-
- News
Catholic Health Care Sharing Ministry Looks to Expand With Advent of New Obamacare Enrollment
The nation’s only Catholic ministry to share health care costs expects to get a membership boost out of the latest Obamacare open enrollment period, which runs through January. CMF CURO, a subsidiary of the nonprofit Christ Medicus Foundation, currently has roughly 1,250 members in 46 states and Washington, D.C. “It’s so important to have this…Madaline Donnelly -
- News
Senate Committee Chairmen Question Obama Administration on Struggles of Obamacare Co-Ops
The chairmen of two Senate committees are questioning the Obama administration on the struggles of nonprofit insurance companies created under Obamacare that have received $2.5 billion in taxpayer-backed loans. In a letter to acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Andy Slavitt, Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Lamar Alexander of…Melissa Quinn -
- News
The Real-Life Consequences of Failing Obamacare Co-Ops
In a report on Sunday’s edition of “Full Measure,” Sharyl Attkisson and Scott Thuman examine the growing number of Obamacare co-op failures. With 11 of the 23 co-ops now collapsing, the story examines the real-life consequences for those who counted on them for health insurance. >>> “Full Measure” Airs Sundays on 162 Sinclair Stations. Find…Daily Signal Staff -
- News
Arizona’s Obamacare Co-Op to Shut Down After Receiving $93.3 Million From the Government
Two days before the start of Obamacare’s open enrollment period, a nonprofit health insurance provider located in Arizona announced that it would be closing its doors, leaving more than 56,000 consumers to purchase new insurance plans. On Friday, the Arizona Department of Insurance announced that Meritus Health Partners is winding down its operations and will…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Obamacare Co-Ops Are Failing at a Rate of 50 Percent. Here’s Why.
Cooperative health insurers (or co-ops) created under a federal grant and loan program in the Affordable Care Act seem to be falling like dominoes. It started in February, when CoOportunity Health, which operated in Iowa and Nebraska, was ordered into liquidation. In July, Louisiana’s insurance department announced it was shuttering that state’s co-op. The following…Edmund Haislmaier -
- News
Lawmakers: Boehner-Obama Budget Deal Uses Same Accounting Gimmick as Obamacare
Two conservative lawmakers are accusing Republican leaders of using an accounting gimmick in their budget deal—a “trick” that mimics a tactic Democrats employed to pass Obamacare. Sen. Jeff Sessions and Rep. Mo Brooks call it a practice in double-counting to produce a better budget score. Democrats did the same thing with the Affordable Care Act…Rob Bluey -
- News
Obamacare Premium Rates to Rise 7.5% in 2016. One State Will See a 36% Hike.
A preliminary look at 2016 Obamacare shows that consumers on the federal health exchanges will have differing experiences. The Obama administration has announced that the average benchmark premium rate increase for the coming year will be 7.5 percent for the 37 states using the federal HealthCare.gov platform, but rates vary widely from state to state….Leah Jessen -
- News
The 10th Co-Op Created Under Obamacare Has Collapsed, Leaving Nearly 50,000 Consumers to Find New Insurance
A 10th co-op created under Obamacare has collapsed. Combined, the failed nonprofit insurance companies have received more than $1 billion in loans, with more than 600,000 consumers affected. The latest casualty, the Utah Insurance Department, announced yesterday that Arches Health Plan, a consumer-oriented and operated plan, or co-op, will not sell insurance in 2016. The…Melissa Quinn -
- News
House Approves Bill That Dismantles Parts of Obamacare, Defunds Planned Parenthood
The House approved a budget reconciliation bill Friday that would repeal portions of Obamacare and cut federal funds to Planned Parenthood for one year. The legislation, called the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, was passed in a 240-189 vote. One Democrat, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, voted in favor of the bill, and seven Republicans voted against it….Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
How Congress Stopped a Massive Obamacare Bailout
Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced that insurers who lost money selling Obamacare would not get a $2.5-billion bailout. It was great news for taxpayers, but it didn’t happen by chance. Both chambers of Congress worked very hard to make those savings possible. And lawmakers will have to continue working hard to keep bailouts like this from happening…Paul Winfree -
- News
Why These Conservative Senators Just Dealt a Blow to Obamacare Repeal Plan
