Readers’ guide to the State of the Union

February 5, 2019February 5, 2019 News

When Trump gave his State of the Union address last year, he was coming off one of the highest points in his presidency. He had just signed a huge tax cut into law and removed the Obamacare mandate penalty. Both the House and Senate were controlled by Republicans, and he was enjoying some of his highest approval ratings as president.
CNN

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Idaho Republicans seek to limit Medicaid expansion against the will of voters

February 5, 2019 Affordable Care Act, health, health care, medicaid, News, politics

Idaho Republicans are looking into several proposals aimed at hobbling a successful ballot initiative to expand Medicaid in the state, joining a growing list of red states trying to limit health care coverage against the will of voters.

Republican lawmakers have considered plans to apply work requirements, co-pays, and lifetime limits. They also plan to ask the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to grant the waivers before the ballot initiative goes into effect on Jan....

Trump gets ready for State of the Union address – live news

February 5, 2019 Donald Trump, News, Republicans, US news, US politics, World news

Trump to give speech to hostile audience in House
President aims for reboot and calls for American unity
1.49pm GMT
Donald Trump is expected to pick Treasury Department official David Malpass to head the World Bank, Politico reports.
The choice is a clear sign the Trump administration is looking to rein in international financial institutions, according to Politico. Malpass has been critical of the World Bank, global organizations like it “have grown larger and more intrusive” and “the challenge of refocusing them has become urgent and more difficult.”
1.47pm GMT
A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told health insurance executives that Democratic leadership has deep reservations about single payer healthcare, the Intercept reports.
Wendell Primus, Pelosi’s top healthcare adviser, met with Blue Cross Blue Shield executives in December and told them Democrats were more focused on lowering prescription drug prices, rather than pushing for “Medicare for All” as some progressives would prefer.
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New polling shows 56% support Medicare for All

February 5, 2019 News

“Medicare for All” has become a huge topic for 2020 candidates. And a majority of Americans have shown support for a national health care plan.
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Will Stacey Abrams avoid the State of the Union response jinx?

February 4, 2019February 5, 2019 Donald Trump, News

Stacey Abrams, a tax attorney and daughter of a Methodist minister, earned a reputation in Georgia’s state legislature as so fair and detail-oriented that political rivals would bring her their bills to troubleshoot for legal issues.

Tonight (Feb. 5), she’ll es...

In Utah and Idaho, G.O.P. Looks to Curb Medicaid Expansions That Voters Approved

February 4, 2019 medicaid, News, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010), Politics and Government, Trump, Donald J

In Idaho and Utah, two conservative states, voters approved initiatives to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Now G.O.P. lawmakers are looking to curb those expansions.

Democratic anxieties over ‘Medicare for all’ kick off first 2020 primary fight

February 4, 2019 News

The fight to preserve Obamacare kept ambitious Democrats in near lockstep during the first two years of Donald Trump's presidency. But as the party begins the process of selecting a 2020 nominee, the future of health care in America has emerged as an early flashpoint.
CNN

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Utah Senate passes bill limiting Medicaid expansion in favor of costly alternative

February 4, 2019 Affordable Care Act, health care, medicaid, News, politics

The Utah Senate voted Monday to partially repeal a ballot measure that would have expanded Medicaid to nearly 150,000 low-income residents in the state, weeks after voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots in favor of the initiative.

The legislation now moves to the state House, where it is also expected to pass. Gov. Gary Herbert (R) is also expected to sign the measure.

Senators voted 22-7 largely along party lines to pass GOP-sponsored legislation that would cap the pool o...

Cory Booker launches 2020 campaign with attempt to rewrite Big Pharma history

February 4, 2019 health care, News, politics

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is running for president, hoping, as he said in his announcement video last week, to “channel our common pain back into our common purpose.”

The former Newark mayor announced his campaign Friday morning, doing away with the pesky business of exploratory committees and “testing the waters” to plunge right into the fray. He spent his first day on a breakneck sprint, doing three radio interviews — all with hosts of color — bef...

The Health 202: Expanding Medicaid instead of Medicare would offer more generous benefits

February 4, 2019 News

But policymakers and candidates aren't focused on it.