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
California’s COVID-19 Restrictions Go Too Far
California is proving it’s more authoritarian than ever. As many other states have reopened in stages, California officials have opened the Golden State, too—except they repeatedly seem to be applying different guidelines for reopening businesses, schools, and houses of worship. The examples are numerous. Private schools are not allowed to open, per Gov. Gavin Newsom’s… -
opinion
How the Free Market and Civil Society Solved the COVID-19 Face Mask Shortage
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April issued guidance for all Americans, urging them to wear cloth face masks in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19. At the same time, state and local governments began requiring residents to wear masks, especially in stores. When the rapid spread of the disease and… -
opinion
Latest Data Proves COVID-19 Doesn’t Justify Postal Bailout
A stream of apocalyptic predictions and strained conspiracy theories have turned the once-sleepy world of U.S. Postal Service operations into front-page news. Lawmakers focused on the topic are being confronted with an approaching deadline. By the end of 2021, the Postal Service is on pace to run out of funds needed to continue current operations…. -
opinion
COVID-19 Power Trips of Leftist Politicians, Teachers Unions Must Stop
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out political power trips like America has never seen before. Governors and mayors have seized “emergency powers” that effectively shut down our economic engine and social culture. Never before had Americans seen the day when they would be told they couldn’t open for business, attend worship services, hold weddings or… -
opinion
CDC Is Failing to Collect and Share COVID-19 Data for the Front Line
When the levees broke under Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers was roasted for spending billions and still failing to protect Americans. So where’s the outrage over the latest epic governmental fail—this one by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? As the federal agency with primary responsibility for handling infectious diseases, the CDC… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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,”… -
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…