Obamacare

When in doubt, mandate. That has long been one of the unspoken principles guiding the left’s approach to health policy. A newly finalized rule from the Biden administration offers a fresh example of this pathology in action. Starting in 2027, the reform gives states the option of adding coverage for adult dental ...

The Biden administration is trying to help people on Medicaid see the doctor faster. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services just finalized a regulation establishing a maximum wait of 15 business days for a Medicaid beneficiary to get a primary care appointment. Decreeing that wait times must be shorter ...

People are pessimistic about Medicare’s longevity. Roughly 7 in 10 adults under 65 say they’re “worried” or “extremely worried” the program won’t be around when they need it, according to a new Gallup poll. That may come as no surprise. Medicare expenditures exceeded $1 trillion in 2023. They’re on track to grow by roughly $930 billion over the next ...

The Affordable Care Act’s defenders are sounding the alarm over the health law’s future under a possible second Trump presidency. The conventional wisdom suggests that, should Donald Trump win in November, the enhanced premium subsidies signed into law by President Joe Biden would be allowed to expire on December 31, 2025. That ...

What do air conditioners, mini fridges, and air purifiers have in common? According to Medicaid authorities in Oregon, they’re all forms of health care. Across the country, state Medicaid programs are suffering from a serious case of mission creep. Officials are trying to use Medicaid dollars to pay for everything ...

In May, Medicare bureaucrats released new guidance that details how they’ll conduct the drug pricing “negotiations” authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. They’re mostly maintaining the policies in last year’s inaugural round of price setting—which means the quality of seniors’ Medicare Part D coverage will continue to deteriorate. When President Biden ...

The facts are astonishing: an estimated $1 billion a year in fraudulent payments, untold thousands of ineligible beneficiaries, and a public agency that refuses to conduct an audit. Welcome to the $60 billion-a-year Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which provides insurance coverage for more than 8 million federal workers and their ...

The Biden administration just launched a new offensive in the decade-long regulatory war over Obamacare. It finalized a rule earlier this spring that severely restricts Americans’ ability to purchase short-term health plans—effectively rolling back a Trump administration rule that had greatly expanded access to them. The White House claims the new rule ...

Medicare’s trustees released their annual report this week. It paints a bleak picture of the program’s future. Total spending on the healthcare entitlement for seniors exceeded $1 trillion last year, the trustees note — some $12 billion more than the program took in. If current trends continue, Medicare’s Part A hospital insurance ...

President Joe Biden recently unveiled his $7.3 trillion budget proposal for next fiscal year. He has pitched his plan as one that would “preserve Medicare benefits and the Medicare trust fund.” It’s a nice soundbite. But it’s not the whole story. The president’s budget would raise taxes without solving Medicare’s ...