UPDATE—ObamaCare in the Courts: King vs. Sebelius
UPDATE—ObamaCare in the Courts: King vs. Sebelius
This week, the media and public have been sharply focused on congressional hearings on the calamitous ObamaCare rollout and glitch-ridden health exchange websites. But there may be a far more important ObamaCare venue this week: Richmond, Va. On Oct. 31, a federal judge will hear oral arguments in King vs. Sebelius, a case in which...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare: Millions losing their health insurance plans
ObamaCare: Millions losing their health insurance plans
President Barack Obama promised in 2009, “If you like your health plan, you will be able to keep your health plan.” Yet Americans across the country are receiving notices that their health insurance plans in the individual market are being canceled as a result of ObamaCare. A recent Chicago Sun-Times article featured Sue Klinkhamer, a former...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Illinois Obamacare grant goes to California
Illinois Obamacare grant goes to California
A California group with a history of making political contributions to Illinois politicians and connections to the Obama administration was awarded a federal “navigator” grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, to help Illinoisans enroll in the Obamacare health insurance exchange. The East Los Angeles Community Union, or TELACU, was awarded...
By Jackson Adams
Nearly 200K Illinois Medicaid enrollees found ineligible for the program
Nearly 200K Illinois Medicaid enrollees found ineligible for the program
In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois’ 2.7 million Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to...
By Jonathan Ingram
ObamaCare: The national punch line
ObamaCare: The national punch line
Comedian Jon Stewart ranted recently that there are more people who believe that ObamaCare was repealed than who have signed up for it. The president’s signature achievement is now a national punch line. The federal ObamaCare health insurance exchange website, healthcare.gov, has been plagued with problems since it was unveiled on Oct. 1. Many have...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
UPDATE—Judge allows suit challenging ObamaCare subsidies
UPDATE—Judge allows suit challenging ObamaCare subsidies
While the media and public are focused on the calamitous ObamaCare rollout and glitch-ridden health exchange websites, several court cases challenging the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, are working their way through the courts. Today, one of those cases could deal ObamaCare a severe legal blow. Judge Paul Friedman of the federal district court for...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare triage
ObamaCare triage
The Obama administration has emerged from its bunker and is now in full-fledge campaign mode on ObamaCare after the recently unveiled online enrollment system has encountered numerous glitches and low sign-up rates. The most revealing thing about President Barack Obama’s Rose Garden speech this morning is that – after a calamitous roll-out – he never...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
75 percent of Illinois Medicaid cases reviewed last week had eligibility errors
75 percent of Illinois Medicaid cases reviewed last week had eligibility errors
In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois’ 2.7 million Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to...
By Jonathan Ingram
ObamaCare: Quinn touts 100K enrollees; all in Medicaid
ObamaCare: Quinn touts 100K enrollees; all in Medicaid
Gov. Pat Quinn has been touting 100,000 new Cook County enrollees as evidence of ObamaCare’s success. The reality is that this claim reflects both desperate and creative government accounting. The governor was referring to 100,000 people who enrolled in the state’s Medicaid expansion program earlier this year under an early pilot project in Cook County....
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare: Rate shock in Illinois and across the nation
ObamaCare: Rate shock in Illinois and across the nation
One of the harsh realities of ObamaCare is that the insurance plans available under the president’s sweeping law are more expensive than insurance that is currently available. For example, a 27-year-old man living in Chicago would pay $125 per month for the lowest-cost “bronze” plan under ObamaCare. If that individual had an income of $25,000,...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare: Who is eligible for coverage?
ObamaCare: Who is eligible for coverage?
Under the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, individuals are required to have health insurance coverage by Jan. 1, 2014, or pay a fine. This provision of the law is called the individual mandate. There are a number of ways that people can obtain coverage under ObamaCare if they do not currently get...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
More than 73 percent of Illinois Medicaid cases reviewed last week had eligibility errors
More than 73 percent of Illinois Medicaid cases reviewed last week had eligibility errors
In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois’ 2.7 million Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to...
By Jonathan Ingram
Indiana sues IRS over ObamaCare employer mandate
Indiana sues IRS over ObamaCare employer mandate
While the media and public are focused on lawmakers’ fight over ObamaCare and the federal budget, a bigger fight is taking place in the courts. On Oct. 8, the state of Indiana, along with 15 school districts, filed suit against the Internal Revenue Service over ObamaCare’s employer mandate. Under the law, large employers are required...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare: Time for heads to roll?
ObamaCare: Time for heads to roll?
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is in damage control mode in the wake of the glitches and failures of ObamaCare’s grand unveiling. Her op-ed in USA Today calls the government’s ObamaCare website “simple, user-friendly.” She also appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But her next appearance might be in...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman