A chronic illness made me more left-wing and more libertarian at once.
Tag Archives: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)
Harry Reid Had a Unique Political Superpower
He possessed a quality rare among politicians: profound comfort in his own skin.
No, the Build Back Better Act Isn’t Dead Yet
The strategy Barack Obama used to resuscitate the A.C.A. offers clues that may help revive the Build Back Better Act, and President Biden’s precarious standing.
On More Generous Terms, Obamacare Proves Newly Popular
Record sign-ups, even in states that had resisted expanding health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Obamacare Sign-Ups Reach Record as Virus Rocks Job-Based Coverage
Thanks to increased subsidies, new advertising, and a reshaped insurance landscape, 13.6 million Americans have enrolled in plans for 2022. Enrollment continues until Jan. 15.
Build Back Better Act Would Patch Holes in Health Coverage
Taken together, the provisions in the social policy bill represent the biggest step toward universal coverage since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Build Back Better May Not Have Passed a Decade Ago
President Barack Obama barely muscled his health law through the House. But income inequality, economic stagnation and a pandemic propelled an even more ambitious bill.
Democrats’ Bill Would Cover Poor Uninsured Adults, Up to a Point
The $1.85 trillion social policy bill would provide free private health insurance for more than two million adults locked out of coverage, but only for four years.
Teachers, Police, Other Public Workers Left Out of Mental Health Coverage
Health plans for state and local workers can opt out of the federal law requiring them to treat mental health like other medical conditions.
Delta’s Extra $200 Insurance Fee Shows Vaccine Dilemma for Employers
Charging unvaccinated workers more for health coverage may seem more appealing than a mandate but could be harder to carry out.
Racial Inequities Persist in Health Care Despite Expanded Insurance
A series of studies in an influential medical journal takes a close look at longstanding gaps in medical care.
Democrats Ready a Tricky Legislative Two-Step. It’s Been Done Before.
Party leaders hoping to pass the infrastructure and social policy bills in tandem look to a similar maneuver from 2010 that secured the Affordable Care Act.
Obamacare’s Survival Is Now Assured, but It Still Has One Big Problem
Twelve states have refused to expand Medicaid, leaving millions of poor Americans without health coverage and Democrats divided over how to respond.
Medicaid Enrollment Surpassed 80 Million, a Record, During the Pandemic
The increase points to the program’s growing role not just as a safety net, but also as a foundation of U.S. health coverage.
Republicans Wave the White Flag on Health Care (for Now)
The Supreme Court’s latest ruling moved the country’s debate over health policy into a new phase. Tough questions await both parties.
Obamacare Is Here to Stay. Brace for New Health Care Battles.
Republicans in Congress have largely abandoned efforts to repeal the law. With the latest Supreme Court ruling, health policy now shifts to new territory.
Obamacare Survives Latest Supreme Court Challenge
The court sidestepped the larger issue in the case, whether the 2010 health care law can stand without a provision that required most Americans to obtain insurance or pay a penalty.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Talks Recall Heated Health Care Summer of 2009
Once again, a bipartisan group of senators is seeking to bridge a deep policy divide, but the lesson of failed negotiations on the Affordable Care Act has left Democrats skeptical about an infrastructure deal.
Infrastructure Talks Recall Heated Debate Over Obama Healthcare
Once again, a bipartisan group of senators is seeking to bridge a deep policy divide, but the lesson of failed negotiations on the Affordable Care Act has left Democrats skeptical about an infrastructure deal.
Biden Administration Restores Rights for Transgender Patients
Officials invited people subject to health care discrimination to file complaints. But formal rule-making will be needed before a Trump-era policy can be fully reversed.
Biden Administration Prohibits Health Care Discrimination vs. Transgender People
The administration reversed a Trump administration policy that said the Affordable Care Act’s protections did not apply to transgender people.
Nearly 1 Million People Signed Up for Obamacare This Spring
More than 400,000 Americans have enrolled in the last month alone, reflecting increased financial help and more advertising.
Are You Shopping for Obamacare? Tell Us About It.
We want to hear from people who enrolled for health insurance about their experiences signing up.
Billions in New Obamacare Subsidies Are Now Available on Healthcare.gov
Nearly everyone with a marketplace health plan can seek more financial help. Many uninsured Americans and people who buy their insurance elsewhere can also benefit.
The Decline of Republican Demonization
Why has opposition to Biden’s plans been so low energy?
