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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- News
Obamacare Agency Put Taxpayer Money ‘at Risk,’ Inspector General Says
The agency charged with overseeing implementation of the Affordable Care Act could not guarantee that tax credits under the law went solely to Obamacare enrollees who had paid their premiums, government inspectors discovered. A report released Wednesday said that in 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services relied on health insurers to confirm that payments based on the tax…Natalie Johnson -
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Find Out How Your Member of Congress Voted on a Bill Repealing Obamacare
For the first time, Congressional Republicans sent a bill repealing key provisions of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law to his desk. Following the upper chamber’s lead, the House passed a reconciliation bill, 240-181, repealing measures of Obamacare and placing a one-year moratorium on federal funding for Planned Parenthood this evening. The Senate passed the…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Why Obamacare Is on the Road to Repeal
This week, the House of Representatives will clear a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and send it to President Barack Obama’s desk. Although it faces certain veto, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the president is only buying time for a dying law. Obamacare is in bad shape—both economically and ethically. If it were possible…Chuck Donovan -
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Obamacare Repeal, Planned Parenthood Defunding Bill Will Go to Obama
For the first time, Congress will send a bill that repeals Obamacare and defunds Planned Parenthood to President Barack Obama’s desk. Republicans used the budget reconciliation process—a fast-track method to avoid a filibuster from Senate Democrats—to pass the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act earlier this month. The GOP-controlled House will vote on the bill next week. “You can…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
A Medicaid Budget Gimmick That’s Defrauding Taxpayers
The Washington Post editorial board has long considered itself the “adult in the room” on fiscal matters, all but endorsing the Simpson-Bowles plan and other trendy fiscal proposals. It also allied itself with respectable centrist groups like the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget in calling out Congress for engaging in budget gimmicks to hide its spending…Jason Yaworske -
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This Senator Thinks Bipartisan Changes Can ‘Fix’ Obamacare
“Step-by-step” changes to Obamacare are the way to improve the health care system, the chairman of the Senate’s committee on health issues says. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., predicts that bipartisan changes to President Barack Obama’s signature health care law will occur over the span of a few years. “I think over the next four or five years…Leah Jessen -
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Police Lift Ban on Christmas Caroling Outside Abortion Clinic
Police lifted a ban on Christmas caroling after ordering a group of pro-life activists to stop singing “Silent Night” and other carols on a sidewalk outside an abortion clinic. The carolers planned to head back to the clinic before Christmas Eve, relieved they each no longer face a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. “No…Leah Jessen -
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How Overregulation Led to the Collapse of Obamacare’s Largest Co-Op
A new report examining the collapse of Health Republic of New York, Obamacare’s largest co-op, said its failure—which may lead to a $265-million loss of taxpayer dollars—can be attributed in part to heightened regulatory control by the state. According to the analysis from the Albany, New York-based Empire Center, a “breakdown” in oversight from the…Melissa Quinn -
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Colorado Medicaid Rolls Double After Expansion
Colorado’s Medicaid caseload nearly doubled in the past two years after the state expanded coverage, surprising state budget officials and putting more pressure on state coffers. And in 2017, the federal government will start decreasing the percentage of the expanded population it funds, raising concerns about a budget crunch caused by hospital provider fee income…Arthur Kane -
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How the Spending Deal’s Risk Corridor Provision Would Affect Obamacare Co-Ops
A provision of the omnibus spending bill prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used to “bail out” insurers under Obamacare’s risk corridor program could jeopardize the future of the co-ops created under the health care law. Republicans included language restricting the use of taxpayer dollars for Obamacare’s risk corridor program, which they call a taxpayer-backed insurer…Melissa Quinn -
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This Nashville Deli Is Closing in Part Because of Obamacare
If you ask Tom Loventhal, a deli is no more than a place to provide customers with comfort food. Whether it’s breakfast—served all day—soup or a sandwich, Loventhal’s motto has always been that at his Nashville, Tenn.,-based deli, “anyone is welcome here from ages 0 to 99, because you’ll find something on the menu.” And…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Workforce Could Shrink by 2 Million People Because of Obamacare
Over the next decade, 2 million workers could decide to leave the workforce because of Obamacare, according to a new report. According to the report from the Congressional Budget Office, the workforce is projected to shrink by 2025 by just under 1 percent—the equivalent of 2 million full-time workers—because of the health care law and…Melissa Quinn -
- News
What You Need to Know About the Obamacare Program Criticized as a ‘Bailout’ for Insurers
In their lists of demands for the $1.- trillion omnibus spending bill, Republican lawmakers and leaders of conservative groups are calling on House and Senate leadership to stymie the federal government’s ability to use taxpayer dollars to pay insurance companies through Obamacare’s risk corridor program. But what exactly is the risk corridor program, and how…Melissa Quinn -
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Why the GOP Is Looking to the Omnibus Spending Bill to Limit Obamacare’s ‘Insurer Bailout’
Senate Democrats blocked GOP efforts Thursday to repeal Obamacare’s risk corridor program, which Republicans have referred to as a taxpayer-funded bailout of insurers. Now, conservatives are looking to the $1.1-trillion omnibus spending bill to continue restricting the use of taxpayer dollars for the program. As Congress begins to debate this year’s omnibus spending bill, Sen….Melissa Quinn -
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House Conservatives Like Senate’s Obamacare Repeal Package, but Want More Next Time
The Senate took a “step in the right direction” by bolstering a fast-tracked House bill to repeal Obamacare during the budget reconciliation process, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kans., told The Daily Signal. But rather than renew a push for what he calls “repeal lite,” Huelskamp said, conservatives should “start over” in 2017 and pursue “a fuller repeal” of the…Philip Wegmann -
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Find Out How Your Senator Voted on Bill Repealing Key Obamacare Provisions
In a move that gets Republicans closer to landing a bill repealing Obamacare on President Barack Obama’s desk, the Senate passed a bill Thursday night rolling back key provisions of Obamacare and placing a one-year moratorium on funding for Planned Parenthood. Using a budget tool called reconciliation, which allows a bill to pass with 51…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Pizzeria Drops 3% Obamacare Surcharge Within 24 Hours When Customers Object to That Topping
A pizza shop scrapped a surcharge of 3 percent on customers’ checks to cover Affordable Care Act fees for employees a day after adding it. On Tuesday, Brooklyn restaurant Franny’s put a note on its website saying the pizza shop would add the surcharge because of Obamacare. The message—“a 3 percent surcharge will be added to all checks to contribute to…Leah Jessen -
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How Mike Lee and Matt Bevin Saved the Obamacare Repeal Bill
Conservatives have waited more than five years to deliver an Obamacare repeal bill to President Barack Obama’s desk. And until this week, it appeared that Republicans were about to squander what many conservatives believed was their best shot since the law’s passage. Conservatives say it’s a lesson in staying true to their principles and forcing…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
Senate Reconciliation Bill Will Remove the Budgetary Core of Obamacare
The Senate will vote this week on a reconciliation bill (a fast-track budget process) that repeals the budgetary heart of Obamacare and restricts funding for Planned Parenthood. This is a vast improvement over the House-passed bill. The Senate bill repeals most of the new spending programs of Obamacare, including the premium subsidies and Medicaid expansion,…Paul Winfree -
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Senate Plan to Repeal Obamacare Could Include Major Concession to Conservatives
In a bid to win over conservatives, Senate Republicans intend to introduce an aggressive plan to repeal Obamacare that includes phasing out the expansion of Medicaid for low-income recipients. Last month, the House sent a fast-track reconciliation bill to the Senate that repeals parts of Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, and defunds Planned…Josh Siegel