Republicans cast opioid bill as their health care achievement

[DonViejo]

GOP incumbents in Kentucky, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania have run advertising recently focused on their efforts to bolster access to treatment.

By PAUL DEMKO and BRIANNA EHLEY 09/22/2018 06:44 AM EDT

Endangered Republicans are running ads defending their achievements on health care — but it’s opioids they are boasting about, not the toxic fight about Obamacare and pre-existing conditions.

GOP incumbents in Kentucky, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania have run advertising recently focused on their efforts to bolster access to treatment, prevent overdoses and stamp out lethal synthetic painkillers like fentanyl. The conservative American Action Network has chipped in $5 million worth of digital and television ads in battleground districts, touting the GOP's commitment to fighting the epidemic.

GOP leaders on Capitol Hill are trying to get a final plan to President Donald Trump's desk before the midterm elections. But even if the final work on the bills passed by both the House and the Senate spills into the post-election period, candidates can still showcase what they’ve done so far.

Democratic candidates also are touting their role in the bipartisan effort. But it's especially critical for congressional Republicans who have struggled on health policy and pressed multiple largely unsuccessful attempts to gut the federal health care law. And now with congressional repeal efforts on hold, conservative state attorneys general are fighting in court to invalidate Obamacare, putting popular protections for people with pre-existing conditions at risk.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/22/republicans-defend-opioid-bill-achievement-796837