The House of Representatives passed a measure to fully repeal Obamacare, but the negative effects of the law will continue to unravel until the legislation makes it to the President’s desk. These include the requirement under the new law that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) define “essential health benefits,” which must be included in all plans sold in the new health exchanges beginning in 2014. The process began last week. The legislation outlines general categories to guide the Administration, which is otherwise given unlimited authority to further …
The first-ever National School Choice Week is underway! This week, January 23rd – 29th, school choice advocates from across the country will host events and highlight the benefits of educational freedom. More than 150 organizations are hosting events in nearly every state. It’s a grassroots movement of national proportions to highlight the benefits of school choice and demand access to quality educational options. Speaker John Boehner, Newt Gingrich, Sens. Joe Lieberman and John McCain and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush – among many others – are all “in” for National …
Analysis provided by Heritage Action for America House Cloakroom Report: January 24-28 Analysis: After a week in the House that saw Obamacare repealed, the House will move in to a week heavily focused on spending, further organization of committees, and a slew of hearings on healthcare, the economy, stalled trade agreements, and the oil spill commission report. On Monday afternoon, the House will reconvene with votes scheduled for the evening. On Tuesday, hearings will dominate most of the day with votes on H.Res 38 which would be a resolution reducing …
Last night, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, which would scrap Obamacare in its entirety. Regardless of whether this legislation makes it to the President’s desk, supporters of a new direction for health care reform have reason to be encouraged: Implementation of Obamacare faces an uphill battle in the states as well. So far, 27 states have filed suit against the new law’s individual mandate and requirements forbidding states from reducing eligibility for their Medicaid programs. But the legal battle isn’t the only way states can throw a wrench …
Compared to the U.S.–China joint statement in 2009, this year’s joint statement issued at the summit between Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao contains no mention of improving U.S.–China “communication, dialogue, and cooperation on issues related to South Asia.” India objected strenuously to the language in the 2009 joint statement, and the U.S. has apparently taken on board New Delhi’s concerns. In any case, China’s actions over the last two years have demonstrated that China’s interests in South Asia don’t significantly match up with the Obama Administration’s goals or U.S. …
Although the U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratification of New START, a strategic nuclear arms control treaty with the Russian Federation, the debate about the substance and ramifications of the treaty is far from resolved. Dr. Keith Payne, President of the National Institute for Public Policy, argues in his latest article that the Senate was misinformed by the Obama Administration about New START. Despite the Obama Administration’s claims to the contrary, Russian officials have publicly stated that the Russian Federation will not have to cut even a …
Listen to Heritage expert Bob Moffit discuss the House effort to repeal Obamacare in a newly released podcast. Currently, the president can veto any attempt at repeal, so why even bother with a repeal vote? What does the Virginia ruling on Obamacare portend for future court rulings? Why does the CBO say it will add $230 billion to the deficit if we repeal Obamacare? Well, find out all of that and more, here.
In 2007, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) passed the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) which helps Hoosiers who do not qualify for Medicaid to enroll in individual health-savings accounts. The program was so popular that the state had to suspend enrollment (because of federal regulations) a number of times. Today there are about 45,000 Hoosiers enrolled in the plan. It is a model of state-based patient-centered health care reform. But now Obamacare is, of course, threatening to destroy this system. The Evansville Courier & Press reports: Gov. Mitch Daniels wants to …
Earlier this week we shared the troubling circumstances facing Dr. Martha Boone in the wake of Obamacare. Last night the Atlanta urologist appeared on Fox Business with David Asman to talk about the latest challenge for her small practice — a 27 percent increase in health insurance for her five employees. In the interview, Boone explains the difficulties for doctors. Medicare is reimbursing less for her most common procedure, prompting her to move to a less expensive office in an older building. She also cut her own salary by …
The Necessary and Proper Clause makes things happen. To many on the left, the Necessary and Proper Clause joins the General Welfare Clause, and the Commerce Clause to form a trivium of validation for any and every expansion of government power imaginable. But, as David Engdahl explains in his Constitutional Guidance for Lawmakers essay, the Necessary and Proper Clause is not a blank check for Congress to pass anything it deems necessary or proper for America. Just as the Commerce Clause and the General Welfare Clause have limits, so too …
