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
Biden’s COVID-19 ‘Rescue Plan’ Won’t Save Working Americans
Millions of Americans are still unemployed in the wake of COVID-19 shutdowns. Unfortunately, President Joe Biden’s so-called American Rescue Plan fails to provide targeted relief to those directly impacted by the pandemic. Instead, it borrows nearly $2 trillion more from future generations in order to dispense $1,400 checks to tens of millions of Americans already…Joel Griffith -
- Opinion
Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Deceptions
President Joe Biden contends there is “nothing we can do to change the trajectory of the pandemic in the next several months,” which is the exact opposite of what presidential candidate Joe Biden promised voters during the 2020 campaign. And by “exact opposite,” I mean the president’s alleged plan to beat the coronavirus literally said…David Harsanyi -
- Opinion
The Supreme Court Has Failed in Its Role as the National Abortion Control Board
When the Supreme Court makes an important decision that influences the entire nation, it’s flashed across the media for a day and then forgotten. Rarely is the practical impact of the decision reviewed afterward. But a new report provides insight on how recent Supreme Court decisions regarding abortion clinics have resulted in a public health…Clarke D. Forsythe -
- Opinion
Vaccination Protocol
We remember reading in the Scripture that the Father has his sun rise on the just and the unjust. The light and warmth emanate immediately and without hesitation over the whole of Creation. This is the model that we need to bear in mind as we consider the dissemination of the two COVID-19 vaccines, even…Armstrong Williams -
- Opinion
Biden’s COVID-19 Bill Costs More Than Entire 1981 Federal Government
The $1.9 trillion relief bill that President Joe Biden wants Congress to pass now as his response to the COVID-19 pandemic would cost Americans more than the entire federal government cost in fiscal 1981. That year, according to the historical budget numbers that Biden’s own Office of Management and Budget has published on the White…Terence Jeffrey -
- News
Cuomo’s Health Officials Undercounted COVID-19 Deaths in Nursing Homes by 50%
The New York Department of Health undercounted deaths from the coronavirus in the state’s nursing homes by as much as 50%, according to a report issued Thursday by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The finding, which was based on data from 62 nursing homes, appears to undercut New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s assurances during…Chuck Ross -
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Conservatives Again Seek to Protect Down Syndrome Babies From Abortion
Two conservative lawmakers again moved to protect one of America’s most vulnerable populations by reintroducing legislation to prevent the abortion of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. In America, a Down syndrome diagnosis for an unborn baby results in abortion 67% of the time, according to Healthline. “It’s tragic that in the United States babies are…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Amid COVID-19 Restrictions, Rule-Breaking Politicians
After President Joe Biden’s inauguration, he ordered everyone on federal lands to wear a mask. That night, he and his family posed for pictures at the Lincoln Memorial—none of them wearing a mask. California Gov. Gavin Newsom told Californians it’s “essential” to avoid “mixing with people outside of your household.” Then he had dinner with…John Stossel -
- News
3 in 4 Americans Favor ‘Significant Restrictions’ on Abortion, Poll Finds
A new Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll finds that 76% of Americans, including 55% who identify as pro-choice, support “significant restrictions” on abortion. The survey of 1,173 adults, conducted Jan. 11 to 13, found that 53% of Americans identify as pro-choice, while 43% say they are pro-life. The views split along party lines with only 20%…Steven Hall -
- Opinion
7 Executive Actions on Abortion, Gender Identity We Can Expect From Biden
With Joe Biden’s inauguration as president this week, discussion of what to expect in his administration has been obscured by ongoing debate over the election itself. Since it passed Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, Congress has shown a reluctance to make significant reforms in health policy. Major changes have been the result…Joseph Backholm -
- Opinion
In Abortion Limbo, Foes of Even Modest Curbs Show How Low a Society Can Go
How low can a nation sink? The history of the past century offers any number of examples. Radical governments of the right and left have engaged in mass killings of their citizens. Acts of terrorism have taken the lives of innocent men, women, and children—even while they were dancing at weddings, sitting in cafes, visiting a…Chuck Donovan -
- Opinion
Unrelated Amendments in COVID-19 Relief Bill Only Add to Overcriminalization
Congress is very good at two things: spending money and thinking up duplicative—and, therefore, unnecessary—ways to criminalize many aspects of our daily lives. The latest COVID-19 relief bill does both. >>> What’s the best way for America to reopen and return to business? The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, assembled…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
Relying on Lockdowns, Social Distancing, and Masks Isn’t Working to Curb COVID-19
COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to surge. The seven-day moving average of daily confirmed new cases eclipsed 260,000 on Jan. 9, the highest rate yet recorded. The U.S. is expected to reach the grim milestone of 400,000 COVID-related deaths later this month, around the anniversary of its first confirmed case. These numbers suggest that the…Doug Badger -
- News
Supreme Court Sides With Trump Admin, Says Abortion Pills Can’t Be Dispensed by Mail
The United States Supreme Court reinstated a requirement Tuesday that women seeking to obtain abortion pills must pick up the pills in person from a hospital or medical office rather than receiving them by mail. The case is the Supreme Court’s first ruling on abortion since Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court, The New…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Which States Perform Best, Worst in COVID-19 Vaccinations
The Dakotas stand above all other states in administering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents, while Arkansas has done the worst job, according to an analysis of federal data by a Heritage Foundation health policy expert. Only 11 states have used more than half the doses provided by the federal government, the analysis shows. The analysis…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Officials’ COVID-19 Lockdown Hypocrisy Deserves to Be Exposed
“We’re all in this together.” At least, that’s what millions of Americans have heard for months from corporate advertisers, friends on social media, and, of course, from government officials. If the behavior of our elected leaders is any indication, however, it would seem that many of them have chosen to live by another phrase: “You’re…John Cooper -
- Opinion
A Medical Doctor Explains What We Know About New Coronavirus Strains
The medical community is reporting two new strains of the virus that causes COVID-19. The first variant of the novel coronavirus was discovered in the United Kingdom in the fall, and the second in South Africa not long after. Dr. Kevin Pham, a medical doctor and a visiting policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, joins…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
My Encounter With Medicaid Is a Cautionary Tale About Biden’s Public Option
With Georgia’s special Senate runoff election results showing Republicans are going to lose their majority in the Senate, presumptive President-elect Joe Biden is likely to face a lot less resistance fulfilling his promises of creating a public option in Obamacare. Additionally, with polls showing nearly two-thirds of Americans approving of a public option, the threat…Tanner Aliff -
- News
World Health Organization Pledges Not to Find ‘Guilty’ Party in Probe of COVID-19 in China
A team of scientists leading a World Health Organization mission to China to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus isn't looking to assign guilt to the communist regime over its failure to prevent the pandemic, a member of the delegation says. “This is not about finding a guilty country or a guilty authority,” Fabian…Chuck Ross -
- Opinion
Why Foreign Policy Spending in the COVID-19 Relief Bill Is Wrong
Many are upset about Congress sticking foreign aid and other international affairs items in omnibus spending along with the COVID-19 relief bill. They are right to be upset. Whether Washington is crafting COVID-19 relief right is a worthy debate in itself, but the issue of all the spending tacked onto the bill also merits attention….James Carafano