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
Mark Pryor Challenges Obamacare Critics: ‘Give Me Something Better’
Sen. Mark Pryor dismissed Arkansans’ grievances of losing health insurance because of Obamacare as “anecdotal,” accusing Republicans of solely wanting to complain about the law as opposed to offering a solution. The Arkansas Democrat told a local TV reporter Sunday that Republicans need to back their criticisms up with action. “Give me something better,” Pryor said. “Put… -
news
This Bill Would Undo Medicare Home Health Cuts Under Obamacare
House Republicans propose to roll back major cuts in Medicare home health services, saying they want to help senior citizens and other Americans who face decreases in both care and jobs. A bill introduced yesterday by Reps. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Tom Price, R-Ga., would repeal the Obamacare-inspired cuts of 14 percent imposed by then-Health and… -
news
Temp Agency: Obamacare Is Causing Businesses to Hire Part-Time, Not Full-Time, Employees
Under pressure to comply with the Affordable Care Act, some South Carolina businesses are cutting back by hiring more part-time rather than full time employees. Although unemployment levels have dropped to pre-recession levels at 6.1 percent nationally, a staffing agency in South Carolina reports that this number may be skewed. Many employees have returned to… -
opinion
Medicaid Expansion Magic
Recently, the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) released a report urging states to expand Medicaid. However, the claims in the report should be approached with caution. On the economic side of things, the CEA proposes states should expand in order to receive federal funds, which would supposedly create more jobs and thus more… -
opinion
It’s Not True that 20 Million Americans Gained Coverage Under Obamacare
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund claims 20 million Americans “gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act as of May 1.” But a closer look at that number reveals it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. First, the authors, Dr. David Blumenthal, president of Commonwealth, and Vice President Sara Collins, get to the… -
news
This Chart Shows How Many Obamacare Enrollees’ Self-Reported Citizenship Status Doesn’t Match Federal Data
According to a report released by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month, “the online federal marketplace could not resolve nearly 90 percent (or 2.6 million) of its 2.9 million data ‘inconsistencies,’ which include citizenship status, income, incarceration status, and Social Security numbers,” as Marguerite Bowling reported last… -
news
Reporter Calls Colorado’s Obamacare Website ‘Clunky, Counterintuitive and Confusing’
Colorado journalist Brandon Rittiman called the state’s Obamacare exchange website “clunky, counterintuitive and confusing” after reviewing the website for a TV news story. Colorado received $179 million in federal grants for the state’s healthcare exchange, a portion of which was dedicated to building the site. -
news
Nevada Woman Dies After Suing Over Delayed Obamacare Coverage
A woman with a brain tumor who sued Nevada’s Obamacare exchange contractor for delayed coverage died earlier this week. Linda Rolain was among 150 Nevadans suing the contractor Xerox for lack of coverage. She is the first to die of complications from an illness, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We are worried that this is… -
news
Obamacare Awash in Millions of Data ‘Inconsistencies,’ Report Finds
Little more than eight months ago, the bungled rollout of the government’s Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, touched off an avalanche of bad news for President Obama and his health care team. Now comes a new federal report that gives more details on the technical woes of the online insurance exchange — problems that could result in… -
opinion
Obamacare Is Working Out Great (If You Ignore the Problems)
Obamacare had a bad week at the Supreme Court. Actually Obamacare has had a pretty bad four years. Not surprisingly, most Americans still don’t like Obamacare. So the Obama administration’s allies are insisting that the unpopular law is working very well, thank you very much. For example, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman says, “The… -
opinion
Q&A: How the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby Decision Affects Obamacare
Yesterday morning, the Supreme Court ruled against the coercive Obamacare HHS mandate, prohibiting the government from forcing two family businesses, Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood, to provide coverage of potentially life-ending drugs and devices. The Court held that the HHS mandate violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) as it applied in this case. In… -
opinion
After Hobby Lobby, Another Part of the Obamacare Mandate Could Fall
Today’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, which are for-profit companies, raises questions about the fate of the HHS mandate accommodation for which certain religious non-profit employers are eligible. Under the accommodation, non-profit employers self-certify to their insurance provider or third-party administrator that they have a religious objection to… -
opinion
The Fight Isn’t Over: Nuns, Others Still Face Obamacare Mandate Despite Today’s Hobby Lobby Decision
Despite today’s Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the fight against the coercive HHS mandate is far from over. More than 300 other family businesses, schools, and religious organizations still must decide whether to violate their beliefs or face government penalties. Charitable organizations such as Little Sisters of the Poor and Mother Angelica’s… -
news
What Does New Auto-Enrollment Rule Mean for Obamacare Customers?
Insurance customers on HealthCare.gov will be automatically enrolled in their current plans for 2015 unless they buy new coverage through federal and state-run online exchanges, the Obama administration announced. The Health and Human Services Department’s proposed rules are meant to reduce potential drop-off for any of the 8 million Americans who, the administration said, selected a… -
news
Two-Thirds of Manufacturing Executives Fear Obamacare Will Hurt Growth
Manufacturers are worried about how Affordable Care Act regulations will affect their costs, according to a recent survey by the tax and consulting firm McGladrey Inc. More than two-thirds of executives surveyed believe government regulation will stunt their companies’ future growth. The Affordable Care Act garnered the most blame and was cited by 69 percent… -
news
Pictures of Faith at Work: This Family Waits, Prays for Obamacare Ruling
The Supreme Court is expected to decide as early as today whether the government can force two family businesses, Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, to provide employee health plans that cover abortion-inducing drugs and devices. Countless other faith-based family businesses face devastating fines under Obamacare if they don't break their moral and religious convictions and comply with the same… -
opinion
Insurers on Obamacare Exchanges in 2015: What to Watch For
There have been a number of recent news reports about additional insurers applying to offer coverage in Obamacare exchanges in 2015. Although it is too early to draw any conclusions—since this is just the beginning of a three-month process—it is still likely that at least a few more insurers will participate in the exchanges next… -
news
Obamacare Exchanges Are ‘Disappointing’ With Fewer Than 4 Million Newly Insured. The Government Hoped for 26 Million.
In April, President Obama told the nation that “marketplace” or “exchange” enrollment, at 8 million customers as of March 31, had exceeded expectations and costs were lower than expected. Many in the news media accepted the selectively released statistics, despite the Obama administration’s record of sometimes providing inaccurate or incomplete information on HealthCare.gov. Even today, the… -
news
Why One Family-Owned Business Is Fighting Against Obamacare
LORETTO, Minn.—Doug Doboszenski moves tons of dirt in his excavation business, but that’s nothing like trying to move the mountain known as the federal government. Under the Affordable Care Act, Doboszenki and Sons must provide health coverage in employee medical plans that contradicts the owners’ religious beliefs—or face thousands of dollars in Internal Revenue Service… -
opinion
Medicaid Expansions Break Conservative Principles
It is time to stop, take a breath and ask some basic questions about health care: Do we want to see greater government control over health care dollars and decisions, or less? Do we favor more federal spending, taxes and debt, or less? Are we in favor of a surrender to, or a decisive victory…