A new government report explains why Republicans, after nine years of opposing Obamacare, are having such a hard time repealing it. The answer: It’s pretty much about the money. It’s not about providing Medicaid coverage to low-income adults. Some moderate Republicans who profess concern for the needy are actually trying to shift more of the cost of providing them Medicaid coverage from their … [Read more...] about Senate Obamacare Debate Is About Money, Not Compassion
Free the Obamacare 15 Million
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) today warned lawmakers that 15 million people will lose medical coverage next year if the Senate GOP’s health-care bill becomes law. That’s not quite accurate. CBO doesn’t believe that millions will “lose” their insurance in 2018. Instead, the agency thinks that millions will happily cancel their coverage — even those who get it for free. The reason: The … [Read more...] about Free the Obamacare 15 Million
The Medicaid FMAP under the ACA
Congress is currently pursuing Medicaid reform as part of the American Health Care Act. Most people agree that Medicaid should help the poor, particularly those whose poverty is related to their age and disability. However, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires the federal government to pay a much greater share of the medical bills for nondisabled, nonpregnant adults than it does for elderly … [Read more...] about The Medicaid FMAP under the ACA
CBO Is Wrong And Its Numbers Shouldn’t Deter Needed Reform
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) launched its latest mistaken Obamacare-related estimate this week, predicting that a House-passed bill to repeal and replace the embattled law would lead to 23 million more uninsured people by 2026. Although CBO itself acknowledges that this latest prediction is “especially uncertain,” one thing is especially certain: CBO is wrong. We explain why at … [Read more...] about CBO Is Wrong And Its Numbers Shouldn’t Deter Needed Reform
The CBO Bludgeon
Bureaucratic oracles at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) have decreed that 23 million fewer people will have health coverage in 2026 if a House-passed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare were to become law. As with CBO’s past Obamacare-related pronouncements, corporate and social media sources are uncritically repeating that estimate, overlooking the questionable assumptions that underlie … [Read more...] about The CBO Bludgeon
Medicaid Per Capita Caps: When Democrats Supported and Republicans Opposed Them, 1995–1997
by Doug Badger ABSTRACT: Congressional Republicans have called for restructuring Medicaid, reviving a debate that has largely remained dormant for two decades. During the mid-1990s, Congress and President Clinton advanced competing Medicaid reform proposals. Republicans urged that the federal government issue Medicaid block grants to states. The White House and congressional Democrats … [Read more...] about Medicaid Per Capita Caps: When Democrats Supported and Republicans Opposed Them, 1995–1997
CBO’s Alternate Facts about Obamacare
Millions may lose coverage next year if Congress does not repeal Obamacare. That’s not what this week’s Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis says, but it is reality. CBO’s estimating models seem impervious to reality. In the real world, the Obamacare exchanges are in crisis, millions of uninsured people willingly pay or avoid IRS penalties, and consumers struggle with rising premiums … [Read more...] about CBO’s Alternate Facts about Obamacare
Be skeptical about coverage numbers in health-care debate
Ask any reporter covering the fate of the Affordable Care Act how many people have gained coverage under the law, and you will probably get this answer: 20 million. But as with much of what you've read and heard about ACA (both good and bad), this number is likely overstated. The truth is that there is no precise headcount of how many people have gained coverage because of the law. And it is … [Read more...] about Be skeptical about coverage numbers in health-care debate