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
How Lawmakers Can Block Obamacare Bailouts
Members of Congress working to block any Obamacare bailouts got two pieces of good news recently. One was that the Department of Justice filed robust and persuasive motions to dismiss the lawsuits brought by insurers seeking payment for the rest of their Obamacare “risk corridor” program claims. The risk corridor program collects money from insurers…Edmund Haislmaier -
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- Opinion
The Media’s Embarrassing Failure to Bring Up Obamacare in the Debates
Maybe Bill Clinton should moderate Sunday’s presidential debate. Referring to Obamacare this week as “the craziest thing in the world,” he seems to understand that the consequences of the health care law might be of interest to voters. Indeed, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 71 percent of Donald Trump supporters and 77…Genevieve Wood -
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Obama Administration Is Willing to Break the Law to Save Obamacare
President Barack Obama’s signature health care law is failing and his administration will go to seemingly any length to prop it up. You know the famous quote from “Animal Farm” that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others?” This was George Orwell’s attempt to point out the hypocrisy that many…Paul Winfree -
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Blue States Pursue Public Option Using Obamacare ‘Innovation’ Waivers, as Red States Proceed With Caution
A rarely discussed aspect of Obamacare, one that appeared to give states an “exit strategy” to avoid provisions of the health care law, is likely to become more widely known next year. But while states led by Democrat governors are beginning to see “innovation waivers” as a way to change their health care systems—and move…Melissa Quinn -
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Stopping Another Obamacare Bailout
When President Barack Obama made his case to the American people for Obamacare, he promised that it would both lower health insurance premiums and not add to the national debt. Neither has been true. One way Obamacare has been adding to the deficit is through illegal bailouts of insurance companies operating Obamacare plans through the…Sen. Mike Lee -
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To Protect Taxpayers From Funding Abortion, the Hyde Amendment Must Be Permanent
In our Declaration of Independence, the Founders declared that everyone is endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, including and especially life. Science has revealed and affirmed the notion that an unborn child is human life with unique DNA. For more and more Americans, this fact of life is becoming more clear with each…Sen. James Lankford -
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GOP Lawmakers Pressure Administration Over Obamacare ‘Bailout’ for Insurers
GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate are pressuring the Obama administration for additional information on whether it plans to settle with insurance companies suing the government over a program written into Obamacare, which they warn would serve as a “multibillion dollar bailout” of those insurers. Republicans in the House and Senate sent separate letters to top…Melissa Quinn -
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Conservative Groups Put Spotlight on Obamacare ‘Bailouts’ for Insurers
Bemoaning “insurer bailouts,” conservative groups warn of a possible fight in a lame-duck session of Congress over two programs written into Obamacare to give extra money to insurance companies. Freedom Partners, a nonprofit chamber of commerce, launched a campaign last week urging lawmakers to allow the two Obamacare programs to expire, as they are set…Melissa Quinn -
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3 Simple Ways to Win the Debate on Obamacare
Before March 2010, health care reform was already a divisive political issue. People chose sides for very personal reasons, which made it a difficult topic to discuss using an indoor voice. Then Obamacare hit the scene. Promises made were not kept, and Americans are still facing the consequences—including higher premiums, fewer choices of doctors, and…Beverly Hallberg -
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The Numbers That Show Planned Parenthood About Abortion, Not Women’s Health
As Planned Parenthood looks to spend a record $30 million this fall to influence the November elections and keep its taxpayer funding flowing, Live Action has released a new online tool pro-lifers can use to help counter the kind of propaganda $30 million can buy. Live Action’s new “3 Percent Abortion Myth” video dispels one of Planned…Lila Rose -
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The Obamacare Alternative More Americans Are Turning To
Deirdre Folley is one of more than 600,000 people nationwide who is considered uninsured. Yet when her daughter suffered a hairline fracture in her leg, requiring visits to an urgent care center, radiologist, and orthopedist, Folley and her family didn’t end up paying anything for the cost of her care even though charges totaled nearly…Melissa Quinn -
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How the $12 Million Illinois Medicaid Gave to Dead People Hurt This Family
Jake Chalkey has defied doctors’ expectations. Born with a brain malformation, Jake wasn’t supposed to live past 2 years old. He suffered from life-threatening seizures, which would be his downfall, doctors said, and it took years for medical professionals to formally diagnose the young boy with a condition they didn’t even have a name for….Melissa Quinn -
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Consumers in 17 States Face Double-Digit Rate Hikes Under Obamacare
Consumers in 19 states will see increases to their health insurance rates, most in the double digits, for 2017, according to publicly available data filed with state insurance regulators. Since June, insurance companies have been submitting proposed rate requests to state departments of insurance for the 2017 plan year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human…Melissa Quinn -
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5 States, Nearly 700 Counties Don’t See ‘Choice and Competition’ Promised by Obamacare
Five states will be down to just one health insurer on the Obamacare marketplace next year, and consumers in 664 counties are projected to face that same situation under a law sold as providing “choice and competition.” The five states that will have no choice are Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming. Two more…Fred Lucas -
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Her Health Plan Was $257 a Month. Now Her Obamacare Plan Could Be $650 a Month.
Ask 68-year-old Gavin Braithwaite how he feels about the amount he and his wife, Louellen, are expecting to pay for health insurance next year, and he’ll tell you he’s horrified, but not exactly surprised. Since 1992, Gavin said, he’s watched the cost of their coverage increase over the years. In the past few years, the…Melissa Quinn -
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Alaska Court’s Ruling on Abortion and Parental Notification Hurts Teens
Hillary Kieft grew worried when her daughter didn’t arrive from school on the bus as usual. After she called the school to find out what was wrong, a school nurse pulled into her driveway with the daughter (let’s call her “Kelly”) in tow. The nurse explained that she had taken Kelly for counseling after school,…Jana Minich -
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3 Reasons Why Obamacare Is Bad for Millennials
For many millennials, the fear of entering the “real world” is looming. We are preparing to face the financial challenges, often feeling like we are starting the trek up Mount Everest. Many of us are scrambling to find jobs and avoiding moving back in with our parents. We recognize more and more that good jobs…Timothy Doescher -
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Do Democrats Support Using Public Funds for Abortion? We Ask.
PHILADELPHIA—In 1976, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, a law that prohibits the use of taxpayer money for abortion, except in the case of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at stake. For decades, the measure maintained bipartisan support when it came up in Congress. But recently, the status quo took a turn, when…Kelsey Bolar -
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Anthem to Federal Government: Approve Merger and We’ll Expand to More Obamacare Exchanges
Despite projections that it’s losing money this year, Anthem offered to expand its business on Obamacare’s exchanges in nine states if the federal government allows the company to move forward with its merger with Cigna. The company is currently in the process of acquiring Cigna in a $48 billion deal. But the Justice Department announced…Melissa Quinn