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
Fact Check: Did Trump Call Coronavirus a ‘Hoax’?
Politico published an article reporting that President Donald Trump called the novel coronavirus a “hoax” in a speech Friday in South Carolina. “Trump rallies his base to treat coronavirus as a ‘hoax,'” reads the headline. Verdict: False Trump referred to “politicizing” of the coronavirus by Democrats as “their new hoax.” He did not refer to…Brad Sylvester -
- News
Fighting Coronavirus Means ‘Keeping Sick People Out,’ Homeland Security Chief Says
The Trump administration is facing the coronavirus by preparing for the worst and aggressively pushing forward to tackle the disease, including “keeping sick people out of this country,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said Saturday. “At the Department of Homeland Security, our main mission when we talk about the coronavirus is to make sure…Fred Lucas -
- News
Border Security Key to Curbing Coronavirus, Cuccinelli Says
Defending the southern border is a key part of protecting the United States from the coronavirus, a top U.S. immigration official said Friday. A border crisis could exacerbate a pandemic, said Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary of homeland security and a member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force. But the disease doesn’t currently pose…Fred Lucas -
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Socialism, Not Coronavirus, Seen as Real Threat to Economy
The stock market has taken a hit amid concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus, but the disease doesn’t pose a real danger to the economy, chief White House economist Larry Kudlow said Friday in an appearance before an annual gathering of conservative activists. “A virus is not going to sink the economy,” Kudlow,…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Coronavirus Spreads to Europe and Middle East. What That Means for This Global Health Crisis.
Now that the coronavirus has broken out of China and established a foothold in Europe and the Middle East, many are on edge. This week, the stock market, for one, jumped off a cliff—something it is wont to do when faced with global uncertainty. While nothing about this global health emergency is certain, we can predict with a high…James Carafano -
- News
Only 3 Senate Democrats Vote to Protect Babies Who Survive Abortion
In a setback to pro-life activists, the Senate on Tuesday defeated one bill that would require medical care for babies who survive abortion and another that would prohibit late-term abortions. Only three Democrats voted to protect abortion survivors. “This body ought to be able to stand 100 to zero against that barbarism,” Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.,…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Abortion Debate Shows How Media Deploys Language Gymnastics to Serve Left-Wing Goals
Editor’s note: Two pro-life bills are making their way through the Senate. National Review’s Alexandra DeSanctis noted the absurd language used by a CNN journalist about the legislation and childbirth. Here is a reprint of an article, first published in The Daily Signal, about how the media uses language gymnastics to distort the debate over…Jarrett Stepman -
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9th Circuit: Trump Administration Stripping Funding From Abortion Clinics Is Constitutional
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the Trump administration can continue stripping federal funding from clinics that offer abortions. The court upheld the Trump administration’s June 2019 declaration that taxpayer-funded clinics must stop referring women for abortions or be stripped of their Title X funding. Judge Sandra Ikuta wrote Monday’s majority…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
Woman Says After Her Baby Survived Abortion, Medical Staff Gave Him No Treatment
Her abortion was supposed to be “100% effective.” That’s what doctors told Sofia Khan when she found out her unborn son had spina bifida. “We were heartbroken,” she told the U.K.’s Sun, “but we made the decision to terminate. We felt it was best for the baby, but even so, I had moments of doubt and…Tony Perkins -
- Opinion
Medicaid Waivers Provide a Pathway for Health Care Reform
Medicaid—the welfare program that provides health care to vulnerable, low-income individuals and families —needs to be reformed, and soon. It’s consuming an ever-larger share of spending at the federal and state level and squeezing out other public policy priorities. At the same time, many of the rules governing Medicaid limit the ability to design and…Nina Owcharenko Schaefer -
- Opinion
North Korea’s Coronavirus Problem
In nighttime photos from space, North Korea looks like a black hole compared to the well-lit South. It’s an apt metaphor for what we know about what’s going inside the DPRK now: Nada. That absence of information poses a real problem when a global health threat is on the loose. And the coronavirus is most…James Carafano -
- Opinion
China’s Coronavirus Response Shows the Weakness of Authoritarianism
Despite China’s incredible economic success as of late, it’s important to remember that it is still fundamentally a communist country. Recent events have been a stern reminder. Freedom can be messy, but it’s nothing like the mess an authoritarian regime creates when it fears losing power. The disturbing outbreak of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Reform the Federal-State Medicaid Partnership to Better Help Those in Need and Save Money
President Donald Trump’s budget includes Medicaid reforms that would restore accountability and improve the federal-state partnership. Predictably, the left is on the attack, contending that these “cuts” would harm the poor and vulnerable. In fact, the president’s proposals would reduce improper federal spending, which now exceeds $75 billion annually, preserve public resources for those most…Brian Blase -
- News
Senate Liberals Try to Make ‘Survivors Protection’ Bill About Access to Abortion
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee pivoted to abortion rights Tuesday during a hearing on legislation to outlaw the denial of medical care to infants who survive abortions. The hearing wasn’t intended to be about the right to an abortion, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., pointed out no less than four times during the proceedings. “This…Virginia Aabram -
- Opinion
Liberals Refuse to Protect Babies Born After Abortion Attempt
“Can you look me in the eye and tell me that I shouldn’t be alive?” That was the question 14 abortion survivors never got to ask America. Fox Sports, the host of this year’s Super Bowl, refused to air their ad. Maybe it was afraid of creating controversy. Or maybe, it was worried about putting…Tony Perkins -
- News
‘We’re Talking About Babies’: Ben Sasse Says Born-Alive Bill Is Not About Abortion Access
Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse defended a born-alive bill Tuesday and told lawmakers the legislation deals with babies born alive and not abortion access. The senator spoke Tuesday morning at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “The Infant Patient: Ensuring Appropriate Medical Care for Children Born Alive.” He emphasized the hearing is not about overturning…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
On TikTok App, Abortion Becomes Hot Topic
The Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which temporarily banned a U.S. pro-life organization, is becoming a major conversation hub in the abortion debate. Many young American adults have begun using TikTok as a platform to present political opinions, increasingly on the topic of abortion. Live Action, the organization banned briefly by the app late last…Allison Schuster -
- Opinion
Trump Administration Deserves Praise for Strong Coronavirus Response
A 35-year-old Washington, D.C., man visited an urgent care clinic on Jan. 19, a few days after returning from Wuhan, China. After undergoing testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that he had contracted the 2019-nCoV coronavirus—the first such case in the United States. Since surfacing in Wuhan in December, the 2019-nCoV coronavirus…Brayden Helwig -
- Opinion
One Woman’s Fight to Ensure No One Has an Abortion Because of Finances
Emily Berning, co-founder and president of Let Them Live, shares on “Problematic Women” that she saw a gap in the pro-life movement. “Crisis pregnancy centers are amazing. They do so much work and save so many lives, but a lot of them don’t have the funding to pay for rent for women that come in…Lauren Evans -
- Opinion
Coronavirus and China: Beijing’s Behavior Confirms How Bad the Brand Truly Is
Long before the coronavirus made international headlines, China’s Communist Party, which rules the country with unchallenged authority, had an image problem. Image has always been a key element of Beijing’s plan to rise to global greatness. It has worked assiduously to carve a reputation as an unstoppable power wading well into the midst of world affairs. Today, however, that carefully…James Carafano