GOP focus on lowering health premiums may undermine benefits

Republicans trying to dismantle former President Barack Obama's health care law have run into the same problem that bedeviled him: Quality health insurance doesn't come cheap, especially if it protects people in poor health, older adults not yet eligible for Medicare, and the poor. Now, the GOP's laser focus on lowering premiums could undermine comprehensive coverage that consumers also value, such as the current guarantees that people with medical problems can get health insurance, or that plans will cover costly conditions such as substance abuse.

Thousands in north country risk losing financial assistance under Trump budget

As it stands, President Donald J. Trump's proposed federal budget is poised to take away health care and financial assistance from thousands in the north country. Earlier this week, President Trump released a proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year that includes massive health care and entitlement program cuts while increasing defense spending.

Poor and disabled big losers in Trump budget; military wins

Eric Ueland, Republican staff director, Senate Budget Committee holds a copy of President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 federal budget, before distributing them to congressional staffers on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. less Eric Ueland, Republican staff director, Senate Budget Committee holds a copy of President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 federal budget, before distributing them to congressional staffers on Capitol Hill in ... more Budget Director Mick Mulvaney speaks about President Donald Trump's proposed fiscal 2018 federal budget in the Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017.

Cabinet members head to Capitol Hill to defend Trump budget

Top officials in President Donald Trump 's Cabinet are heading to Capitol Hill to defend his plans to cut domestic programs and parry Democratic criticism of his tax proposals. Budget Director Mick Mulvaney appears Wednesday before the House Budget panel while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will testify at the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee .

Nation-Now 18 mins ago 9:46 p.m.Trump budget promises balance in decade, relies on deep cuts

President Donald Trump is proposing to balance the federal budget within a decade by making sharp cuts to social safety-net programs like food stamps and Medicaid and offering optimistic estimates of economic growth and tax revenues to fulfill the promise of a government back in the black. Tuesday's budget blueprint faces a skeptical reception from Congress, where Republicans and Democrats oppose Trump proposals to cut domestic agencies and foreign aid by 10 percent and are recoiling from a $1.7 trillion cut over the coming decade from mandatory government benefit programs.

GOP touts lower premiums, but other insurance costs to rise

Republicans are touting lower premiums under their health care legislation, but that reflects insurance that would cover a smaller share of the cost of medical bills. Consumers might pay less up front every month, but if you break a bone or get hospitalized for a serious illness, you could be on the hook for a bigger share of the bill.

Don’t meddle with Medicare’s prescription drug benefit

By Joel White Seema Verma, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, recently praised Medicare's prescription drug benefit for giving seniors access to affordable medicines, saying she was "thankful" for the program. There's a lot to be thankful for.

What is Obamacare and why does Trump want to repeal it?

Today a bill to repeal major parts of Obamacare won backing from a majority in the US House of Representatives . That means the bill will now be put to a vote in the Senate, which could lead to Barack Obama's healthcare plan being completely reformed - and parts of it replaced with Trump's own vision.

Five fights for Trump’s first year

Congress is facing a string of deadlines that set up a number of fights for the rest of President Trump's first year in office. When lawmakers return on Washington from a two-week recess, they'll have just five days to pass a funding measure to prevent the government from shutting down on April 29. Lawmakers are locked in talks, with GOP leaders eager to show they can govern pledging to avoid a shutdown just 100 days into the Trump administration.

Lawmakers revisiting requiring those on Medicaid to work

FILE - In this March 21, 2107 file photo, President Donald Trump, with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington to rally support for the Republican health care overhaul. W... WASHINGTON - A simple question - should adults who are able to work be required to do so to get taxpayer-provided health insurance? - could lead to major changes in the social safety net.

Democrats: Solid opposition to Trump, but what comes next?

President Donald Trump is a unifying force for Democrats, bringing together disparate factions in opposition to nearly every presidential move. But solidarity - at least for now - doesn't necessarily add up to a strategy that can help Democrats win more elections after a precipitous slide from power in Congress and around the country.

How is a ban on preexisting conditions preserved in the GOP replacement bill?

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Demonstrators protest efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare outside the offices of Rep. Darryl Issa . "Congresswoman McSally is encouraged that the American Health Care Act includes provisions she fought for: It keeps in place coverage of pre-existing conditions, allows young adults to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26 and maintains the prohibition of putting lifetime caps on benefits."

My N.J. GOP congressman is voting No on Trump’s healthcare bill, how about yours? |…

Our country has elected to provide health care to our fellow countrymen in need: to seniors through the Medicare program, to the indigent through Medicaid, to needy children through the Child Health Insurance Program, and to indigent women of childbearing years through Title X. The Affordable Care Act extended this tradition by allowing states to expand Medicaid eligibility to families with income up to 1.38 times the poverty line while providing subsidies to others to enable them to purchase insurance on regulated health exchanges The actual health care is delivered by thousands of providers who are reimbursed for the care they provide through these programs.

By the numbers: Why millions go uninsured under Republicans’ Obamacare alternative

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan are pushing legislation that would repeal key aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Changing the heath insurance marketplace under Obamacare is complicated business, and there is no universal agreement on how any legislation would affect coverage.

Senate confirms Trump pick to head Medicare and Medicaid

In this Jan. 10, 2017 file photo, Seema Verma, left, nominee for administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, gets on an elevator in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. Verma was confirmed by the Senate on March 13. less FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2017 file photo, Seema Verma, left, nominee for administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, gets on an elevator in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York.

Trump’s budget ideas are a gambler’s dream

President Trump spoke about budget policy during a meeting of the National Governors Association in State Dining Room of the White House on Feb. 27. The Star Tribune Editorial Board believes the president's numbers so far simply don't stack up. Four months after Donald Trump won the presidency, Americans have gotten only the barest glimpses of what his budget will look like.