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
In Combating Coronavirus, Trump and Governors Act Constitutionally
Fox News contributor Andrew Napolitano, a former judge, recently penned an article with the provocative title “Coronavirus fear lets government assault our freedom in violation of Constitution.” Although Napolitano is right to be concerned, President Donald Trump and other federal, state, and local officials appear to be acting within the bounds of the Constitution in…John G. Malcolm -
- Opinion
New State Department Warning Shows Travel Restrictions Key to Curbing Coronavirus
As the State Department warns Americans not to travel internationally and advises all Americans abroad to return home or prepare to shelter in place, the U.S. continues to expand travel restrictions as a key component in the fight against the coronavirus. That advisory Thursday afternoon from the State Department comes a day after the joint…Peter Brookes -
- Opinion
Coronavirus Aid for Travel Industry: Prepayments, Tax Relief, Not Bailouts
While the coronavirus pandemic and its related effects have harmed all sectors of the economy, the transportation and hospitality industries have taken an especially hard hit. The sharp decline in consumer spending on travel—especially for leisure and large events—has thousands of companies and millions of employees on edge. It comes as no surprise that the…David Ditch -
- News
Trump Clears Way to Use Malaria Drug Against COVID-19
In what he called a “game-changer or maybe not,” President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the Food and Drug Administration to clear regulatory hurdles and move toward expanding use of a malaria drug to battle the coronavirus. The drug chloroquine has shown “very, very encouraging early results,” Trump said during the daily press conference on…Fred Lucas -
- News
CDC Data Show Younger Adults Also End Up in Hospital From Coronavirus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday released its first batch of data on coronavirus patients in the United States, showing that while older adults are more likely to experience severe problems with the virus, younger adults are also falling seriously ill. Fifty-five percent of coronavirus hospitalizations were younger than 65, with 20%…Chuck Ross -
- Opinion
Coronavirus Exposes How West Coast Progressives Failed the Homeless
The coronavirus has changed almost every facet of American life. It has disrupted work routines, sent children home from school, and stress-tested the global supply chain. Medical researchers have warned for weeks that the new coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, is particularly dangerous to seniors and those with underlying health conditions. But in West…Christopher Rufo -
- Opinion
What the Defense Production Act Is and How It Can Help the Government Fight COVID-19
In a White House press briefing Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that he was invoking the Defense Production Act in the event he needed to use the authorities granted in the federal statute to fight what he is now calling a “war” on COVID-19. The president indicated during the press briefing that authorities granted in…Cully Stimson -
- News
Ukraine’s Coronavirus Lockdown Invokes Memories of Life in the Soviet Union
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine has gone into a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus. As of Tuesday, the country is completely closed to foreigners. All international air traffic has stopped and Ukraine’s land borders are closed, too. Ukrainian citizens stuck abroad have been instructed to go to their nearest consulate so they can get…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
Calculating the Coronavirus Mortality Rate? It’s Complicated
We all like our facts simple. One of the data points that many want to know is the mortality rate for the COVID-19 illness so they can make informed risk decisions. Unfortunately, like so many other things in life, it’s complicated. Even though it seems like the novel coronavirus that causes the disease health officials…Thomas Spoehr -
- Opinion
‘Panic in the Streets’: Life Imitates Art With Coronavirus
In 1950, the great Hollywood director Elia Kazan produced a movie, “Panic in the Streets,” about a desperate attempt to stop a pandemic (pneumonic plague, the pulmonary version of the bubonic plague, or “Black Death”) from spreading out of New Orleans and across the United States. What’s most interesting about that film is contrasting how…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
4 Ways to Work From Home—and Still Parent—Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic
If you’re like me, your kids’ school has closed for the unforeseeable future because of the coronavirus—anywhere from two to eight weeks—and your employer has requested that you work from home, or maybe you already do. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for about 13 years and have done a mix of homeschooling, part-time work, and…Nicole Russell -
- News
4 Ways Coronavirus May Change How You Vote
Rock the Vote and other slogans have been staples in past elections. For 2020, it’s about Sanitize the Vote. The coronavirus pandemic already has affected the 2020 election season, amid speculation that it could have greater impact in the months ahead. Election officials in most states and localities are partnering with the U.S. Department of…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
How the US Military Should—and Shouldn’t—Be Used to Defeat Coronavirus
America is facing a major crisis. COVID-19 is rolling across the nation, as it has China, Japan, South Korea, Iran, and Italy. No one was ready for this new coronavirus, and measures that seemed wildly over the top even two weeks ago are being implemented nearly every day. It is time to think about another set of…Steven Bucci -
- Opinion
Expelling US Journalists, China Escalates Political Warfare Over Coronavirus
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the People’s Republic of China has taken the opportunity to further close off the rest of the world’s view of its internal behavior. Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a declaration Tuesday that expels journalists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal….Dean Cheng -
- News
Trump’s Retort to Media Suggestions of Racism on Coronavirus: ‘It Comes From China’
President Donald Trump hit a nerve with some in the news media Wednesday when he opened his press briefing on the coronavirus by saying: “I would like to begin by announcing some important developments in our war against the Chinese virus.” In response to repeated questions, Trump said several times: “It comes from China.” But…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Chinese Coronavirus Disinformation Campaign Targets United States
China’s secrecy about the exploding coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan Province in December, typical of authoritarian regimes, caused a disastrous delay in international pathogen-fighting efforts. Now, the Chinese government, trying to deflect blame, has added insult to injury by falsely and absurdly accusing the United States of being the origin of the pandemic. It is straight…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
Can Trump Use Coronavirus to Delay 2020 Election?
With Congress, the Supreme Court, sports leagues, schools, and many businesses and companies across America shutting down, only time will tell if we are being appropriately cautious or engaging in a hysterical overreaction to coronavirus. But for those imaginative reporters who see a Russian lurking behind every tree and keep asking me if President Donald Trump can…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
A Doctor’s Answers to All Your Questions About COVID-19
Today we’re interviewing Kevin Pham, a doctor and a contributor to The Daily Signal, about COVID-19. How real is this threat? How is it like and unlike seasonal flu and the swine flu? When do you need to call a doctor if you have symptoms? How soon can we expect a vaccine, and how likely…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Churches on the Front Lines of Responding to Coronavirus
“Hunger doesn’t take a break at times like this.” And neither does Second Harvest Heartland. For food bank workers like Allison O’Toole, coronavirus is only part of the country’s crisis. The other? Feeding struggling families and older people who don’t want to leave their homes. But as the need intensifies, so are a lot of churches’…Tony Perkins -
- Opinion
Share Your Tales of Life in the Shadow of COVID-19
How are you and your family responding to the “new normal” in this, the time of coronavirus? How about your workplace or place of worship? Things have changed dramatically in America almost overnight because of the new coronavirus disease, which health officials call COVID-19. Here at The Daily Signal, we’d like to hear your stories…Ken McIntyre