Subject: Nobody knew health care could be so complicated
From: "Bloomberg View" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2017 05:03:00 -0400 (EDT)

A daily digest of opinions and analysis

‘Repeal and Replace’ Is Dead. Now What?

Donald Trump has a plan for American health care ... sort of. “We’ll let Obamacare fail,” the president said Tuesday, after his party’s replacement effort died in the Senate. “I’m not going to own it.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also seemed short of fresh ideas on Tuesday: His proposal to simply repeal Obamacare was declared dead on arrival Tuesday — killed, it appears, by lack of support from fellow Republicans. (Meanwhile, the insurance industry is not amused.)

What to make of all this drama? Noah Feldman says it shows just how durable Obama’s accomplishments are: President Trump, even with unified government, just doesn't have the power to undo his predecessor’s work. Meanwhile, the Bloomberg View editorial board sees a chance for Republicans to start afresh, think seriously about what it will take to mend Obamacare, and maybe even partner with Democrats to improve it. (Call us hopeless idealists, we know.)

California’s Culture-War Travel Ban Is Counterproductive

Did you know that, with a few minor exceptions, California researchers can’t use state money to attend academic conferences in Texas or Tennessee? It’s all thanks to a recent rule that punishes red states that run afoul of California’s anti-discrimination statute. Virginia Postrel calls such laws deeply misguided (and, coming from California, more than a little ironic).

The Biggest Loser From Full Employment? Government.

Unemployment is low. State and local budgets are tight. Expect public-servant shortages next. And before small-government fans start celebrating, Conor Sen predicts that Americans will become pretty cranky when teachers and police officers grow scarce.

Too Many Americans Live in a Mental Fog

Drug addiction, pollution and poverty make it difficult to think clearly, and they hit Americans particularly hard. That’s a tragedy for individuals and their families, and it’s also a drag on economic growth. Noah Smith traces the causes and costs.

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. Learn more.

Ritholtz’s Reads

The financial adviser summer checklist (Riskalyze)

Sexual harassment in tech: Women tell their stories (CNN Money)

Student debt is a major reason millennials aren’t buying homes (Bloomberg)

(Read Barry Ritholtz’s full daily news roundup here.)

Bloomberg Gadfly

Chipotle’s new food scare hits at a bad time

CSX profit chugs along, but could come at a price

Trumpcare’s death (for now) is good for health-care stocks

(Read more from BV’s sister site for fast business commentary.)

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