Articles written by Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar
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Trump administration proposes higher 'Obamacare' premiums
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday announced proposed rule changes that would lead to a modest premium increase next year under the Affordable Care Act, potentially handing Democrats a new presidential-year health care issue....
Watchdog: Thousands more children may have been separated
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands more migrant children may have been split from their families than the Trump administration previously reported, in part because officials were stepping up family separations long before the border policy that prompted...
Liberals dare Trump to back their bills lowering drug prices
WASHINGTON (AP) — Challenging President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to cut prescription drug prices, congressional liberals proposed legislation Thursday to bring U.S. prices in line with the much lower costs in other countries. The...
As health law case goes to appeals court, sign-ups steady
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic attorneys general on Thursday appealed a federal court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional, as new enrollment numbers underscored the staying power of the Obama-era law. The government reported that...
Group backing private Medicare is funded by insurance giants
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group gaining influence in Washington as a champion for Medicare beneficiaries is bankrolled by major health insurance companies that are trying to cash in on private coverage offered through the federal health insurance program...
Obama health law sign-ups beat forecast despite headwinds
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Affordable Care Act has yet again beaten predictions of its downfall, as government figures released Wednesday showed unexpectedly solid sign-ups for health coverage next year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...
Ruling to strike down health law puts GOP in a quandary
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge's ruling that the Obama health law is unconstitutional has landed like a stink bomb among Republicans, who've seen the politics of health care flip as Americans increasingly value the overhaul's core parts,...
Federal judge rules health care overhaul unconstitutional
WASHINGTON (AP) — A conservative federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled the Affordable Care Act "invalid" on the eve of the sign-up deadline for next year. But with appeals certain, even the Trump White House said the law will remain in place for...
Health law sign-ups lagging as Saturday deadline is looming
WASHINGTON (AP) — With just days left to enroll, fewer people are signing up for the Affordable Care Act , even though premiums are stable, more plans are available and millions of uninsured people can still get financial help. Barring an...
More leeway for states to expand inpatient mental health
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration Tuesday allowed states to provide more inpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness by tapping Medicaid, a potentially far-reaching move to address issues from homelessness to violence....
Medicare expands access to in-home support for seniors
WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare is experimenting with a new direction in health care. Starting next year, seniors in many states will be able to get additional services such as help with chores and respite for caregivers through private Medicare...
Trump administration finalizes birth control opt-out policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after Republicans expanded their Senate majority, the Trump administration on Wednesday finalized a policy change that allows some employers with religious or moral objections to opt out of providing no-cost birth control...
Federal health care website up and running after slow start
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal website where consumers can get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act was up and running Thursday after a slow start as sign-up season for 2019 opened days before the midterm elections. During early morning ho...
Stable premiums, more options as health law sign-ups begin
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Affordable Care Act's sixth sign-up season opens Thursday amid stabilizing premiums and more choice for consumers. Nationally, average premiums are going up only by low single-digit percentages for 2019. In some states, and fo...
Trump says new proposal will lower some US drug prices
WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a plan to lower prices for some prescription drugs, saying it would stop unfair practices that force Americans to pay much more than...
Report: Agencies blindsided by Trump immigration order
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal immigration and health officials were blindsided by President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policy on migrants crossing the southwest border, triggering a cascade of problems as agencies struggled with the fallout from...
US health chief says overdose deaths beginning to level off
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of U.S. drug overdose deaths has begun to level off after years of relentless increases driven by the opioid epidemic, health secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday, cautioning it's too soon to declare victory. "We are so...
Hackers breach HealthCare.gov system, get data on 75,000
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government computer system that interacts with HealthCare.gov was hacked earlier this month, compromising the sensitive personal data of some 75,000 people, officials said Friday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...
Insurer Anthem will pay record $16M for massive data breach
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's second-largest health insurer has agreed to pay the government a record $16 million to settle potential privacy violations in the biggest known health care hack in U.S. history, officials said Monday. The personal...
Study: Without Medicaid expansion, poor forgo medical care
WASHINGTON (AP) — Low-income people in states that haven't expanded Medicaid are much more likely to forgo needed medical care than the poor in other states, according to a government report released Monday amid election debates from Georgia to...
Social Security checks will grow in 2019 as inflation rises
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tens of millions of Social Security recipients and other retirees will get a 2.8 percent boost in benefits next year as inflation edges higher. It's the biggest increase most retired baby boomers have gotten. Following a stretch...
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's dark portrait of Dem health plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump took a big step into the debate over the future of America's health care system with an op-ed column in USA Today on Wednesday that presented a bleak vision of what would happen under plans backed by many...
Social Security, Medicare oversight posts vacant for 3 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — Key posts overseeing the financial health of Social Security and Medicare have been vacant for more than three years, leaving the programs without independent accountability in the face of dire predictions about approaching...
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's undue credit for slowing health costs
WASHINGTON (AP) — What a difference a year makes. From predicting that the Affordable Care Act would "implode" and "explode," President Donald Trump is now claiming credit for modest average premium increases expected next year. In remarks this...
AP Exclusive: Data show big let-up in 'Obamacare' premiums
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of people covered under the Affordable Care Act will see only modest premium increases next year, and some will get a price cut. That's the conclusion from an exclusive analysis of the besieged but resilient program,...
