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
Chile’s Deep Reserves of Economic Freedom Will Aid COVID-19 Recovery
Chile’s overall economic freedom score of 76.8 made the South American nation’s economy the 15th-freest in the world in The Heritage Foundation’s 2020 Index of Economic Freedom. Although economic freedom in Chile declined under the last socialist government from 2013 through 2017, by 2018 the center-right administration of President Sebastian Pinera had put the…James M. Roberts -
- Opinion
Common Sense on COVID-19 Beats Second-Guessing Every Time
While combating the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state officials must rely on the best available scientific data, including updated clinical information on the course of this mysterious disease and reliable epidemiological estimates. Prominent epidemiological models, such as those of the Imperial College in Britain and the University of Washington, have been seriously flawed in predicting…Daniel Johnson -
- Opinion
Delivering Better Health and Human Services to Americans
Eric Hargan, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss the nation’s coronavirus recovery. Hargan also describes his priorities in cutting red tape at HHS, focusing on values-based health care that is primarily about outcomes and not just services, and making health care records more…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
During COVID-19, Cutting Red Tape Helps Front-Line Nurses Save Lives
When the New York tri-state area became the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, nurses from across the country answered the call. “I’ve never felt so much that I’m exactly where I need to be right now,” says Clare Shanley, a nurse from Richmond, Virginia, who volunteered to work in New York. “I’m making a…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
COVID-19 Less Deadly in the North American Arctic
In only a matter of weeks, COVID-19 managed to spread from China to the entire world, including the seemingly out-of-reach High North. Like every other affected region, the Arctic faces its own challenges with the coronavirus pandemic. This is particularly true of the North American Arctic, which consists of Alaska, the northern parts of Canada,…Rachael Menosky -
- News
How Virginia’s Green New Deal Will Add to Residents’ COVID-19 Costs
While many Virginia residents are still reeling from the effects of COVID-19, their elected officials from Gov. Ralph Northam on down are increasing their financial burdens with radical Green New Deal-style programs, energy policy analysts say. Renewable energy mandates and restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions recently signed into law by Northam, a Democrat, are economically…Kevin Mooney -
- Opinion
Economy Adds 2.5 Million Jobs as COVID-19 Recovery Begins
The U.S. economy added 2.5 million jobs in May and the unemployment rate fell from 14.7% to 13.3%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, surprising some experts and shattering most predictions. The new jobs report credits the increase in employment to the limited reopening of the economy, which had been sharply curtailed due to…Timothy Doescher -
- Opinion
Canceled by COVID-19, National Spelling Bee Needs R-e-v-a-m-p-i-n-g
How do you spell “canceled”? Does it take one “l” or two? According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the preferred spelling is with one “l,” but using two is an acceptable alternative. Either way, the annual National Spelling Bee—which was supposed to have taken place last week—was…Peter Parisi -
- Opinion
In Hurricane Season and the COVID-19 Response, State and Local Self-Reliance Is Essential
June 1 marked the beginning of the hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects a 60% chance of an “above normal” hurricane season in the Atlantic this year, which is not welcome news after months of responding to COVID-19. The forecast includes a chance of 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes, and 3-6 major…Lora Ries -
- Opinion
Extreme Environmentalist Ideology Shouldn’t Undercut CDC’s Coronavirus Guidance
The American people must be able to trust the accuracy of public health information disseminated by the federal government, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why a reported change by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of its guidance on COVID-19 for employers regarding commuters is very disturbing. In its original guidance issued last…Daren Bakst -
- News
These States Reopened a Month Ago After COVID-19 Shutdowns. Here’s What Happened.
Among states that reopened their economies about a month ago, most logged about the same number of COVID-19 cases, though some had more cases and others saw a decline. The closest thing to a discernible pattern is that Western and Midwestern states performed better than Southern states in terms of fewer new cases of the…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
What Do We Know About Status of Pandemic? Here’s Some Data to Put It in Perspective
As states reopen across the country, it’s important to understand both where the COVID-19 pandemic has spread and where it is progressing or receding. To further that effort, my colleagues and I at The Heritage Foundation built a tracker that uses publicly available data to provide some basic information, on a county-by-county basis, about the disease. By…Drew Gonshorowski -
- Opinion
One Man’s ‘Adventure’ Quarantined on a Cruise Ship During COVID-19
Burt Quick, a retired California police chief, took a cruise with his wife last winter only to be quarantined on the ship for five days when other passengers got sick with COVID-19. Quick and his wife then spent two weeks quarantined at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia along with hundreds of other cruise ship passengers….Virginia Allen -
- News
How COVID-19 Shows Church More Than a Building
Creativity and determination are two of the most appropriate words to describe many churches’ response to COVID-19. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures closed the doors of houses of worship across America, so without the ability to meet in person, some churches went out of their way to practice their faith in new and creative…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
How Big Abortion Has Circumnavigated State Restrictions Amid COVID-19
If there were a fire in your house, what would you save? It’s a timeless question, and one that’s been relevant in the COVID-19 pandemic. State officials have been forced to ask: To prevent loss of life from the novel coronavirus in our state, what should stay open? What is “essential”? As state officials asked…Brittany Jones -
- Opinion
There’s Plenty of Blame to Go Around for COVID-19 Pandemic
The big coronavirus debate is between blaming President Donald Trump and blaming China for the pandemic. The usual suspects are lined up on each side. To anybody who pauses to think for a second, it’s clear the two options are not mutually exclusive. But that’s still how the debate is playing out in the press….Neil Patel -
- News
Sens. Cruz, Lee Outline How US Should Move Forward After COVID-19 Crisis
Taking a fresh look at deregulation and at “decoupling” the U.S. from China economically will be key for renewed job growth after the COVID-19 crisis ends, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday. “I fully expect over the next coming weeks and months and years, we are going to have an extended…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
School Districts Owe Taxpaying Parents a COVID-19 Refund
When elementary and secondary schools began closing in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, most parents assumed they would reopen in a matter of weeks. Instead, schools across the country have remained closed and will likely remain closed for the rest of the academic year. When states closed schools, most encouraged school districts to move…Lindsey Burke -
- Opinion
Why Beating COVID-19 Will Require Strong Public-Private Partnership
Leading biopharmaceutical research and development companies, in the United States and in other countries, are working nonstop to develop a vaccine to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In this crisis, government policy must be especially supportive of the research community. In short, public policy must not only ensure that any such vaccine is safe and effective,…Robert Popovian -
- Opinion
Trump Aims to Power Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery With Regulatory Relief
To help jump-start an American economy that’s stalled because of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is looking to an unlikely source of power: The hardworking Americans who have always made it go. Instead of trying to regulate a recovery—as many of his predecessors have done in difficult times—the president is launching a new round of…Anthony Campau