The mandate that you must buy health insurance or face a hefty penalty is dead. Whether you think this is a good idea or a bad idea, you have to acknowledge that Senator Tom Cotton played a key role in making this happen. As we noted on TAP last month, Sen. Cotton was a leading proponent of including the individual mandate repeal in tax reform legislation. The final version … [Read more...]
Tax Bill May Repeal Obamacare Mandate
Senator Tom Cotton is a long-time foe of Obamacare’s mandate — the mandate that requires everyone to purchase health insurance (also known as the “individual mandate”). The tax reform legislation moving through the Senate may finally give him a victory on that front. Arkansas’s junior senator sponsored legislation with Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) in October that would repeal … [Read more...]
Hutchinson: “Too Many” On Medicaid Expansion; ‘Arkansas Works’ Needs More Work Requirements
There are “too many” Arkansans on Obamacare Medicaid expansion plans, according to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and the program needs to be amended to “go further” in requiring work from enrollees. Hutchinson’s comments follow a report released by the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) this month that shows Medicaid expansion enrollment in Arkansas is 51 percent over … [Read more...]
Hutchinson: “Dramatic Changes” Expected With O’Care Under Trump
Only time will tell if President-elect Donald Trump can make America Great Again. However, in the near term, he’s at least made politics interesting again. From health care, to taxes, to regulatory policy (among other matters), the election of Trump has given conservatives a huge (one might even say yuuugee) opportunity to roll back many of the excesses of the Obama … [Read more...]
CBO: Medicaid Expansion Won’t Save Hospitals
Hospital revenue received from Medicaid expansion is “not sufficient” to “dramatically alter” hospitals’ bottom lines, according to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). From Chris Jacobs at National Review: That’s why a report released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) earlier this month should be read by every state legislator in every state … [Read more...]