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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- News
Texas Looks to Bury Aborted Babies Despite Legal Objections From Abortion Groups
A new set of rules in Texas requiring aborted babies to be cremated or buried has prompted a legal battle in the Lone Star State. Pro-abortion groups are attempting to halt the law with a lawsuit, and its implementation has now been delayed by a court order. The abortion burial measure, which would also apply…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
7 Years on, Obamacare Is Less Pro-Life Than Anything We Were Told
Open enrollment for Obamacare plans is well under way, having started Nov. 1 and running through Jan. 31, 2017. Not only is Obamacare proving unaffordable to millions of Americans—it is proving unconscionable for pro-life Americans who don’t want to pay for health care plans that cover abortion on demand or lack transparency about such coverage….Arina O. Grossu -
- Opinion
Fearmongering Harry Reid Is Spewing Lies About Obamacare
Democrats have lied about Obamacare from the beginning, but outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., apparently intends to tell the biggest lie of all as he exits the Washington scene. In an interview about whether Republicans in Congress would make good on their promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Reid said, “You…Genevieve Wood -
- News
Conservatives Split From GOP Leaders Over Timing of Obamacare Repeal
GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill are committed to using a budget tool called reconciliation to send a bill repealing Obamacare to President-elect Donald Trump’s desk. Though Republicans are settled on getting rid of the Affordable Care Act, fault lines have emerged between GOP lawmakers who disagree on when exactly the health care law should be…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Obamacare May Soon Be Over. Here’s What Americans Have Thought of the Law Since 2010.
In the midst of open enrollment for Obamacare, there is plenty of bad news for health law supporters, from skyrocketing premium rates to diminished insurer participation. Public opinion remains steadily opposed to the law. While some tracking polls try to highlight satisfaction with individual components of the law, Obamacare as a whole has largely been…Elizabeth Fender -
- Opinion
Did Obamacare Really Insure 20 Million?
One of the most frequently heard claims from the Obama administration is that Obamacare is responsible for insuring 20 million adults who were previously uninsured. But Heritage Foundation research shows the administration’s figure is off by a few million. The Department of Health and Human Services claims that 20 million people have gained health coverage…Jared Hatch -
- News
How States Can Shape Obamacare’s Replacement
As Republicans prepare to hammer out the details of a replacement for Obamacare, governors and state insurance commissioners are asking for a seat at the table. Under the Affordable Care Act, much of the regulatory framework that in the past fell to states and their respective insurance commissioners was transferred to the federal government, which…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Ohio Lawmakers Put ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Ban on Governor’s Desk
The Ohio Legislature has passed and sent to Gov. John Kasich’s desk a measure that would ban abortion after a baby’s heartbeat is detected, about six weeks following conception. Lawmakers passed the Unborn Heartbeat Protection Act on Tuesday as an amendment to a child abuse and neglect bill. If signed by Kasich, the legislation would…Leah Jessen -
- News
Meet 2 Hurting Americans Who Are Ready for Congress to Repeal Obamacare
On the night of the election three weeks ago, Rochelle Bird stayed up late watching the returns with a friend. Bird, a financial adviser from Overland Park, Kansas, recalled being in knots in the days leading up to the election. “If it didn’t go the way of [Donald] Trump, the next four years and possibly…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
What a Trump Court Would Mean for Abortion
The pro-life movement in America is stronger, more sophisticated, and younger than anywhere else on the planet. We know how to write legislation and how to get it passed at every level of government. We can bury Capitol Hill in post cards and shut down phone lines. We have learned how to find pro-life candidates,…Cathy Ruse -
- Opinion
Meet the Doctor Trump Picked to Dismantle Obamacare
President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Rep. Tom Price of Georgia as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an outstanding choice. It is hard to imagine a candidate more qualified to serve in this crucial position, especially at a time when America’s health care economy is undergoing a major…Robert Moffit -
- News
What You Need to Know About Tom Price, Trump’s Pick for HHS Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Rep. Tom Price, a Republican from Georgia, is his pick for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “Chairman Price, a renowned physician, has earned a reputation for being a tireless problem solver and the go-to expert on health care policy, making him the ideal choice to…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Obamacare ‘Insurer Bailouts’ Become Less Likely Under President Trump
Insurance companies hoping for relief in the form of changes to two Obamacare programs may end up disappointed now that President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to take the White House. Obamacare’s risk corridor and reinsurance programs sunset at the end of the year, but conservative groups are worried that Congress would attempt to give insurers more…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Electing to ‘Opt Out’ of Obamacare
Steven Lopez has gone without health insurance for 15 years, and the Affordable Care Act hasn’t changed his mind. Once again, this year he will forgo coverage, he said, even though it means another tax penalty. Last tax season, the 51-year-old information technology professional and his family paid a mandatory penalty of nearly $1,000, he…Ana Ibarra -
- News
Republicans Begin to Unite Around Obamacare Repeal Plan
House and Senate budget leaders, along with conservative lawmakers, are beginning to unite around a proposal that would avoid a filibuster from Senate Democrats and put a bill repealing key provisions of Obamacare on President-elect Donald Trump’s desk not long after his inauguration—a bill that is likely to earn his signature. Republicans’ talks of repealing…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
What Obama Got Wrong in His Latest Defense of Obamacare
On Monday, President Barack Obama remarked during a press conference on the likely demise of his health care law as President-elect Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress have vowed to make full repeal of Obamacare a top priority next year. As debate over Obamacare’s repeal and replacement is getting started in Congress, it’s important to…Alyene Senger -
- News
How Republicans Can Start to Dismantle Obamacare With a Trump Presidency
The GOP’s long-discussed dreams of repealing Obamacare became closer to reality early Wednesday morning when Donald Trump was elected president. Six years after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law and after more than 60 attempts to repeal it, Republicans now have a good chance to advance their own agenda. While on…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Exit Poll Reveals What Americans Think About Obamacare, Obama’s Policies
Almost half of voters nationwide, 45 percent, think Obamacare “went too far” in its attempts to reform the American health care system, according to an exit poll released by NBC News Tuesday. Thirty-one percent of voters said the law “did not go far enough,” while 18 percent said it “was about right.” When asked what…Jamie Gregora -
- Opinion
Obamacare’s Squeeze Play on Middle-Class Taxpayers
Taxpayers are being squeezed financially in Obamacare’s tightening vice. On one side, taxpayers already are funding Obamacare entitlements, notwithstanding President Barack Obama’s high-profile promise to spare middle-class Americans from new taxation. Liberals in Congress and elsewhere are seeking remedies, among them heavier taxpayer subsidies and bigger deficits, that will squeeze taxpayers even more. On the…Robert Moffit -
- Opinion
Obamacare Revealed as Masterpiece of Government’s Failed Central Planning
Obamacare, a veritable fountain of unintended consequences, is a 21st century showcase of government central planning. Let’s be clear. This is what President Barack Obama wanted. Liberals in Congress meticulously designed the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges as powerful regulatory bodies. They defined the kinds of insurance plans, benefits, and medical treatments and procedures the…Robert Moffit