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☆ Around 5.5 mln people have signed up for 2023 Obamacare plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People who want to choose a healthcare plan for 2023 under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, can enroll between Nov. 1 and Jan. 15. However, if they want to be covered as of Jan. 1 they generally need to choose a plan by Dec. 15. Around 1.2 million of the people who have signed up for the plans are new consumers, HHS said. In late November HHS said that nearly 3.4 million people had signed up for health plans. Companies that provide these plans include UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH.N), CVS Health (CVS.N), Centene Corp (CNC.N), and Elevance (ELV.N).

☆ Inside the stunning unraveling of Bright Health, a health-insurance upstart that rocketed to an $11.2 billion valuation and then cratered as it grew too fast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Bright Health Group grew fast. "We're just starting to realize the full potential of our differentiated model, and we're excited about the future of Bright Health Group," Bright CEO G. Mike Mikan told analysts at that investor event. Bright Health is one of a handful of upstarts trying to take on the health-insurance industry. Clover Health; Bright Health; Oscar Health; Olivia Reaney/Business InsiderBreaking into the health-insurance industry is tough. Bright moves to cut expensesAs losses mounted in 2021, Bright scrambled to raise capital.

☆ Ron DeSantis just announced he has a memoir coming out soon. Here's what we learned from his first book, a scathing take on Obama
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

DeSantis wrote the book during the Tea Party movement and before he ran for Congress. He did so throughout his 2011 book, "Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama." According to NPD BookScan, which tracks retail sales of US print books, "Dreams from Our Founding Fathers" sold 125 copies through July of 2022. In one section of the book, DeSantis wrote that Obama lacked the humility of George Washington, the first US president. Obama, DeSantis wrote, "garnered flattering media coverage by a press thoroughly enamored with his progressive politics."

☆ Texas Lawsuit Challenges Key Plank of Affordable Care Act
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Stephanie Armour | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Employers have often supported preventive-care services because they say it helps reduce healthcare costs. WASHINGTON—A key element of the Affordable Care Act hangs in the balance as a federal lawsuit in Texas is challenging the law’s requirement that most insurers cover an array of preventive health services that range from screenings for depression to mammograms. A district court judge ruled in September that the way a federal task force determines which services are covered is unconstitutional and said the health-insurance requirement for HIV-prevention medications violated a company’s religious freedom.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has won re-election in Alaska, NBC News projected Wednesday, dealing former President Donald Trump another loss in what has largely been a miserable midterm cycle for his hand-picked candidates in competitive Senate races. Murkowski, one of only seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump at his second impeachment trial, survived a challenge from Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, a former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner. Murkowski, Tshibaka, Democrat Patricia Chesbro and Republican Buzz Kelley all advanced from a nonpartisan August primary. The Alaska Republican Party censured her and Trump began calling her the “disaster from Alaska,” ultimately backing Tshibaka to challenge her. Murkowski also is known for her moderate profile in the Senate and for her willingness to work with Democrats.

☆ DeSantis' scathing book about Obama shows his 'individual freedom' philosophy, his disdain for the media, and how he studies other politicians
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

DeSantis wrote the book during the Tea Party movement and before he ran for Congress. He did so throughout his 2011 book, "Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama." DeSantis wrote the book as he was coming of age in politics during the Tea Party movement. In one section of the book, DeSantis wrote that Obama lacked the humility of George Washington, the first US president. Obama, DeSantis wrote, "garnered flattering media coverage by a press thoroughly enamored with his progressive politics."

☆ The Senate Judiciary Committee will review reports that Alito's Hobby Lobby decision was leaked to an anti-abortion leader: 'another black mark on the Supreme Court's increasingly marred ethical recor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Anti-abortion leaders knew about a 2014 Supreme Court decision before it was official, NYT reported. Alito's Hobby Lobby decision on contraception would be the second of two known leaks from the court. The Senate Judiciary Committee will investigate the allegations, AP reported. The Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision held that corporations can refuse on religious grounds to pay for contraception as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Representatives for the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Durbin, and the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Throughout the town’s setbacks, generations of locals have taken their first and last breaths at Greenwood Leflore Hospital. On Nov. 4, talks with a larger hospital in Jackson that local officials had hoped would take over Greenwood Leflore fell through. Leflore County Supervisor Board President Robert Collins said finances are already strained, but the county can most likely put up about $3.5 million for Greenwood Leflore. Dr. Roderick Givens, who treats cancer patients at the Greenwood Leflore Hospital, is working with other local leaders to keep the facility open. When Greenwood Leflore opened in 1906, it initially operated out of a mansion repurposed as a medical facility.

