Illinois governor agrees to allow Medicaid for abortions

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner ended months of speculation Thursday and signed legislation allowing state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions, as the first-term Republican reversed his stance on the proposal from last spring. The General Assembly controlled by Democrats approved the measure in May but delayed sending it to Rauner until Monday, in part because he has changed his mind about support of the plan.

Medicaid has a bull’s-eye on its back, which means no one is entirely safe

When high levels of lead were discovered in the public water system in Flint, Mich., in 2015, Medicaid stepped in to help thousands of children get tested for poisoning and receive care. When disabled children need to get to doctors' appointments - either across town or hundreds of miles away - Medicaid pays for their transportation.

A New Obamacare Repeal Draft Is Out And It Attacks Pre-Existing Protections More Severely

Based on initial inspection, it is a lot like the original bill, which would have decimated existing federal health programs. But the new legislation, which Politico and Vox first reported, also includes two key sets of changes - an even more aggressive assault on protections for people with pre-existing conditions, as well as some extra money for a handful of states.

Does the Cassidy-Graham health-care bill have constitutional problems?

Sen. Bill Cassidy , center, joined by fellow senators, including Sen. Lindsey O. Graham , far left, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , far right, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Sept. 19. The Affordable Care Act faced immediate constitutional challenges once it was enacted.

3 Critical Things We Don’t Know About the Health Care Bill That Could Pass Next Week

Like a reanimated corpse in the final frames of a horror film, the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act lurched back to life this week, giving the American public one last jump scare. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised the Senate will hold a vote on the new Graham-Cassidy bill before his window to repeal Obamacare with a simple majority closes next Friday.

Medicaid-expansion states to lose $180 billion under Cassidy-Graham plan, new report says

Senate Republicans are trying to revive the momentum to overhaul the Affordable Care Act with the Cassidy-Graham proposal. Here are five things to know about the plan and the rush to pass it.

These groups not happy with latest Obamacare repeal effort

Even as Republicans scramble to find the votes to pass their latest attempt to repeal Obamacare, the list of advocacy and industry groups opposed to the bill continues to grow. On Wednesday, the two major health insurance industry associations voiced their concerns about the legislation, which would jettison several major Obamacare provisions and curtail federal support of Medicaid.

With CBO sidelined, key senator turns to Trump administration’s …

A key Republican senator, who is likely to decide the fate of her party's latest effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act and phase-out Medicaid , says she will rely on a Trump administration office with a history of producing cooked figures in order to determine whether to back the bill. Earlier this week, the Congressional Budget Office announced that, due to the rushed process Senate Republicans are using to try to pass the latest version of Trumpcare, it will not be able to fully evaluate the bill until after a vote is expected next week.

Republicans Eye Last-Ditch Attempt to Repeal Obamacare, Again

But in a startling reversal of fortune over the last week, Republicans lawmakers have resuscitated a new effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. The bill in question, Graham-Cassidy, named for its co-sponsors Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Bill Cassidy, has earned the White House's backing, and received tacit support on Tuesday from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Reinsurance approval costly for Minnesota

Minnesota is at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for the state's health care program for the working poor as it pursues a waiver aimed at lowering premiums for people buying insurance through the state exchange. Gov. Mark Dayton wrote Tuesday to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price urging President Donald Trump's administration to "reverse this very destructive financial penalty" to MinnesotaCare, the state's program that covers those who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but can't afford private coverage.

Last-Ditch Obamacare Repeal Is Worth Taking Seriously

The Republicans are making yet another run at repealing Obamacare, this time with a bill sponsored by Republican senators Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, and Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana. While this legislation doesn't seem workable in its current form, as the old saying about Richard Wagner's music goes, the bill is in some respects "better than it sounds."

What’s in the latest Obamacare repeal bill?

Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana last week released a bill that would eliminate or overhaul major sections of the health reform law. The duo had been trying to garner interest in earlier versions of their bill for months, but hadn't gotten much traction.

Five bipartisan steps toward stabilizing our health-care system

Bill Frist is senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former Republican Senate majority leader from Tennessee. Andy Slavitt is former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama administration and senior adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Advertising budget for Obamacare to be cut 90 pct.: U.S. health agency

The Wolfeboro woman facing animal cruelty charges after 75 Great Danes were seized from her mansion will have to wait until next week to learn whether a judge will allow her to place them with new... The Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics finalized terms of their Aug. 22 trade Wednesday night, with the Celtics sweetening the deal with a second-round ... (more)