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
Fauci Warned About Coronaviruses in 2003—but Didn’t Act On It
Few would argue the United States, or any country for that matter, was prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, even though, starting in 2003, the U.S. devoted $5.6 billion to fund Project Bioshield, running through 2013, and another $2.8 billion of funding through 2018. Project Bioshield was designed to prepare the United States against a bio… -
opinion
Why Every American, Vaccinated or Not, Should Oppose Vaccine Mandates
Many Americans are facing a hard choice: Either get vaccinated or risk losing your job. Last week, the Biden administration issued details of its vaccine mandate. The rule, created by the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, mandates employers with 100 or more employees to either require their workers to be vaccinated or to… -
opinion
6 Details That Reveal Long Reach of Biden’s Vaccine Mandate
President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for private employers often is described as requiring employees of large companies either to be vaccinated or be tested weekly. But when you dig into the details, the mandate is far more invasive than that. Nonvaccinated employees must wear masks, even if they are being tested weekly. Employers must maintain… -
news
Enforcement a Huge Challenge for Biden’s Vast Vaccine Mandate
If the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers survives legal challenges, it will include criminal prosecution for employees who lie about their vaccine status and thousands in fines for companies that don’t comply. But enforcing the mandate covering 84.2 million Americans working for 164,000 different businesses and other organizations could pose a significant… -
opinion
To Protect Women, Trust the Science on Abortion
Trust the science. These three words, when heeded, have the potential to save thousands of lives. As a rule, our leaders should defer to peer-reviewed medical research in all matters related to public policy. But in one critical area, they have failed us time and time again: women’s health. As the Supreme Court prepares to… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: HHS Secretary Becerra Refuses to Address GOP Accusations That He Violated Federal Conscience Protections, Worked at ‘Behest of Abortion Lobby’
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is refusing to address Republican allegations that he violated federal conscience protections and worked at the “behest of the abortion industry,” a letter obtained by The Daily Signal shows. “Xavier Becerra is too busy protecting hospitals that violate the rights of their nurses to give a straight answer,”… -
news
What’s Next as 27 States, Multiple Businesses Sue to Stop Biden’s Vaccine Mandate
One court already has temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for private employers and legal battles are emerging across the nation as 27 states and multiple businesses and nonprofits sue to block the mandate on its likely path to the Supreme Court. Plaintiffs have brought lawsuits in federal appeals courts for the 5th, 6th,… -
news
Federal Court Temporarily Blocks Biden’s Vaccine Mandate
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit temporarily halted the Biden administration’s rule requiring employers with over 100 workers to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or implement weekly testing. In a ruling issued Saturday on a lawsuit filed by state attorneys general, the court ordered the vaccine mandate to be temporarily halted. The mandate was to be… -
news
House Republicans Vow to Fight Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
More than 20 House Republicans pushed back Friday against what they called President Joe Biden’s unconstitutional COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Led by Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., a total of 22 GOP lawmakers assembled to tell reporters that they take issue with two vaccine mandates formally rolled out Thursday by the Biden administration. Hern and the other… -
opinion
Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate ‘a Travesty,’ Sen. Ron Johnson Says
President Joe Biden has rolled out a COVID-19 vaccine mandate affecting about 80 million American workers. Biden is ordering all businesses and other organizations with 100 or more employees to make sure those employees either become vaccinated or are tested weekly for the disease. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., says he is outraged by what he… -
news
Sen. Ron Johnson: Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Meets ‘Definition of Insanity’
The Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers, set to go into effect Friday, poses risks to some Americans, further burdens the economy, and comes close to fitting the “definition of insanity,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., says. “Have all these policy responses worked? The shutdowns? The mandates?” Johnson asked rhetorically during remarks Thursday at… -
news
Sen. Marsha Blackburn Aims to Help ‘Essential Workers’ Who Face Firing Under Biden Vaccine Mandates
Sen. Marsha Blackburn is standing behind essential workers who may be fired for standing up to President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates, she told The Daily Signal. “It is so important that we give them the opportunity to have their choice,” the Tennessee Republican said Thursday in a phone interview. Blackburn has introduced legislation, dubbed the… -
opinion
Will Meeting With Pope Francis Change Biden’s Abortion Views?
A Catholic American president traveled to Rome on Friday to meet with Pope Francis. There is a very profound and obvious issue they could discuss: Is it OK for a politician of any religious faith, or even none at all, to violate the natural law and support the deliberate killing of unborn babies? President Joe… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Lawmakers, Ambassadors Commemorate Global Declaration Challenging ‘Right’ to Abortion, Upholding Role of Family
Lawmakers, ambassadors, and embassy officials gathered Thursday in Washington to commemorate a pro-life, pro-family international declaration signed by the United States during the Trump administration. President Joe Biden ordered the withdrawal of the United States from the Geneva Consensus Declaration almost immediately after he succeeded Donald Trump as president Jan. 20. Speakers at the gathering… -
news
March for Life Eyes Equality for Unborn Ahead of Major Supreme Court Abortion Case
The 2022 March for Life will lean into a theme of equality for the unborn, the event's organizers said Wednesday, as they announced the annual march’s theme: “Equality Begins in the Womb.” “The pro-life movement recognizes the immense responsibility this nation bears to restore equal rights to its most defenseless citizens in the womb,” March… -
opinion
Congress Didn’t Give OSHA Authority to Impose Vaccine Mandates
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is about to require 80 million working Americans to get vaccinated. You may be among them. There’s just one catch: OSHA lacks the legal authority to impose a vaccine mandate. Declaring that his patience was “wearing thin” with unvaccinated Americans, President Joe Biden on Sept. 9 announced that OSHA… -
news
Vaccine Mandates Decimating Police Forces Across US
As crime rates surge, so are vaccine mandates—and resistance by police to those mandates. That means major cities across the United States risk losing one-third or more of their police forces, hesitant about getting the COVID-19 shot. In Chicago, more than 4,500 employees of the Chicago Police Department—about one-third of both officers and civilian employees—refused… -
news
CDC Says 5 Year Olds Will Still Need to Wear Masks After Vaccine Is Approved for Kids
Students as young as 5 years old may still need to wear masks in school after the COVID-19 vaccine is approved for children ages 5-11, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said in a White House briefing Wednesday. Walensky did not discuss if or when children would not be required to wear… -
opinion
Has COVID-19 Changed Dating Game Forever?
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, dating apps saw a surge in usage. In March 2020, Dating.com reported online dating was up 82%. Forbes reports that from March to May 2020, OkCupid saw dates increase by 700%. With more people using platforms such as Zoom or Bubble video calls to go on first… -
opinion
UN Health Special Rapporteur Supports Abortion at Expense of Women’s Health
The United Nation’s top health czar presented her debut report to the international assembly on Oct. 20. While the COVID-19 pandemic provides a point of departure for the presentation, the report’s real focus was abortion. Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng is the new U.N. special rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health. Her report focuses on the topic of women’s “sexual and reproductive health rights.” Such reports from international officials may seem irrelevant to pro-life Americans, but…