The House Freedom Caucus will file a petition Friday in an effort to get House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) to bring a “clean” Obamacare repeal bill to the House floor, despite the fact that 60 percent of Americans think it is a “good thing” that the Senate failed to pass the bill that would have repealed and replaced Obamacare.
The news that Republicans in Congress will once again attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was first reported by Politico on Friday — the same ...
ThinkProgress
A doctor on the front lines describes Medicaid’s role in the opioid crisis
For decades, the residents of Baltimore, have been dying from opioid overdoses and have been incarcerated due to addiction.
“There’s no doubt that the opioid epidemic is worse than before, but it’s not a new problem,” says Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. “I do think there are elements of racial inequalities, racial disparities, racial discrimination, and that needs to be taken into account.”
Baltimore has been a leader among localitie...
Study: Trump’s actions are directly responsible for rising health care premiums
Despite the repeated failure of Republicans in Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Trump has succeeded in raising health care premiums.
A number of insurers who provide coverage through the Obamacare marketplaces have requested double digit rate increases for the coming year, and the majority cite uncertainty about the actions of the Trump administrations as the reason for the requested increases, according to a new study released Thursday.
The study, from...
Abandoning Latino Obamacare outreach is poor policy planning
Key members of the Latino Affordable Care Act (ACA) outreach coalition told Talking Points Memo the Trump administration has not reached out to begin preparing for open enrollment that begins November 1st.
By this point last year, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and other major Latino organizations, like the National Hispanic Medical Association and National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and Concilio, would be in the midst of enrollment frenzy. But th...
Fox & Friends features minister who thinks the Bible gives Trump ‘moral authority’ over North Korea
On Thursday, President Donald Trump’s favorite TV show featured a Christian preacher who made a case on the air that Trump has a biblical justification for attacking North Korea.
During a Fox & Friends interview, Southern Baptist minister and outspoken Trump backer Rev. Robert Jeffress claimed that “the Bible, especially Romans 13, does give President Trump moral authority to use whatever force necessary, including assassination or even war, to topple an evi...
Fact-checking Trump’s false nuclear weapons tweets
Amid escalating tensions with North Korea, President Trump on Wednesday boasted that he had strengthened the United States’ nuclear capabilities significantly and had added to its ability to take out foreign threats. A closer look at his claim, however, proves that is simply not the case.
“My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before….” Trump tweeted. “…Hop...
Trump trots out tired ‘Just Say No’ strategy as his plan for the opioid crisis
On Tuesday, President Trump unveiled an opioid abuse prevention plan that basically consists of the “Just Say No” slogan championed by First Lady Nancy Reagan in the 1980s.
During brief remarks to reporters from his private golf club in New Jersey, Trump said he thinks the way to prevent opioid abuse is simply to tell kids that drugs are bad.
“If they don’t start, they won’t have a problem. If they do start, it’s awfully tough to get off,” Trump said. ...
The smartest people in Trumpland
John Bush comes off as a bit of a goober.
He’s compared abortion to slavery and claimed that a passport application form makes parents “subservient to the nanny state.” He casually drops the word “faggot” in speeches about local history. At a Senate hearing, he insisted that he did not intend to endorse birtherism.
But there’s also another side to the man. Bush, who was recently appointed to a federal appeals cour...
Following Trump’s threat, Nevada Republican now faces primary challenge from pro-Trump candidate
Less than a month ago, President Trump threatened to end Sen. Dean Heller’s (R-NV) career unless he voted for a health care bill that would’ve stripped coverage from hundreds of thousands of his constituents. Heller did end up voting to repeal Obamacare — but he’s being primaried by a pro-Trump Republican anyway.
During a Tuesday morning interview on Trump’s favorite TV show, Danny Tarkanian (R) announced that he’s “going to run for the Unit...
How Obamacare enrollees could avoid skyrocketing premiums
“Rising premiums” has been the rallying cry for Republicans looking to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Lawmakers pointed to 2018 premium hikes as a big reason to repeal and replace current health law. Some insurance companies are requesting especially high rates for 2018 ACA plans, as high as 30 percent or more in some states.
In California, statewide premiums will rise 12.5 percent, and some northern counties will see a 33 percent increase. But most California res...