Obamacare
Commentary
The Constitution May Finally Catch Up With Obamacare
Obamacare’s future is once again in jeopardy, thanks to one of the law’s most stubborn opponents — the U.S. Constitution. Twenty states are suing the federal government in Texas on the grounds that, since Congress zeroed-out the penalty for the individual mandate, the law is no longer constitutional. They’re right. ...
Commentary
Medicare Drug Benefit is Weakened by Congressional Budget Deal
Congress has undermined the Medicare drug benefit that millions of older Americans depend on – one of the few federal health care programs that’s working well. The two-year federal budget deal passed recently shifts more of the program’s costs onto drug manufacturers starting in 2020. In the process, the change ...
Commentary
What ‘United States of Care’ Truly Cares About
There’s a new kid on the health policy block. A deep-pocketed, nominally bipartisan advocacy group called United States of Care — which counts former governors, senators, and top health policy officials among its members — launched earlier this month to great media acclaim. Since its debut, the group hasn’t said much. Its ...
Commentary
Trump’s Short-Term Health Plans Will Legalize Affordable Care
The Trump administration is preparing to offer Americans an affordable alternative to the high-cost coverage on Obamacare’s exchanges by overturning one of the previous administration’s most burdensome regulations. On February 20, the Department of Health and Human Services released a proposed rule based on President Trump’s October 12, 2017, Executive ...
Blog
What a Difference a Year Makes: A Washington Update
For many years now, Sally Pipes and I make a trip to Washington in the early part of the year to take the political and policy pulse of the nation’s capital. We meet with members of Congress, their staffs, and executive branch officials to get firsthand knowledge of the policy ...
Commentary
California’s Nurses Are Militant — And Mistaken
The California State Assembly earlier this month heard testimony from proponents of The Healthy California Act, a bill that would establish a state-run, single-payer healthcare system. Among the most prominent witnesses testifying in support of the bill was Michael Lighty, director of public policy at the California Nurses Association. The ...
Commentary
Put Medicaid Back to Work Helping the Truly Unfortunate
Some Americans may soon have to punch a time clock to qualify for Medicaid. Last month, the Trump administration announced that states could seek federal permission to require people to work, attend school, or otherwise contribute to the community in order to receive Medicaid benefits. Kentucky’s plan to mandate 80 ...
Commentary
Has Obamacare Turned Uncle Sam into a Drug Dealer?
Obamacare is fueling the opioid epidemic. That’s according to an explosive new report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee. The health law expanded Medicaid coverage to millions of childless, able-bodied adults. Some of them have used their free coverage to obtain prescriptions for powerful opioids, which they have then sold ...
Commentary
God Save The Queen’s Health Care System
On Jan. 23, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., hosted an online town hall to promote “Medicare for All.” Over 1 million people tuned in to watch Vermont’s junior senator tout his single-payer plan, which he promised would “guarantee care for all Americans.” His pledge is about as sound as a Venezuelan ...
Commentary
Trump’s AHP Rule Makes Health Care Affordable Again
Earlier this month, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that could dramatically expand access to affordable health insurance. The rule would empower small businesses and self-employed individuals to band together to purchase coverage through “association health plans” or AHPs. They are exempt from many of Obamacare’s mandates, which have ...
The Constitution May Finally Catch Up With Obamacare
Obamacare’s future is once again in jeopardy, thanks to one of the law’s most stubborn opponents — the U.S. Constitution. Twenty states are suing the federal government in Texas on the grounds that, since Congress zeroed-out the penalty for the individual mandate, the law is no longer constitutional. They’re right. ...
Medicare Drug Benefit is Weakened by Congressional Budget Deal
Congress has undermined the Medicare drug benefit that millions of older Americans depend on – one of the few federal health care programs that’s working well. The two-year federal budget deal passed recently shifts more of the program’s costs onto drug manufacturers starting in 2020. In the process, the change ...
What ‘United States of Care’ Truly Cares About
There’s a new kid on the health policy block. A deep-pocketed, nominally bipartisan advocacy group called United States of Care — which counts former governors, senators, and top health policy officials among its members — launched earlier this month to great media acclaim. Since its debut, the group hasn’t said much. Its ...
Trump’s Short-Term Health Plans Will Legalize Affordable Care
The Trump administration is preparing to offer Americans an affordable alternative to the high-cost coverage on Obamacare’s exchanges by overturning one of the previous administration’s most burdensome regulations. On February 20, the Department of Health and Human Services released a proposed rule based on President Trump’s October 12, 2017, Executive ...
What a Difference a Year Makes: A Washington Update
For many years now, Sally Pipes and I make a trip to Washington in the early part of the year to take the political and policy pulse of the nation’s capital. We meet with members of Congress, their staffs, and executive branch officials to get firsthand knowledge of the policy ...
California’s Nurses Are Militant — And Mistaken
The California State Assembly earlier this month heard testimony from proponents of The Healthy California Act, a bill that would establish a state-run, single-payer healthcare system. Among the most prominent witnesses testifying in support of the bill was Michael Lighty, director of public policy at the California Nurses Association. The ...
Put Medicaid Back to Work Helping the Truly Unfortunate
Some Americans may soon have to punch a time clock to qualify for Medicaid. Last month, the Trump administration announced that states could seek federal permission to require people to work, attend school, or otherwise contribute to the community in order to receive Medicaid benefits. Kentucky’s plan to mandate 80 ...
Has Obamacare Turned Uncle Sam into a Drug Dealer?
Obamacare is fueling the opioid epidemic. That’s according to an explosive new report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee. The health law expanded Medicaid coverage to millions of childless, able-bodied adults. Some of them have used their free coverage to obtain prescriptions for powerful opioids, which they have then sold ...
God Save The Queen’s Health Care System
On Jan. 23, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., hosted an online town hall to promote “Medicare for All.” Over 1 million people tuned in to watch Vermont’s junior senator tout his single-payer plan, which he promised would “guarantee care for all Americans.” His pledge is about as sound as a Venezuelan ...
Trump’s AHP Rule Makes Health Care Affordable Again
Earlier this month, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that could dramatically expand access to affordable health insurance. The rule would empower small businesses and self-employed individuals to band together to purchase coverage through “association health plans” or AHPs. They are exempt from many of Obamacare’s mandates, which have ...
