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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- Opinion
18 More Federal Agencies Eye Making Vaccine Religious-Objector Lists
This week, we revealed that an obscure federal agency plans to keep lists of the “personal religious information” employees who had religious objections to the federal employee vaccine mandate. As it turns out, the little-known Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia isn’t the only federal agency involved. As we feared, a whole-of-government effort…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
9 Reasons Not to Pass Yet Another Federal COVID-19 ‘Relief’ Spending Package
Now almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and after $6.6 trillion in total federal spending on it—the equivalent of $51,600 per household—some policymakers want to pass yet another so-called COVID-19 relief package. Not only has Congress already spent more than it should have, some of the previous COVID-19 relief spending is actually hurting…Rachel Greszler -
- News
‘Huge Win’: Business Leaders, Legal Experts Celebrate as Supreme Court Blocks Biden Vaccine Mandate
Legal experts and business leaders rejoiced Thursday following news that the Supreme Court had blocked President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers. "The Supreme Court has stood up for small businesses by staying this illegal employer vaccine mandate,” said Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of Job Creators Network. “The court has confirmed what…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
Unpacking Supreme Court Justices’ Reasoning in Vaccine Mandate Decisions
For nearly 100 million American workers waiting breathlessly for an answer, a Thursday Supreme Court decision delivered good news for many, although not all. In a rare late-day release of opinions, the Supreme Court issued its rulings in a pair of federal vaccine mandate cases that went to the court on an emergency basis. …Sarah Parshall Perry -
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Supreme Court Kills Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Private Employers
The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private companies and other organizations with at least 100 employees. In a separate case, however, the high court did allow vaccine mandates for employees of federally funded health care facilities. In the main case, the majority of justices expressed doubt that…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Politicizing COVID-19 From the Start
From the moment COVID-19 appeared, the pandemic became inseparable from politics. Political frenzy was inevitable since the SARS-CoV-2 virus may have escaped from a level-4 security virology lab in Wuhan, China. The rapid-fire spread soon threatened to indict the Chinese communist government for nearly destroying the world economy and killing millions. Western elites, in response,…Victor Davis Hanson -
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Meet the Fire Chief Fired Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Stephen Davis, the former fire rescue battalion chief of Orange County, Fla., was given an order to refuse religious exemptions and report any unvaccinated people under his command. He said no. As a result, he became one of the thousands of Americans who have been fired over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Listen to his story here….Daily Signal Staff -
- Opinion
DC Mayor Pushes Proof of Vaccine, but Members of Congress Push Back
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is the latest in a string of left-wing mayors to institute a proof-of-vaccination mandate. Starting on Saturday, anyone 12 or older who wants to eat at a restaurant, go to a concert, or see a movie in the nation’s capital will have to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Rep. Ralph…Douglas Blair -
- News
49 Pro-Life Groups Urge Senate Opposition to Biden’s Nominee for FDA
A coalition of pro-life organizations expressed opposition Wednesday to the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Food and Drug Administration, saying the nominee has used selective research to push approval of mail-order abortion pills and to ignore their risks. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is scheduled to vote Thursday…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
I Lost My Job as United Pilot for Refusing Vaccine for Faith-Based Reasons
For many Americans who, like myself, have decided not to take the COVID-19 vaccine for religious or medical reasons, staying true to our decision can mean being singled out and rejected by family, friends, and even employers. For me, it meant being placed on indefinite, unpaid leave from my job as a pilot for United…Sherry Walker -
- News
4 Takeaways From Heated COVID-19 Senate Hearing Featuring Another Fauci-Paul Clash
Senators heard from top Biden administration officials Tuesday about the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the omicron variant rages amid a shortage of tests for the disease. The hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee included another verbal battle between Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Federal Government Wants Racial Qualifications Added to COVID-19 Treatments
Are you ready for woke death panels? The federal government currently controls the market of monoclonal antibodies that are used to treat cases of the coronavirus and regulates the supply allocated to the states. Monoclonal antibodies are effective treatments and in some cases are literal lifesavers. Some state leaders, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
BREAKING: Biden Administration Making Lists of Religious Vaccine Objectors
A tiny administrative agency in the District of Columbia announced a new policy Tuesday that will likely serve as a model for a whole-of-government push to assemble lists of Americans who object on religious grounds to a COVID-19 vaccine. The Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia—a federal independent entity that assists officers in…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
More School Choice Needed as Teachers Unions Force More COVID-19 School Closings
For the third straight day last week, the Chicago Teachers Union canceled classes, choosing to return to virtual learning and citing dangers from the omicron variant as its excuse. To many, this is seen as nothing more than a teachers’ strike and power grab executed by a union that historically supports Democrat politicians. Democrats send…Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
Sotomayor’s Ignorance of COVID-19 Facts
Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s ludicrous claim before her Supreme Court peers during Jan. 7 oral arguments that 100,000 children were “in serious condition” from COVID-19, when 3,000 would have been more accurate, is far more than just an embarrassment to the justice. How could such an ill-informed person be a justice of our highest court? What else…Roger Simon -
- Opinion
It’s Illegal, Immoral, and Unconstitutional to Ration COVID-19 Treatments Based on Race
William F. Buckley Jr. famously described the role of conservatives as standing athwart history yelling, “Stop.” Usually, we stand in front of what liberals claim is “progress,” such as allowing sex changes for minor children and abolishing the Constitution. But sometimes we have to stand in front of liberals to stop them from reinstituting sordid…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
FDA Botches Updates to Prescription Authorization System, Leaving Vulnerable Americans Without Critical Medication
Last month, dermatologists and pharmacists around the U.S. discovered they could no longer prescribe or dispense isotretinoin, an important dermatological medication, after the Food and Drug Administration botched software updates to the drug’s online reporting system known as iPledge. The updates weren’t adequately tested before they were launched, resulting in doctors unable to use the…David Gortler -
- Opinion
More COVID-19 School Closures Spell End of Teachers Unions Empire
Imagine being a second grader in a major city right now. If you entered kindergarten during the 2019-20 school year, COVID-19 first closed your school in March, potentially offering “remote learning.” As you prepared to enter first grade the following fall, you were one of more than half of students nationwide for whom the school…Lindsey Burke -
- Opinion
Jay Sekulow Explains Vaccine Mandate Cases Before Supreme Court
Friday was a critical day for American liberty. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases to determine whether or not a stay would be issued against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates. The high court heard arguments on the Biden COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees, and also…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Just Heard Oral Arguments in Vaccine Mandate Cases. Here Are the Takeaways.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Friday in two cases on an emergency basis. Both cases involve lawsuits stemming from the Biden administration’s attempt to expand vaccination of Americans in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19’s seemingly limitless variants. The first case, NFIB v. OSHA, arose from challenges filed by employers (including The…Sarah Parshall Perry