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.
Big Errors found in rushed tax bill Today's big political stories include one about how lawmakers found a bunch of errors in the tax bill voted on in the middle of the night. What did they mess up and how are they going to fix it?
Trump moves to unwind some Obamacare rules President Donald Trump signed an order today that unwinds some of Obamacare's rules on insurance companies. It's a step toward repealing the Affordable Care Act, which has been repeatedly foiled by senators in his own party, including Rand Paul of Kentucky -- who was at the President's side today. Jonathan Cohn, a senior national correspondent covering healthcare for the Huffington Post , says the move is a way to change the rules of the road for health insurance companies and to undermine the system at hand.
Healthcare nears the home stretch. Can it make it over the line? Republicans pledged to repeal and replace Obamacare even before it became law seven years ago. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell wanted a vote this week on the latest Republican healthcare bill , which remains highly unpopular -- only one in three Americans support it, only 35 percent of Republicans. Now, the vote has been postponed until Arizona Senator John McCain recovers from surgery to remove a blood clot. In the meantime, opposition to the bill has increased, with key Republican governors, like Arizona's Doug Ducey, expressing concern. We take a look at whether the bill really reflects a Republican vision for the healthcare system.
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.
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
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.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.