Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was criticized last week for soliciting private contributions to Enroll America, a non-governmental organization run by former Obama campaign operatives. The real monkey business is what the secretary is doing with taxpayers’ money — pouring it into community organizations. The pretext is that community organizations will do [...] Continue Reading 
Even before news organizations confirmed that Sarah Hall Ingram, who headed the tax-exempt division of the IRS, would lead agency’s implementation of the ACA, Republicans wasted no time trying to link the scandal to the law. As the investigation into the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups begins, here’s an explainer to answer the role that [...] Continue Reading 
Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona announced Friday afternoon that he will introduce a bill that would ban abortions after the fifth month of pregnancy (20 weeks after conception) nationwide–with exceptions for when the life or physical health of the mother is at risk. Why 20 weeks? Franks’s bill points out that the child in utero is very developed at [...] Continue Reading 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says it wants as many as 20 percent of its workers to “telework,” use an “alternative work schedule,” or do both, in order to “reduce green house gas emissions,” decrease “employee stress,” and give these government workers more time for “planning and preparing healthy meals.” So says [...] Continue Reading 
On Thursday, House Republicans once again voted to repeal President Obama’s health care law. I don’t think it’ll be a major spoiler to predict that the repeal bill won’t go any further. But I do think the vote is a good opportunity to reflect on the future of Obamacare, which I divide into four possible [...] Continue Reading 
A popular San Francisco restaurant called Bacon Bacon must shut its doors Friday after failed negotiations with neighbors who complained about the smell of bacon. The restaurant serves burgers, grilled cheeses, breakfast sandwiches, and more, all served with bacon. It also runs a food truck, which roams the city providing San Franciscans with bacon. But now [...] Continue Reading 
Byron York of the Washington Examiner wrote yesterday that the IRS scandal could lead to fears about the agency’s role in enforcing Obamacare: “The IRS will also decide who is, and who is not, eligible for Obamacare’s subsidies. The law authorizes the IRS to share confidential taxpayer information with the Department of Health and Human Services [...] Continue Reading 
According to a new analysis, health care reform in Massachusetts, popularly known as “Romneycare,” didn’t cause hospital use or costs to increase, even as it drove down the number of people without health insurance. Implemented by the state in 2006, and signed by then-Gov. Mitt Romney, the reform is looked at as a model for [...] Continue Reading 
The Internal Revenue Service official charged with overseeing tax-exempt organizations when conservative groups were targeted for extra scrutiny now runs the agency’s office responsible for implementing Obamacare. Sarah Hall Ingram was commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations from 2009 to 2012, ABC News reports. Ingram, however, is now director of the IRS’ Affordable [...] Continue Reading 
The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to repeal the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. With implementation of Obamacare set to begin later this year, the vote is largely symbolic. The Senate is highly unlikely to even take up a vote on repeal. The House voted for repeal 229-195, with votes cast almost entirely down party [...] Continue Reading