For GOP, day finally arrives: Voting to begin on tax plan

They have them in the House. They have them in the Senate. This bill is expected to pass both chambers and be on President Donald Trump's desk by Wednesday, no small feat given the extremely fast timeline GOP leaders gave themselves when they unveiled their tax plans last month.

Tax bill guts unpopular ‘Obamacare’ insurance mandate

Republicans didn't get their wish to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law, but the tax bill barreling toward a final vote in Congress guts its most unpopular provision, the requirement that virtually all Americans carry health insurance. Politically, the move is a winner for Republicans, who otherwise would have little to show for all their rhetoric about "Obamacare."

Peter Morici: Tougher challenges than cutting taxes

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., meets with reporters as he encourages support for Republican tax reform legislation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017. The recent surge in stock prices and bump to gross domestic product growth have been significantly assisted by an expected cut in corporate taxes, but to permanently lock in those gains and substantially improve the lives of ordinary voters, Republicans must quickly address health care, immigration, infrastructure and problems in higher education.

U.S. judge questions Trump administration on birth control rules

A U.S. judge questioned on Tuesday whether the federal government properly formulated new rules that undermine an Obamacare requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers women's birth control. New rules from the Department of Health and Human Services announced in October let businesses or non-profit organizations lodge religious or moral objections to obtain an exemption from the Obamacare law's mandate that most employers provide contraceptives coverage in health insurance with no co-payment.

Doubts Rise About Sen. Collins’ Strategy To Shore Up Insurance Market

Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine Republican whose vote was pivotal in pushing the GOP tax bill forward last week, thought she had a deal to bolster health care protections in exchange for her support. But it's now unclear wether her strategy to shore up part of the Affordable Care Act will prevail or that it would produce the results she anticipates.

CBO Tries to Sink Tax Bill

CBO estimates played a significant role in the several failed attempts by Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare. Several Republican Senators appeared to be scared off by estimates of 20 million or more Americans who would lose coverage due to a particular variation of the repeal/replace effort.

Editorial: When a Tax Cut Costs Millions Their Medical Coverage

Though their ham-fisted attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed in September, Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration won't give up on efforts that would take away health care from millions of people. They're now out to do it through the equally sloppy and cruel tax bills barreling through Congress.

Senate Finance chairman revises tax plan to end Obamacare mandate

The head of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee proposed major changes to a Republican tax reform plan, adding a repeal of Obamacare's health insurance mandate and making corporate tax cuts permanent while ending individual cuts in 2025. In a statement late on Tuesday, committee chairman Orrin Hatch said the proposed changes would also slightly lower some individual tax rates and includes a repeal of the alternative minimum tax but only through 2025, when it would be reinstated.

Repeal of individual mandate would increase uninsured, premiums: CBO

The Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday that repealing the Obamacare individual mandate would increase the number of uninsured by 13 million by 2027 and reduce the federal budget deficit less than initially forecast. FILE PHOTO: A sign on an insurance store advertises Obamacare in San Ysidro, San Diego, California, U.S., October 26, 2017.

House bill to fund kids’ insurance goes to Senate

Legislation providing five more years of financing for an expired children's health program won House approval Friday, though a partisan battle over paying for the extension continued to play out in the Senate. Each side is using the fight to accuse the other of jeopardizing the Children's Health Insurance Program, which serves more than 8 million children from low-income families.

Out2Enroll Launches LGBT Coalition to Promote Obamacare Under Trump

With President Trump taking action seen to undermine Obamacare -- such as shortening the window of time for new insurance enrollments -- a new LGBT coalition of more than 60 groups is launching to promote insurance options under the law. Leading the coalition is Out2Enroll , a joint project of the Center for American Progress, the Sellers Dorsey Foundation and the Federal Agencies Project that seeks to enroll LGBT people in insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act.

Rural areas – already short on health resources – face enrollment hitches

Ms. Stella's, a home-cooking restaurant in Milledgeville, Ga., serves roast beef, grilled pork chops, chicken wings and oxtails with 24 sides from which to choose. Last spring, owners Jeri and Lucious Trawick opened a second restaurant in Eatonton, about 20 miles away, and Jeri decided to leave her full-time job to help shepherd the expansion.

Bipartisan health care plan would reduce deficit, experts say

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the ranking member, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, meet before the start of a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, the morning after they reached a deal to resume federal payments to health insurers that President Donald Trump had halted. A bill that would fund health care payments that have been called "bailouts" by President Donald Trump would drive down the deficit, according to congressional budget experts.

Sign-up season gears up as Trump seeks ‘Obamacare’ demise

Consumers can now begin previewing 2018 plans and premiums for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, even as President Donald Trump pursues his drive to dismantle the Obama-era law that has helped bring coverage to millions. In many cases, prospective customers will see higher premiums and less choice.