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 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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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First Major Abortion Case in Nearly a Decade Will Go Before Supreme Court
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the first major abortion case in nearly a decade. In the case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the Supreme Court will consider whether Texas’ H.B. 2 law—a commonsense reform intended to increase women’s health and safety—meets the test laid out in prior cases. Texas passed…Elizabeth Slattery -
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Farm Contractors Balk at Obamacare Requirements
Obamacare is putting the agricultural industry in a tizzy. Many contractors who provide farm labor and must now offer workers health insurance are complaining loudly about the cost in their already low-margin business. Some are also concerned that the forms they must file with the federal government under the Affordable Care Act will bring immigration…April Dembosky -
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Bad Decisions, Mismanagement Led to ‘High Risk of Failure’ for Obamacare Website, Study Finds
The Obamacare website failed on launch because government officials spent too little time on it, made bad technical decisions, and mismanaged a key contract, a new internal report says. The “culture” of the agency overseeing Obamacare also got in the way of readying the website, Healthcare.gov, especially poor coordination and a resistance to addressing “bad news,”…Leah Jessen -
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What John Oliver Got Wrong About Abortion Laws
On Sunday, late night comedian John Oliver spent 16 minutes of his HBO show cracking jokes about abortion in a crass attempt to satirize reasonable state laws requiring abortion clinics to follow minimum health and safety standards. The brunt of Oliver’s mocking attack was aimed at a 2013 Texas law that is currently being reviewed…Sarah Torre -
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Here’s Why Insurance Premiums Are ‘High and Rising’ for Obamacare Enrollees
Rising health insurance premiums under Obamacare will continue to hit Americans this year, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. “High and rising premiums for private health insurance are a matter of concern for [Obamacare] enrollees. They also affect the federal budget, because the federal government subsidizes most premiums—directly or indirectly—at a cost of…Mariana Barillas -
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How Scalia’s Death Will Impact Cases on Immigration, Abortion, Religious Liberty
Look beyond the contentious political rhetoric over confirming his replacement, and it’s clear that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death during a presidential election cycle will likely change the outcomes of major cases coming before the high court this term. The Supreme Court will review six big cases this term—on immigration, abortion, voting rights, unions,…Josh Siegel -
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Lawmakers Say Congress Should Investigate Millionaires Enrolling in Medicaid
Conservative lawmakers say Congress should investigate the number of millionaires who qualify for and enroll in government-sponsored health insurance under Obamacare, a trend exposed in a Daily Signal report earlier this week. At the monthly Capitol Hill event Conversations with Conservatives, lawmakers in attendance discussed a recent Daily Signal report involving people with high net…Melissa Quinn -
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$750 Million in Obamacare Tax Credits May Have Gone to Illegal Immigrants, Senate Report Finds
The government granted up to $750 million in Obamacare tax credits to 500,000 persons who weren’t eligible, many of whom may have been illegal immigrants, a Senate report says. Half a million individuals mistakenly received the tax credits because of a lapse in verification of their legal status and a lack of coordination among government agencies, the report determined….Leah Jessen -
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Millionaires Are Qualifying for Medicaid Under Obamacare
Millionaires living in states that expanded Medicaid are benefiting from government-sponsored health insurance, and taxpayers are footing the bill for it. In states that expanded Medicaid, people with high net worths and low monthly incomes qualify for Medicaid because of loosened eligibility requirements implemented under Obamacare. And in rural states like Iowa, Americans whom many…Melissa Quinn -
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Find Out How Your House Member Voted on a Measure Overriding Obama’s Veto of Obamacare Repeal Bill
The House on Tuesday failed to override a veto from President Obama striking down a bill that repealed key provisions of his signature health care law and placed a one-year moratorium on federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The Republican-led House lacked the two-thirds majority needed to override the president’s veto of the legislation, which he…Melissa Quinn -
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Kentucky Should End All Ties to Obamacare
Newly elected Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin announced his plans to keep the Obamacare Medicaid expansion (and the extra federal money funding it) and to pursue waivers that will introduce reforms to Medicaid. The governor should rethink this decision. Not only will these efforts likely result in only modest reforms, but more importantly, they will put the…Nina Owcharenko Schaefer -
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After Facing Questions on Abortion, 2 Obama Judicial Nominees Fail to Advance
The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding up two of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees for federal judgeships in Pennsylvania. Robert Colville and John Younge, both nominated for lifetime judicial positions, did not receive a vote at Thursday’s committee meeting. Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the move was meant to give senators more time to review “their records…Philip Wegmann