If you’re a Democratic party star who’s being talked about as a potential 2020 candidate for president, you probably recently announced your support for single-payer legislation.
Sen. Bernie Sanders will unveil his Medicare for All bill on Wednesday afternoon, flanked by high-profile co-sponsors including Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
It’s a sharp d...
health care
As Republicans try to undercut Obamacare, census data shows record low uninsured rate
The number of people without health insurance fell to 8.8 percent in 2016, or 28.1 million — a record low.
The uninsured rate between 2015 and 2016 decreased by 0.3 percent. In 2015, the percentage of people without health insurance coverage for the entire calendar year was 9.1 percent or 29 million. The U.S. Census Bureau announced its new findings Tuesday as lawmakers on Capitol Hill negotiated how best to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual marketplace.
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The Senate is rehashing an old GOP idea during the Affordable Care Act stabilization talks
While some Democrats pivot to single payer legislation this week, the immediate health policy agenda item is shoring up the 2018 Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual marketplace in time for September 27, the final deadline for insurers to decide if they’ll participate or not. The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee is resuming hearings Tuesday on how best to stabilize the marketplace this week, and one theme continues to dominate bipartisan negotiations: s...
Four more Democratic senators will co-sponsor Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill
Four more Democratic senators, Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), have announced that they will co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Medicare for All bill.
Booker announced his support on NJTV news Monday afternoon, where he echoed comments made by Harris and others who have come out in support of the bill.
First on @NJTVNews: @CoryBooker co-sponsoring @SenSanders ‘Medicare for all’ bi...
How governors want to fix the finicky Obamacare marketplace
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace is less competitive than the drafters intended it to be. President Barack Obama once said the marketplace — where people can shop online for health insurance and compare plans — would be like an “Expedia for health care.” But if Expedia were anything like the ACA, people in some states would log on and see just one airline listed. In Virginia, they’d log on and see no listings at all.
To date, 1,476 counties are...
Top Democrats are making support for single-payer the party standard
It’s looking increasingly likely that supporting single-payer health care will be the standard for Democratic lawmakers who want to be considered serious 2020 candidates, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced Thursday that she will co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Medicare for All bill.
“There is something fundamentally wrong when one of the richest and most powerful countries on the planet can’t make sure that a person can afford to see a doctor when they’re sick. T...
3 things we learned from the Senate’s first Obamacare hearing since the GOP health bill failed
Early in the summer, hearings on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) seemed unlikely to ever happen. But with fall swiftly approaching, the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has decided it will hold four, the first of which took place on Wednesday.
During this week’s hearing, senators were joined by state insurance commissioners. Wonk-ish health experts guided senators on how best to strengthen the law’s marketplace. Commissioners from blue and red state...
Medical award to Planned Parenthood honors its services for low-income women
While Americans’ access to reproductive health care and education is under assault from the Trump administration and Congress, Planned Parenthood received a prestigious medical award for its range of health care services and its scope in reaching low-income women. The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation announced on Wednesday that the Lasker Awards would go to Planned Parenthood, as well as three scientists.
Planned Parenthood received the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award f...
Trump slashes funds for ACA advertising, undermines Obamacare at every turn
The Trump administration is dramatically cutting funding dedicated to advertising and promoting enrollment in Obamacare. The cuts are further evidence that the Trump administration will undermine its least favorite health care law at all costs, despite having no legislation to replace it if it fails.
The administration announced Thursday afternoon that it would be cutting the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) advertising budget by 90 percent, from $100 million to $10 million. Additi...
Colorado, Ohio governors propose ‘bipartisan blueprint’ for saving Obamacare
Govs. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and John Kasich (R-OH) released what they are calling a “bipartisan blueprint” for stabilizing the Affordable Care Act Thursday, but many of their “fixes” detailed in a letter to congressional leadership are simply pleas that the law be enforced as written.
“We’re not trying to start a revolution here,” Hickenlooper said at a press conference in Denver Thursday. “These are very cautious, pragmatic efforts.”
Six other governors from across the co...