House Democrats file court motion to defend Obamacare

January 4, 2019 News

In their first hours in control of the House of Representatives, Democrats filed a motion to intervene in an ongoing lawsuit that threatens to bring down the Affordable Care Act.

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Democrats waste no time, announce first oversight measures of the new Congress

January 3, 2019 congress, House of Representatives, News, politics, Senate, Trump administration

The 116th Congress — dubbed the most progressive and most diverse Congress in U.S. history — officially came to order on Thursday, and members of Congress have wasted no time introducing legislation and scheduling hearings to provide oversight over the White House.

With the Democrats in control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2011 and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wielding the gavel, the party is intent on using their new power to advance progressi...

Maine’s new governor moves ahead with Medicaid expansion

January 3, 2019 News

Medicaid expansion is finally advancing in Maine, more than a year after voters approved it at the ballot box.

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The Trailer: A guide to 2019 and the Democratic hopefuls’ visible primary

January 3, 2019 News

In this edition: The long, painful year ahead; the dwindling Pelosi rebellion and its meaning for 2020; the ramp-up to Warren in Iowa; and the return of Medicare for All.

New Congress’ history-making members got a Day 1 visit from Medicare for All activists

January 3, 2019 Activism, congress, health care, News, politics

“Please count us as allies,” said a staffer for Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) to grassroots activists who were wearing Medicare for All t-shirts and were gathered in the congresswoman’s newly-minted office Thursday.

Pressley’s staff were among many of the House of Representatives’ freshmen class that warmly welcomed dozens of advocates who visited the offices Thursday. It didn’t matter that they were early for open house; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cort...

Democratic states appeal Texas judge’s ruling striking down Affordable Care Act

January 3, 2019 News

The battle over Obamacare has advanced to the next round.
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Medicare for All: ‘huge step’ for proposal as Pelosi agrees to hold hearings – live

January 3, 2019 Democrats, Donald Trump, House of Representatives, News, Republicans, Trump administration, US Congress, US news, US politics, US Senate

Legislation would create universal health care system
President accuses Democrats of ‘presidential harassment’
Nancy Pelosi to be sworn in as House speaker
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5.18pm GMT
Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, one of the two first Muslim Congresswomen who will take office today, will take her oath of office on a copy of the Koran owned by Thomas Jefferson, per the Detroit Free Press.
Fun fact: When Rashida Tlaib, a Muslim, is sworn in as the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress today, she will take the oath of office using Thomas Jefferson’s personal copy of the Quran. https://t.co/wZ6I2eKq3v
5.10pm GMT
The new 116th Congress has now officially convened.
Vice President Mike Pence is swearing in members of the Senate. House members are preparing to be sworn in.
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House Democrats plan to hold hearings on Medicare for All

January 3, 2019January 3, 2019 News

Pelosi backs a goal of her party’s left flank.

A eulogy for the most incompetent House majority in modern history

January 3, 2019 health care, medicaid, Medicare, News, obamacare, Paul Ryan, politics, trumpcare

Long before Donald Trump’s second-place finish somehow landed him in the White House, Republicans in Congress promised a package of benefit cuts, privatization, and tax cuts for the wealthy that were so cruel, American voters literally refused to believe they were real. In 2012, a Democratic super PAC decided not to campaign against future Speaker Paul Ryan’s package of Medicare vouchers and upper income tax cuts after participants in a focus group “simply refused to beli...

Medicaid Expansion After the 2018 US Midterm Election

January 3, 2019 News

This Viewpoint discusses the likelihood of Medicaid expansion in Maine, Wisconsin, Utah, and Kansas, where 2018 midterm voters elected candidates supportive of expansion or voted for it in ballot initiatives, and reviews evidence on associations between state Medicaid expansion and improved health outcomes for beneficiaries.