Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Members FAQ
    • Sign In
    • Exclusive Analysis
    • My Favorites
  • Resources
    • Political Calendar
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Archives for Obamacare

Lawmaker Gets Unexpected Response to Obamacare

March 27, 2015 at 2:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 77 Comments

Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) posted a call on Facebook for horror stories about the Affordable Care Act on the 5th anniversary of the law.

But as Crooks and Liars notes, “What she received was something else entirely. There are many replies, with most telling her to quit attacking it and get about the job of making it better.”

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, Obamacare

Quote of the Day

March 24, 2015 at 3:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

“There was a presidential candidate who ran in 2012 promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and that campaign pledge didn’t work out very well for him.”

— White House press secretary Josh Earnest, quoted by The Hill, noting the GOP presidential candidates who want to repeal Obamacare.

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign, Health Care Tagged With: Josh Earnest, Obamacare

GOP Governor Wants Obamacare Upheld

March 17, 2015 at 11:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 16 Comments

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R) said that even though he thinks the Affordable Care Act is bad policy, he hopes the Supreme Court will reject the case and uphold the law, the Casper Star Tribune reports.

Said Mead: “If on June 30, if that’s when the case comes down, and they say no more subsidies for federal exchanges … it is going to cause a lot of turmoil. Not just for the state, and for those people, but for the private sector as well.”

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Matt Mead, Obamacare, Wyoming

Unlock Political Wire for more.

Join for as low as $6 per month. Learn more.

Already a member? Sign in here.

 

16.4 Million Have Gained Health Insurance

March 16, 2015 at 11:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 28 Comments

More than 16 million Americans have gained insurance coverage as a result of President Obama’s health care law, the administration said as the White House prepares to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the law’s signing, the AP reports.

“Most of those gaining coverage — 14.1 million adults – got their insurance after the law’s big expansion began at the end of 2013. Another 2.3 million people had gained coverage previously. Those were young adults allowed to remain on a parent’s plan until age 26 under one of the law’s most popular provisions.”

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

Arguments Reveal No Clear Winner in Obamacare Case

March 4, 2015 at 11:56 am EST By Taegan Goddard 66 Comments

The Supreme court heard arguments on a second major challenge to President Obama’s healthcare law, “but no clear majority was immediately apparent in the case that takes aim at a pivotal part of the statute providing tax subsidies to help people afford insurance,” Reuters reports.

New York Times: “As expected, the court’s four liberal members voiced strong support for the administration’s position. But the administration must almost certainly capture the vote of either Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. or Justice Anthony M. Kennedy to prevail. The chief justice said almost nothing.”

A decision is due by the end of June.

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

Supreme Court Hears an Obamacare Fairytale

March 2, 2015 at 9:48 am EST By Taegan Goddard 36 Comments

Steven Brill: “Congress knew exactly what it wanted to do when it passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and contrary to the plaintiffs’ claim, that included wanting subsidies for buying health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges to be available to all citizens, even those residing in the 36 states that did not set up their own exchanges, instead relying on the exchange set up by the federal government.”

“I’m a reporter. I hate to take sides… But this is one of those issues where reporters err if they write an ‘on the one hand, on the other hand’ story that creates patently false equivalency.”

“I know what the legislators intended because in researching my book, I interviewed pretty much everyone involved in the conception and writing of the law. Moreover, I did that long before King v. Burwell had become the Obamacare opponents’ favorite new weapon, which means that those opponents had no reason to spin the fairytale that Congress did not intend for those subsidies to go to the millions of Americans signing up on the federally run exchange. At the time, no one had a dog in a fight over congressional intent, because there was no fight.”

Think Progress gives odds on how each Justice will vote.

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

GOP Worries About Backlash If Court Guts Obamacare

March 1, 2015 at 10:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard 76 Comments

“Republican fears are mounting over a Supreme Court case that the party has long hailed as its best chance to undo Obamacare,” The Hill reports.

“The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday on a GOP-backed case that threatens to erase healthcare subsidies for 8 million people. The vast stakes are raising alarm among Republicans, particularly in the Senate, who increasingly fear a backlash at the polls if their party can’t find a fix.”

Filed Under: Health Care, Judiciary Tagged With: Obamacare

What If the Supreme Court Guts Obamacare?

February 26, 2015 at 8:08 am EST By Taegan Goddard 66 Comments

Joshua Green: “The possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will soon eliminate federal subsidies for people buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is the biggest story in politics and economics that no one wants to talk about. But the stakes in King v. Burwell, which the court will hear on March 4, could scarcely be higher: If the plaintiffs prevail, millions of people in 34 states who bought insurance on federal exchanges would suddenly lose the subsidies that make it affordable. Consequently, most would lose their coverage.”

“The immediate effect of a ruling against the ACA would be to hurl the political system, and no small part of the economy, into chaos. Yet there’s little sign that Washington is preparing for that scenario. Democrats won’t talk about what they would do because they don’t want the court to believe they could contain the fallout. Republicans don’t want to talk because they’re loath to admit that, even after voting 67 times to repeal or defund the ACA, they have no plan to help the millions who would be affected.”

