Health Care Reform

Sen. Tim Kaine, D- Va., talked about the pressure for the creation of a universal Medicare buy-in program at a hearing on the individual health insurance market organized by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

A new report from analysts at the Congressional Budget Office predicts that federal spending on subsidies for three major ACA individual health insurance subsidy programs could amount to just $729 billion over the period from 2017 through 2026.

The St. Louis-based company said Tuesday it will pay $3.75 billion to acquire "substantially all of the assets" of New York State Catholic Health Plan Inc., which does business as Fidelis Care.

Political analysts are not expecting either the Medicare for All team or the Graham-Cassidy team to have much luck with getting its proposal through Congress in time to have any effect on health coverage in 2018, but either package, or both, could shape future legislation.

Under the legislation proposed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, every U.S. household would receive comprehensive coverage in a publicly funded program.

Without an extension, funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program would be exhausted by the end of September, leaving nearly nine million children without health insurance.