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
Report: Insurers ‘Lost a Lot of Money’ Selling Obamacare Plans
Insurers lost at least 12 percent on Affordable Care Act plans in 2014, according to a new report. The author of the report, Brian Blase, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told The Daily Signal in an interview that the losses will mean higher premiums for consumers. He said that…Kate Scanlon -
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These 3 House Committees Plan to Repeal Parts of Obamacare
Months after promising voters they would repeal Obamacare, House Republicans in three committees have introduced proposals to roll back specific parts of President Obama’s health care law. But the plans stop short of a full repeal. Three committees in the House—Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce—approved proposals last week detailing…Melissa Quinn -
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House Democrats Propose Illegal Immigrants Gain Access to Obamacare
The pope’s reminder of the Golden Rule during his visit to Congress inspired a House Democrat to introduce legislation to expand the Affordable Care Act. Last week Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill., introduced new legislation called the Exchange Inclusion for a Healthy America Act of 2015, which would allow illegal immigrants health care coverage under Obamacare. “Treat…Leah Jessen -
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Kevin McCarthy Vows to Fight to Defund Obamacare, Planned Parenthood
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy further separated himself from outgoing Speaker John Boehner Tuesday night, vowing to fight to the end for conservative policies if he takes the chamber’s top seat. Fox News’ Sean Hannity pressed McCarthy hard on conservative frustration that accelerated Boehner’s demise, repeatedly pointing to the House’s failure to unravel Obamacare despite…Natalie Johnson -
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Cecile Richards Has ‘Never Heard’ of Abortion Survivors. Here Are Two.
Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, testified during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Tuesday that she was unaware that unborn children can sometimes survive abortion attempts, despite testimony from two abortion survivors before Congress earlier this month. During the hearing, Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., asked Richards, “If a child survives an abortion…Kate Scanlon -
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Obamacare’s Largest Co-Op Collapses, Marking 4th Failure of the Year
New York state and federal regulators ordered the U.S.’s largest nonprofit health insurance provider established under the Affordable Care Act, the Health Republic Insurance of New York, to shut its doors by the end of the year as it continues to trend toward insolvency. The announcement Friday disrupts health coverage for more than 200,000 people….Natalie Johnson -
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What She Saw Changed Her Mind About Getting an Abortion
Justine Curry didn’t mean to get pregnant. Her then-boyfriend Dave Norman told her he was infertile, so they didn’t use protection. “We were not safe at all,” Curry, a recovering alcoholic, told The Daily Signal. Curry, 26, intended on getting an abortion. But first, she had to confirm she was pregnant. Having just been fired…Kelsey Bolar -
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This New Lawsuit Against Obamacare Has Legs
For those who thought that the lawsuits challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) were at an end, think again. On September 9, Judge Rosemary Collyer of the federal district court for the District of Columbia refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the entire U.S. House of Representatives against the Obama administration over its…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Why One Republican Thinks an Obamacare Lawsuit Can Stop the Iran Deal
Earlier this month, Senate Democrats blocked a resolution to reject President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, effectively allowing the White House to begin moving forward with the agreement. Republicans, though, remain steadfast in arguing that the debate over the Iran deal is far from over. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., has emerged as one of the…Melissa Quinn -
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Here’s the Face of the 20-Week Abortion Ban Debate
At 29 years old, Danielle Pickering was faced with an impossible decision: Save her own life, or that of her unborn son. “We chose not to let them induce me to save his life, at the risk of my life,” Danielle told The Daily Signal, referencing her experience with a life-threatening condition that threatened her…Kelsey Bolar -
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How Obamacare Will Cost Native American Tribes Millions of Dollars
Native American tribes are pushing back against a provision of Obamacare mandating that tribal governments provide health insurance to their employees. Tribal leaders say it’s a “misinterpretation” of the law that will cost millions of dollars. When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2009, lawmakers exempted Native Americans from the individual mandate, shielding them…Melissa Quinn -
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Obamacare Enrollment Dropped in 29 States, Falling Below Administration Figures
Obamacare exchanges took a hit over the course of three months earlier this year as enrollment dropped in 29 states, plus Washington, D.C., resulting in a net loss of 238,119 enrollees, according to a report released Monday. Americans for Tax Reform analyzed data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, finding that enrollment in…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Census Confirms Health Care Coverage Expanded in 2014, but Misses That Most Expansion Was Through Medicaid
The limitations of survey data are reflected in the political adage that, “the only poll that counts is on Election Day.” In other words, real numbers trump survey projections. Even so, surveys can still add value by offering insights not otherwise inferable from the available hard data. For instance, election and voter registration data do…Edmund Haislmaier -
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2 of 3 Abortion Clinics in South Carolina Suspended for Violations of State Laws and Regulations
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has suspended two of three abortion clinics in the state—including a Planned Parenthood facility—for violating state law, the agency announced Friday. The clinics—Planned Parenthood of South Atlantic in Columbia and Greenville Women’s Clinic—were found by the DHEC to be in violation of state laws and regulations…Kate Scanlon -
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What the Failure of the Obamacare Co-ops Teaches Us
The Obama administration is perfecting the art of the “boondoggle”—a colorful term for a taxpayer-funded project characterized by wasteful spending, gross inefficiency, or political favoritism. William Safire, the late New York Times columnist, traced the word’s origins to 1935, when the New York City Council learned that Depression relief funds were being used for puppet…Robert Moffit -
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Next Obamacare Issue: The Definition of ‘Small Employer’
Unsurprisingly there are more problems with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that await members of Congress coming back from their August recess. Topping the list of issues is a provision in Obamacare that changes the definition of “small employer” from “50 or fewer employees” to “100 or fewer employees,” starting January 1, 2016. While there…Edmund Haislmaier -
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In New Video, Planned Parenthood Business Partner Defends Abortion, ‘That’s Where We Get Our Tissue’
The Center for Medical Progress released a new undercover video on Tuesday of an employee of Advanced Bioscience Resources, Inc., a company that procures fetal organs from Planned Parenthood clinics. The video depicts a conversation an actor portraying a potential buyer from a human biologics company had with Perrin Larton, the procurement manager for Advanced…Kate Scanlon -
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This Obamacare Co-Op Was Supposed to Make Money. Instead, It Lost Over $15 Million.
A Nevada health insurance provider that received more than $65 million in taxpayer-funded loans from the federal government announced last week that it is discontinuing operations at the end of the year. The Nevada Health Co-Op will close its doors beginning Jan. 1 because of “challenging market conditions.” The co-op will be the third of…Melissa Quinn -
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‘Planned Parenthood Is Flailing’: Bobby Jindal Fights Back After Louisiana Sued for Terminating Medicaid Contract
Planned Parenthood announced it will sue Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for terminating its Medicaid contract with the state. “Planned Parenthood is flailing,” said Mike Reed, Jindal’s communications director, in a statement to The Daily Signal. “This lawsuit is without merit and the state will aggressively defend our right to cancel the contract.” The lawsuit is…Kate Scanlon -
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Alaska Legislature to Sue Governor Over Unilateral Medicaid Expansion
The Alaska Legislature will sue Gov. Bill Walker in an effort to prevent him from unilaterally expanding Medicaid in the state. Christie Herrera, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Government Accountability, told The Daily Signal in an interview that the lawsuit is about “separation of powers.” “Who holds the power of the purse?” Herrera…Kate Scanlon