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
Pill Pushers Exploiting COVID-19 to Promote Risky Telemedicine Abortions
While no one is immune from the strains of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, it would be difficult to overstate the impact of isolation on women facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies. As a recent profile in The New York Times points out, that means big business for enterprising abortion companies—especially the small handful of groups utilizing a Food and…Denise Burke -
- Opinion
Are COVID Survivors Immune From Getting It Again? What You Need to Know
Now that we’ve gotten COVID-19 testing for active infections well under way across the country, many who have already been infected have understandably asked if they are now immune to reinfection. This question applies both to those who had developed only mild/moderate symptoms, and those who had more serious/severe symptoms that may have required medical…Peter Brookes -
- Opinion
1% of Counties Home to Half of COVID-19 Cases, Over Half of Deaths
As Heritage Foundation researchers have demonstrated throughout the pandemic, the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been extremely concentrated in a small number of states—and among a small number of counties within all states. As of May 11, for example, 10 states accounted for almost 70% of all U.S. cases and nearly 75% of…Norbert Michel -
- News
4 Ways the 1957 Pandemic Resembles, and Differs From, COVID-19
A new pandemic that originated from Asia sweeps the world, hitting the United States during a time of economic prosperity, striking coastal cities the hardest, and eventually prompting a global recession. Plenty of consternation erupts over why the U.S. government and World Health Organization were so caught off guard when they should have seen the…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
What We Know About the Link Between COVID-19 and a Rare Children’s Disease
One of the biggest unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic is how it affects children. Children have managed to avoid most of the severe manifestations of the disease caused by the new coronavirus, making up a small percentage of hospitalizations and almost none of the deaths. Conversely, Americans older than 65 have made up 45% of…Kevin Pham -
- News
Pelosi’s Coronavirus Bill Includes Billions for Eligible Illegal Aliens
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced her party’s coronavirus relief package, which includes billions of dollars in carve-outs for eligible illegal aliens, grants to sanctuary cities, and other protections for the undocumented community. House Democrats released the HEROES Act on Tuesday, a bill that provides $3 trillion in stimulus funds to state and local governments, along with other…Jason Hopkins -
- News
6 Big Points From the Senate’s COVID-19 Hearing With Fauci
In one of the most unusual Senate hearings in U.S. history, top Trump administration health officials testified remotely Tuesday from their homes and offices to senators who also mostly were at home. Here are six big moments from the three-and-a-half-hour hearing on the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic held via video by the…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
5 Key Provisions in Democrats’ COVID-19 Bill That Will Hurt Our Economy
House Democrats have released a completely unserious proposal to respond to the public health and economic crisis the nation is confronting as a result of COVID-19. Spanning more than 1,800 pages, the bill represents a partisan laundry list of mostly bad policies, calling for trillions of dollars of additional deficit spending on handouts and items…Romina Boccia -
- Opinion
Protecting Property Rights Now and in a Post-Pandemic Economy
The United States was ranked 17th in The Heritage Foundation’s latest Index of Economic Freedom. That’s not what Americans should expect from a nation whose foundation is built upon freedom. How do we get back on course? A new Heritage report, “Restoring America as the Land of the Free,” outlines the path. >>> When can…Daren Bakst -
- Opinion
I’m an ER Physician. Here’s Why Abortion Isn’t an ‘Essential Health Service.’
Although we appear to be “flattening the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic, with governors slowly lifting stay-at-home orders and hospitals beginning to schedule surgeries again, infection spikes in certain regions remain a possibility. Throughout the coming months, we need to focus as a society on medical care that will not only help us survive but…Dr. Scott French -
- News
COVID-19 Testing Reaches 300,000 Per Day as States Get $11B Aid Package
As the United States is about to pass the milestone of doing 10 million tests for the coronavirus, the White House announced an $11 billion aid package to help states boost testing. “This will give them the resources to partner, as they have, with the federal government … and to achieve their testing goals,” Adm….Fred Lucas -
- News
How ‘Stakeholder’ Movement Could Hinder Economic Recovery From COVID-19
A crisis could be the worst time to pressure companies to adopt policies that aren’t in the best interest of the bottom line or their workforce, conservative shareholders say. “This is particularly true in an economic crisis,” Justin Danhof, general counsel for the National Center for Public Policy Research, told The Daily Signal in a…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
COVID-19 Not the Only Threat From China
The destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent demise of the Soviet Union two years later lulled the West into a false sense of security. Many appeared to believe that an age of unending peace and prosperity had been ushered in. While terrorism would become a stateless threat, most people probably thought…Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
Why Trade Freedom Will Be Key to Post-COVID-19 Global Economic Rebound
The World Trade Organization recently reported that half of its member countries currently imposing coronavirus pandemic-related export-control restrictions were not reporting those controls. The report highlighted the lack of transparency and long-term risks that shortsighted restrictions pose to trade flows and global supply chains. In particular, the World Trade Organization report noted, “80 countries and…Anthony B. Kim -
- Opinion
It’s Time for Some Commonsense ‘MommySense’ on COVID-19 and Personal Freedom
President Ronald Reagan in 1986 famously said the scariest words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” In the past decade, however, those words have been replaced with even scarier ones: “We have to do something.” While the government is busy doing “something,” the families of America are…Kimberly Fletcher -
- News
In Europe, Russian Military Aggression Proves Immune to the Pandemic
KYIV, Ukraine—As countries across Europe begin scaling back their coronavirus lockdowns, a snapshot of Russian military activities underscores that the Continent’s security problems before the pandemic haven’t gone away. NATO fighter jets intercepted Russian military aircraft approaching allied airspace three times between April 28 and April 29. Combined Russian-separatist forces—operating under Moscow’s command—continued their daily…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
Economic Freedom of ‘Quad’ Nations Can Accelerate COVID-19 Recovery
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, comprising the U.S., Australia, Japan, and India, was born out of the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The dialogues were suspended in 2008, but since the Trump administration resurrected them in 2017, they have assumed much greater strategic significance vis-a-vis China. Now it’s time for the “Quad” to assemble…James Carafano -
- Opinion
Media’s Outrage at US Over EU’s COVID-19 Vaccine Fundraiser Is Baseless
The European Union organized a teleconference earlier this week to solicit pledges of funds to support efforts to develop and produce a COVID-19 vaccine. The effort raised $8.1 billion in pledges, mostly from “around 40 countries, the U.N., research institutes, and philanthropic bodies, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,” according to the Agence France-Presse…James Carafano -
- Opinion
What Are We Trying to Accomplish With Coronavirus Policy?
As Americans debate how to reopen our society in the wake of COVID-19, we seem to be breaking down into three groups: first, those who believe the virus isn’t particularly serious and desperately want to reopen everything as soon as possible (a small minority of Americans, by polling data); second, those who believe the virus…Ben Shapiro -
- News
Trump Urges Nation to Pray for Recovery, Renewal After Coronavirus
President Donald Trump called for Americans to continue to pray amid the COVID-19 crisis Thursday, as clergy of several faiths prayed for the nation’s recovery in the Rose Garden of the White House. “As Scripture assures us, ‘The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save.’ I think it’s so…Fred Lucas