- Donald Trump Learns That Reforming Health Care Is 'Complicated' by Ryan Lizza—I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject," President Donald Trump told a group of governors at the White House yesterday. "Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated."....Large-scale reform of the American health-care system is one of the most complicated policy issues the government faces, as all of Trump's modern predecessors learned. "The health care reform story illuminates almost every aspect of the presidency," David Blumenthal and James Morone write in The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office, a 2009 examination of how 11 Presidents, from to Franklin Roosevelt to George W. Bush, grappled with the issue. "Because health reform is excruciatingly difficult to win, it tests presidents' ideas, heart, luck, allies, and their skill at running the most complicated government machinery in the world."
- Trump Giving Lawmakers Whiplash on Obamacare Politico by Josh Dawsey and Rachana Pradhan—The president will have to gain some message discipline if he wants to push through a repeal-and-replace plan….Whether the White House can repeal and replace the law this spring—as Capitol Hill leaders say is the goal—largely depends on the president's ability to focus and outline the specifics of what he would like, while convincing reluctant GOP members to back a plan.
- Republicans Still Waiting For Trump to Take Charge on Obamacare and Taxes Los Angeles Times by Lisa Mascaro—President Trump has been reluctant to take charge of Republicans' policy priorities, and GOP lawmakers worry their early momentum is fading amid intraparty squabbles over legislation and Trump's tendency to flit from topic to topic when what they most need now is focus. The Republican majority has been left hungering for leadership and bickering among themselves over what to do next.
- House Leaders: Obamacare Repeal Will Pass This Month Politico by Rachael Bade, Kyle Cheney, and John Bresnahan—With Donald Trump reportedly on board, the House is poised to steamroll conservative opposition, senior lawmakers say. Take it to the bank, GOP leaders are all but declaring: The House will vote to repeal and replace by the end of this month. Their confidence, coming after months of dead ends and false starts, is fueled by the belief that President Donald Trump has their back—even if some conservatives currently don't.
- VP Mike Pence Vows 'No One Is Going to Fall Through the Cracks' in Plan to Repeal, Replace Obamacare "Good Morning America" by Morgan Winsor—Vice President Mike Pence said today "no one is going to fall through the cracks" in President Donald Trump's plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. "What the president wants the Congress to do is to create a framework for people to be able to afford coverage," Pence said on ABC News' "Good Morning America."
- Obamacare 'Collapsing'? That's a Stretch Politico by Rachana Pradhan—This year was definitely rough for Obamacare, with declining choice in plans and sharp price hikes seen around the country. But while the law may be on especially shaky ground in some places—the private markets in Tennessee and Oklahoma come to mind—that's not the case everywhere. Other independent analysts have said there are signs that the health of the individual market is improving and the law is not in a so-called "death spiral."