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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Trump administration pushes to completely gut Obamacare in dramatic escalation

Government shifts from previous aim to strike down parts of the ACA, endangering healthcare for millions of Americans

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The Trump administration now believes that the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down, a major shift in the federal government’s position and one that could endanger health coverage for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions.

In a letter on Monday night, the justice department said it is n...

Trump renews bid to dismantle Obamacare after claiming Mueller victory – live news

Trump administration supports ruling that would throw out the entire Affordable Care Act. Follow along for the latest in US politics

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1.55pm GMT

A caveat to Barr’s summary is that Muller was authorized to probe links to Russia and not just coordination. Barr did not address the former issue in his summary Sunday

New: Mueller was empowered to probe...

Medicare for All: House Democrats unveil bill to expand healthcare nationwide

Measure to be formally introduced Wednesday signals party’s growing backing for once-fringe idea

House Democrats have unveiled details of their ambitious plan to expand a popular, government-run healthcare program to all Americans. The measure marks a fresh sign of the party’s growing support for a once fringe idea that will play a defining role in the 2020 presidential campaign.

The Medicare for All Act of 2019, to be formally introduced on Wednesday with 107 co-sponsors, woul...

Number of uninsured Americans increases by 7m in four years

Survey results come after Republican attacks on government-backed health programs, including the Affordable Care Act

About 7 million fewer Americans have health insurance today than did four years ago, a new survey has found, the highest uninsured rate since 2014. The results come after sustained Republican attacks on government-backed health schemes, including the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

The survey’s findings come as the public is incre...

Fate of Obama’s health law set to be decided by supreme court – again

Democratic state attorneys pledge to appeal Texas judge’s decision to strike down Affordable Care Act

The future of the Affordable Care Act is once again set to be decided by the US supreme court, amid warnings from experts that healthcare access for millions of Americans hangs in the balance.

A coalition of Democratic state attorneys has vowed to appeal a late-Friday decision by a federal judge in Texas to strike down the entire ACA, also known as Obamacare, as unconstitutional.

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US federal judge rules Obama healthcare law unconstitutional

Fort Worth judge issued his decision, agreeing with 20 states challenging the law, on the eve of the 2019 sign-up deadline

A US federal judge in Texas ruled on Friday that the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is unconstitutional, a decision that was likely to be appealed to the supreme court.

US district judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth agreed with a coalition of 20 states that a change in tax law last year eliminating a penalty for not having health insurance invalidated the entire Obamacare law.

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The most screwed-up employee perk in America (and the man who just might fix it)

The last time Atul Gawande started a company, he named it after a Greek myth.

Ariadne Labs, based in Boston, Massachusetts—where Gawande also works as a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and teaches at Harvard—has been trying since 2012 to innovate in an area that has historically resisted innovat...

Has Obamacare become a winning issue for Democrats?

Democrats were once reluctant to engage with attacks on the law. But in the midterms campaign, the tide has turned

Donald Trump would like to believe it’s all about him. And there is no doubt that the extraordinarily divisive US president has helped drive turnout on both sides of the midterm elections.

But after their catastrophe of 2016, when Hillary Clinton was criticised for lacking a clear message to compete with “Make America great again”, Democrats realised that a pure anti-Trump message would not be enough. Instead, many have maintained a laser-like focus on a single issue: protecting Americans’ healthcare.

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