Healthcare & Policy News
Reporting on health care policy, insurance coverage, and federal health programs. Includes news updates and conservative commentary from The Daily Signal.
-
news
Obama Administration Coy on Expanding Obamacare to California Illegal Immigrants
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill to expand Obamacare to cover illegal immigrants, but now it’s up to the Obama administration to determine if the nation’s largest state will get an exemption related to a specific promise the president made when trying to sell the health care law. The Golden State will be asking… -
opinion
How the Insurance Market Is Responding to Obamacare
I split my time pretty evenly between Washington, D.C., and my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. In D.C., if you want to get your fix of crony capitalism or government mandates, they’re only a step away at any time. But if you want to capture a perfect specimen of crony capitalism and government overreach in… -
news
California Could Become the First State to Expand Coverage to Illegal Immigrants Under Obamacare
California state lawmakers are one step closer to expanding coverage under Obamacare to illegal immigrants, sending a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk that would allow those living in the state illegally to buy health insurance on the exchange with their own money. The California Legislature passed a bill last week setting in motion a… -
news
Obamacare’s 13th Co-Op Is Closing. Why More Could Follow.
Obamacare’s 13th co-op announced it’s closing ahead of the 2017 open enrollment period, and more of the nonprofit insurers could follow suit in the coming months. Ohio’s InHealth Mutual announced late last week it would be closing its doors after the state’s Department of Insurance requested to liquidate the insurer. As insurers prepare to submit… -
news
Under Obamacare, Small Business Owner Forced to Get Rid of Health Care Benefits or Face Fine Up to $500K
When Maryland business owner Thomas Kunkel first learned about the Affordable Care Act, he was excited about the prospect of the new health care law. “From the small business standpoint, it was actually one of the first times I felt like a bit of a social program might actually benefit a small business,” he told… -
news
Why Obamacare Customers in Some States Might See Higher Rates in 2017
As insurance companies begin submitting their rates for health care coverage next year, consumers are seeing changes in the number of insurers selling plans on Obamacare’s exchanges. And in some places, fewer choices on the exchanges can mean higher premiums. So far, three states—Alabama, Alaska, and Wyoming—have just one insurer selling coverage on their Obamacare… -
opinion
Little Sisters of the Poor Win Big in Obamacare Case
The Supreme Court issued its long-awaited ruling on Monday in the consolidated challenge to Obamacare’s requirement that nonprofit employers collaborate in the provision of employee health insurance coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs and devices. This is a victory, not only for the Little Sisters, but for all individuals and organizations who step outside the four… -
opinion
New Obamacare Transgender Regulations Threaten Freedom of Physicians
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized new transgender regulations for Obamacare on Friday. These regulations threaten the religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and independent medical judgment of health care professionals. And, just as they did in the transgender school policy the Obama administration announced this morning, the administration has created these new Obamacare… -
news
Why HHS Says It Doesn’t Want to Spend Anti-Ebola Funds to Fight Zika
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has unspent money left over from the fight in 2013 against the Ebola epidemic overseas. But HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell has not deployed that money to combat the coming Zika virus because of what she considers prior commitments. House Republicans want to repurpose old Ebola money for… -
news
How November’s Elections Could Impact the House’s Obamacare Lawsuit
A federal judge delivered a blow to the Obama administration and the president’s signature health care law Thursday in a lawsuit mounted by the House of Representatives. But the lawsuit’s future could be impacted further by November’s elections. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer sided with the House in a case challenging how the Obama administration… -
opinion
Obama Administration Loses Key Obamacare Case
A federal district court in Washington, D.C., ruled Thursday in favor of the U.S. House of Representatives’ challenge to the Obama administration’s implementation of part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The act has been “revised” dozens of times by the administration since its passage in March 2010, leading the… -
opinion
How Congress Mysteriously Became a ‘Small Business’ to Qualify for Obamacare Subsidies
It seems that federal officials have worked overtime to undermine public trust. Benghazi, the IRS abuses, the “fast and furious” gun-running fiasco, the solar power boondoggles, and the seemingly endless implementation problems of the Affordable Care Act—all these scandals have common themes: arrogant and abusive bureaucracy, double dealing, lame excuses, and legal hairsplitting. All these… -
news
Obama Administration Paves Way for States to Bail Out Remaining Obamacare Co-Ops
The Obama administration is changing its rules for the remaining 11 co-ops started under Obamacare to now allow them to more easily attract outside investors, paving the way for states and large hospital systems to potentially inject cash into the struggling nonprofit insurers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued an interim final rule… -
news
NIH Spends Millions on Hopped-Up Honeybees and Sexy Goldfish, Then Asks for Zika Funding
What do honeybees on cocaine, drunken songbirds, and sexy goldfish have in common? Each was the subject of extensive, taxpayer-funded research and each features prominently in Sen. Jeff Flake’s most recent expose on government waste. The Arizona Republican’s oversight report—”Twenty Questions: Government Studies That Will Leave You Scratching Your Head“—highlights $35 million worth of federally… -
news
Another Major Insurer May Leave Obamacare’s Exchanges
Another major insurer announced it is considering leaving some of Obamacare’s exchanges after losing money and customers. In financial reports released Monday, Humana said that it is likely to exit some exchanges in 2017 after reporting lower earnings and a drop in enrollment in its individual plans, including some sold under the Affordable Care Act…. -
opinion
An Insurance Exodus From Obamacare Could Come in 2017
UnitedHealthcare’s decision to not offer Affordable Care Act exchange plans next year in “at least 26 of the 34 states where it sold 2016 coverage” may soon be followed by similar announcements from other health care insurers. At least that is one implication that can be drawn from the findings reported in a new paper… -
news
California Looks to Cover Illegal Immigrants Under Obamacare
In an unprecedented move, California legislators look to extend Obamacare health coverage to the state’s estimated 2.6 million illegal immigrant population. If passed and signed into law, California would be the first state in the nation to request illegal immigrants be covered through a state exchange, the Los Angeles Times reported. It is against the… -
news
How UnitedHealthcare’s Exit From Obamacare Exchanges Will Impact Consumers
In the wake of UnitedHealthcare’s decision to exit Obamacare’s marketplaces in 2017, consumers purchasing coverage on the exchanges may have fewer choices and less competition. UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley announced during an earnings call last week that the nation’s largest health provider would be exiting the majority of the exchanges after warning the marketplaces… -
news
Health Care Giant Abandons ‘Higher-Risk’ Obamacare Exchanges
Health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group opted out of most Obamacare health exchanges on Tuesday after a review of its first-quarter earnings suggested the exchanges would be a risky investment. According to The Washington Times, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen J. Hemsley said on a first-quarter earnings call, that the small-market size and “shorter-term, higher-risk” profile of… -
opinion
Congress Needs to Stop FDA Attack on E-Cigarettes
Many innovative products that may help people quit smoking, such as e-cigarettes, may be forced off the market, courtesy of a looming Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule. The FDA’s new rule would require companies—if they can—to show that their e-cigarettes are “substantially equivalent” to a tobacco product that was on the market as of…