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
The Facts of Cuomo’s Fatal Leadership During COVID-19
After an alarming surge in new COVID-19 cases in June and July, the country has begun to see a decline in daily cases, putting us roughly back to early July levels. These are encouraging signs considering the harrowing two-month period, but we are still adding tens of thousands of new daily cases nationally and still…Kevin Pham -
- News
Michiganders Seek Repeal of Emergency Law Whitmer Uses for COVID-19 Decrees
Some Michiganders say the law that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is using to keep their state under COVID-19 lockdown is being abused, and they are pushing to reopen their state. “Gov. Whitmer’s interpretation and use of the [Emergency Powers of Governor Act] is completely novel,” said Michael Van Beek, director of research at the Mackinac Center…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Hurricanes, Fires, Riots, and COVID-19: Why DHS Was Created
As Hurricane Laura barreled down on the Louisiana and Texas coasts, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were ready to respond, but it is just one of several disasters in America with which DHS officials are grappling. California is experiencing some of its worst wildfires on record. Violent riots have…Lora Ries -
- Opinion
Michigan’s Coronavirus Response Stretches Constitution
During the past several months, COVID-19 policies have stretched the constitutions of Michigan and other states, as well as the U.S. Constitution. Governors across the country have governed by executive order instead of working with their legislatures or county health departments on solutions. This distorts the separation of powers in our constitutions, both state and…Dale Murrish -
- Opinion
A National Mask Mandate Isn’t Necessary to Save Lives
“Every single American should be wearing a mask when they’re outside for the next three months at a minimum,” said former Vice President Joe Biden at a recent press briefing. “Outside” encompasses a lot, including places where a mask would have exactly zero effect. Normally, this kind of rhetoric is a merely simplified admonition to…Kevin Pham -
- Opinion
What You Need to Know About ‘Promising’ Convalescent Plasma and COVID-19
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma in the treatment of COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is the fluid component of blood that is isolated from the donated blood of those who have contracted and recovered from COVID-19. This fluid is rich with…Kevin Pham -
- News
Customs and Border Protection Implements New Measures at US-Mexico Border as Coronavirus Spikes
Individuals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border will be subject to secondary inspections after a survey of people crossing the border found 60% of trips were nonessential, a local NBC affiliate reported. The survey was reportedly given to 100,000 U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and found that over 60% of the trips made were considered nonessential, NBC…Kaylee Greenlee -
- Opinion
2 Musts for Beating COVID-19: Know Who’s Sick, Provide Places to Recover
A recent special report published by The Heritage Foundation looks at the policy responses several countries have taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The report sheds light on two prerequisites—in the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine or a cure—that countries need to have in place to succeed at turning back the virus. No. 1: Adequate…Patrick Tyrrell -
- News
Wildfires, Blackouts, High Gas Prices: Californians Fight Familiar Foes Amid Pandemic
Californians are struggling with raging wildfires, roving blackouts, and sky high gas taxes while simultaneously dealing with government-imposed economic lockdowns and a pandemic that has so far killed more than 11,000 people in the state. Northern California had roughly 33 active wildfires Wednesday that had burned more than 141,000 acres as they spread, media reports show. The…Chris White -
- News
3 Ways the Trump Administration Saves on Medicare, Medicaid Costs
The Trump administration has made several free market reforms in health care that should contribute to the solvency of Medicare and Medicaid, the official in charge of the programs says. President Donald Trump, both as a candidate and as an officeholder, has opposed structural entitlement reforms backed by some conservatives. But the Trump administration’s actions…Fred Lucas -
- News
2 Reports Buttress Trump Policies Banning Abortion Funding Abroad, Fetal Tissue Research at Home
The government issued two reports Tuesday evaluating the Trump administration’s pro-life policies that curb taxpayer funding for abortion-related matters here and abroad. The State Department issued a status report early Tuesday on the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy, which requires foreign nongovernmental organizations getting U.S. taxpayer funding to agree not to perform or…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
4 States Supporting Private Schools With COVID-19 Relief Lead Way on Education Choice
When COVID-19 brought the school year to an abrupt halt early this year, few anticipated that the global pandemic would be the impetus for private school choice reforms across the nation. As is the case with so many other sectors, many private schools struggled after losing tuition and other funding resources due to the strains…Jude Schwalbach -
- Opinion
In Responding to Coronavirus, We Should Seek to Thrive, Not Just Survive
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a dramatic rise in mental health problems. My own experience attests to this, as the prolonged COVID-19 lockdown led me into a state of clinical depression and anxiety from which I am still recovering. And the data indicate that, unfortunately, my own experience is far from unusual. The Centers for…Melissa Moschella -
- News
3 Things to Know About Trump COVID-19 Adviser Under Attack by the Left
Despite an accomplished career at the Stanford University Medical Center, including writing a leading textbook in his field, Dr. Scott Atlas, the president’s new appointee to the White House coronavirus task force, is being dismissed by some liberal commentators as just a political hack. CNN in several segments labeled Atlas as a “Fox News guest,”…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
COVID-19 Cases, Deaths Remain Concentrated: Heritage’s Tracker—and New Graphic Tool—Provide Context
As Heritage Foundation researchers have demonstrated throughout the pandemic, the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been heavily concentrated in a small number of states—and among a small number of counties within those states. Even though the U.S. saw a rapid rise in cases during June and July, the overall levels of concentration have…Drew Gonshorowski -
- Opinion
With New Zealand’s New Lockdown, Auckland Trapped in COVID-19 Nightmare
A coronavirus outbreak of 29 cases as of Friday connected to one New Zealand family in South Auckland is all it took for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to order a new lockdown of New Zealand’s most populous city, as well as substantially limit daily activities nationwide. The number of cases has risen to 58 as…Patrick Tyrrell -
- Opinion
States Have an Obligation to Offer Parents School Choice During Pandemic Closures
Across America, as public schools are choosing to not reopen or to only provide a partial in-person experience this fall, families are struggling to figure out how to ensure their kids get a good education and don’t fall further behind. The good news is, there has never been another time in America so ripe for…Kay C. James -
- Opinion
Baseball Season, Our Distorted View of COVID-19, and What the Facts Tell Us
If you’re not convinced that Americans have been sold a distorted view of COVID-19 risk, consider Major League Baseball. Most of the league’s players are among the 46 million Americans between ages 25 and 34. A total of 992 people in this age group have died with COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and…Doug Badger -
- Opinion
Without Proper Context, Leaked COVID-19 Data Is Worse Than Misleading
What’s the No. 1 coronavirus hot spot in America? Is it Los Angeles County, which led the nation with nearly 200,000 confirmed cases on Aug. 2, according to Johns Hopkins University? Is it Miami-Dade County, Florida, which ranked second with more than 121,000 cases? Or is it Houston/Harris County, Texas, where nearly 75,000 cases have…Doug Badger -
- Opinion
How Much Do You Know About COVID-19? Take This Quiz
1. True or False: COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death in the U.S. False. It’s not even close. As of July 25, the most recent date for which Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data is available, there were 135,579 deaths related to the contagion, less than 10% of the more than 1.5…Doug Badger