Dave Solomon’s State House Dome: Medicaid number in dispute

Republican leaders in the state legislature last week unveiled their long-awaited proposal to continue the expansion of Medicaid in New Hampshire, hoping to continue government-funded health insurance for the 50,000 or so Granite Staters who've come on board since eligibility was expanded as part of Obamacare.

Idaho says no Obamacare needed for some new insurance plans

Concerned about soaring health care costs, Idaho on Wednesday revealed a plan that will allow insurance companies to sell cheap policies that ditch key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It's believed to be the first state to take formal steps without prior federal approval for creating policies that do not comply with the Obama-era health care law.

Work requirements may prompt more states to expand Medicaid

In an ironic twist, the Trump administration's embrace of work requirements for low-income people on Medicaid is prompting lawmakers in some conservative states to resurrect plans to expand health care for the poor. Trump's move has been widely criticized as threatening the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion.

Oregon approves new taxes to address Medicaid costs

Oregon approved taxes on hospitals, health insurers and managed care companies in an unusual special election Tuesday that asked voters - and not lawmakers - how to pay for Medicaid costs that now include coverage of hundreds of thousands of low-income residents added to the program's rolls under the Affordable Care Act. Measure 101 was passing handily in early returns Tuesday night.

Verbatim

Hoeven: Sen. John Hoeven released the following statement after voting for a continuing resolution to keep the government operating and make sure the military gets paid. The legislation provides a long-term, six-year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program to ensure that states, including those running out of funding in January, can continue to provide children with health care.

Republicans Are Preparing to Shut Down the Government Out of Anti-Immigrant Spite

There is basically one thing the GOP needs to do to avoid a government shutdown tonight when the temporary funding bill is set to expire: Offer a clean path to permanent legalization for Dreamers-individuals who have grown up as Americans even though they were brought to this country as minors illegally-and make them off-limits to this administration's deportation designs. The House just passed a stopgap funding bill that does nothing about Dreamers but extends CHIP, a health insurance program for children that Republicans have never liked, showing that the only principle that animates their party now is saving this land of immigrants from immigrants.

Ryan presses Dems to back bill keeping government open

House Speaker Paul Ryan tried pressuring Democrats on Wednesday to back legislation preventing a weekend federal shutdown. But he gave little ground on the partisan battle over immigration, an issue many Democrats say must be resolved before they'll vote to keep agencies functioning.

Government shutdown looms as a Dreamera deal stalls

House Republicans considered on Tuesday a stopgap bill to fund the U.S. government through Feb. 16 to avert a shutdown, but the measure would not include Democrats' demands for protections for young people brought to the United States illegally as children. Partisan finger-pointing over immigration policy on Tuesday left Congress and the White House stumbling closer to a possible federal government shutdown by the end of the week.

New budget estimate opens door to CHIP extension

House and Senate lawmakers could renew the federal Childrens Health Insurance Program as early as next week since the Congressional Budget Office now estimates a 10-year extension could save taxpayers $6 billion. CHIP provides insurance to 9 million young people nationally, including 1,800 in Pueblo County.

ACA’s individual mandate bites the dust

After the failure of Republican led efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act ignominiously failed in mid-2017, most had assumed that efforts to dismantle the ACA would subside as Congress' focus quickly turned to tax reform; however, the Republican-led Senate snuck a repeal of the ACA's individual mandate into their version of tax legislation in ... (more)

CHIP funding could run out as soon as this month in some states

Some states could run out of funding for their Children's Health Insurance Program as early as this month, despite recently approved spending by Congress that was expected to keep the program running through the end of March, federal health officials said Friday. All states should have sufficient funding at least through Jan. 19 thanks to Congress' $2.85 billion infusion last month, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Trump administration rule would let more people drop Obamacare

Cathey Park of Cambridge, Massachusetts wears a cast for her broken wrist with "I Love Obamacare" written upon it prior to U.S. President Barack Obama's arrival to speak about health insurance at Faneuil Hall in Boston October 30, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque The Trump administration proposed a rule on Thursday to allow Americans who are self-employed or work for small businesses to buy health insurance that does not comply with all Obamacare requirements in an effort to unwind the 2010 healthcare law.

Congress faces difficult issues when it returns this week

Congress faces a jam-packed to-do list when it returns this week, with deadlines looming on difficult issues - including how to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, stabilizing the nation's health-insurance program for poor children, and whether to shield young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Fresh off a party-line vote to overhaul the tax code, the negotiations will test whether Congress and the White House still have the potential to craft any form of bipartisan agreement.

Donald Trump predicts new health care plan will happen after repealing Obamacare mandate

President Trump predicted Tuesday that the parties will come together on a new health care plan after repealing part of Obamacare in the tax bill last week. "Based on the fact that the very unfair and unpopular Individual Mandate has been terminated as part of our Tax Cut Bill, which essentially Repeals ObamaCare, the Democrats & Republicans will eventually come together and develop a great new HealthCare plan!" Mr. Trump tweeted .