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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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 -
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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 -
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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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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