Healthcare & Policy News
Reporting on health care policy, insurance coverage, and federal health programs. Includes news updates and conservative commentary from The Daily Signal.
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news
Flashback: Pelosi Praised Obamacare Architect’s Work in 2009. Today, She Doesn’t Know Who He Is.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said today she doesn’t know Jonathan Gruber, the man credited with helping congressional Democrats draft Obamacare. “I don’t know who he is. He didn’t help write our bill … let’s put him aside,” said Pelosi. But shortly after making the claim, video of then-Speaker Pelosi surfaced, in which he… -
opinion
The Extreme Advertising by Insurance Companies in the Obamacare Era
Ah, the individual mandate. In 2015, if you don't have health insurance, get ready to fork over $325 or a whopping 2 percent of your income (up from 1 percent in 2014), whichever is higher. Health insurance companies are fully aware of this new reality—and the ka-ching opportunities the individual mandate provides. At least one… -
news
Maine Senator in Spat With ‘Fox & Friends’ Hosts Over Obamacare: ‘Don’t Lecture Me’
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and the hosts of “Fox & Friends” engaged in a contentious debate about Obamacare yesterday as comments from the law’s architect reverberated on Capitol Hill. As previously reported on The Daily Signal, Jonathan Gruber credited the Affordable Care Act’s passage to “a lack of transparency” and “the stupidity of the American… -
news
What Howard Dean Thinks Is the ‘Core Problem’ with Obamacare
Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber’s remarks about the “stupidity of the American voter” and a “lack of transparency” as factors necessary to passing Obamacare have spurred responses from across the political spectrum. Former DNC chairman Howard Dean responded to Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski’s comment that Gruber’s statement “might be a problem.” “The problem is not… -
news
‘Too Stupid’: Second Video Shows Obamacare Architect Insulting Public
Just hours after Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber apologized for “off the cuff” remarks disparaging the intelligence of American voters, another video surfaced of the former White House adviser calling the American people “stupid.” Fox News host Megyn Kelly last night screened the clip of Gruber speaking at an Oct. 4, 2013, event at Washington University in… -
opinion
In Another Blow to Obamacare, the Supreme Court Will Hear This Case
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the King v. Burwell case exposes another potential weakness in the health care law. In the King case, the Supreme Court will consider whether the Internal Review Service has the authority to expand the application of healthcare subsidies to federal exchanges. The subsidies are a key tool used under… -
opinion
Caught on Camera: Obamacare Architect Admits Deceiving Americans to Pass Law
In a newly surfaced video, one of Obamacare’s architects admits a “lack of transparency” helped the Obama administration and congressional Democrats pass the Affordable Care Act. The conservative group American Commitment posted Jonathan Gruber’s remarks, reportedly from an Oct. 17, 2013, event, on YouTube. “Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage,” says the MIT… -
opinion
Supreme Court to Hear Obamacare Federal Exchanges Case
The U.S. Supreme Court announced today it will hear King v. Burwell, a challenge to the Internal Revenue Service’s authority to subsidize health coverage purchased through insurance exchanges run by the federal government. It’s likely the court will schedule oral argument in early 2015 and issue a decision by the end of June. Section 36B… -
opinion
Cruz: Republicans Won Because US Wants Obamacare Repeal, No Amnesty
Ted Cruz thinks the Republicans won on Tuesday because of candidates’ positions on Obamacare and immigration reform. “If you look at what Senate candidates ran on all over the country, the number one issue was stopping Obamacare and the number two issue was stopping President Obama’s amnesty [for illegal immigrants],” the Republican senator from Texas… -
news
Kevin McCarthy: Republicans Will Repeal Obamacare When Replacement Policy Ready
Fox News’ Megyn Kelly grilled House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., about whether a Republican-controlled Congress would seek to repeal Obamacare. After repeated questions from Kelly, McCarthy said, “I would press for [a vote to repeal Obamacare] when we have ability to replace it at the same time.” -
opinion
Pelosi Predicted Obamacare Would Be ‘Winning Issue‘ for Democrats. How Has That Panned Out?
Even before voters headed to the polls on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz had begun to downplay the midterm elections. “Nothing to see here” no doubt has begun to be scribbled into the talking points regarding every hard-fought blue-state campaign. Despite the political spin, you can… -
opinion
Ben Carson: Obamacare Will ‘Collapse Under Its Own Weight’
Dr. Ben Carson, a successful pediatric neurosurgeon and conservative activist, sat down with The Daily Signal to talk to us about what he thinks should be done about Ebola, his perspective on the damage Obamacare has done to our health care system, and how to win the minority vote. -
opinion
Scott Rasmussen: Why Obamacare Is the Defining Issue of 2014 Elections
Veteran public opinion guru Scott Rasmussen says the biggest issue driving the 2014 election cycle is not just President Obama’s low approval rating but his signature policy achievement, Obamacare. And, Rasmussen says, this is an issue that isn’t going away. Obama won’t be on the ballot in 2016, but he believes Obamacare will be. Steve… -
opinion
The Numbers You Need to Know About Obamacare
“Is the Affordable Care Act Working?” reads a recent headline in The New York Times. The editors then consider a series of questions, the first of which is pretty basic: “Has the percentage of uninsured people been reduced?” Their answer: yes. So, problem solved, right? Not quite. The devil, as they say, is in the… -
news
Senate’s No. 1 Republican Explains Why a GOP-Controlled Senate Doesn’t Mean Repeal of Obamacare
Hopes for repeal of Obamacare by a Republican-controlled Senate dimmed a week before the crucial midterm elections with surprising words from the man who likely would lead that new Senate. In an interview Tuesday with Fox’s Neil Cavuto, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said it’s unlikely a Republican-controlled Senate would repeal the Affordable Care Act,… -
opinion
Here’s Who Got Obamacare Coverage, Explained in Just 1 Minute
Get ready to be inundated with a fresh round of Obamacare propaganda. President Obama’s health care law will be back in the news next month when open enrollment begins Nov. 15. The government is already gearing up to recruit more enrollees. But based on what we know already, the Affordable Care Act isn’t panning out… -
opinion
Clinton Judge Gives Catholic University Temporary Pass on Abortion Drug Mandate
On Tuesday, a federal court in Tampa, Fla. stopped the Obama administration from enforcing the new and improved version of the Obamacare mandate that employers provide healthcare coverage of abortion-inducing drugs. Ave Maria University, a Catholic school based in Florida, challenged the so-called “accommodation” that allows it to avoid directly providing or paying for coverage… -
news
NIH Director Warns of Unintended Consequences from Mandatory Quarantines in New York, New Jersey
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced mandatory quarantines for health workers returning from West Africa. However, such a policy could have negative, unintended consequences, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned today. During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Fauci said that… -
opinion
This Infographic Shows How Obamacare Might Be Just One Big Expansion of Medicaid
Spoiler alert! When it comes to covering the uninsured, Obamacare has proven itself to be one giant expansion of Medicaid. A new report released Wednesday reveals the total coverage increase for the first half of 2014. While total coverage increased by 8,538,327 individuals, enrollment in Medicaid accounted for 71 percent of that growth. Check out the infographic… -
news
Those Ebola Vaccines in Testing Now? You Can Thank Dick Cheney for That
Democrats looking to blame Republicans for the lack of an Ebola vaccine may owe Dick Cheney an apology. It turns out that as vice president, Cheney was the driving force behind more funding for the National Institutes of Health that helped lead to the development of Ebola vaccines being tested today. From the time scientists first discovered…