☆ Nevada is 1 of 5 states with over 10% Asian Americans. Both parties courted vote, but Dems won out.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

In the highly competitive swing state of Nevada, both parties aggressively courted Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ahead of last week's midterm elections, but Democrats managed to clinch the group's vote. Koo said both parties made significant efforts to appeal to Asian Americans, particularly in comparison to elections past. “The main industry there is service and hospitality, and there’s a lot of Asian Americans that are employed by that industry,” Wong said. Democratic candidates in Nevada, who are often more moderate than those on the coasts, may naturally align more with the Asian American community. “We’re starting to see with younger Asian American voters, climate is a huge conversation that everyone is having.

☆ A former anti-abortion leader says he was told the decision of the landmark 2014 Hobby Lobby contraception case weeks before the Supreme Court ruling was formally announced: NYT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An anti-abortion leader said he was told of the Supreme Court's 2014 Hobby Lobby ruling in advance, per The New York Times. According to Schenck, the outcome of the Hobby Lobby case was only known to a very small contingent of individuals. In the letter to Roberts, Schenck spoke of the process in which the revelation about the Hobby Lobby case played out. "As I recall, we talked about the Green family, owners of Hobby Lobby, and how they, too, would be interested in this information." Gayle Wright told The Times that she didn't pass on any information about the Hobby Lobby decision in advance.

CNN Business —President Joe Biden will sit down Friday with business executives and labor leaders to highlight recent progress in combating inflation and steadying the economy, a White House official told CNN. “Thanks to the President’s economic plan, the U.S. economy has created 10 million jobs—including 700,000 manufacturing jobs—since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration,” a White House official said. “We are seeing initial signs that inflation is coming down: the October Consumer Price Index showed moderation in inflation, as did the October Producer Price Index released this week. Biden’s sit-down with the business and labor executives comes two days after he returned from a week-long trip to several global conferences. The Consumer Price Index slowed to a 7.7% annual gain last month, a slower pace than the 8% that economists had been expecting.

☆ Biden celebrates Pelosi as 'the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in our history' after she announces leadership exit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden heralded Nancy Pelosi as "the most consequential" House speaker in US history. Pelosi announced she will not seek re-election to her leadership post but will continue to represent her House district. Biden called Pelosi on Thursday morning to congratulate her on her "historic tenure," according to the White House. "She might be stepping down from her leadership role in the House Democratic Caucus, but she will never waiver in protecting our sacred democracy," Biden said. "Nancy Pelosi is first, last, and always for the people."

☆ Nancy Pelosi announces leadership exit after 2 decades leading House Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she is stepping aside from her leadership role. The decision comes after Republicans narrowly won the House majority. The decision comes in the wake of Republicans narrowly winning the House majority, ending Pelosi's latest two consecutive terms as Speaker. "Never had I thought that someday I would go from homemaker to House Speaker," the California Democrat, first elected in 1987, said. At 82, Pelosi has long served alongside House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 83, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, 82, in leadership.

☆ Pelosi snubs Trump in leadership exit announcement, says she 'enjoyed' working with 3 presidents: Bush, Obama, and Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she's stepping down from leadership after two decades. She mentioned she 'enjoyed' working with three presidents: Bush, Obama, and Biden. Speaking on the House floor, Pelosi took a victory lap over legislative achievements she'd had under former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, holding up three fingers and saying she "enjoyed working under three presidents." Without saying "Trump," however, Pelosi did reflect on the threat posed to democracy when a mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Pelosi later told reporters that she ripped up the speech because "it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives."

☆ U.S. House Speaker Pelosi wraps up long and historic leadership career
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

For our daughters and our granddaughters, now the sky is the limit," Pelosi said after first becoming speaker in 2007. As speaker, Pelosi helped pass the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a law dubbed Obamacare that enabled millions of previously uninsured Americans to obtain medical coverage. The visit capped decades of Pelosi's high-profile opposition to China's authoritarian rulers including President Xi Jinping. During her first stint as speaker, Pelosi called Bush "a total failure." Though branded a West Coast liberal by Republicans, Pelosi first learned politics 60 years ago on the East Coast as the daughter of a big-city mayor and congressman, Baltimore's Thomas "Big Tommy" D'Alesandro.

☆ Several lawmakers have asked Nancy Pelosi to continue leading the House Democratic caucus, pointing to her ability to maintain discipline: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Several lawmakers have approached Pelosi about staying on as House Democratic leader, per CNN. In a closely-divided House, some Democrats want to see Pelosi remain in her leadership role. "Until then, let's all enjoy watching Kevin McCarthy lose a speakership his party hasn't even won in the first place." As of Nov. 12, Republicans have won 210 seats, while Democrats have claimed 198 seats, according to Insider and DDHQ. Republicans last controlled the lower chamber in January 2019, when they ceded their majority to the Democratic Party after losing seats in the 2018 midterms.

