.