Maine Gov. Paul LePage said Wednesday that he will not expand Medicaid “until it has been fully funded by the legislature,” despite nearly 60 percent of the state’s voters on Tuesday approving the expansion. Extending Medicaid would benefit an estimated 70,000 people, with 90 percent of the cost funded by the federal government. “The last…
On Thursday night, the White House said it cannot lawfully make subsidy payments to insurers who rely on funding to reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income ObamaCare customers. The subsidies are paid monthly, and are estimated to be worth $7 billion this year. Under the law, insurers must provide cheaper rates to members even if they…
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to cheaper health-insurance plans by allowing newly formed health associations that offer less coverage. Those plans would then be able to be sold across state lines, which is illegal under the Affordable Care Act. Trump said Thursday that signing the order is…
Senate Republicans decided Tuesday that they will not vote on their health-care bill after efforts to garner support for the legislation fell short. The bill, named for co-sponsors Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), appeared doomed on Monday when moderate Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)…
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced Friday that he will not vote for the new Republican health-care bill, effectively killing the GOP’s last chance at passing legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare before their Sept. 30 deadline. Sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the bill would convert ObamaCare’s subsidies and Medicaid…
Senate Republicans are considering a final attempt at passing a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act after falling one vote short in July. Republicans technically have until Sept. 30 before they lose the ability to pass a bill with just 50 votes plus Vice President Mike Pence. Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and…
On Tuesday’s Late Show Stephen Colbert reminded Senator Al Franken about his comedian times. “Now that I’m a senator,” Franken replied, “I don’t want you for a moment to think that what you do here every night is any less important than what I do each day, even though it is less important.” So Colbert…
John McCain will return to Congress on Tuesday for a vote on the Senate’s yet-to-be-announced health-care policy, the Arizona Republican’s office said in a statement Monday night. McCain was recently announced to have brain cancer, and is on medical leave recovering from a tumor removal this month. His vote is critical for GOP senators hoping…
“Let Obamacare fail, it will be a lot easier,” President Trump said Tuesday afternoon following the failure of his preferred repeal-and-replace plan and the news that Mitch McConnell’s repeal-only plan has also failed. “We’ll let Obamacare fail. We’re not going to own it. I’m not going to own it. I can tell you the Republicans…
Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) surgery to remove a blood clot above his left eye has put the Senate GOP’s health-care bill in limbo, with neurosurgery experts saying his recovery could take at least a week or two. McCain’s office has suggested he could be back to work within days. Without McCain’s vote, Senate Republican leaders…
The Senate GOP’s latest attempt to rewrite the Affordable Care Act showed few signs of gaining traction Thursday, further imperiling the party’s quest to overhaul Barack Obama’s 2010 health-care law. At least three Republican senators said Thursday they remained opposed to bringing up the revised bill, while two rank-and-file Republicans announced plans to offer their…
Senators left Washington on Thursday night for a 10-day break without voting on the Senate Republican health-care bill, and after a day of negotiations Senate GOP leaders still did not have the pieces in place for a plan that could get 50 of their 52 votes. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the White…
On Wednesday’s Late Show Stephen Colbert ripped the Senate GOP health-care bill and its “one major flaw”. “And I don’t want to get too wonky, but it’s a hot pile of garbage.” Senate GOP leaders delayed a vote on the bill until after the July 4 holiday, he added, and “it’s a smart move. You…
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Monday released its cost estimate of Senate Republicans’ health-care bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The CBO score revealed that by next year, 15 million additional people would be uninsured under the plan, as opposed to under ObamaCare, the current law. By 2026, 22 million more people would be…
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) tweeted Monday evening that she will vote no on a motion to proceed on the Senate health-care bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. Collins made the announcement a few hours after the Congressional Budget Office released its preliminary analysis of the Republicans’ proposal, estimating that in 10 years, 22 million more…
Senate Republicans unveiled their version of a health-care overhaul Thursday that eliminates many provisions included in the Affordable Care Act. The bill would cut Medicaid, end the ACA’s mandate that Americans must have health insurance or pay a fine, and allow states to drop previously required benefits. The Senate bill maintains the structure of the…
Senate leaders on Wednesday began circulating a discussion draft of their proposal to replace ObamaCare a day before its scheduled formal release. The working document seeks to roll back taxes and penalties in the Affordable Care Act, cut back its Medicaid expansion, change the Obama-era health law’s subsidies, and give states more flexibility to opt…
President Trump’s budget proposal, scheduled for release on Tuesday, will feature major cuts to Medicaid and changes to programs that help low-income Americans, people familiar with the planning told The Washington Post. When it comes to Medicaid, the budget follows through on a bill House Republicans passed that cuts more than $800 billion over 10…
Former President Barack Obama on Sunday issued a plea to members of Congress to save the Affordable Care Act, just days after the GOP’s replacement plan, the American Health Care Act, passed its first hurdle in the House. “I hope that current members of Congress recognize it takes little courage to aid those who are…
Stephen Colbert mocked the GOP’s frenzy with a funny effusive account about how far the bill still has to go before becoming law. “They did it,” he began. “Obamacare is finally officially dead… is something they can say once the bill goes to the Senate, then gets out of committee, is debated on the floor,…
Jimmy Kimmel give the most powerful argument for saving the #ACA after his newborn son nearly dies, he shared the experience in an emotional opening monologue. “We had atheists praying for us, O.K.?” he said. “And I hate to say it — even that son of a [expletive] Matt Damon sent flowers.” “If your baby…
Colbert mocked Donald Trump’s failure to push through a plan repeal and replace Obamacare, noting that despite the weight of the White House behind the bill, the GOP had to add it to the “cabinet of broken Republican dreams.” “The White House tried to get this thing through,” Colbert said during his opening monologue on…
John Oliver knock down GOPers who could soon vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, without an effective solution or enough justification to do so in the first place. “Republicans have happily complained about the flaws in the law, taken no responsibility for fixing them, and, in fact, have often undermined…
Unable to reach their congressional representatives the old-fashioned way — by phone, email, and in person — Americans across the country are getting creative. While Republican lawmakers like Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa) and Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) have faced down angry constituents who peppered them with questions about everything from repealing the Affordable Care Act…
Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show for the first time since passing the torch to new host Trevor Noah in August to provide an update on a cause he has been supporting for years: Funding healthcare for 9/11 first responders. Stewart popped up in the second half of the show (“Are you lost?” new…
Trevor Noah is back to “The Daily Show” after experience first hand Health Care in America over an emergency appendectomy, he was taken to the emergency room Tuesday with abdominal pain. “Although I don’t know if ’emergency room’ is the right term, because they make you wait,” he said. “I feel like there should be…
The Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 in favor of the Obama administration on Affordable Care Act tax credits Thursday morning, in the case of King v. Burwell. By affirming the Fourth Circuit Court’s ruling, the Supreme Court decided that people who obtain health insurance through the federal exchange will be eligible for tax credits, despite…
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a major test of President Barack Obama’s health overhaul that threatens insurance coverage for millions of people. The case being argued Wednesday is just the latest challenge to the law that was Obama’s attempt to bring universal health care to the United States. In King v. Burwell,…
Colbert: “The wheels of justice grind slowly, but eventually, they’ll run over sick people.” – Republicans use their newfound power to undo aspects of Obamacare, prompting Stephen to celebrate with an old friend.
Ahead of next week’s oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, a majority of Americans oppose allowing employers to opt out from the health-care law’s contraception requirement, according to the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Fifty-three percent say employers should not be exempt from the requirement that their health plans offer birth control…
