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
Why Obamacare Could be Heading to the Supreme Court (Again)
This past week, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, over the vigorous dissent of four judges on that court, denied rehearing en banc (legalese for an entire court rather than just a panel of three judges) in the case of Sissel v. United States Department of Health and Human… -
opinion
What States Can Do Now to Be Ready for an Obamacare Repeal
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell, President Obama has claimed that Obamacare is working and here to stay. In truth, the actual effect of the Supreme Court’s decision leaves Obamacare unchanged, and the law is certainly not working well. Not only will Obamacare’s current political and operational problems continue,… -
news
What GOP Candidates Said About Immigration, Abortion and the Economy in the Debate
The top 10 Republican candidates hoping to call the White House home in 2016 duked it out Thursday night for the first presidential debate of election season. Stealing the primetime slot from the seven lower-polling candidates, the top group jockeyed for attention to spotlight policy positions in an attempt to standout among the crowded bunch…. -
opinion
Eradicating Ebola With New Vaccine
A new vaccine has been found to be highly effective against the Ebola virus in the West African nation of Guinea. According to Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization: “This is an extremely promising development. The credit goes to the Guinean Government, the people living in the communities and our partners in… -
opinion
Why Defunding Planned Parenthood Wouldn’t Violate Medicaid Statutes
Later today, the Senate is scheduled to vote on a bill that would remove federal funding from Planned Parenthood. This is a good and necessary response to the shocking reports of Planned Parenthood harvesting and selling body parts from recently aborted unborn children. Ahead of the vote, supporters of Planned Parenthood are claiming the Senate… -
news
FDA Delays Obamacare Menu Labeling Mandate
The Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this month that chain restaurants have an extra year to comply with the Affordable Health Care Act mandate requiring calorie count information to be listed on menus and menu boards. This national standard applies to chain restaurants with 20 or more outlets. “Obesity is a national epidemic that… -
news
22 of 23 Taxpayer-Backed Obamacare Co-Ops Lost Money In 2014, Audit Finds
A new report from a government watchdog examining the success of taxpayer-funded Obamacare co-ops found that the vast majority lost money last year and struggled to enroll consumers, throwing their ability to repay the taxpayer-funded loans into question. According to the audit from the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general, 22 of the… -
opinion
Medicare and Medicaid – 50 Years Later – It’s Time for Change
Fifty years ago, on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation creating the nation’s two largest federal health entitlements, Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare was created as a social insurance program for seniors and those with disabilities. It is financed primarily by payroll taxes collected during a recipient’s working life, and secondarily by personal… -
news
The Path to Repeal Obamacare With Just 51 Votes
After vowing to repeal and replace Obamacare during the 2014 midterm elections, Republicans officially took control of Congress in January. Republicans have several procedural tools at their disposal to roll back Obamacare. Many have called on leadership to use a budget tool known as reconciliation to do just that. Reconciliation gives the GOP the power… -
news
Mike Lee Secured a Commitment From GOP Leadership to Repeal Obamacare With a Simple Majority. Here’s How.
Conservative Sen. Mike Lee struck a deal Monday with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to repeal Obamacare through a budget tool known as reconciliation, which would allow the Senate to roll back the health care law with a simple majority (51 votes). The Utah Republican secured the commitment from McConnell in exchange for the… -
news
The Taxpayer-Funded Louisiana Co-Op Created Under Obamacare Has Collapsed
Just two years after Obamacare’s implementation, a Louisiana nonprofit insurer that received nearly $66 million in taxpayer-funded loans is closing its doors. On Friday, the Louisiana Department of Insurance announced that the state’s consumer operated and oriented plan, or co-op, would be discontinuing its operations at the end of 2015. Louisiana’s is the second co-op… -
news
Senate to Vote on Obamacare Repeal, Export-Import Bank Revival
The Senate on Sunday will stay overtime to consider two controversial amendments to a highway funding bill, voting on measures to repeal Obamacare and revive the Export-Import Bank. On Friday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced he would allow the two amendments to proceed as attachments to a “must-pass” bill to address the… -
news
In Her Own Words: Planned Parenthood’s Top Abortion Doctor Keeps Low Profile Online
The top Planned Parenthood doctor whose face is all over the Internet because of an undercover video otherwise has left little mark on social media or elsewhere on the Web. More than one congressional committee wants to hear from Dr. Deborah L. Nucatola, among others, but a lawyer for Planned Parenthood Federation of America says… -
news
Senator Fights Back Tears in Emotional Speech About Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Methods
Sen. James Lankford was on the verge of tears Thursday as he addressed his colleagues about Planned Parenthood’s controversial abortion methods exposed in an undercover video. “It seems the ultimate irony to me that we spend time talking about humane treatment of animals being put down, like in horse slaughter, and we completely miss children… -
news
Alaska Governor Expanding Medicaid Despite Objections From Legislature
Alaska’s governor said Thursday he was using his executive authority to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act after failing to get the state legislature to sign off on providing the coverage. Independent Gov. Bill Walker’s announcement seats Alaska as the 30th state to expand Medicaid coverage. The independent governor said his state could not… -
news
Court Rules Nuns Caring for the Poor Must Comply With Obamacare Contraception Mandate
In what could be the next Obamacare case to go before the Supreme Court, an appeals court ruled today the Little Sisters of the Poor must comply with the health care law’s contraception mandate and allow employees to have access to coverage of contraception and abortion-inducing drugs. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th… -
news
As Senate Stalls, House Conservatives Push for Repeal of Obamacare Through Reconciliation
As Senate Republicans continue to discuss using reconciliation to roll back provisions of Obamacare, House Conservatives are encouraging their colleagues to follow through on their campaign promises and move forward with repealing the health care law. Republicans passed a budget resolution in May that included broad reconciliation instructions, which many members believed would be used… -
news
Obama’s Nominee to Head Medicare, Medicaid Agency Faces Questions of Cronyism
An Obama administration official who faces questions surrounding potential conflicts of interest due to his work in the medical services field has been nominated to serve as head of the agency tasked with overseeing Obamacare. The White House announced yesterday Andy Slavitt’s nomination to permanently head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Slavitt began… -
news
Iowa Doctors Can Now Administer Abortion Pills Through Webcam
It is now legal for physicians in Iowa to administer abortion-inducing pills by webcam. Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled a ban on using webcam communication to administer abortion-inducing pills was unconstitutional. This telemedicine abortion procedure, used only at Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa and Minnesota, is banned in 18 other states for safety… -
opinion
How ‘Robert Bork’s America’ Gave Us Justice Kennedy’s America
It would go down in history as Sen. Edward Kennedy’s “Robert Bork’s America” speech. Judge Bork, a brilliant constitutional scholar, had been nominated by President Reagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, was having none of it. Just minutes after Bork was nominated in July…