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
Competition in Obamacare Exchanges Declined in 2016
On Oct. 1, 2013, President Barack Obama lauded the opening of the Affordable Care Act’s new health insurance exchanges and claimed, “You’ll find more choices, more competition, and in many cases, lower prices.” In his latest paper tracking choice and insurer competition in the exchanges, Heritage Foundation senior fellow Ed Haislmaier reports that fewer insurers are…Jean Morrow -
- Opinion
3 Ways Obamacare’s Insurance Regulations Could Cost You
The price tag for the Affordable Care Act includes not only the additional tax dollars spent on expanding Medicaid and providing new subsidies for exchange coverage, but also the costs imposed, in the form of higher health insurance premiums, by the law’s new regulations. While sound health care policy would have focused on finding ways…Drew Gonshorowski -
- Opinion
A Legacy of Broken Promises: Obamacare Turns 6
Obamacare, a partisan product full of broken promises, is six years old. Burdened by mounting problems, it’s not mellowing with age. Notwithstanding the president’s notorious promise, millions of Americans have lost their health care plans, and, for those faced with narrowing provider networks, their choice of doctors is also shrinking. If you were eagerly awaiting…Robert Moffit -
- Opinion
Why the Little Sisters of the Poor Believe Obamacare Mandate Violates Their Religious Liberty
The Little Sisters of the Poor is a group of Catholic nuns who typically lead a quiet, dignified existence caring for the elderly poor. In the last few years, that quiet existence has been troubled by the constant court battles the group has been fighting over the Affordable Care Act’s so-called “contraceptive mandate,” which requires…Grace Stark -
- News
In 5 Charts, How Obamacare Has Worked the Past 6 Years
Six years ago Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Since then, Americans have seen their premiums increase, a dozen nonprofit insurers have closed their doors and the number of people on the Medicaid rolls has expanded. Americans nationwide have both praised and cursed the law since the…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Obamacare Mandate Would Make ‘Hypocrites’ of Catholic University, Its President Says
The head of one of the nation’s most prominent Catholic universities said in an interview with The Daily Signal that Obamacare is at odds with the institution’s mission by mandating coverage of contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in health plans. Requiring such insurance coverage in violation of deeply held religious beliefs “makes hypocrites of us,” John…Mariana Barillas -
- Opinion
6 Broken Obamacare Promises
The Affordable Care Act is six years old today, but there is little reason to celebrate. Here are six broken promises and lies made by President Barack Obama and his ally, Rep. Nancy Pelosi. D-Calif., about the law—which are six good reasons Congress should blow out the birthday candles and repeal it once and for…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
Obamacare Was Going to Lower Health Care Costs. What Actually Happened.
Hawking the Affordable Care Act (ACA) six years ago, President Barack Obama said, “Every single good idea to bend the cost curve and start actually reducing health care costs [is] in this bill.” Team Obama projected that their version of health care reform—replete with the bells and whistles of “investments” in health information technology, health…Robert Moffit -
- Opinion
Why Obamacare Premiums Are Climbing All Over US
On the third year of the Affordable Care Act exchanges, it is becoming more apparent that the promises of cost-saving and premium reduction may be reserved only for people who are able to capture the most subsidies. Plans increased rates by 25.1 percent in Kentucky, 14 percent in Ohio, and nearly 11 percent in Michigan. Exchange…Drew Gonshorowski -
- News
Obamacare Insurers Could Get Billions From Controversial Government Fund
A $5 billion lawsuit filed by a nonprofit insurer against the Obama administration for a program implemented under Obamacare is raising questions about the use of a fund available for settlements with the government and whether Congress can, and should, intervene. According to legal experts, if the Obama administration decided to settle its class action…Melissa Quinn -
- News
She Survived an Abortion. Now She’s Telling Lawmakers Her Story.
Late-term abortion survivor Melissa Ohden sees Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary hearing as an opportunity to let the American public know “what late-term abortion looks like.” “As somebody who has lived to see the effects of abortion, I think it’s incredibly important for the public to pay attention to this hearing, to hear the stories of people…Mariana Barillas -
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Will Failed Obamacare Co-Ops Repay Taxpayers’ Money? Senate Panel Seeks Answers
Top Obamacare officials told a Senate panel Thursday that they can’t guarantee that the government ever will recover billions of taxpayer dollars loaned to health insurance “co-ops.” “Today’s hearing is about the families who lost their health care plans, it’s about the taxpayers who were swindled, it’s about the bureaucrats who mismanaged this program, and…Leah Jessen -
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How Much Are Obamacare Deductibles Up in Your State?
Americans across the country are paying higher health care deductibles under Obamacare. Freedom Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting freedom and expanding opportunity, released an analysis of data tracking the weighted average of 2016 Obamacare deductibles in all 50 states. A total of 41 states saw an average increase in deductibles. “Higher Obamacare deductibles increase,…Leah Jessen -
- News
She Had an Abortion at 15. How It Changed Her Life.
Nona Ellington was 15 years old when she found out she was pregnant. A victim of rape, Ellington felt alone, ashamed, and desperate for help. After a free pregnancy test came back positive, showing that Ellington was five weeks pregnant, she went forward and scheduled an abortion. Around October 1983, Ellington, who was still in…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
The Obama Administration’s $5 Billion Obamacare Problem
One of the more than 20 failed or struggling “consumer-oriented” insurers created by Obamacare is suing the U.S. government for as much as $5 billion in payments it claims are owed to itself and other insurers. Health Republic Insurance of Oregon filed a class action complaint in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., seeking $2.5…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
5 Key Exchanges From Biggest Abortion Supreme Court Case in a Decade
Wednesday, while a huge crowd of protesters stood in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building, the justices heard oral argument in the first major abortion case in nearly a decade. In Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the Supreme Court is considering whether Texas’ H.B. 2 law—a commonsense reform intended to increase women’s health and…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
There’s a Lot at Stake With Texas Abortion Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt on March 2. This is the most important case regarding abortion to be argued before the Supreme Court in almost a decade. Nationally, an estimated “26,500 women experienced complications and approximately 3,180 required hospitalization in 2011” for first-trimester abortions alone. In…Arina O. Grossu -
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Increasing Health and Safety Standards for Abortion Clinics Is Reasonable
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week in a case challenging a Texas law that places commonsense health and safety regulations on abortion clinics and abortion clinic doctors. Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt involves a Texas law, known as H.B. 2, that was passed in response to the conviction of late-term abortionist Kermit…Sarah Torre -
- Opinion
How Gosnell’s Abortion ‘House of Horrors’ Led to This Week’s Supreme Court Case
The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt this week, a case challenging a Texas law that requires the abortion industry to follow commonsense health and safety regulations. Passage of the Texas bill was spurred by the discovery of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the now infamous late-term abortionist who ran a…Sarah Torre -
- Opinion
Texas Abortion Case Is Women’s Health ‘No-Brainer’
There have been many over-the-top liberal reactions to the 2013 Texas law known as House Bill 2. Some have even gone so far as to call it a “a calamity for all women.” But this legislation is anything but. It actually protects the health and safety of women through requiring abortion facilities to meet the…Kerri Kupec