Healthcare & Policy News
Reporting on health care policy, insurance coverage, and federal health programs. Includes news updates and conservative commentary from The Daily Signal.
-
opinion
The Damaging Effects of Obamacare
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in the case of King v. Burwell—a challenge to an IRS rule under Obamacare that provides the payment of premium subsidies to individuals enrolled in the federal exchange. Obamacare’s advocates have made various claims about the harm that would supposedly occur if the court were to find for… -
news
How Will Congress Respond to Supreme Court Ruling on Obamacare Subsidies?
At 10 a.m. tomorrow, the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices will take their places on the bench in the marble temple to hear oral arguments in the highly anticipated case King v. Burwell. Millions of Americans will have to wait several months before the high court decides the future of the subsidies available under the… -
news
As Supreme Court Prepares to Hear New Obamacare Case, One Senator Is Preparing a Plan B
In just one week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on a case that could greatly affect the future of the Affordable Care Act. In anticipation of the high court’s ruling in King v. Burwell, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he plans to reveal a “backup plan” should the justices rule that the health care… -
news
Yes, It’s Legal for the Obama Administration to Create a Special Enrollment Period for Obamacare
The Obama administration is exploring whether to add a special enrollment period under Obamacare for those who are unaware of the fine for not having insurance. However, following a long list of unilateral changes the White House has made to the law since its inception, some are questioning whether the administration has the legal authority… -
news
How One Nebraska Woman Lost Her Health Insurance Three Times Under Obamacare
Dec. 26, 2014, was strike three for Pamela Weldin. The day after Christmas, Weldin, of Minatare, Neb., had logged on to Facebook to find a message from a friend of hers. Included in the note was a link to an article from the Omaha World-Herald announcing that CoOportunity Health, a nonprofit health insurance company offering plans… -
opinion
Appeals Court Rules Against Geneva College in Obamacare Abortion Drug Case
Chalk up another setback for religious freedom. Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled against Geneva College and other non-profit religious employers in their challenge to the Obamacare mandate that forces employers to provide healthcare coverage of abortion-inducing drugs and devices. You don’t have to agree with Geneva College… -
opinion
The Results Are In: Obamacare Is Driving Up Medicaid Rolls
An examination of Obamacare data reveals the president’s signature law has mostly been an expansion of the failing Medicaid program. In fact, the coverage numbers are far worse than the Congressional Budget Office projected in the summer of 2012. According to recent analysis by The Heritage Foundation, Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion is responsible for almost all of… -
news
Obamacare Co-Ops Cost Taxpayers $17,000 Per Enrollee
More than 500,000 people enrolled in health plans offered by nonprofit insurance companies created under the Affordable Care Act. And with the co-ops receiving an average of $108.7 million from the federal government, taxpayer-backed funding per enrollee topped $17,000. Twenty-three co-ops received a total of $2.5 billion from the federal government and enrolled more than… -
news
One Year After Obamacare’s Implementation, Taxpayer-Funded Co-Ops Struggle to Survive
After receiving $2.5 billion in taxpayer dollars from the federal government, the vast majority of nonprofit insurance companies created under the Affordable Care Act recorded losses in revenue, an analysis by The Daily Signal found. Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans, or co-ops, are nonprofit insurance companies created by the Affordable Care Act. Though the concept… -
opinion
Obamacare Makes Tax Time More Taxing
As Americans begin to file their 2014 taxes, they will encounter some new forms and paper work, thanks to burdens imposed by Obamacare’s flawed policies. First, taxpayers now must report their health insurance coverage status and that of their dependents. Those who were uninsured in 2014 either must file for one of the individual mandate’s… -
opinion
Cartoon: The Vaccine We Need
From Heritage Foundation's Romina Boccia and Michael Sargent: For the first time in his two terms in office, President Obama released his annual budget on time. This is a welcome step towards normalcy in the budget process, though one wonders why it took six years for the administration to decide it should adhere to the… -
news
Did Congress Lie About Key Facts to Obtain Obamacare Exemption?
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., wants to know why members of Congress and their staff are exempted from Obamacare. “Washington insiders should be forced to live under Obamacare just like the rest of America without a special taxpayer funded subsidy,” says @DavidVitter Vitter, who launched an investigation this week, said in a statement that “false information may have… -
news
IRS Seeks 9,000 New Employees as It Prepares to Enforce Obamacare
As millions of Americans brace for tax season, the Internal Revenue Service is requesting a $2 billion boost to its budget and 9,000 new employees as it prepares to enforce Obamacare’s tax provisions. President Obama released his $4 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 this week, which includes $13.9 billion for the Internal Revenue… -
news
Outbreak of Pro-Vaccine Sentiment From Rivals Afflicts Two White House Hopefuls
Potential candidates for president today rushed to endorse government-mandated vaccination shots for children after a media dustup over comments in support of parental choice from two other hopefuls. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, both considered players in the Republican field for 2016, made their remarks amid public concern over a measles outbreak… -
opinion
The House Just Voted to Repeal Obamacare. Why the Senate Should Do the Same.
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted for the fourth time to repeal—in full—the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The margin was 239 to 186. Now, the national debate moves to the Senate. For the past five years, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the former majority leader, protected U.S. senators from such a recorded vote. Senators will now… -
news
What’s Different About Today’s Obamacare Repeal Vote
Tuesday, for the fourth time, the U.S. House will vote to fully repeal Obamacare. What’s different, though, is that with a GOP-controlled Senate, Republicans can attack President Obama’s signature legislation on their own terms. The showdown over the Affordable Care Act comes as conservatives want GOP leaders to fulfill a campaign promise to repeal the… -
opinion
5 More Reasons to Completely Repeal Obamacare in 2015
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on repealing Obamacare this week. Heritage has already laid out five of the biggest reasons for Congress to repeal the entire law but because the law and its effects are so far-reaching, here are five more: Obamacare’s tax credits are overly complicated. The premium tax credits used… -
news
Ohio’s Obamacare Expansion Has Already Cost Over $2 Billion
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s Obamacare expansion blew past projections in its first year, putting 471,452 Ohioans on Medicaid and costing taxpayers $2.1 billion. Because enrollment has so dramatically exceeded Kasich administration estimates—the governor expected 366,00 to enroll by July 2015—the Obamacare money appropriated to pay for program benefits will be exhausted months early. If recent… -
opinion
If You Received a Higher Obamacare Subsidy Than You Were Eligible For, You Don’t Have to Pay It Back This Year
Ever since the individual health insurance mandate in Obamacare was upheld as a tax in 2012, taxpayers have been waiting to see how Obamacare affects their tax bill. TurboTax, an online tax service, recently estimated that the average tax penalty for lacking health insurance will be $301. When faced with unpopular requirements of law, the… -
news
Republican Congressman Urges House Leadership to Use Reconciliation to Repeal Obamacare
Rep. John Fleming, R-La., is emboldening House leadership to embrace a budget tactic that would lower the threshold of votes needed to rollback provisions of Obamacare. “We all say that we want to repeal Obamacare, and we would all love a clean, full repeal,” Fleming said in an interview with The Daily Signal. “But the…