Budget Battles
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Republicans Fume Over ‘Dumpster Fire’ Funding Bill
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Congress Struggles to Reach Deal to Avert Government Shutdown
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GOP Hardliners Say Border Bill Should Come Before Tax Cuts
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Senate Tees Up Vote on a Social Security Boost for Millions
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House Passes Massive Defense Bill
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Trump’s Tax and Tariff Plans Are a ‘Major Mistake,’ Biden Warns
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Trump ‘Can’t Guarantee’ Tariffs Won’t Raise Prices
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More Americans Say Healthcare Coverage Is Government’s Responsibility: Gallup
Is it the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage? Gallup pollsters found that 62% of U.S. adults now say yes , the highest percentage in more...
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Millions Would Lose Health Coverage if ACA Subsidies Expire: CBO
By Michael RaineyA massive legislative response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021 included more generous subsidies for those who get...
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Penn Economists Propose Reforms to Cut Debt Without Economic Damage
Economists at the Penn Wharton Budget Model have constructed a package of 13 major tax and spending reforms that they say can grow the U.S. economy while also reducing federal debt and enhancing the...
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Trump Picks TV’s Dr. Oz to Run Medicare and Medicaid
President-elect Donald Trump continued to fill the top levels of his administration on Tuesday, choosing Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of his presidential transition team and CEO of brokerage firm...
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Trump Drops Another Bombshell Cabinet Choice: RFK Jr. for HHS
Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are still grappling with how to handle a trio of shocking Cabinet nominations this week by President-elect Donald Trump. Even as questions continue to swirl...
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Trump Visits New Mexico Seeking to Boost ‘Credentials’ With Latinos
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday swung his campaign away from the seven key swing states to hold an event in Albuquerque, New Mexico — a state where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris...
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Speaker Johnson Promises ‘Massive Reform’ of Healthcare if Trump Wins
House Speaker Mike Johnson said this week that Republicans are planning for a “massive reform” of the U.S. healthcare system and the Affordable Care Act if Donald Trump wins a second term as...
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Medicaid Enrollment Drops 7.5%, Expected to Fall Further
By Michael RaineyThe Medicaid rolls declined by 7.5% in fiscal year 2024, the nonpartisan policy research group KFF reported this week in its annual survey of state Medicaid directors. The decline is expected to...
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Medicare Advantage Paid Billions for Questionable Home Diagnoses: Report
By Michael RaineyFor-profit insurers in the Medicare Advantage program boosted payments from the federal government by $4.2 billion last year after adding diagnoses for patients during home visits, even though those...
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Biden and Harris Celebrate $1 Billion in Savings from New Medicare Price Caps
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday hailed a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services that said that the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act saved Medicare...
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Insurers Bilk Medicare for $50 Billion to Treat Fictitious Illnesses
By Michael RaineyPrivate insurance firms running Medicare Advantage programs have been overcharging the federal government billions of dollars by making patients look sicker than they really are, according to a...
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Biden Administration to Reduce Prices on Dozens of Prescription Drugs in Medicare
By Michael RaineyThe Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will reduce the prices of 64 prescription drugs for Medicare enrollees as part of its effort to combat soaring pharmaceutical costs. The price...
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CBO Raises Its 2024 Deficit Forecast 27% to Nearly $2 Trillion
By Michael RaineyThe federal budget deficit will reach an estimated $1.9 trillion in fiscal year 2024, according to an updated outlook released by the Congressional Budget Office Tuesday. The new projection...
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Healthcare Spending Will Account for Almost 20% of US Economy by 2032: CMS
U.S. healthcare spending grew faster than the economy overall last year and is expected to continue doing so through 2032 as it climbs to nearly one-fifth of gross domestic product, according to a...
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1 in 8 US Adults Has Taken Ozempic or Other GLP-1 Drug: Survey
About 12% of American adults say they have used one of the increasingly popular weight loss and diabetes drugs known as GLP-1s, and 6% say they are currently taking such a drug, according to a new...