Tag: Obamacare

Contraceptive Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act

The following article by Jamila Taylor and Nikita Mhatre was posted on the Center for American Progress website October 6, 2017:

Over the past several months, the Trump-Pence administration, as well as Congress, have attacked women’s health and rights numerous times. Greater access to affordable and effective contraception has been one of the hallmark achievements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But now, the current administration is threatening to limit these gains with the release of sweeping regulations that would allow any employer, insurance plan, school, or individual to use the guise of religious or moral objection to deny access to no-cost contraception.

By requiring coverage for contraceptives with no out-of-pocket costs, the ACA increased women’s access to a wide range of contraceptives. Continue reading “Contraceptive Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act”

Five things to know about the new ObamaCare repeal bill

The following article by Rachel Roubein and Nathaniel Weixel was posted on the Hill website September 20, 2017:

The new ObamaCare repeal bill under consideration in the Senate includes some controversial policies that have divided Republicans in the past.

Some senators haven’t taken a position on the bill from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), saying that they have yet to fully digest the bill and how it would work.

In short: The bill ends federal funds for ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion and the subsidies that help people afford coverage. Instead, the money would be converted into block grants and given to the states.

Here are five things to know about the legislation. Continue reading “Five things to know about the new ObamaCare repeal bill”

Trump wants one last Senate push on Obamacare repeal

The following article by Burgess Everett and Josh Dawsey was posted on the Politico website September 5, 2017:

Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo

President Donald Trump and some Senate Republicans are refusing to give up on Obamacare repeal, even after this summer’s spectacular failure and with less than a month before a key deadline.

The president and White House staff have continued to work with Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana over the summer on their proposal to block grant federal health care funding to the states. And though the bill is being rewritten and Congress faces a brutal September agenda, Trump and his allies on health care are making a last-gasp effort. Continue reading “Trump wants one last Senate push on Obamacare repeal”

Doctor Shortage Under Obamacare? It Didn’t Happen

The following article by Austin Frakt was posted on the New York Times website August 14, 2017:

When you have a health problem, your first stop is probably to your primary care doctor. If you’ve found it harder to see your doctor in recent years, you could be tempted to blame the Affordable Care Act. As the health law sought to solve one problem, access to affordable health insurance, it risked creating another: too few primary care doctors to meet the surge in appointment requests from the newly insured.

Studies published just before the 2014 coverage expansion predicted a demand for millions more annual primary care appointments, requiring thousands of new primary care providers just to keep up. But a more recent study suggests primary care appointment availability may not have suffered as much as expected. Continue reading “Doctor Shortage Under Obamacare? It Didn’t Happen”

President Trump’s claim of Obamacare ‘bailouts’ for insurance companies

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website August 7, 2017:


Do insurance companies get ‘bailouts’ under Obamacare? Washington Post Fact Checker Glenn Kessler investigates. (Video: Meg Kelly/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

“If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!”

— President Trump, in a tweet, July 29, 2017

“Bailout” is a pejorative term in Washington. After Republicans in the Senate failed to pass a bill that would replace the Affordable Care Act, the president threatened to end what he termed “bailouts” for insurance companies and members of Congress.

What’s he talking about? And are these really bailouts? Continue reading “President Trump’s claim of Obamacare ‘bailouts’ for insurance companies”

Rep. Ted Lieu Explains Why He Called Donald Trump an ‘Evil Man’

On March 28, 2017, California Democrat Rep. Lieu tells Laurence O’Donnell that President Trump is violating his oath of office when he said he will let Obamacare “explode.” He also shares what he thinks about White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

How killing the ACA could lead to more opioid deaths in West Virginia and other Trump states

The following article by Simon Haeder was posted on the Conversation website July 24, 2017:

President Trump spoke at the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia on July 24, joining a long list of presidents who have spoken to the huge meeting of Boy Scouts, troop leaders and volunteers. The visit was not surprising, as West Virginia, in the center of Appalachia, is overwhelmingly Trump Country.

It is also at the center of the nation’s opioid epidemic, with a rate of 42 overdose deaths per 100,000, more than double the national average. Indeed, on Aug. 15, 2016, Huntington, home of Marshall University, experienced more than two dozen overdoses in a span of just four hours.

West Virginia is also a state that has been aggressive in taking advantage of opportunities offered by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act, including the ACA insurance marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion. Continue reading “How killing the ACA could lead to more opioid deaths in West Virginia and other Trump states”

GOP’s Plan B for Obamacare — repeal first, replace later — began with quiet push from Koch network

The following article by Lisa Mascaro was posted on the Los Angeles Times website June 30, 2017:

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) talks on his phone outside the Senate office buildings on Capitol Hill. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

President Trump’s surprise suggestion Friday that deadlocked Senate Republicans shift their focus to simply repealing Obamacare — and worry about replacing it later — has its roots in a Koch network proposal that has been shopped around Congress for months.

The influential Koch network, backed by the billionaire industrialists, floated the idea most recently at a retreat last weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., where key conservative lawmakers heard an earful from frustrated GOP donors about the party’s failure to deliver on their signature campaign promise.

Among those attending the gathering at the luxurious Broadmoor Hotel was Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who has been working with the White House behind the scenes on the idea. Continue reading “GOP’s Plan B for Obamacare — repeal first, replace later — began with quiet push from Koch network”

Opponents of Health Law Repeal Vow to Keep Pressure On Over Recess

NOTE:  The evening of June 29, there is a rally to let Rep. Paulsen know we want to keep our healthcare.  More info here.

The following article by Avantika Chilkoti and Emily Cochrane was posted on the New York Times website June 27, 2017:

Supporters of Planned Parenthood rallied on Tuesday in Washington. Credit Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Under a blistering sun, protesters let out a cheer on Tuesday across Capitol lawns as word spread that the Senate Republican leader had delayed a vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act. But amid the celebration, Democrats urged the crowds to keep the heat on lawmakers whose opposition to the health care overhaul could grow cold over the coming Fourth of July recess.

“If there is one thing that everybody knows in politics, it’s this: When you have the votes, you take the vote,” Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, roared to the amassed activists, some clad in pink Planned Parenthood shirts, others in red AIDS awareness shirts.

By midafternoon, Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, had announced that he did not have enough support to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, and would take lawmakers’ temperatures when they returned to Washington the week of July 10.

Continue reading “Opponents of Health Law Repeal Vow to Keep Pressure On Over Recess”

President Trump’s mangled ‘facts’ about Obamacare

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website June 15, 2017:

“Americans were told that premiums would go down by $2,500 per year. And instead, their premiums went up to levels that nobody thought even possible.”

“It was just announced yesterday that 2 million people have dropped out of Obamacare — 2 million additional. They are leaving fast.”

“Insurers are fleeing the market. Last week it was announced that one of the largest insurers is pulling out of Ohio — the great state of Ohio.”
–President Trump, remarks to Republican senators, June 13, 2017

Not a day goes by without President Trump bashing the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, as he tries to urge the Senate to pass its own version of a repeal-and-replace bill. He’s become a torrent of statistics as he has tried to make the case that the law is “dead,” as he puts it. Continue reading “President Trump’s mangled ‘facts’ about Obamacare”