Obama Scolds GOP For Efforts To ‘Gum Up’ The Health Law
In his Saturday address, the president says if Republicans continue to work to undermine the overhaul, they will be doing a disservice to their constituents. But Republican Rep. Capito warns health law is not working and calls for an implementation delay.
Politico: Obama: GOP Trying To 'Gum Up' ACA
President Barack Obama criticized Republicans for trying to "gum up the works" in the health care reform law and for refusing to help constituents sign up for coverage. "A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they’ll somehow be sticking it to me. But they'd just be sticking it to you," Obama said in his weekly address (8/17).
CBS: Obama Denounces GOP's 'Empty Promises' On Government Shutdown
President Obama admonished some Republicans for offering "empty promises" to either repeal Obamacare or shut down the federal government in his weekly address on Saturday. "This isn't a game," he said. "This is about the economic security of millions of families." Meanwhile, in the weekly Republican address, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., warned that the health-care law is clearly not working the way it's supposed to, calling on the president to delay the implementation of the law's individual mandate, which requires individuals to buy health insurance or pay a fine (Miller, 8/17).
Kaiser Health News tracked weekend headlines regarding coverage of the president’s weekend address and the GOP response (8/17).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.