Sanders says Democrats’ prescription drug reform bill is ‘weak’

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Tuesday that the prescription drug reform proposal that Democrats plan to move under special budget reconciliation rules is “weak,” noting it covers a limited number of drugs and doesn’t substantially take effect until 2026.  

Sanders is the latest member of the Senate Democratic caucus to voice disappointment with the long-awaited budget reconciliation bill, which will not include provisions to tackle climate change...

Covid-19 showed the US how it could make universal healthcare work

The US has always relied heavily on private insurance to cover its citizens.

As of 2019, roughly two thirds of Americans with healthcare (about 90% of the population) got it through a private company. The remaining third used public coverage like Medicare, Medicaid, and tax credits for private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. It’s not a perfect system by a long stretch: Even those with insurance encounter debilitating medical bills due to the exorbitant, variable ...

Covid-19 showed the US how it could make universal healthcare work

The US has always relied heavily on private insurance to cover its citizens.

As of 2019, roughly two thirds of Americans with healthcare (about 90% of the population) got it through a private company. The remaining third used public coverage like Medicare, Medicaid, and tax credits for private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. It’s not a perfect system by a long stretch: Even those with insurance encounter debilitating medical bills due to the exorbitant, variable ...

Joe Biden touts $1.9tn Covid rescue package on anniversary of Affordable Care Act

Administration also extended the enrollment period for registering for subsidized health insurance coverage until 15 August

Joe Biden marked the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act with a trip to Ohio on Tuesday, touting his efforts to reverse many Trump-era measures aimed at weakening the landmark health reform law, and pledging that his $1.9tn Covid rescue package would build on the ACA’s promise.

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Depending on where they live, coronavirus can still cost Americans thousands of dollars

Relatively early in America’s adventures in coronavirus, on March 18, the US government approved legislation that made  coronavirus testing, as well as the visit to administer it, free for all Americans, whether or not they have health care insurance (although if the visit doesn’t result in a coronavirus test, it is not covered).

It was an essential policy: The fear of medical bills acts as a deterrent for many Americans, pushing them to delay, or avoid, tests or medical tr...

RBG says women are being “tossed to the wind” in Supreme Court birth control case

The US Supreme Court today heard oral arguments in controversial cases about religious and moral objections to contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration expanded existing “conscience exemptions” dramatically but a nationwide injunction has so far blocked the new rules from going into place.

The justices’ phone debate was long and sometimes painfully technical. However, distilled, the issue at the heart of these matters is relatively simp...