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
Victory for Women’s Health and Safety: Court Upholds Texas Law That Regulates Abortion Clinics, Doctors
In a victory for women’s health and safety, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a number of the provisions of a 2013 Texas law that include common sense regulations of abortion clinics and abortion doctors. Known as H.B. 2, the Texas law requires, among other things, that abortion clinics meet the same…Sarah Torre -
- News
‘Devastating’ Texas Abortion Law Could Be On Road to US Supreme Court
A federal appeals court yesterday upheld a strict abortion law in Texas that critics call “devastating,” and say would shut down the majority of clinics in the state. “If permitted to take effect, the impact will be devastating for women in Texas seeking access to abortion services,” said Stephanie Toti, a lawyer for a clinic…Kelsey Bolar -
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HHS Chief: Congress Must Fix Obamacare If Supreme Court Unravels Law
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Wednesday if the Supreme Court unravels federal subsidies in the Affordable Care Act it will be up to Congress and the states to come up with a new plan. Burwell said the Obama administration would do “everything” it can to communicate with states should the court decide…Natalie Johnson -
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Obama Defends Affordable Care Act Ahead Of Supreme Court Decision
In advance of a Supreme Court case that threatens to unravel the Affordable Care Act, President Obama made a moral appeal in defense of his signature health care law Tuesday. The president argued his law is now “woven into the fabric of America,” saying he is “deeply cynical” about repeated attempts to “roll back progress.”…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Obama Taunts Supreme Court on Obamacare Case
It’s déjà vu all over again. President Obama’s comments about King v. Burwell during a press conference at the G-7 summit in Germany earlier this week echo those he made when the Affordable Care Act was before the Supreme Court in 2012. Putting on his constitutional-lawyer-in-chief hat in 2012, Obama said, “I’m confident that the…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Florida House Rejects Medicaid Expansion
During a special session in the Florida Legislature, the state’s House of Representatives voted down a proposal last week that would have expanded the state’s Medicaid program. The state Senate overwhelmingly passed the plan just days prior. The issue created a sharp divide between the chamber’s Democrats and Republicans. Republicans, rebuking the president’s health care…Melissa Quinn -
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Since 2010, Abortion Rate Has Dropped 12%
The abortion rate is declining in the United States, according to a report by the Associated Press. According to the AP, the abortion rate has dropped about 12 percent since 2010. States that have passed laws to reduce abortion such as Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma, have seen a drop in the number of abortions,…Kate Scanlon -
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How State Exchanges Are Faring Under Obamacare
All eyes are on the federal and state health insurance exchanges in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case King v. Burwell. In anticipation of the ruling, a Daily Signal analysis of the 17 exchanges originally established by states and the District of Columbia found that more than half are struggling after…Melissa Quinn -
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EHealth Sees Once-Thriving Business Decline Due to Obamacare Exchanges
The Affordable Care Act was expected to be a boon for eHealth Inc., the nation’s largest online health insurance broker. After all, the law required most Americans to have coverage, provided government assistance to afford it and allowed Internet brokers to sell Obamacare policies. But while the health law helped pump up profits and stock…Phil Galewitz -
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The New Congressional Plan to Repeal and Replace Obamacare
A group of House Republicans unveiled a 192-page health care plan that fully repeals Obamacare and replaces it with “patient-centered reforms” and “free-market solutions.” “American citizens are suffering from the president’s broken promises under the unaffordable Obamacare law,” says @AustinScottGA08 Lawmakers released the plan Thursday as the GOP-led Congress prepares to attack the Affordable Care Act. Both houses of…Diana Stancy -
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Journalism School Challenges Media to Get Tougher on California’s Obamacare Exchange
Fresh on the heels of The Daily Signal’s two-part investigation into Covered California, the Columbia Journalism Review launched its own probe asking why more news outlets haven’t taken a critical look at the largest Obamacare state exchange. In an article titled, “Why we need stronger coverage of Covered California,” Columbia Journalism Review reporter Trudy Lieberman…Sharyl Attkisson -
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Alabama Bill Would Keep Abortion Clinics Far Away From Public Schools
The Alabama House of Representatives has passed legislation that would prevent new abortion facilities from opening near schools. If signed into law, House Bill 527 would prohibit the Alabama Department of Public Health from renewing or granting a license to an abortion facility within 2,000 feet of a public school. The legislation was modeled after…Kate Scanlon -
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What You Need to Know About the House’s Obamacare Lawsuit
The U.S. House of Representatives had its first day in court today after filing a lawsuit against the Obama administration for making unilateral changes to the Affordable Care Act in November. Now, a district judge must rule on whether the case will proceed. Lawyers representing the Obama administration and the House of Representatives gathered today…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Obamacare Abortion Drug Accommodation: A Bit of Paperwork or Complicity in Sin?
The Obamacare mandate requiring non-profit religious employers to facilitate health care coverage of abortion-inducing drugs and devices for employees may be heading to the Supreme Court soon. This mandate—which exempts formal houses of worship and their integrated auxiliaries like church-run soup kitchens—requires non-profit religious employers to provide this coverage or notify the Department of Health…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
Will of the People Makes a Comeback on Abortion Issue in Tennessee
Two bills have been signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, that could not have passed before voters approved an amendment to the state constitution in last November’s elections. One of the bills requires a 48-hour waiting period between counseling and an abortion, and another puts in place new regulations for abortion clinics as Tennessee…Kerry Hunt -
- News
Texas Bill Would Change Process for Minors to Obtain a Court-Ordered Abortion
Legislation that would tighten regulations on how minors go about receiving court-ordered abortions cleared the Texas House of Representatives last week. House Bill 3994, introduced by state Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria, amends Texas’ family code to clarify the circumstances in which a minor may obtain permission from a court to receive an abortion without notifying…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
It’s Time for Congress to Put an Obamacare Repeal Bill on the President’s Desk
Five years ago, Congress used a budget process known as reconciliation to pass the Affordable Care Act with a simple majority. It allowed Democrats to avoid a filibuster in the Senate and deliver the bill to President Obama’s desk. Now, with Republicans in control of the House and Senate, lawmakers have once again set the stage…Ben Howe -
- News
Congressman Pushes for Appointment of Obamacare Watchdog
Following close to two years of reports of cost overruns on HealthCare.gov, increased premium prices and lost work hours since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., is introducing legislation to appoint a watchdog to oversee the health care law and ensure the protection of taxpayer dollars. The legislation calls for…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Remembering Kermit Gosnell’s Victims by Protecting Other Women and Children From Abortion Industry
Today marks the second anniversary of the conviction of Kermit Gosnell, the late-term abortionist who brutalized women and routinely killed living, breathing infants in his rundown West Philadelphia clinic. Later today the House is scheduled to vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, H.R. 36, which would limit late-term abortions after 20 weeks, include…Sarah Torre -
- News
Why This Family Struggled to Secure Health Insurance Under Obamacare for Their 4-Year-Old Son
When Lindsay Franks received a letter from the Department of Health and Human Services’ health insurance marketplace in January, she was certain it was a scam. “Important,” the letter read. “Respond within 60 days to keep your Marketplace health coverage.” The message, dated Jan. 13, 2015, looked official, with the federal marketplace’s logo pasted in…Melissa Quinn