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Healthcare VC chimes in on Republican healthcare plan

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

AP file photo

Annie Lamont is one of the nation's top healthcare venture capitalists, and also serves on the board of hospital giant HCA. Axios asked for her gut take on the House GOP's healthcare plan. A few highlights:

  • "Medicare advantage in good shape under almost any scenario."
  • "Chickenshit move to have it all kick in in 2020 post next election and not affecting the congressional elections."
  • "A lot of head fakes in this. We aren't punishing you for not getting coverage except that we are because you are going to have a 30 % penalty if you don't keep your healthcare going. So you are smarter to never sign up if you think you might not be able to afford or decide you have other priorities."
  • Impact on her firm's investments: "Other than that uncertainty isn't great, the areas we have been investing in are relatively unaffected. Our solutions usually fall in commercial or Medicare bucket and if we are lowering costs and improving quality there, our companies should have unending opportunity. Medicaid will be less well funded so companies dependent on that bucket could be hurt although anyone taking cost out should benefit. Commercial world will be asked to bear even more of the brunt of costs so cost shifting and pressures to do so will be even greater."

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Jonathan Swan
8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

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Axios
Updated 10 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
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Lachlan Markay
10 hours ago - Politics & Policy

John Weaver, Lincoln Project co-founder, acknowledges “inappropriate” messages

John Weaver aboard John McCain's campaign plane in February 2000. Photo: Robert Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

John Weaver, a veteran Republican operative who co-founded the Lincoln Project, declared in a statement to Axios on Friday that he sent “inappropriate,” sexually charged messages to multiple men.

  • “To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry. They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you,” Weaver said.
  • “The truth is that I'm gay,” he added. “And that I have a wife and two kids who I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place.”
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow