Kaiser Health News
Mary Agnes Carey is Editor and a senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news organization at the Kaiser Family Foundation. She formerly served as associate editor for Congressional Quarterly's HealthBeat.
Senate takes uncertain step toward 'repeal and replace' At yesterday's news conference President-elect Donald Trump called for a speedy resolution on Obamacare. "It'll be repeal and replace, essentially simultaneously, various segments obviously but most likely the same day, or same week, probably same day – could be the same hour." In the wee hours this morning on Capitol Hill Senate Republicans started down the road to repeal Obamacare while Democrats made passionate appeals as the gavel came down. Mary Agnes Carey, Editor and Senior Correspondent for Kaiser Health News , has more.
Is Obamacare on the Chopping Block? Three years into Obamacare, the President's most controversial program is under-performing. Only half the enrollees predicted have signed up so far. Nevertheless, the rate of uninsured adults has dropped by 40% nationwide. So what about promises to kill off Obamacare? The Red State of Kentucky has been a success story, but this week a Tea-Party Republican won an upset election for Governor after pledging a roll-back. We get a progress report on Obamacare's political future.
President Obama's Healthcare 'Fix' President Obama spent almost an hour with reporters today, announcing a change in Obamacare . Conceding that his personal credibility is on the line because his promises about the Affordable Care Act didn't come true, he's telling insurance companies they can re-issue those cancelled policies people liked, even if they didn't comply with new rules for benefits. Will that smooth the way for a program mired in computer problems and political controversy?
Obamacare President Obama said today that the government shutdown will have no effect on the Affordable Care Act and, as scheduled, this is the first day of official enrollment for the currently uninsured. How today is different from yesterday for the currently uninsured. If millions decide to enroll, will there be enough doctors to serve a vast increase in the patients showing up for medical treatment?
Obama Steps Up Obamacare Push A 21-hour filibuster by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has failed, but Republican protests against Obamacare continue on Capitol Hill. Obsession with the Affordable Care Act may leave less than a day to decide whether to shut down the government on Tuesday of next week. But even if that were to happen, Obamacare enrollment would begin on that same day. We hear how the options will differ from state to state. The campaign to persuade uninsured people to sign up is already under way, and so is the campaign to persuade them not to. Particular targets are the young and the healthy. Will medical insurance be more affordable? Will there be enough doctors?
Does Obamacare Have a Future? Obamacare is designed for millions of uninsured Americans. Republican opposition to implementing it is unprecedented in political history — with one faction threatening a government shut-down. Others warn that's going too far. Even Democratic supporters are worried that starting a massive and complex new program will look like a " train wreck " to voters in next year's elections. With the October 1 "roll out" just a few weeks away, we look at some unexpected problems. Will they be offset when benefits start to flow? Are there political risks for both parties: Democrats, for giving the government too much power; Republicans, for taking their opposition too far?
The House Votes to Repeal 'Obamacare' Today -- for the 33rd time -- House Republicans are voting to repeal President Obama's healthcare law, frequently referred to as "Obamacare," with the Democratic Senate expected to ignore it altogether. In the aftermath of the US Supreme Court decision, is it good politics to debate the issue all over again?
Election-Year Politics and Healthcare Today -- for the 33rd time -- House Republicans are voting to repeal President Obama's Affordable Care Act, with no chance that the Senate will go along. The House and Senate wrangling is political theater while the real action takes place in the states. Texas and Florida are rejecting billions of federal dollars, rather than expanding Medicaid for the uninsured. Washington State has begun implementation. The US Supreme Court created the opportunity for different approaches, so election-year politics may be the ultimate "decider." We hear about the rhetoric, the multiple realities and the potential consequences for 50 million Americans who don't have health insurance.
House Republicans Feel the Heat on the Payroll Tax Stalemate Congress is winding down in much the same way it conducted itself all year: with gridlock. Have Republicans outsmarted themselves on taxes, unemployment and Medicare? Can they pull their feet from the fire before the end of the year? Even the Wall Street Journal has editorialized that Republicans might re-elect Barack Obama “before the… campaign even begins in earnest.” Republicans are snarling at each other, and the President is posing with “ordinary Americans” who face a tax increase on January 1st. It’s all about failing to extend the payroll tax “holiday” and unemployment benefits as well rescinding cuts in Medicare compensation to doctors. We’ll look at the consequences of the latest political stalemate and the likelihood of a GOP rescue effort before the end of the year.
House Republicans Feel the Heat on the Payroll Tax Stalemate Congress is winding down in much the same way it conducted itself all year: with gridlock. Have Republicans outsmarted themselves on taxes, unemployment and Medicare? Can they pull their feet from the fire before the end of the year? Even the Wall Street Journal has editorialized that Republicans might re-elect Barack Obama “before the… campaign even begins in earnest.” Republicans are snarling at each other, and the President is posing with “ordinary Americans” who face a tax increase on January 1st. It’s all about failing to extend the payroll tax “holiday” and unemployment benefits as well rescinding cuts in Medicare compensation to doctors. We’ll look at the consequences of the latest political stalemate and the likelihood of a GOP rescue effort before the end of the year.
Democrats Maneuver for Votes on Healthcare House Democrats don't like the Senate's version of healthcare reform, but want to send a bill to the White House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a solution. They can vote on a popular package of fixes, without ever voting on the measure itself. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) says the "2309-page document makes a mockery of the entire budget reconciliation process." Mary Agnes Carey is senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News , which is not part of Kaiser Permanente.
The Pitch Is History, Did He Make the Sale? President Obama told last night's joint session of Congress, the bickering and game playing should be over. " Now is the time to deliver on healthcare ." This morning, Republicans apologized for some heckling, but bipartisanship is still a distant dream, and Democrats remain divided. Was there enough detail to resolve fears and confusion from last month's town halls? What about the "public option" and paying for the cost? Vice President Biden predicts a bill will pass by Thanksgiving. We look at the prospects.
Former Surgeon General Says Administration Censored Him President Bush's choice as the next Surgeon General will face a Senate committee tomorrow. Meantime, his predecessor has told a House panel that Administration officials tried to weaken or suppress public health reports because of political considerations. Dr. Richard Carmona, who won two purple hearts in Vietnam and led the SWAT team in Pima County, Arizona before serving as US Surgeon General from 2002 to 2006. Carmona, who was not reappointed, told Congress yesterday that he faced more political interference that the six doctors who preceded him. Mary Agnes Carey is Associate Editor for the HealthBeat at Congressional Quarterly.
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
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.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
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.