Obama’s back — for a day — in White House health bill push
With hugs, laughs and good-natured ribbing, Barack Obama on Tuesday returned to the White House for the first time in more than five years to savor the 12th anniversary of his signature health care law and give a boost to President Joe Biden’s efforts to expand it. The Affordable Care Act has survived repeated repeal attempts by Republicans.Biden, who was Obama’s No. 2 when “Obamacare” became law in March 2010, wants to extend the law’s reach to even more than the current millions. He gave all the credit for the original law to the former president. AP News, Read More.
Biden admin plots to fix Obamacare's 'family glitch,' expand coverage
The Biden administration is planning on Tuesday to propose a long-sought change to the Affordable Care Act aimed at lowering health insurance costs for millions of Americans, four people with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO. The new policy is designed to close a loophole in the ACA known as the “family glitch” that’s prevented an estimated 5 million people from qualifying for subsidized health plans — even when they can’t find affordable coverage elsewhere. Politico, Read More.
Stacey Abrams leans into Medicaid expansion as new bid for governor begins
When Stacey Abrams ran for governor in 2018, Brian Kemp’s advisers worried that she’d carve a path to victory by pulling off a dual narrative of being both an icon of the left and a pragmatic consensus-builder to middle-of-the-road voters. The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Read More.
‘It makes it hard to work’: The real cost of not expanding Medicaid in Mississippi
“I’m interested in holding hearings on Medicaid for the purposes of reform,” McMahan told Mississippi Today. “… I do not want to expand Medicaid to anyone who is not working, but for those Mississippians who are and do not have basic minimum coverage, (I support creating) a category for them to have basic emergency health care services.” McMahan’s father was a small business owner, and their family did not have health insurance. He remembers the $20,000 medical bill they incurred after he had an injury in the 1980s. “I am very sympathetic to working people that don’t have healthcare,” McMahan said. In the meantime, Wright and 300,000 other uninsured Mississippians remain without access to any healthcare — and Wright fears losing her job, or worse. Mississippi Today, Read More.
Health Mississippi Medicaid Mississippi House leaders kill postpartum Medicaid extension
“As I’ve said very publicly, I’m opposed to Medicaid expansion,” Gunn said Wednesday. “We need to look for ways to keep people off, not put them on.”Gunn said he is aware Mississippi has a high maternal mortality rate, but he has not seen data showing that extending postpartum coverage would save money. Asked whether it could save lives, Gunn said: “That has not been a part of the discussions that I’ve heard.”Hood, a Republican from Ackerman, would not answer questions Wednesday about why he did not seek a House vote on the bill.“We’ll continue to look at that issue in the next session,” Hood said. Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, sharply criticized Gunn and Hood for killing the bill. She noted Gunn has campaigned as “pro-life” because of his support for abortion restrictions.“They quite possibly killed moms who won’t have access to health coverage to address issues that may arise after giving birth,” Welchlin said. AP News, Read More.