Huffington Post
Jonathan Cohn is a senior national correspondent for the Huffington Post and the author of Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis -- and the People Who Pay the Price. He is a former senior editor at the New Republic, where he wrote its blog, The Treatment.
Is GOP serious about starting healthcare negotiations again? Last week's failure to "repeal and replace" Obamacare was a big hit for Republicans. President Trump blamed the Democrats. Now 44 Democratic Senators have signed a letter saying they'll work with him if full repeal is off the table. Today, Press Secretary Sean Spicer acknowledged, "He's continuing to have conversations with the Senate and as Obamacare continues to struggle -- which it is -- and premiums go up and up. I think the question is, "Will those 40 people understand that they are the ones responsible for owning the current politics that are making so many Americans struggle" Jonathan Cohn, senior national correspondent for the Huffington Post , has more on the President's options and how they might impact the program.
Does Obamacare have a future after all? For six years, Republicans in Congress have voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, long dubbed "Obamacare." Now, with majorities in both Houses and Donald Trump in the White House, the process is beginning today. But in both houses, the GOP is divided. One side worries that supporters of President Trump may be among the millions who lose health insurance. The other says the new plan doesn't go far enough and complain its toughest provisions won’t take effect until 2020. They call it "Obamacare Light." Nobody knows the possible cost yet — and, as we hear, politics will be more important than substance.
Speed bumps on the GOP's road to repeal Obamacare During last year's campaign, Donald Trump said Obamacare would be replaced with something better. Leaders of the House and the Senate have been promising to repeal it for years. But there are problems, including widespread public support for some provisions and the 20 million people with health insurance who didn't have it before. Now, some Republican Senators are expressing misgivings about immediate repeal. US Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) has introduced an amendment to ensure a responsible process for replacing Obamacare as quickly as possible. Jonathan Cohn, senior national correspondent for the Huffington Post , has more on the call for a slowdown.
Trump picks fierce critic of both Obamacare and Medicare Republicans have promised to repeal Obamacare. Democrats have scornfully challenged them to find a way to replace it. Now, Donald Trump has chosen arch-conservative Congressman Tom Price of Georgia as the first doctor in many years to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. His first job would be to replace Obamacare, and he has a plan to do it. Jonathan Cohn, who reports for the Huffington Post , looks at what Price might do as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
How will Clinton and Trump deal with college debt? With the presidential campaign now focused on personalities and family histories, how is a voter to know how either candidate might actually govern? This is the first of a five-part series exploring issues that could be critical for people trying to make up their minds. Hillary Clinton is a known “policy wonk” with detailed plans for “college affordability” and how to pay for it. That invites both support and criticism. Donald Trump has just made a few statements — leaving supporters and critics to speculate about what he might try to do.
Obamacare After Obama The Affordable Care Act is “the biggest and most controversial new law in a generation.” It’s created a new safety net for millions of Americans who can now get health insurance at an affordable price. But that’s not the end of the story. After extensive reporting, Paul Demko of POLITICO reports that Obamacare is both a success… and a failure.
Supreme Court's 6-3 Ruling Is a Big Victory for Obama In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the US Supreme Court ruled today that tax credits for health insurance in the Affordable Care Act are legal in states with federal exchanges — not just in states which created their own exchanges. Responding to the Court's decision, President Obama declared , "Today, after more than 50 votes in Congress to repeal or weaken this law, after a presidential election based in part on preserving or repealing this law, after multiple challenges to this law before the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay." The President re-iterated his intention to "put politics aside" and work to convince more governors and legislatures to expand Medicaid. "We've still got states out there that, for political reasons, are not covering millions of people that they could be covering, despite the fact that the federal government's picking up the tab." President Barack Obama celebrates the Supreme Court ruling on Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough in the Outer Oval Office. June 25, 2015 Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Special thanks to Paul von Zielbauer for production assistance.
Kathleen Sebelius on the Hot Seat, Obamacare under Fire President Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services was grilled for more than three hours today on Capitol Hill. Kathleen Sebelius apologized to the American people and vowed to solve the problems of Healthcare.gov -- but Republicans were not cutting her any slack. She took responsibility for the "debacle," but said the Affordable Care Act will be good for America. We hear excerpts from the proceedings and look at charges and counter-charges about President Obama and his most-prized achievement. Has he told the whole truth? Are Republicans attacking a plan that's of their own making?
Is the GOP Tearing Itself Apart over Obamacare? Republicans on Capitol Hill are talking about each other as if they belonged to opposing parties. It’s all about trying to stop Obamacare. Tea partiers, backed by well-funded conservative groups, say they’re willing to shut down the government or stop the US from paying its bills. Outraged GOP leaders say it’s their own party that will take the blame for whatever happens in an effort they insist is bound to fail, and Democrats agree. Washington veterans say nothing quite like this has ever happened before. We look at what’s at stake for both sides and for the nation.
The Affordable Care Act and America's Uninsured In the first of three days of arguments , the US Supreme Court made pretty clear today that it will rule on the constitutionality of President Obama's Affordable Care Act . Tomorrow, it will hear arguments on the so-called "Mandate" to buy insurance. In the meantime, we hear what it's like to go without health insurance, and arguments about the potential impact of what Republicans call "Obamacare."
SCOTUS Reviews Healthcare: Day One The US Supreme Court today began an almost unprecedented three days of hearings on President Obama's Affordable Care Act . Passed without a single Republican vote, so-called "Obamacare" is designed to bring America closer to universal health coverage. Who are the uninsured? What is it like to live without coverage? Employer-provided insurance is on the decline. How come? Would the Affordable Care Act (ACA) make things better or worse? We get the background as the court prepares to take on a case that could affect millions of people, including voters in an election year. (Special thanks to KCRW volunteer Gideon Brower for production assistance.)
Jobs Report Signals a Strengthening Recovery The latest report from the Labor Department shows that 227,000 new jobs were created last month. But the unemployment rate is still 8.3 percent -- the first time in six months that it hasn't declined. Jonathan Cohn is senior editor at The New Republic magazine.
The GOP and the Healthcare Battle After the economy, the biggest political issue in this pre-election year is the role of government in providing medical care. It once looked like a guaranteed loser for Democrats, but can the Republicans get their act together?
Medical Care and Political Confusion Republicans who once warned about "death panels" are now telling Democrats to stop frightening old people with "Mediscare." But Newt Gingrich says the country's not ready for Paul Ryan's privatization plan , and some Republicans who voted for it are having second thoughts too. Meantime, the former Governor of Massachusetts is trying to explain why " RomneyCare " looks so much like " ObamaCare ." And the State of Vermont is about to embark on its own program of "universal coverage," the ultimate public option. We try to sort it all out.
Money, Medicare and Next Year's Election As the White House and Congress struggled to avoid a government shutdown based on this year's budget, chair of the House Budget Committee, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, presented his much-awaited plan for next year. Republicans claim it would save almost $6 trillion in ten years by spending cuts, restructuring Medicaid and Medicare and providing a choice of private insurance plans. Critics say it would make the rich richer and require the old and the sick to shoulder rising healthcare costs on their own. Does anybody expect the package to become law, or is it designed to shape debate about the role of government in next year's presidential campaign?
McDonald's Balks at Healthcare Reform McDonald's , the fast food empire, has denied a report in the Wall Street Journal that it might drop health coverage for 30,000 workers unless regulators waive a new requirement that's part of healthcare reform. Jonathan Cohn is Senior Editor at The New Republic magazine.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.