On May 6, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases about the Trump administration’s expansion of the “conscience” exemptions to contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The changes allow institutions providing health insurance to avoid paying for birth control, for religious or moral reasons, without notice.
A nationwide injunction has blocked implementation of the changes so far. Now the justices are faced with three very technical legal que...
Affordable Care Act
Google is secretively collecting health data, and American workers should be worried
Earlier this month, Google confirmed it is collecting the comprehensive health histories of millions of Americans, through a partnership with the largest nonprofit health system in the US. This news should concern us all, but especially anyone who isn’t self-employed.
The...
Lindsey Graham vows to repeal Obamacare if GOP takes control in 2020
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) admitted to a local radio station this week that if Republicans regain control of Congress in the 2020 elections, they will do what they failed to during the first two years of the Trump administration: repeal Obamacare.
In a Monday radio interview first flagged by the progressive blog Joe. My. God., Graham explained that the next election would be about health care repeal.
“This is what 2020 is about. If we can get the House back and keep our major...
Health industry tweets about Pride but stays silent on rule to undo protections for LGBTQ patients
Many influential players in the health industry have stayed silent since the Trump administration proposed undoing civil rights protections for LGBTQ patients in late May. But these muted responses haven’t gone unnoticed, especially when those who say they support LGBTQ rights, and celebrated Pride Month through social media, don’t speak up.
ThinkProgress reached out to seven insurers and insurance middlemen who either met with HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, the Office of...
Biden’s health care plan reveals the divide among Democrats
Presidential candidate Joe Biden released his health care plan on Monday, formally entering the Democratic debate about how to solve the country’s health care crisis, in which 26% of Americans struggle to afford services even with insurance and out-of-pocket medical costs outpace wage growth.
The Biden plan, expands upon the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by adding a government-run public option to compete alongside private insurers and making existing subsidies for private plans m...
Millions to lose benefits under Trump’s proposal to change how poverty is defined, new study shows
A new study released Tuesday shows just how insidious the Trump administration’s proposal to change the way the federal government measures poverty actually is. In short: millions could lose health and food benefits.
By way of background, in May, Trump’s budget agency sought public comment on updating the inflation rate used by the Census Bureau to determine the poverty line and estimate who’s poor. This technical change matters a lot because the federal poverty li...
Trump says he’ll announce a ‘phenomenal’ new health care plan soon. Where was it the last 2 years?
President Donald Trump says he’ll unveil a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in two months time. But he’s failed to produce a viable plan for the last two years, and it’s unlikely a few more weeks will change anything.
“If we win back the House, we’re going to produce phenomenal health care,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday night. “And we already have the concept of the plan, but it’ll ...
Health Department announces new rule weakening nondiscrimination protections for trans people
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new rule Friday that would seriously harm transgender people’s access to health care.
The department announced a revision to the nondiscrimination section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as “Section 1557.” That provision prevented discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, and sex. Under the Obama administration, the department interpreted sex discrimination to ...