Healthcare & Policy News
Reporting on health care policy, insurance coverage, and federal health programs. Includes news updates and conservative commentary from The Daily Signal.
-
- Opinion
Biden’s COVID-19 Bill Would Squander Hundreds of Billions on Bailouts of Pension Funds, Blue States
It’s increasingly clear that the Biden administration’s nearly $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package would appease special-interest groups rather than address the needs of those who actually need relief. While about $1 trillion still sits unspent from previous relief bills, Biden’s bailout legislation would fulfill Democrats far-left wish list. Among the many things that are unrelated…Rep. Ron Estes -
- Opinion
$1.9 Trillion ‘COVID-19’ Bill Would Pay for Abortions and Intersectional ‘Art’
Two years ago, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded a $25,000 grant to a group called Fresh Meat Productions, which is based in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco congressional district. This taxpayer-funded grant, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, went to “support a national tour of ‘Boys in Trouble,’” which it…Terence Jeffrey -
- Opinion
Will Catholic Schools Survive COVID-19?
With schools across the country now approaching a full year of state-mandated closures, it’s important to remember the long-term effects that the lockdown has had. Catholic schools in some parts of the country saw their enrollment figures drop dramatically, and at this point it’s not clear if they will ever bounce back. A new report…Hance Winingham -
- News
Senate Republicans Challenge HHS Nominee Xavier Becerra on Abortion Record
President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominee Xavier Becerra would not say Tuesday why he voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion. Republican senators pressed Becerra, the California attorney general, on his past record on abortion during Tuesday’s hearing. Pro-life advocates and lawmakers called on the Senate Monday to reject Becerra as the president’s choice for secretary of the U.S….Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
What We Know About Cuomo’s COVID-19 Cover-Up
The cover-up may be worse than the crime, Dr. Joel Zinberg, a medical doctor, professor, and contributor to the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, says of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s inaccurate reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes in his state. Zinberg, also a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and former member of…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Equality Act Is Trojan Horse for Abortion Lobby and More
If you search the text of the Equality Act for the term “abortion,” you won’t find it. And while that might be by design, should the act ever become law, it would be disastrous for all Americans who care about protecting innocent unborn life. The House of Representatives is set to vote on this dangerous…Melanie Israel -
- Opinion
8 Things You Must Know About Deeply Flawed COVID-19 Package
Later this week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider a massive legislative package that is being sold as another relief measure for the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the legislation is stuffed with provisions that have nothing to do with the disease or economic hardship, and in many cases would actually slow the economic rebound…David Ditch -
- Opinion
How the COVID-19 Censors Killed the Truth
Estimates are all over the place, but it’s now beyond dispute that Soviet policies in the 1930s led to the deaths of somewhere between 7 and 12 million Ukrainians (about the equivalent to killing every person in Michigan today). It’s one of the greatest horrors in world history. The world knew little about the Ukrainian…Neil Patel -
- Opinion
Forget Double-Masking. Here’s a Better Way to Curb COVID-19.
California-based Innova Medical Group produces millions of COVID-19 tests every day—tests that people can perform at home and that yield results in minutes. These tests could transform the pandemic response and move us beyond the public health policy stalemate. Yet not one of them is available to Americans. Innova is exporting them to other countries…Doug Badger -
- Opinion
Democrats Continue to Misuse Pandemic Relief to Push Pre-COVID-19 Wish List
For Congress, it is customary to misuse must-pass legislation as the vehicle for policies that would otherwise fail on their own. But to hide behind the veil of pandemic relief for a third round of aid while $1.1 trillion remains unspent from previous aid packages is insulting. That is what Democrats are now doing, taking…Scott Zipperle -
- Opinion
What You Need to Know About Coming Abortion Debates
President Joe Biden already has taken action to undo some of the pro-life policies set in place by his predecessor, Donald Trump. It appears likely that Biden and the Democrat-controlled Congress will continue to press a progressive abortion agenda that endangers the unborn, mothers, and American freedoms. Melanie Israel, a Heritage Foundation research associate in…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Andrew Cuomo’s Deadly Handling of COVID-19
The people who hand out Emmy Awards should ask New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to return the one they gave him. Cuomo received an Emmy for what they called his “masterful” COVID-19 press briefings. The media lauded those performances, extolling his honesty and transparency. It now turns out he was as honest as many other…Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
Socialism’s Disturbing Record on Abortion
The word “socialism” terrifies some of today’s Democrats, even as leading figures in the party embrace the term. Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Richmond, Virginia, who narrowly won her House seat in 2018 and narrowly retained it in 2020, made news when her emphatic comment on a postelection phone call was leaked to the media….Chuck Donovan -
- Opinion
Did the CDC Really Say We Need to Wear 2 Masks? Here’s What You Need to Know About Double-Masking
Throughout the course of this pandemic, there has been widespread confusion, misunderstanding, and anxiety about COVID-19—how it is transmitted, how dangerous it is, and how to protect yourself from it. Now, the latest topic of debate is whether or not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend double-masking, and like other COVID-19 debates, misconceptions…Kevin Pham -
- Opinion
What Data Shows About Impact of COVID-19 Vaccines So Far
Are the COVID-19 vaccines effective? The early evidence is very encouraging. After the vaccine distributions began in December, we have seen a marked and sustained decline in hospitalizations in America for most of January. COVID-19 testing rates have been fluctuating for the past several months, probably due to the holiday season and inclement weather, so…Kevin Pham -
- Opinion
Spending in Latest COVID Bill Based on Feelings, Not Facts
The problem with free money is that it leads to an addiction much like an addiction to drugs. In the case of the $1.9 trillion “relief” bill that has no Republican support, Congress is the supplier, while those on the receiving end become increasingly addicted to government and less self-reliant. In my lifetime, the U.S….Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
This Simple Solution Could Sharply Lower COVID-19 Infections, Harvard Medical Doctor Says
Dr. Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology and immunology at the Harvard School of Public Health, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss how rapid-result tests could dramatically decrease COVID-19 cases and allow much of the economy to reopen. And Mina, who also is associate medical director of microbiology at Harvard Medical School, breaks down…Virginia Allen -
- News
6 Things to Know About Democrats’ COVID-19 Package
Democrats are poised to use Senate rules to pass a mostly partisan COVID-19 “stimulus” package, despite President Joe Biden’s appearing to be open to Republicans’ concerns earlier in the week about spending too much. The House and Senate each passed separate spending measures Friday, and the legislation will go to a conference committee including members…Fred Lucas -
- News
This Governor Faces Impeachment Over COVID-19 Mandates
As the nation’s capital braces for its second impeachment trial in just over a year and far-flung states clash over COVID-19 restrictions, Kentucky’s governor faces an impeachment probe by state legislators for what his critics say were overly strict rules during the pandemic. With impeachment threatened by foes who say his COVID-19 mandates violated the…Fred Lucas -
- News
Billions of Dollars of Coronavirus Stimulus Still Haven’t Been Spent, Republican Senators Say in Letter to Biden
A group of 10 Republican senators outlined a less expensive coronavirus relief compromise bill and said much of the past stimulus passed during the pandemic hasn’t been spent yet. The proposed stimulus framework builds on prior legislation that passed with bipartisan support, the 10 senators wrote in the letter Sunday. The group, which included Sens. Mitt Romney,…Thomas Catenacci