11 Years On, the Affordable Care Act Defies Opponents and Keeps Expanding
More than 200,000 have used a special enrollment period to sign up for health insurance under the act, while Alabama and Wyoming eye the law’s Medicaid expansion.
How Complexity Could Mar Rollout of the New Obamacare Subsidies
The stimulus bill spends billions to help more Americans buy affordable health insurance. But getting those dollars will take some work, and some waiting.
Need Health Insurance? A Guide to New Options Under the Stimulus.
There is more financial assistance for more people seeking coverage. And many people who are already covered can get discounts, too, if they sign up.
New Stimulus Package Brings Big Benefits to the Middle Class
Be it child care or health care, an array of tax changes and subsidies makes the $1.9 trillion relief legislation more than a lifeline for the poor.
Obamacare’s About to Get a Lot More Affordable. These Maps Show How.
For this year and next, the stimulus bill boosts subsidies for nearly all those buying their own coverage, making insurance free for more people and giving higher-income people discounts for the first time.
Covid-19 Relief Bill Fulfills Biden’s Promise to Expand Obamacare, for Two Years
With its expanded subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act, the coronavirus relief bill makes insurance more affordable, and puts health care on the ballot in 2022.
What’s in the Stimulus Bill? A Guide to Where the $1.9 Trillion Is Going
The measure passed by the Senate, and headed to the House for final approval before going to President Biden’s desk, contains money for direct checks, jobless benefits, state and local aid, and more.
Private Insurance Wins in Democrats’ First Try at Expanding Health Coverage
‘Medicare for all’ and the public option were hot topics during primary season, but the politics of passing those “gets tricky really fast.”
Joe Biden’s Approach: Speak Softly, and Carry a Big Agenda
If you dial down the conflict, you can dial up the policy.
At Last, Democrats Get Chance to Engineer Obamacare 2.0
The Biden administration is trying to make the health care law more generous and closer to its original design, but may disappoint progressive allies hoping for more.
Just When You Thought Politics Couldn’t Unravel Any Further
What happens when “All the King’s Men” meets “National Lampoon’s Vacation”? Nothing good.
Biden Administration Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Obamacare
In a letter to the court in a pending case, the Justice Department disavowed the Trump administration’s challenge to the law.
Affordable Care Act Enrollment Reopens
The new three-month sign-up period begins Feb. 15, as millions of people have lost their jobs and insurance in the pandemic.
Ghosts of 2009 Drive Democrats’ Push for Robust Crisis Response
In their quest for Republican backing, Democrats say they missed opportunities in 2009 for a stronger response to the Great Recession. They’re determined not to repeat the mistake.
Biden and Top Economic Officials Stress Urgency of More Pandemic Aid
The president’s economic advisers are increasingly worried about the faltering recovery and the economic outlook.
Biden Moves to Expand Health Coverage in Pandemic Economy
President Biden ordered the reopening of Affordable Care Act exchanges and moved to restore coverage mandates and Medicaid plans undermined by his predecessor.
Biden Re-Opens Obamacare Enrollment Period in 36 States
Evidence from states that also reopened enrollment suggests it could pull more young, healthy Americans into insurance coverage.
We Can Improve Health Care. It Just Takes Compromise.
Here are three ideas to expand coverage and control costs that Democrats and Republicans could agree on.
Why Joe Biden Must Not Shy Away From the Full Power of the Presidency
Democrats often benefit from unilateral authority more than Republicans do.
Biden and Obamacare: One Sentence in Stimulus Plan Reveals Health Care Approach
An increase in subsidies could drive millions to enroll in Obamacare marketplaces, experts say.
One Sentence in Biden Stimulus Plan Reveals His Health Care Approach
An increase in subsidies could drive millions to enroll in Obamacare marketplaces, experts say.
Four Rules That Should Guide Bidenomics
Basically, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
With New Majority, Here’s What Democrats Can (and Can’t) Do on Health Care
Senate control opens up new possibilities, but the party will still need to contend with arcane rules and the challenges of a narrow majority.
Obamacare, in Its First Big Test as Safety Net, Is Holding Up So Far
Job losses and the loss of insurance have typically gone hand in hand. This year, more Americans are staying covered.
The Vaccines Are Supposed to Be Free. Surprise Bills Could Happen Anyway.
“It is the American health care system, so there are bound to be loopholes.”