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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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 -
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This Insurer Used to Make Money on Obamacare Plans. Now It’s Losing Money
One of the country’s largest insurance companies is now expected to lose money this year after emerging as one of the few insurers that made money on Obamacare’s exchange business early on. Anthem, one of the country’s five largest insurers, was projected to be successful in its business on Obamacare exchanges earlier this year. But…Melissa Quinn -
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Planned Parenthood Uses Virtual Reality to Promote Abortion at Democrat Convention
PHILADELPHIA—Steps outside a women’s caucus meeting at the Democratic National Convention, Planned Parenthood’s lobbying arm got techy with attendees, using computer-generated imagery to give people a firsthand look at the protests some women face when walking into abortion clinics. “Planned Parenthood Action Fund is here sharing a virtual reality film called ‘Across the Line,’ which…Kelsey Bolar -
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White House Ducks Democrats’ Platform Demand for Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
Although Barack Obama has been staunchly pro-choice during his presidency, the White House this week cited a “longstanding view” that doesn’t support federal taxpayer funding of abortions—a change embraced at the Democratic National Convention as part of the party’s platform. “I don’t believe we have changed our position on the Hyde Amendment, but if we…Fred Lucas -
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16 Obamacare Co-Ops Collapsed. Here’s How the Rest Are Faring.
Since Obamacare’s rollout in the fall of 2013, 16 co-ops that launched with money from the federal government have collapsed. The co-ops, or consumer operated and oriented plans, were started under the Affordable Care Act as a way to boost competition among insurers and expand the number of health insurance companies available to consumers living…Melissa Quinn -
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Only Miles From Democrat Convention, Kermit Gosnell’s Clinic Brings Abortion Industry Horrors to Forefront
Three years after he was convicted of murder, Kermit Gosnell's shuttered abortion clinic still stands mere miles from Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, home to this week's Democratic National Convention. As Democrats gather in the city to anoint their presidential candidate, film director and citizen journalist David Altrogge is preparing the release of a new film, "3801 Lancaster: American…Terri Shepherd -
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The Difference Between Privacy Rights in Abortion and Same-Sex Locker Rooms Cases
When most Americans consider the right to privacy they think about the privacy they enjoy in their homes and person. They don’t think about killing unborn children in the womb. But that is not true of liberal activists. To them, the right to privacy is all about abortion because seemingly everything is about abortion on…Jeremy Tedesco -
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The 16th Obamacare Co-Op Has Collapsed. Here’s How Much Each Failed Co-Op Got in Taxpayer-Funded Loans.
Update: Illinois’ Land of Lincoln Health announced Tuesday it will be closing its doors. The co-op became the 16th of 23 co-ops launched under Obamacare to collapse, following Oregon’s Health Co-Op. Land of Lincoln Health received $160.1 million in loans from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. More than 54,000 enrolled in coverage from…Melissa Quinn -
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Obamacare’s 14th Co-Op Is Closing Its Doors, and at Least 2 More Could Close Soon
Another Obamacare co-op, Connecticut’s HealthyCT, is closing its doors, and at least two most could follow suit as the nonprofit insurers decide whether they will be able to remain on firm financial footing. The nine remaining co-ops of the original 23 co-ops must make payments totaling at least $130 million through Obamacare’s risk adjustment program,…Melissa Quinn -
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5 Myths About FDA’s Regulation of Vapor Products
On May 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule known as the Deeming Regulation, extending its authority under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, or Tobacco Act, to all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), also known as vapor products. Some scientific journals refer to these products as electronic nicotine…Elaine Keller -
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Middle-Class Minnesotans Will Soon Have Fewer Health Care Choices Because of Obamacare
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota members with individual and family insurance plans face major shifts in their policies in the coming year, after the insurer decided to decrease its presence on its state-run Obamacare exchange Minnesota’s largest health insurer is minimizing its individual plan offerings, so much so that all family and individual preferred provider…Faith Vander Voort -
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The Supreme Court Abortion Safety Case, Explained
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Texas law governing abortion clinics, serving a major victory to pro-choice advocates who opposed higher health and safety standards. The Daily Signal breaks down the case, and what the 5-3 decision means moving forward.Kelsey Bolar -
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Pro-Lifers on Supreme Court Abortion Case: ‘We’re Coming Back in Full Force’
Members of the pro-life movement standing outside the Supreme Court on Monday were visibly discouraged by the 5-3 decision striking down a Texas law that imposed health and safety regulations on abortion clinics. But those activists showed no signs that they intend to back down from the battle over abortion in the United States. “The…Leah Jessen