Nov 11 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Texas ruled on Friday that President Joe Biden's administration had wrongly interpreted an Obamacare provision as barring health care providers from discriminating against gay and transgender people. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo ruled that a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2020 holding that a law barring workplace discrimination protects gay and transgender employees did not apply to the healthcare law. "Title IX's ordinary public meaning remains intact until changed by Congress, or perhaps the Supreme Court," Kacsmaryk wrote. The Obama administration introduced rules in 2016 that made clear that LGBT people would be protected under the healthcare discrimination provision. In June, the Biden administration proposed a rule to once again enshrine such protections.

The ballot measure amended the state constitution to enshrine expansion for Medicaid health care coverage to all adults who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Eliot Fishman, the senior director of health policy for the health care advocacy group Families USA, said that in South Dakota parents with practically any work income were ineligible for Medicaid. It took over two years, because advocates first pursued the process in South Dakota in October 2020. Supporters cheer for South Dakota Gov. Medicaid expansion, however, would not remain its focus.

Vallejo is one of three South Texas Democrats locked in highly competitive congressional races with Republicans who are Latina. “This is South Texas fighting for South Texas, and I need everybody in this fight with me,” Vallejo said at the event Monday. Clinton praised gains and growth in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. McCarthy, R-Calif., was in South Texas on Sunday for an event on behalf of the three Republican Latina congressional candidates who call themselves the Triple Threat. “We think it’s great that Bill Clinton is campaigning for Texas Democrats.

☆ Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa's longest-serving US senator in state history, faces off against Democrat Mike Franken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Explore more race results below. Sen. Chuck Grassley is running against Democrat Mike Franken in Iowa's Senate race. Iowa Senate candidatesGrassley, who is seeking an 8th term that would keep him in office well into his 90s, is one of the chamber's feistiest octogenarians. The money raceAccording to OpenSecrets, Grassley has raised more than $9.8 million, spent more than $8.6 million, and has $2.16 million cash on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Franken, has raised more than $9.2 million, spent $8.6 million, and has $608,000 million cash on hand, as of October 19.

Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is running for reelection against Democratic Lt. Gov. Senate Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. (1 District) Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. WI-03 House Governor Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Barnes has raised nearly $34.6 million, spent $32 million, and has almost $2.6 million in the bank, as of October 19.

☆ Republican Sen. Mike Lee faces off against independent Evan McMullin in the Utah Senate race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee is running for a 3rd term against independent candidate Evan McMullin. In the Senate, Lee serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging. Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin. Republicans have won every presidential race in the state since 1968, often with landslide margins, and the last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state was Frank Moss in 1970. In the 2020 presidential election, Trump defeated now-President Joe Biden in Utah by 20 points (58%-38%), a significant drop from Romney's sweeping victory (73%-25%) over Obama in 2012.

☆ 6 health insurance terms you need to know as open enrollment begins
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

PremiumsThe premium is the sum you pay an insurer each month to participate in the health plan. It's perhaps the most transparent and easy-to-understand cost component of a health plan — the equivalent of a sticker price. Eighty-eight percent of workers covered by a health plan have a deductible in 2022, according to KFF. For example, would you struggle to pay a $1,000 medical bill if you require health care? If so, a health plan with a larger monthly premium and a smaller deductible may be your best bet, Sun said.

☆ Asian Americans have some of the highest levels of support for abortion rights — and it's driving them to vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

With studies finding that Asian American and Pacific Islanders show some of the highest levels of support for abortion rights, community leaders are expecting this issue to drive Asian Americans to the polls — many for the first time ever. “AAPIs view abortion not as the singular act of abortion, but as health care,” said Varun Nikore, executive director of the nonprofit AAPI Victory Alliance. While some researchers point to flaws in the polling (most notably that Pew only surveyed English speakers), they say there’s no doubt that Asians show the highest level of support when it comes to abortion rights. “That tells me that abortion rights and reproductive rights are likely what’s driving that prioritization,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and director of demographic data and policy research at AAPI Data. A younger crop of Asian voters newly engaged by the Dobbs ruling are initiating these conversations with their elders, too.

☆ Biden and Obama to campaign together for the first time during midterm-election push
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama will appear on the campaign trail together Saturday for the first time since Biden took office. Democratic Senate hopeful John Fetterman and gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro will join the presidents at the event. Trump has endorsed the celebrity doctor and Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz as well as Republican candidate Doug Mastriano for governor. Oz's campaign launched attacks on Fetterman's health and questioned whether he is physically fit to take office. In turn, Fetterman's campaign has blasted Oz, a wealthy TV star, as an out-of-touch carpetbagger from New Jersey who got rich by promoting sometimes-dubious health information to his audiences.

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