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
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 -
- News
Insurers Lobby for Changes to Obamacare ‘Bailouts’
Insurance companies continue to put pressure on members of Congress over two Obamacare programs set to expire at the end of the year. Lawmakers and outside groups expect a fight over the risk corridor and reinsurance programs—referred to as insurer “bailouts” by conservatives—during the lame-duck session, the period after the Nov. 8 election and before…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Taxpayer Subsidies Won’t Fix Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act has a serious “affordability” problem. For President Barack Obama, the latest round of insurance cost hikes once again undercut his iconic—and repetitive—promise: Obamacare would not only control, but actually reduce (by $2,500 annually) the “typical” family’s health care costs. Recent liberal policy proposals would make the health care cost problem even worse….Robert Moffit -
- Opinion
7 Times Democrats Admitted the Truth About Obamacare
What do former President Bill Clinton and filmmaker Michael Moore have in common? They, along with a host of other Democrats, have had moments of honesty about Obamacare. From the law’s chief architect to elected officials such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Gov. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., here are seven times Democrats admitted…Genevieve Wood -
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- Opinion
Americans Face Fewer Obamacare Choices, Higher Premiums in 2017
As open season begins Tuesday for enrollment in Obamacare next year, most customers for health insurance in the individual market will face both fewer choices and higher premiums under President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. More than three-fifths of the states, 33 of them, will have fewer insurers offering coverage on the Obamacare exchanges…Edmund Haislmaier -
- Opinion
Study Finds Significant Differences in Plans Sold on or off Obamacare Exchanges
Three years after opening their online doors, the health insurance marketplaces remain under intense scrutiny, but individual health plans that are not sold through these exchanges have largely escaped attention. New research sheds some light on what these plans are like and how they fit into the overall individual market. The analysis by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation…Michelle Andrews -
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He Predicted Obamacare Wouldn’t Be ‘Affordable.’ Democrats Didn’t Listen.
Robert Laszewski is a policy adviser and analyst for the health insurance industry. He’s correctly predicted Obamacare’s pitfalls since Day One. In an interview with “Full Measure” this Sunday, Laszewski says he warned the Obama administration and other Democrats not to call it the “Affordable Care Act.” Earlier this week, the administration announced Obamacare premiums…Sharyl Attkisson -
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Post-Obamacare, These People Are Leaving Their Jobs
Following the public release of rates for health insurance plans under Obamacare for 2017, brokers from around the country began fielding calls from angry clients, many of whom were panicked about the rising cost of their health insurance. But separate from the worried voices of clients on the other end of the telephone, many brokers…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
In Desperate Push to Save Dying Obamacare, President Wants to Bail Out Insurers
The death knell for Obamacare has been rung. President Barack Obama’s own Department of Health and Human Services confirmed this week that Americans will experience double-digit premium hikes on their health care plans beginning Nov. 1. In fact, the average increase will be 25 percent. And while costs are going up, choice is going down:…William Wolfe -
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In 6 Charts, the Rising Costs of Obamacare Rates
New data from the federal government show that monthly premiums for health insurance plans sold on the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov, will increase by an average of 25 percent in 2017. The Department of Health and Human Services released a report Monday analyzing the state and federal health insurance exchanges ahead of the fourth open enrollment…Melissa Quinn -
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Obamacare Premiums Will Rise by Double Digits Next Year
The Obama administration said insurance premiums will rise by double-digit percentages in 2017, a statement that will likely bring the debate surrounding Obamacare to the forefront in the final days of the 2016 election. Premiums will increase at an average of 25 percent across the 39 states serviced by the online marketplace HealthCare.gov, according to the…Robert Donachie -
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Obamacare’s Millennial Problem
President Barack Obama took to the podium at Miami Dade College last Thursday to address his signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act. The president’s speech mentioned a broader outreach by the administration directed toward younger Americans. The Obama administration is struggling to sell the president’s signature health care reform with millennials and is…Jamie Gregora -
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Fact-Checking 7 Claims in the President’s Speech on Obamacare
In a speech before Miami Dade College students in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, President Barack Obama spoke about some of the successes of the Affordable Care Act, as well as what he would like to see for the future of his signature health care law. The president’s address came just weeks before the 2017 open…Melissa Quinn -
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Obamacare’s ‘Bailouts,’ Explained
There has been a lot of talk on Capitol Hill and in the news about taxpayer-funded “bailouts” for insurance companies under Obamacare. But what exactly are lawmakers talking about when they reference these “bailouts?” The “bailouts” have come in the form of two programs—the risk corridor and reinsurance programs—written into the health care law and…Melissa Quinn -
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As Obama Travels to Florida to Promote Obamacare, State Faces Higher Costs, Fewer Options
Before Obamacare insurance exchanges were established in 2013, Florida had 18 insurers operating in the state. President Barack Obama arrives in Miami Thursday to promote his signature legislative achievement, as Florida will have just five companies for Florida residents to choose from in 2017. The Affordable Care Act was sold in part as a means…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Obamacare Is Experiencing Multi-Organ Failure
President Barack Obama’s speech Thursday will likely highlight the “successes” of Obamacare, but this complex health law—with interlocking parts—is really becoming more like a patient suffering from multi-organ failure. This year’s feverish health insurance premiums are unlikely to abate. For 2017, the premiums on Obamacare’s individual market are projected to increase by 25 percent on…Robert Moffit -
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See How Much Premiums Will Increase Under Obamacare in These 14 States
Consumers will be hit by increases in health insurance premiums averaging 10 percent or more in all but one of 14 states where regulators have approved higher rates. In Vermont, insurance rates will rise by an average of 5.5 percent. Insurance companies submitted their rate proposals for 2017 over the past few months. In the…Melissa Quinn -
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In 3 Years, His Insurance Premiums Double as Options Decline Under Obamacare
For the past 15 years, Warren Jones has had the same health insurance plan with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. But over the years, Jones, of Kansas City, Missouri, has watched the coverage offered in his policy “erode” over time. First, the company got rid of the dental and vision coverage he…Melissa Quinn