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
Don’t Fix Obamacare
Many Republicans are watching ongoing developments in the King v. Burwell Obamacare case with trepidation. In the abstract, most recognize the opportunity such a case represents to roll back Obamacare and force a debate about real, pro-market insurance reform. But as the decision looms, many now have second thoughts, convinced that the country will blame… -
news
Supreme Court Rejects North Carolina Appeal to Revive Mandatory Ultrasounds for Women Who Want an Abortion
The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from North Carolina state officials attempting to restore a state law requiring doctors to conduct ultrasounds and describe the fetuses to women wanting an abortion. The court’s refusal left intact an appeals court decision deeming the law unconstitutional under the First Amendment for violating doctors’ free speech rights. The North… -
news
If Supreme Court Rules Against Obamacare, Republicans ‘Amazingly’ Have No Strategy, Conservatives Say
Later this month, the Supreme Court is set to decide on a case involving the legality of federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. While a ruling against President Obama’s signature legislation—popularly known as Obamacare—would be a nod to Republicans who have long argued the law is unconstitutional, it also has the party on edge…. -
opinion
Trans Fat Consumption Has Declined 80% Since 2003 and Other Reasons the FDA Ban Is Ridiculous
Today, the Food and Drug Administration released its de facto ban on artificial trans fat. In November 2013, the FDA published a tentative determination that partially hydrogenated oils, the primary dietary source of trans fat in processed food, are not “generally recognized as safe.” The agency has now decided to finalize this determination. But the… -
opinion
King v. Burwell in Perspective: Only 1 Out of 5 Whose Insurance Costs Grew Because of Obamacare Got Subsidies
The Supreme Court will soon hand down its decision in King v. Burwell. That case asks the court to decide if the statutory text of the Affordable Care Act authorizes the Treasury to pay subsidies to individuals who purchased coverage through HealthCare.gov—the federally operated health insurance exchange for states that did not establish their own… -
opinion
Obamacare: It’s Still Unaffordable, Unworkable and Unfair
Earlier this week, President Obama taunted the Supreme Court for taking up a challenge to Obamacare and boldly declared that his health care law is a success. “What’s more, the thing is working,” Obama boasted to reporters. “I mean, part of what’s bizarre about this whole thing is we haven’t had a lot of conversation… -
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… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
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.”… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
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,… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
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…