Talks over Pennsylvania budget deadlock take unexpected turn

Efforts to end Pennsylvania's 18-day stalemate over how to pay for a $32 billion budget took an unexpected turn Tuesday when House Republican leaders abruptly retreated from discussions over raising taxes to help stitch together the state government's threadbare finances. The new stance left Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf further away from an agreement to settle his third budget and more clearly facing the prospect of having to set at least $1.5 billion aside to balance the budget bill he let become law last week.

Doomed GOP plan leaves health-care industry in legislative limbo

But few health insurers, hospitals or doctors seem to know how to approach the next chapter in American health care now that Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act have all but collapsed. With Republicans in Congress reeling Tuesday from the failure of their latest Obamacare repeal effort, the health care industry is facing an accumulation of "ifs."

UPDATE 3-UnitedHealth beats profit estimates after Obamacare exit

UnitedHealth was losing money selling these plans when it withdrew last year, and it and other insurers questioned the sustainability of former President Barack Obama's health reform law. Republicans have vowed repeatedly to repeal and replace the law, but have disagreed on how to do that.

House budget blueprint boosts military, cuts food stamps

House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a budget that makes deep cuts in food stamps and other social safety net programs while boosting military spending by billions, a blueprint that pleases neither conservatives nor moderates.

Paul Ryan threw Republican senators under the bus on their healthcare failure

House Speaker Paul Ryan blamed Senate Republicans for the party's failure to pass an Obamacare repeal and replacement bill, saying he hopes House Republicans' "friends in the Senate can figure out how they can get a bill passed." Ryan made the comments at a press conference Tuesday morning, the day after two GOP lawmakers announced they would not support the bill, effectively killing it.

Health plan hinges on the young, but they’re a tough sell

Julian Senn-Raemont isn't convinced he needs to buy health insurance when he loses coverage under his dad's plan in a couple of years - no matter what happens in the policy debate in Washington, or how cheap the plans are. The 24-year-old musician hasn't known a world without a health care safety net.

Protesters Rally Against GOP Health Care Plan At Senate Office Building

Protesters again took to Capitol Hill on Monday to protest Senate Republicans' proposed health care bill, staging a demonstration in the Hart Senate Office Building, where several people were reportedly arrested. Demonstrators there urged Republican senators to vote against the bill, which would dismantle key portions of the Affordable Care Act and cause millions of people to lose their health care coverage, largely due to cuts to Medicaid.

Gova t to report on solvency of Social Security, Medicare

Republicans in Washington have been clamoring for years to address the long-term financial problems of Social Security and Medicare. On Thursday, the trustees who oversee the programs are scheduled to issue their annual warning about the finances of the federal government's two largest benefit programs.

Senators begin negotiations on new VA Choice Program

Members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee gained feedback this week about three draft proposals to reform how and when veterans seek private-sector health care, setting the stage for negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on what might be the biggest task for the committee this year. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the chairman of the committee, said an "amazing amount" has been accomplished so far this session and he contributed it to an amendable relationship between Republicans and Democrats on the committee.

Gov’t to report on solvency of Social Security, Medicare

Republicans in Washington have been clamouring for years to address the long-term financial problems of Social Security and Medicare. On Thursday, the trustees who oversee the programs are scheduled to issue their annual warning about the finances of the federal government's two largest benefit programs.

Talk of Bipartisan Health Care Bill Emerges Amid Floundering GOP Effort

The Republican effort to overhaul the U.S. health insurance system appears to be floundering, as GOP senators await additional details on a new draft of the legislation. While the initiative remains in limbo, more lawmakers are openly exploring the possibility of a bipartisan health care bill.

The Latest: McConnell praises new effort to repeal Obamacare

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is praising a last-ditch Republican bill to repeal and replace "Obamacare" - the latest sign the GOP's repeal effort may be back from the dead. McConnell calls the bill by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham "an intriguing idea, and one that has a great deal of support."

Senate prepares for new version of healthcare bill

The new healthcare bill is expected to include Sen. Ted Cruz's amendment allowing insurance companies to offer plans to do not satisfy all of Obamacare's requirements for essential care as long as they have at least one plan that does. But some centrist Republicans have voiced concerns that the amendment might make care for those with pre-existing conditions prohibitively expensive.

South Dakota GOP senators won’t commit to new health bill

In this Aug. 17, 2016, file photo, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., attends a forum with South Dakota's congressional delegation in Mitchell, S.D. Rounds said Wednesday, July 12, 2017, that changes expected to be unveiled in a revised Senate Republican health care bill will help improve the proposal.