Trump claims the GOP is the ‘party of health care,’ but his health care plans are losing in court

After vowing to strike down Obamacare and implement a replacement that will enshrine the GOP as the “party of health care,” President Donald Trump is off to a rocky start this week. In quick succession, he was dealt two major health care blows in the courts.

On Thursday, a federal judge blocked so-called “association health plans” (AHPs) — an avenue that Trump has long touted as a method of providing “tremendous health care at very small cost.”

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Arkansas asks Trump administration to appeal judge’s decision to block Medicaid work rules

Arkansas officials remain fully committed to the state’s Medicaid work requirements despite being dealt a heavy blow from a federal judge who blocked the first-ever policy. Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said during a press conference Thursday that he asked the Trump administration to appeal the federal judge’s decision.

“I believe there should be consequences if people do not exercise responsibility,” he told reporters.

On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked ...

Judge blocks work requirements for Medicaid in Arkansas and Kentucky

Judge strikes blow to Trump administration, citing unresolved obstacles to getting healthcare in the states

A federal judge has ruled that Medicaid work requirements undermine the program’s mission of providing healthcare for the needy, dealing a blow to the Trump administration.

The US district judge James E Boasberg in Washington DC blocked work requirements for low-income people in two states, Arkansas and Kentucky, on Wednesday. He found that the states’ requirements pose numerous obstacles to getting healthcare that have gone unresolved by federal and state officials.

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Remember when Republicans vowed to be the party to protect pre-existing condition coverage?

After the president and Republicans repeatedly promised to protect people with pre-existing conditions, the Trump administration on Monday evening said it supports a federal judge’s ruling that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, adding that it will seek to repeal the sweeping health care law in its entirety.

The Justice Department filed a brief letter in the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit telling the court that it agrees with Judge Reed O’C...

States legislatures shore up Obamacare with 2020 prospects uncertain

While the Democratic Party determines where it wants to go next on health care — whether it’s Medicare for All, Medicare for America, or any one of the other 2020 health proposals — state lawmakers are shoring up the party’s signature policy, the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

So far in 2019, state legislatures in Colorado, Maine, Maryland, and New Mexico are moving bills to bolster the 2010 health law, like securing consumer protections for people with pre-exist...

Low-income New Hampshire residents sue Trump administration over Medicaid work requirements

Low-income residents in New Hampshire are suing the Trump administration for approving the state’s Medicaid work requirement, a group of health advocacy organizations announced Wednesday.

This is the third legal challenge against the administration’s most consequential health policy. The administration has already allowed eight states to condition Medicaid eligibility on reported work.

The administration first approved New Hampshire’s work requirement in Nov...