In partial defense of Susan Collins, on the tax bill

Maine Sen. Susan Collins complained Tuesday that coverage of her role in crafting the Republican tax bill had been "unbelievably sexist" and had failed to note the ways in which she had gotten the law shaped to her liking. I think she has a point that the coverage has painted her as less successful in the tax negotiations than she really was.

More than 4 in 5 enrolled in ‘Obamacare’ are in Trump states

Americans in states that Donald Trump carried in his march to the White House account for more than 4 in 5 of those signed up for coverage under the health care law the president still wants to take down. An Associated Press analysis of new figures from the government found that 7.3 million of the 8.8 million consumers signed up so far for next year come from states Trump won in the 2016 presidential election.

Senate approves stopgap measure, evading shutdown35 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – Congress passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday, averting a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday but pushing into January showdowns on spending, immigration, health care and national security. Among the issues still to be resolved is federal aid for victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires.

Health care is the issue that won’t go away

AP file photo Retired family physician Jay Brock of Fredericksburg, Va., joins other protesters against the Republican health care bill in July outside the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., on Capitol Hill in Washington. A year after a big change in leadership, a survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 48 percent named health care as a top problem for the country.

With shutdown clock ticking, GOP struggles for spending deal

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walks through Statuary Hall for final passage of the Republican tax reform bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday. Republicans muscled the most sweeping rewrite of the nation's tax laws in more than three decades through the House.

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.