For seven years, Republicans in Congress have promised that repealing Obamacare would be a top priority. They have failed, at least for now. The Republican Senate made the decision yesterday not to have a vote on the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson legislation that would have repealed and replaced the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare. At least […]
Graham-Cassidy is Far Superior to Obamacare
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) introduced a replacement plan for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, on September 13, 2017. The Graham-Cassidy bill is expected to be considered on the floor of the Senate next week. As it gains support […]
Connecticut Legislature Passes a Bipartisan Budget Plan
Faced with a budget deficit of $3.5 billion over the next two years, and three months overdue on a budget for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, Connecticut lawmakers face a difficult situation and must make tough choices. In 2011 and 2015, the legislature tried to solve the state’s fiscal woes by passing big tax increases. […]
Liberal States Are Trying to Prop Up Obamacare
As Washington struggles with what may be its final chance to repeal Obamacare, the law’s problems in the states continue. One major problem that has plagued Obamacare for years is that not enough young and healthy people are signing up for health insurance coverage. The Obama administration, to coax more Americans into signing up, attempted […]
Eligibility Check Reveals Massive Medicaid Problems in Oregon
Oregon attracted national ridicule in 2013 and 2014 as its state-run online Obamacare exchange, Cover Oregon, epically failed to sign up even one person for coverage, despite a federal grant of $303 million. The fiasco was so colossal that the state gave up completely and had the federal government take over its enrollment for the […]
Are You Ready for Some Legalized Sports Betting?
If you were ready for some football, then the National Football League’s 2017 season opener on Thursday, September 7, provided quite a tasty first course: The Kansas City Chiefs upset the favored New England Patriots by a final score of 42-27, well outside the 8-point spread that bookmakers offered on the game. Bettors supporting the […]
Bill Addresses International Challenges to Online Privacy
American businesses have taken the lead in cloud computing technologies, enabling citizens around the world to communicate with each other, store photos, videos, and documents with greater security and at lower costs. However, as this technology continues to evolve, challenges in protecting individual privacy become more evident, including data of U.S. citizens that is stored […]
Two Significant Healthcare Bills Introduced to Replace Obamacare
On Wednesday, two important healthcare bills were introduced in the Senate to replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare. One bill, introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), would amend the healthcare reform legislation that passed the House in May, the American […]
No, Obamacare’s Problems Are Not Over
Last Wednesday, August 23, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that only one county, Paulding County, Ohio, would have no health insurers participating in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare. Admittingly, this was a very different scenario from what was anticipated just a few months ago. In June, the New York […]
The Can-Kicking Congress: Business as Usual
In political patois, “kicking the can down the road” connotes procrastination. As long as the proverbial can is kicked “down the road,” rather than picked up, then the proper disposition of the derelict container is put off until some future point in time. And much like the (equally proverbial) kicker’s aversion to taking definitive action on a relatively straightforward task, the U.S. Congress is composed of 535 “can kickers,” given their predilection to avoid taking action until the last possible minute. On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, when the current Congress reconvenes after its annual August recess, it will have less than a month to complete several “must pass” items.