Three influential Republican senators are vowing to vote against a House bill that partially repeals the Affordable Care Act, dealing a blow to the measure. “On Friday the House of Representatives is set to vote on a reconciliation bill that repeals only parts of Obamacare. This simply isn’t good enough,” Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Ted…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
House Drops Problematic Provision in Bill That Aims to Scale Back Obamacare
The House Rules Committee removed a problematic provision in a budget reconciliation bill Wednesday night that the Senate parliamentarian warned would make the legislation dead on arrival in the Senate. The provision, which would have repealed the Independent Payment Advisory Board, was dropped at the request of Budget Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga. Had the House…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
How the House’s Partial Repeal of Obamacare Could Backfire
Public opposition to Obamacare has lasted far longer than its authors imagined. Unsubsidized consumers avoid Obamacare coverage. Twenty states have rejected its Medicaid expansion. Congress wants to repeal it. President Obama and the Supreme Court have repeatedly amended and expanded it, transforming the statute Congress enacted into an illegitimate law that no Congress ever had…Michael F. Cannon -
- Opinion
6 Out of 10 Americans Oppose Partial Obamacare Repeal That Leaves Taxes In Place
Republicans have voted to repeal Obamacare dozens of times. This week the House will try again using a budgetary tactic called reconciliation to repeal parts of the law. Reconciliation is the filibuster-proof tool Democrats used to pass the President Barack Obama’s signature health care law in March of 2010. Earlier this year, Republicans signaled they…Matthew Streit -
- Opinion
Here Is How Mike Lee Thinks the GOP Can Force a Showdown on Obamacare
The House and Senate have voted multiple times to repeal, partially repeal, or defund Obamacare. But Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, says the best opportunity for Republicans to actually send such a bill to the president’s desk is now – using the same procedure, budget reconciliation, that Democrats used to pass Obamacare back in 2010.Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
Several States Launch New Lawsuit Against Obamacare. Here’s Why It Will Likely Go to the Supreme Court.
Thought the litigation battle over Obamacare was over? Think again. Texas, Kansas, and Louisiana are about to file a new lawsuit against Obamacare, claiming that a fee being imposed by the IRS as a condition of states continuing to receive Medicaid funds is both unconstitutional and a violation of federal law. And they are in…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
21 Million Were Supposed to Be Enrolled in Obamacare in 2016. What the Actual Number Is Likely to Be.
Nearly two years into its implementation, the Obama administration is projecting 10 million fewer Obamacare enrollees in 2016 than were originally expected. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it expects roughly 10.4 million Americans to have health insurance coverage in 2016 through Obamacare. The estimate is a modest increase from the 9.1…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Senate Parliamentarian: House Partial Obamacare Repeal Dead-on-Arrival in Senate
The Senate parliamentarian warned Senate leadership Monday that a House reconciliation bill that rolls back provisions of Obamacare would be dead on arrival in the Senate and not be subject to a 51-vote threshold, The Daily Signal has learned. A senior Republican Senate aide confirmed to The Daily Signal that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough told Senate…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Obamacare ‘Cadillac Tax’ Could Cost Taxpayers in One City $700K a Year
A so-called Cadillac tax imposed by the Affordable Care Act could cost Lincoln taxpayers about $700,000 annually. Lincoln employs 1,978 people and insures 3,634 (including dependants) with a variety of health insurance plans, some of which are entirely too generous in the eyes of the federal government. Obamacare defines “too generous” as any health insurance…Deena Winter -
- News
Two More Government-Funded Co-Ops Created Under Obamacare To Close
Two more nonprofit insurance companies created under Obamacare announced Friday they would be closing their doors at the end of 2015, leaving more than 93,000 consumers left to find new insurance next year. Health Republic Insurance of Oregon announced Friday afternoon it would not be offering plans to consumers either on Obamacare’s health insurance exchange…Melissa Quinn