Wonk Wire: Indifference to the Obamacare ruling from many governors

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

Sign Up Period for Obamacare Extended

February 20, 2015 at 10:19 am EST By Taegan Goddard 24 Comments

“The Obama administration said it would allow people to sign up for plans on HealthCare.gov through April to avoid tax penalties for going uncovered in 2015,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The extension, which adds more than two months to the enrollment period for health coverage this year, was announced by Health and Human Services officials on Friday.”

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

Obamacare Fans See Supreme Court Case Unraveling

February 14, 2015 at 12:28 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 88 Comments

“Supporters of Obamacare think they’ve found a fatal flaw in the GOP-led legal challenge to the healthcare law at the Supreme Court,” The Hill reports.

“Legal experts in favor of the Affordable Care Act say new information unearthed about the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell could derail the case before the justices have a chance to rule.”

Filed Under: Health Care, Judiciary Tagged With: Obamacare

The GOP’s Obamacare Dilemma

February 3, 2015 at 10:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard 34 Comments

“The Supreme Court could be months away from blowing a huge hole in Obamacare — and Republicans on Capitol Hill are at odds over how they’ll respond if their side wins,” Politico reports.

“If they simply ‘fix’ Obamacare, they‘ll anger their right wing that wants the party to focus solely on repealing the law. If they do nothing, they invite blame for making health care unaffordable for millions of Americans — including some of their own constituents.”

Wonk Wire: Obamacare will cost $600 million less than previously expected

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

Quote of the Day

January 22, 2015 at 7:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

“I gotta tell you, turning down your money back to Montana on an ideological basis, when people can lose their lives because they get no help, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

— Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), quoted by the Great Falls Tribune, speaking to Montana Republicans in support of Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: John Kasich, Obamacare

GOP Moves Away from Full Repeal of Obamacare

January 16, 2015 at 7:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

“Republicans are shifting their tactics on Obamacare, an abrupt change from the party’s “repeal-only” rhetoric that dominated the last five years of debate,” The Hill reports.

“The GOP is coalescing around the idea that incremental changes, rather than a sweeping repeal effort, can be more appealing to voters – while also holding out the possibility of hollowing out the law from within.”

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

The Woman Who May Decide Obamacare’s Fate

January 15, 2015 at 5:55 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

“Elizabeth MacDonough holds no elected office. Few people outside of Capitol Hill even know her name. And forget about knowing her political leanings or loyalties. But she may very well be the most powerful person in Washington in determining how far Republicans can go in trying to repeal Obamacare,” Politico reports.

“As the Senate parliamentarian, MacDonough will make the decisions on which pieces of the law qualify to be repealed using a complicated budget procedure called reconciliation. Her decisions would allow Senate Republicans to vote to kill major provisions of the health care law under a simple 51-vote majority without giving Democrats a chance to filibuster.”

Wonk Wire: Republicans united on the politics of Obamacare

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

Reid Blames Obamacare Rollout for Democratic Losses

December 10, 2014 at 6:58 am EST By Taegan Goddard 28 Comments

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) told Politico that it was the bungled website and the rollout of the Affordable Care Act last fall that cost Democrats the majority and gave Republicans “ammunition to go after all of my candidates” — nothing else.

Said Reid: “We never recovered from the Obamacare rollout. I’m not going to beat up on Obama. The rollout didn’t go well. We never recovered from that.”

Asked about the lessons he drew from the losses, Reid paused for a second and said: “Have a better rollout of Obamacare.”

Filed Under: 2014 Campaign Tagged With: Harry Reid, Obamacare

Gruber Apologizes for Remarks Over Obamacare

December 9, 2014 at 2:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 25 Comments

Jonathan Gruber, the health economist whose incendiary comments about “the stupidity of the American voter” have embarrassed the Obama administration, apologized for what he described as his “glib, thoughtless and sometimes downright insulting comments,” the New York Times reports.

Said Gruber: “I am not a political adviser nor a politician.”

Gruber also minimized his role, saying he had used an “economic microsimulation model” to help the administration and Democrats in Congress assess the impact of policies in the Affordable Care Act.

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

The GOP’s Last Chance to Fight Obamacare

December 7, 2014 at 8:51 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

“The GOP is refocusing its attention on the courts as it searches for any way to weaken President Obama’s signature healthcare law while he continues to wield a veto pen,” The Hill reports.

“The reach to the Supreme Court is part of a flurry of recent legal action that reflects a growing consensus within the GOP that the party must rely on courts instead of Congress to strike down ObamaCare, especially as more pieces of the law are put into place.”

Wonk Wire: Where are the soaring health care costs?

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

Bonus Quote of the Day

December 2, 2014 at 3:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 52 Comments

“I would assume you could have a mulligan here, a major do-over.”

— Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), quoted by the Wall Street Journal, suggesting a major revamp of national health care legislation if the Supreme Court rules against a key provision of Obamacare.

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Obamacare

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »


Classified Ads

☑️ Get 25% off any shared eCommerce or Managed WordPress hosting plan at WP Engine.

July 1

☑️ The Almanac of American Politics 2022 is the gold standard of accessible political information, relied on by everyone involved, invested or interested in politics in America.

July 1

Place an ad.

Your Account

Sign in

Latest for Members

  • The Will of the Majority?
  • A Few Thoughts for the End of the Week

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2022 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC