The drivers of the 2026 midterm elections are crystallizing. The voters are deciding what this election is about. Of course, as a midterm, our sitting president, Donald Trump, plays a significant role, but he’s by no means the only factor. Once again, the economy holds center stage.
The media has branded this year’s form of economic concern the affordability crisis, and to some degree, that moniker fits. In that context, one expense is quickly emerging as the fastest driver of budgetary pain for millions of Americans. And that would be the unbearable rise in the out-of-pocket costs of health insurance. This issue is not about access to coverage. It’s about the rapid rise in the cost of coverage and the ever-shrinking nature of that coverage.
The vast majority of voters are now certain that health insurance companies are taking advantage of them with price-gouging, vertical integration, and a lack of transparency, with next to nothing being done to stop it. Today, voters are primed to reward a candidate who is willing to fight back against the insurance giants with their vote.
As pollsters, we’ve tracked voter sentiment on the issues they will take to the ballot box for decades. This year, health insurance costs have cemented themselves as a primary driver of cost-of-living concerns.
In our recent national polling, 36% of voters said healthcare costs were a top concern, trailing only groceries and gas. Of those top three concerns, healthcare costs are the area where our elected officials can make the most impact.
Over the last 14 months, our polling shows an increase in concerns over rising health insurance costs. And voters in focus groups routinely tell us this is an area neither party is addressing.
The voters are loud and clear on what they want the government to do. Overall, 60% say Congress should focus on health insurance companies to solve the problems affecting them the most, with majorities across party lines pointing their fingers in the same direction. Comparatively, 18% say they should focus on pharmaceutical companies, 8% hospital systems, and 6% on Pharmacy Benefit Managers.
Voters are looking for the federal government to go much farther in taking on health insurance companies with policies that punish them for shady practices. Over 90% support requirements to report insurance coverage denial rates and requiring transparency for drug mark-ups — telling patients what extra health insurance profits actually fund. Similar shares support requiring insurers to cover all FDA-approved drugs so they can’t only cover the most profitable ones, and banning health insurance companies from cutting deals with the pharmacies and clinics they own.
They don’t stop there. A whopping 70% of voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who wants to break up big health insurance companies. What’s more telling is that it includes 70% of Democrats, 70% of Independents, and 70% of Republicans. That’s not a typo. In the age of hyper-political polarization, this issue is a bipartisan unicorn.
Being beholden to health insurance companies is as politically damning as any hit we’ve seen this election. Nationwide, 86% are less likely to vote for a candidate who was funded by big health insurance companies.
The path to expanding coalitions of voters with real wins on healthcare and costs-of-living is out there. Standing up to big insurance companies and the politicians who have sold out to them is as politically ripe as any issue today. When healthcare comes up in the halls of Congress or on the campaign trail, the voters will be listening, and they know what they want to hear.
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Wes Anderson is a founding partner, and Henry Parkhurst is a pollster with OnMessage Inc., a political consulting firm with decades of experience in advising Republican campaigns and public affairs communications.
</div>

Economic Inflation Increase

The Growing Frustration That Could Flip Races And Neither Party Is Ready

2026 elections

affordability

DW Opinion

Health Insurance

62. Munich Security Conference

Gavin Newsom’s $30 Billion Fraud Magnet

California

Christopher Rufo

Democrats

Fraud

Gavin Newsom

Hospice

Investigation

Labor Unions

Manhattan Institute

Medicaid

Medicare

MI x DW

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Announces He’s Ending His Reelection Bid

The Somali Daycare Scam Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg. The Truth Will Shock You.

childcare

Health Care

Matt Walsh

Minnesota

Somalis

Tim Walz

Imagine tuning into a Sunday football game. Amid the flurry of touchdowns and tackles, the commercials are filled with familiar names — State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Farmers — vying for your dollars to cover your cars, homes, and personal liability. You have choices, and the competing advertisements are evidence of a robust marketplace where consumers benefit from price competition and innovation. But imagine if, alongside those ads, you could also shop for your health insurance — across state lines, no different than car or home coverage. Here lies a fundamental problem in American healthcare: you cannot buy most health insurance plans outside your own state. Unlike auto and home insurance, which have broad risk pools and interstate competition, health insurance markets remain balkanized, resulting in fewer choices and higher costs for consumers.
The roots of this uniquely American challenge date back to World War II, when the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration instituted wage and price controls to curb inflation. Employers, competing for talent but unable to boost salaries, <a href="https://www.aqpsearch.com/news/a-brief-history-of-employer-sponsored-healthcare">began offering health insurance as a fringe benefit</a> — a decision that intertwined employment and insurance in a way that persists today. At the time, it may have seemed like progress, but it has left countless Americans dependent on their employers for coverage. When jobs change, so does coverage, leaving those between jobs exposed and often without affordable options. Those ineligible for Medicaid — because their income is just above the cutoff — are especially at risk for being uninsured.
Decades later, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, commonly known as “Obamacare,&#8221; sought to address the coverage and affordability crisis — most acutely faced by people with preexisting conditions who previously found insurance unattainable unless provided through an employer. The ACA succeeded in expanding insurance coverage to millions, particularly through Medicaid expansion and the establishment of insurance marketplaces. However, for those who do not qualify for federal subsidies, premiums and deductibles have <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2025/10/14/how-obamacare-set-in-motion-todays-premium-crisis/">soared</a>. In many instances, families can face monthly premiums in the thousands, coupled with out-of-pocket costs so high that insurance feels more like catastrophic “coverage” than true protection. So while the ACA has done some good, it has not even come close to solving the affordability problem for which it is named.
The reasons for these persistent affordability issues are not mysterious. The underlying dynamics are straightforward, even as the system itself grows ever more complex. First, the ACA left state-level insurance monopolies untouched. Insurers still must navigate and adhere to rules that keep them within state lines, limiting the competitive pressure that could lower costs. Second, the oft-repeated promise from President Obama — “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan” — proved optimistic at best. The law introduced <a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/essential-health-benefits/">10 “essential health benefits”</a> that all compliant plans had to cover, forcing many consumers off less expensive plans that no longer met federal guidelines. As a result, they and many others have found themselves paying more for benefits they did not want or need, in effect <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/georgetown-law-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2018/07/GT-GGLJ180016.pdf">subsidizing coverage for others</a>. The state of California even <a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/covered-california-record-enrollment-aca-obamacare-subsidies-jeopardy/">brags</a> that most of those who are subsidized are provided with “Silver” plans, but doesn’t say how this is on the backs of those who can only afford “Bronze” plans. This is due to how the subsidy thresholds and cross-subsidization mechanisms work, which is grossly unfair.
Third, the entire model of private health insurance negotiation keeps true prices obscured from patients. When a patient asks for the “cash price” for a procedure, providers often cannot answer because what any individual owes depends on secretive agreements negotiated between insurers and healthcare providers. This lack of transparency keeps patients in the dark and undermines genuine market discipline.
So why, after all these years, have costs continued to rise with little improvement in affordability? The answer lies in political paralysis and conflicting priorities. Democrats, many of whom see the ACA as a bridge to “single-payer” or “Medicare for All,” have settled for more federal entanglement in healthcare. They frame healthcare as a universal right; yet, rights in a constitutional sense do not compel one party to render goods or services to another. Insurance, whether for health or property, is fundamentally a contract — a product someone may buy, not an entitlement.
Republicans, for their part, have ardently opposed the ACA for over a decade, but rarely offer comprehensive, workable alternatives. Their efforts have focused on repeal rather than reform, missing opportunities to build consensus around real improvements in price transparency, portability, and increased consumer choice.
What might genuine reform look like? First, Congress should act to preempt state laws that prevent insurers from <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/reforming-health-insurance-competition-across-state-lines">selling across state lines</a>. This change would foster true competition, broaden risk pools, and, by analogy to auto and home insurance, drive down costs for most consumers. Second, policymakers should require transparent pricing from healthcare providers. Using the negotiated prices that already appear on every patient statement as a baseline, providers could set clear, upfront prices for services, allowing consumers to shop and plan accordingly. Third, the government should remove the “10 essential benefits” coverage requirement, letting consumers tailor plans to individual needs — just as with any other form of insurance — while maintaining the current requirement to cover those with preexisting conditions. High-risk pools, already used effectively in auto insurance for drivers with numerous or serious violations, could support those with extraordinary health risks without distorting the broader market.
In sum, addressing the high cost of American healthcare requires breaking up monopolies, shining a light on real prices, and empowering consumers to choose products that suit their needs, providing health insurance portability, and eventually ending employer-sponsored healthcare. Instead, employers could offer to cover or enhance existing employee policies as a fringe benefit, but the employee’s health insurance would no longer rely on any employer. Only then can Americans enjoy a health insurance marketplace as dynamic — and as affordable — as the ones that already exist for our cars and homes.
* * *
Walter Myers III is a Southern California-based Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
* * *
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Democrats Fail To Extend Affordable Care Act Subsidies In Government Funding Deal

It’s Time To Say Goodbye To The Obamacare Failure

Affordable

Federal Government

Obamacare

Opinion

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that an extension to Obamacare subsidies &#8220;may be necessary,” but he would prefer a plan that made direct payments to American citizens instead.
The Affordable Care Act/Obamacare subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, were the focus of Democrats&#8217; demands during the government shutdown. Some Republicans have pushed to let them expire, while others have argued they should be extended. The Senate is expected to vote on the future of the subsidies sometime in December. 
While en route to Florida on Tuesday night, Trump was asked if he would like to see the Obamacare subsidies extended. 
“I’d rather not. Somebody said I want to extend them for two years. I don’t want to extend them for two years,” Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/2K8V3xqC9Gc">told</a> reporters on board Air Force One. “I’d rather not extend them at all. Some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done because the &#8216;Unaffordable Care Act&#8217; has been a disaster.” 
When asked what kind of health care policy he would like to see, Trump said it would involve the federal government giving people money to purchase their own plans. 
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“I like my plan the best. Don’t give any money to the insurance companies; give it to the people directly. Let them buy their own health care plan,” Trump said. “And we’re looking at that. If that can work. We’re looking at that. That’s sort of taking off. That’s what I like. Don&#8217;t give the money to the insurance companies.”
Trump said that skyrocketing health care premiums were “the Democrats’ fault,” but added that they were negotiating with him. 
&#8220;It’s very interesting,” he said. ”I can’t tell you who, but we have a lot of Democrats who want this plan to happen. They would love to see the money go to the people and the people go out and get their own health care.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s comments came after POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/24/trump-health-care-subsidies-backlash-00667751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that he planned to introduce a plan that included a two-year extension of Obamacare subsidies. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/25/donald-trump-affordable-care-act-subsidies-tax-credit/87473037007/">said</a> on Tuesday that health care discussions were ongoing. 
&#8220;The president is having ongoing conversations with members of his administration, members of Congress, and private sector experts,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He will make recommendations for healthcare policy improvements in the near future.”
On November 18, Trump said on social media that the only plan he would support or approve would be one that sends “THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE, WITH NOTHING GOING TO THE BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES, WHO HAVE MADE $TRILLIONS, AND RIPPED OFF AMERICA LONG ENOUGH.”

President Trump Departs Washington To Spend Thanksgiving Weekend In Florida

Trump Says Obamacare Extension ‘May Be Necessary’

Donald Trump

Executive

Health

Politics

WASHINGTON—Congress may have reopened the government, but it still has to decide what to do with the Obamacare subsidies at the center of the shutdown fight. Senator Bill Cassidy thinks they should go straight to American families — not health insurance companies.
Cassidy, who chairs the Health, Education, Labor &amp; Pensions Committee, told The Daily Wire this week that he was working with Republicans and Democrats alike on a proposal that would give Americans money to pay for care directly, which he says would empower patients and lower costs.
&#8220;There&#8217;s things you have to work through,&#8221; the Louisiana Republican said about his colleagues across the aisle. &#8220;Some think, ‘wait a second,’ that the preconception is, consumer-driven health care — it has to be funded out of the paycheck. I&#8217;m saying, ‘no, it&#8217;s going to be pre-funded with money that would otherwise go to the insurance companies.'&#8221;
Cassidy explained that the enhanced premium subsidies, which were extended during the coronavirus pandemic and are set to expire at the end of this year, would be deposited into Health Savings Accounts controlled by patients.
During the shutdown, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed a plan to extend ACA subsidies for one year. Republicans called the plan &#8220;dead on arrival.&#8221;
On November 8, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke on the Senate <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF6vZPmcvlo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floor</a> and said he believes Americans “deserve quality, affordable health care.”
“And they haven’t gotten that with Obamacare. Reforms are needed that actually lower costs, that protect the taxpayers,&#8221; Barrasso said. &#8220;The American people deserve a full debate about the unaffordability of Obamacare. Senator Schumer’s offer does nothing to address the cost of health care, does nothing to lower premiums, does nothing to reassure the American people.&#8221;
Barrasso said Schumer’s proposal makes “insurance companies richer and taxpayers poorer.”
In a shutdown-ending deal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) promised Democrats a vote on a healthcare proposal by the second week of December. However, it is unclear what that may be.
On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a press conference and <a href="https://democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-releases/leader-jeffries-affordable-care-act-tax-credits-expire-next-month-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Republicans for their refusal to extend the tax credits and said “tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, copays, and deductibles.”
Jeffries previously said he wouldn’t support a one-year extension and was pushing for a three-year extension for the subsidies. However, given that the Senate wouldn&#8217;t even vote on a one-year extension, there&#8217;s little to no chance this would pass.
Cassidy spoke about the proposal on the Senate <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RwcNIRxjBY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floor</a> last week and proposed the idea to give credits directly to patients and empower them to manage their own health care decisions.
He said Obamacare has “tried to make health insurance affordable” by “throwing billions at it.”
“The problem with that — that doesn’t make healthcare affordable, it just makes the health insurance premium less expensive for those who are on exchanges,” Cassidy said at the time.
“Let’s fix health care, and let’s give the patient the power,” he continued.
President Donald Trump has also <a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1987176209936232807?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoken</a> in support of giving money directly to the people, most recently in a Nov. 8 Truth Social post.
“We were so totally in sync,&#8221; Cassidy told reporters of the president on Monday. &#8220;He wants to take dollars that would go to an insurance company and send them to the individual.&#8221;
Initially, Cassidy pitched his proposal through flexible spending accounts — but he said he believes Health Savings Accounts would be the better route.
“As it turns out, it&#8217;s more practical, and I can tell you why, to do it through the Health Savings Account, which he proposed, but it&#8217;s still the same thing,&#8221; Cassidy said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s a melding of a vision, and to say it&#8217;s a melding implies they were different beforehand. This is exactly what he&#8217;s expressing, exactly what I was expressing.&#8221;
The proposal has publicly received support from Sen. Bernie <a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1987244986044158318?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moreno</a> (R-OH) and interest from Sen. Maria <a href="https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1987670490031554716?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cantwell</a> (D-WA).
“I think this has got a lot of appeal to conservatives,&#8221; Cassidy told reporters. &#8220;I love it, but I think it&#8217;s got a lot of appeal to people who are left of center, too.&#8221;
While the bill text has not yet been released, Cassidy is confident that if the Senate were to pass the idea, the president would ask House Speaker Mike Johnson to consider it on the floor, and the president will sign it because “it&#8217;s consistent with the policy that he has put forward.”
The Senate Finance Committee is <a href="https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-rising-cost-of-health-care-considering-meaningful-solutions-for-all-americans">holding a hearing</a> on the enhanced Obamacare subsidies on Wednesday.

Sen Bill Cassidy

‘Give The Patient The Power’: Cassidy Says Subsidies Should Go To Families, Not Insurance Companies

bill Cassidy

A health insurance giant gave half a million dollars to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee, a driving force behind a controversial redistricting effort that would give Democrats even more seats in California.
Blue Shield of California has <a href="https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1010653&amp;view=contributions">donated</a> $500,000 to the committee, which backs the “Yes on 50” effort. Californians will vote next week on <a href="https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/50.htm">Proposition 50</a>, which would likely give Democrats five additional seats in Congress.
Reached for comment, Blue Shield of California denied supporting Proposition 50, claiming its donation was not intended for a particular ballot initiative and that it routinely makes bipartisan donations. But Proposition 50  is the <a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures">only measure</a> on the ballot in California this year.
It’s not surprising that Blue Shield of California would support Proposition 50. The company has called on Congress to extend COVID-era Obamacare subsidies — a $350 billion proposal at the center of the government shutdown debate. Five additional seats would give Democrats the leverage they need to extend these subsidies in the future — ensuring insurance giants continued access to federal funds.
Blue Shield of California claims that it has no position on Proposition 50. But the records tell a different story. 
The company made two payments of $250,000 — one on April 24 and another on July 16, according to the California Secretary of State’s <a href="https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1010653&amp;view=contributions">website</a>. California <a href="https://cadem.org/yes-on-proposition-50-faq/">Democrats</a> describe Proposition 50 as “a direct response to a Republican power grab orchestrated by President Trump and state leaders in Texas, who redrew Congressional district lines to gain five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Blue Shield of California told The Daily Wire that it has neither made contributions to Proposition 50 nor taken a position on the measure. After The Daily Wire sent Blue Shield receipts of the contributions to Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee, and pointed out that the official California <a href="https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/50.htm">voter guide</a> lists “Governor Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee” under the “For” section of Proposition 50, it said the donations came before Newsom’s intentions were known. 
The company said it “made its contributions in April and July 2025 — months before the Governor announced his redistricting initiative or amended the committee to support Proposition 50.”
A look at the Proposition 50 timeline belies that claim. 
On July 3, the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/03/redistricting-texas-california-democrats-retaliation-trump-newsom/">Texas Tribune</a> reported that people in Newsom’s orbit had signaled his willingness to counter any redistricting in Texas with a similar move in California to offset potential Republican gains. On July 9, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott <a href="https://redistricting.capitol.texas.gov/2020s_timeline">announced</a> a special session that included redistricting legislation.
Blue Shield of California made its second contribution a week later. On August 14, Newsom officially announced a special election for the ballot measure. 
Given that Blue Shield of California has not taken a public position on Proposition 50, and claims it has not donated to the measure, The Daily Wire asked which ballot initiative it believed it was supporting when contributing to“Governor Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee, and whether they were concerned their donation was being used for the “Yes on 50” campaign.
The company did not respond to the follow-up question. 
In its initial response, Blue Shield noted that it regularly makes bipartisan political contributions to “advance our mission of delivering high-quality, affordable health care for all Californians.”
Again, a closer look at Blue Shield’s donations casts doubt on that claim.
The two $250,000 contributions to Newsom’s initiative were by far the largest this year, with dozens of other contributions ranging from $1,900 to $50,000. Among them, the company donated $50,000 to the California Democratic Party and $20,000 to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual &amp; Transgender Caucus Leadership Fund, which primarily <a href="https://www.transparencyusa.org/ca/committee/lgbt-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-caucus-leadership-fund-1339123-rcp/payees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supports</a> Democratic candidates.
In June, the Blue Shield of California Foundation <a href="https://blueshieldcafoundation.org/grants/faqs">awarded</a> the governor’s office a $200,000 grant for an “evaluation design for the California Racial Equity Commission framework.” The foundation is funded “entirely by contributions from Blue Shield of California,” their website states.
About three weeks after making the second donation, Blue Shield of California <a href="https://news.blueshieldca.com/2025/08/05/blue-shield-of-california-joins-more-than-25-national-health-groups-to-urge-leaders-in-congress-to-extend-affordable-care-act-tax-credits">called</a> on Congress to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are currently at the center of the ongoing government shutdown.
Obamacare tax credits lower the monthly premiums people pay for coverage in state and federal Marketplaces, according to <a href="https://news.blueshieldca.com/2025/08/05/blue-shield-of-california-joins-more-than-25-national-health-groups-to-urge-leaders-in-congress-to-extend-affordable-care-act-tax-credits">Blue Shield</a>. The Marketplace sends the tax credits directly to insurance companies, according to its <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/index.html">website</a>.
These tax credits have always been available to the poorest Americans. But during the coronavirus pandemic, Congress temporarily expanded eligibility for these subsidies. The extended credits were set to expire this year. Democrats’ fight to make them permanent — a move the Congressional Budget Office says would cost $350 billion over a decade — led to what, as of this writing, is the second-longest government shutdown in history.
In an August 5 <a href="https://news.blueshieldca.com/2025/08/05/blue-shield-of-california-joins-more-than-25-national-health-groups-to-urge-leaders-in-congress-to-extend-affordable-care-act-tax-credits">letter</a>, Blue Shield of California warned that if Congress fails to extend the credit, “the cost of health insurance will skyrocket, with typical American families forced to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars more each month to keep their coverage.”
Blue Shield reported that its premiums will <a href="https://www.blueshieldca.com/content/dam/bsca/en/broker/docs/2026/ifp/2026-Rate-information-for-non-grandfathered-medical-plans.pdf">increase</a> by an average of 9.3% in 2026. In 2025, the company reported its premiums <a href="https://www.blueshieldca.com/content/dam/bsca/en/broker/docs/2024/ifp/2025-IFP-Rate-Disclosure.pdf">increased</a> by an average of 8%. 
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told The Daily Wire that Democrats are “holding the American people hostage over free health care for illegal aliens and bailouts for insurance companies.”
“And now, these same insurance companies, who are complaining that they need billions in taxpayer bailouts while they raise premiums on struggling families, are turning around and spending half a million dollars to fund Gavin Newsom’s political ambitions instead of decreasing the premiums they chose to increase,” Scalise said.
“We strongly support the extension of the advanced premium tax credits to protect our members&#8217; access to affordable health care,” Blue Shield told The Daily Wire.
Brittany Madni, Executive Vice President of the Economic Policy Innovation Center, told The Daily Wire that it is “no surprise Blue Shield of California doesn’t want to admit to their role in this subsidy scam.”
“I’m not sure what’s worse: outright contributing half a million dollars to Governor Newsom’s Prop 50 campaign or blindly handing it over to use in his slush fund,” Madni said.
Madni said the company is “playing the game Obamacare set the rules for while American patients can neither afford nor access care.”
More than half of likely voters are expected to vote for Proposition 50, a poll <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/29/poll-most-californians-vote-yes-proposition-50-00625982">released</a> this week found. On Tuesday, Newsom announced they had raised enough money to pass Proposition 50 and <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5577459-newsom-urges-donors-stop-prop50/">told</a> supporters, “You can stop donating.”

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A Health Insurance Giant Quietly Bankrolls Gavin Newsom’s Partisan Power Grab

Government Shutdown

Redistricting

The White House is not planning to force insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization treatments, according to a report over the weekend.
The Trump administration is not planning to follow through on a campaign pledge to ensure either the government or insurance companies pay for couples to undergo IVF, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/03/trump-administration-ivf-care/">reported</a> Sunday, citing two people with knowledge of internal discussions.
Last August, Trump announced his IVF promise during a campaign rally in Michigan.
“I’m announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,” Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/29/trump-ivf-proposals-costs/">said</a> in his speech.
“We want to produce babies in this country, right?” Trump said.
IVF is a fertility treatment that involves doctors taking eggs from a woman and sperm from a man and creating embryos in a lab, then attempting to implant them in the woman&#8217;s uterus. One round of IVF can cost couples $20,000 or more, and it is not usually covered by insurance.
IVF sprang into the national conversation in the thick of campaign season last year when the Alabama Supreme Court <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-ivf-storage-questions-1adbc349e0f99851973a609e360c242c">ruled</a> that a couple who lost frozen embryos in a clinic accident could file a wrongful death lawsuit over their child&#8217;s demise.
Expanding IVF access remains a &#8220;huge priority&#8221; for Trump, but the administration is not currently considering requiring insurance companies to cover it, the insiders told the Post.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Trump is still working to expand IVF.
“President Trump pledged to expand access to fertility treatments for Americans who are struggling to start families,” the spokeswoman said. “The Administration is committed like none before it to using its authorities to deliver on this pledge.”
One of the Washington Post reporters who authored the IVF story called it an &#8220;apparent L&#8221; for conservatives who promote having children.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New: Trump admin is NOT planning to require health insurers to cover IVF, sources say, in retreat from 2024 campaign pledge
Another apparent L from this admin for the conservative natalists <a href="https://t.co/hJSP3OQ4mG">pic.twitter.com/hJSP3OQ4mG</a>
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1951976844024074252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Another apparent L from this admin for the conservative natalists,&#8221; chief economics reporter Jeff Stein posted on X.
However, while about 63% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/05/13/americans-overwhelmingly-say-access-to-ivf-is-a-good-thing/">say</a> IVF access is a good thing, IVF remains controversial among conservatives, including those who promote big families.
The Catholic Church forbids IVF in part because very <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257066/more-human-embryos-destroyed-through-ivf-than-abortion-every-year">often</a>, many embryos are created in the IVF process only to be destroyed or frozen indefinitely.
Last year, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution expressing alarm about the way IVF is currently done, including the “destruction of embryonic human life.”
Many pro-life conservatives who believe life begins at conception oppose IVF as well.

An embryologist, Oksana Lyzohub prepares reproductive cells

Conservatives Cheer As White House Has No Plans For IVF Coverage Mandate

White House Will Not Make Insurance Companies Cover IVF: Report

Trump Administration

The UnitedHealth Group revealed Thursday that it is cooperating with a federal investigation over alleged Medicare fraud allegations. This comes after a long string of setbacks to the multinational corporation, including the murder of the CEO of one of its subsidiaries.
In May, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/unitedhealth-medicare-fraud-investigation-df80667f?mod=article_inline">reported</a> that UnitedHealth was reportedly under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for possible Medicare fraud since. According to the WSJ, the DOJ alleged that UnitedHealth was encouraging its practitioners and insurers to add extra payments onto patients&#8217; records in order to receive more payments from the federal government through Medicare Advantage programs.
UnitedHealth originally denied those claims, <a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/newsroom/2025/2025-05-14-response-may-14-wsj-article.html">saying</a> that &#8220;We have not been notified by the Department of Justice of the supposed criminal investigation reported,&#8221; and adding that the WSJ&#8217;s reporting was &#8220;deeply irresponsible.&#8221;
According to a new <a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/newsroom/2025/2025-07-24-uhg-responds-to-doj-investigation.html">press release</a>, UnitedHealth acknowledged being the subject of a federal investigation over a month after the WSJ&#8217;s report.
&#8220;The Company has now begun complying with formal criminal and civil requests from the Department,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;The Company has full confidence in its practices and is committed to working cooperatively with the Department throughout this process.&#8221;
This investigation into UnitedHealth&#8217;s practices is one in a long line of blows to confidence in the company. Most notably, in December 2024, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth&#8217;s insurance arm, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/luigi-mangiones-chilling-diaries-revealed-in-court-parasites-simply-had-it-coming?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Luigi+Mangione%E2%80%99s+Chilling+Diaries+Revealed+In+Court%3A+%E2%80%98Parasites+Simply+Had+It+Coming%E2%80%99">gunned down</a> in New York City.
Luigi Mangione, the man arrested for Thompson&#8217;s murder, allegedly committed the murder for symbolic reasons — in order to affect change within the healthcare industry in America. A manifesto collected from his person revealed as much in June.
UnitedHealth is also facing a massive antitrust suit from around the time of Thompson&#8217;s murder over their planned merger with Amedisys, a hospice and home elderly care service. The DOJ is <a href="https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-and-plaintiff-states-v-unitedhealth-group-inc-and-amedisys-inc">suing</a> UnitedHealth in order to stop the merger between the two multi-billion dollar corporations.
In addition, UnitedHealth is currently under a different antitrust investigation for its coordination with Optum Health, the company&#8217;s employer of medical practitioners. The WSJ <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/unitedhealth-contacts-u-s-justice-amid-reports-of-medicare-billing-probe-8892033e?mod=hp_lead_pos2">reported</a> on an email from UnitedHealth to a former employee in March stating that &#8220;the government has asked us some questions regarding Optum&#8217;s coding practices.&#8221;
Since a massive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-health-insurance-company-hit-with-cyberattack-from-suspected-nation-state-actor-crippling-pharmacies-ability-to-process-prescriptions">data breach</a> that affected a subsidiary of UnitedHealth early last year, on top of the murder of Thompson and these antitrust lawsuits, the company&#8217;s stock price has fallen significantly. UnitedHealth&#8217;s stock price has fallen by more than 3% following the recent news of cooperation with the federal government over Medicare fraud allegations.

United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson Fatally Shot In Midtown Manhattan

UnitedHealth Submits To DOJ Investigation Over Medicare Fraud Allegations

Antitrust

UnitedHealthcare

The website in California where consumers can shop for and enroll in health insurance plans that comply with Obamacare sent users’ personal health information to LinkedIn.
Covered California, the state-run marketplace for Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act), had a website on which consumers were asked about whether they were blind, pregnant, or used a high number of prescription medications, CalMatters <a href="https://calmatters.org/health/2025/04/covered-california-linkedin-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, adding, “Kelly Donohue, a spokesperson for the agency, confirmed that data was sent to LinkedIn as part of an advertising campaign. &#8230; Visitors who filled out health information on the site may have had their data tracked for more than a year, according to Donohue.”
Covered California sending data to a company such as LinkedIn is “concerning and invasive,” Sara Geoghegan, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said, calling it  “wholly irrelevant” for LinkedIn to have the information. “People don’t expect that their health information will be collected and used in this way,” she added.
“LinkedIn is already facing multiple proposed class-action lawsuits related to the collection of medical information,” CalMatters noted. “In October, <a href="https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/lawsuits-accuse-linkedin-tracking-users-health-info-a-26668" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three new lawsuits in California courts alleged</a> that LinkedIn violated users’ privacy by collecting information on medical appointment sites, including for a fertility clinic.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), a former candidate for governor, wrote on X, “This is incredibly disturbing. California&#8217;s Obamacare website tracked users&#8217; personal health information – such as pregnancy and prescription drug use – and sent it to LinkedIn for a &#8216;marketing campaign.&#8217; We are asking Secretary Kennedy to investigate for HIPAA violations.”
“Covered California has identified that some sensitive data was inadvertently collected by the tags, including first names, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, and other sensitive health information like pregnancy status. To our knowledge, access to this data was limited to Covered California credentialed users for the limited purpose of managing Covered California’s account,” the agency <a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2025/04/28/statement-on-data-and-information-sharing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged</a>.
“Covered California is now the largest state-based health insurance marketplace in the country,” the organization boasts on its <a href="https://www.coveredca.com/marketing-blog/what-is-covered-california/">website</a>. “Over the last decade, we’ve helped reduce the percentage of uninsured adults under the age of 65 from 19.4 percent to just 7.5 percent — well below the national average.”

Open Enrollment Insurance ObamaCare Patient Protection, Affordable Care Act Guide

California Obamacare Marketplace Sent Users’ Personal Info To LinkedIn

LinkedIn

Privacy

U.S.

Former Washington Post and New York Times tech reporter Taylor Lorenz repeatedly refused to offer outright condemnation of vigilante violence like that allegedly perpetrated by Luigi Mangione against the late UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Lorenz, who faced backlash for her initial reaction to the broad-daylight execution of the insurance executive, joined Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday — and every time he pressed her on the issue, she tried to qualify Thompson&#8217;s murder by suggesting that insurance company policies provoked violence.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🔥 Sean Hannity vs Taylor Lorenz! <a href="https://t.co/QhDtF5TJeG">pic.twitter.com/QhDtF5TJeG</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1912857950374281542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taylor-lorenzs-horrible-take-on-suspected-murderer-luigi-mangione-just-got-ten-times-worse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lorenz</a> sparked outrage when, during an interview with CNN&#8217;s Donie O&#8217;Sullivan, she laughed off the idea that people were becoming &#8220;fans&#8221; of the alleged murderer, saying that he was seen as a &#8220;revolutionary, who&#8217;s famous, who’s handsome, who’s young, who’s smart. He’s a person who seems like he’s this morally good man, which is hard to find.&#8221;
She tried to explain her assessment in greater detail to Hannity.
&#8220;What I&#8217;m describing, and if you watch the full segment, not just the clip, you&#8217;ll see that I&#8217;m just describing the mentality of these fangirls [who] show up outside Luigi&#8217;s court and show up outside his jail cell. Those girls are not me, OK? We have very separate belief systems. But I was describing how they believe,&#8221; she said.
But when Hannity pressed her, several times, to either condemn Mangione&#8217;s alleged actions or others&#8217; calls for assassinations, Lorenz deflected — and at one point, she joked, &#8220;Gosh, you&#8217;re gonna ask if I condemn Hamas next. This is insane!&#8221;
Hannity repeated his prompt several times, but Lorenz continued to pivot, complaining, &#8220;You want to talk about the assassination of innocent people? I believe that the tens of thousands of Americans [who] die each year because of the lack of health insurance. That is, to me, a violence in itself. That is assassination.&#8221;
Hannity tried once more, asking if those cheering on the death of another human being — a husband and a father — lacked &#8220;a soul, a conscience and a heart.&#8221;
&#8220;Well, what I will say, Sean, once again, is that I believe in free speech. I don&#8217;t believe in things like, you know, religious things like souls and all of these things.&#8221;

Taylor Lorenz

Taylor Lorenz Refuses To Condemn Luigi Mangione: ‘Gosh, You’re Gonna Ask If I Condemn Hamas Next’

Taylor Lorenz Refuses To Condemn Luigi Mangione: 'Gosh, You're Gonna Ask If I Condemn Hamas Next'

Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione

Media

Murder

Sean Hannity

Violence

Former Washington Post and New York Times tech reporter Taylor Lorenz doubled down on her previous comments regarding Luigi Mangione, the man who is charged with the broad-daylight slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Lorenz, who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ex-wapo-reporter-taylor-lorenz-says-united-healthcare-ceos-murder-brought-her-joy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously blasted</a> for saying that she&#8217;d felt &#8220;joy&#8221; when she heard that Thompson had been gunned down — and then, while attempting to walk that back slightly, simultaneously argued that insurance companies that delayed or denied coverage were guilty of murder. &#8220;Maybe not joy, but certainly not — certainly not empathy,&#8221; she said, shocking show host Piers Morgan and her fellow guests.
Lorenz followed that up with an appearance Sunday on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;MisinfoNation&#8221; with host Donie O&#8217;Sullivan, where she laughed off the people who seem obsessed with Mangione and claimed it was because he seemed to be a &#8220;morally good man&#8221; — and mocked the people who were shocked that anyone would look at an alleged murderer as a hero.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Independent journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TaylorLorenz</a> on what media is getting wrong about Luigi Mangione fans. 
Tonight on MisinfoNation: Extreme American 8p ET and PT on <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNN</a> <a href="https://t.co/gMKMhdRmnr">https://t.co/gMKMhdRmnr</a> <a href="https://t.co/JZJAJSMcnh">pic.twitter.com/JZJAJSMcnh</a>
&mdash; Donie O&#39;Sullivan (@donie) <a href="https://twitter.com/donie/status/1911420315881664925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;To see these millionaire media pundits on TV clutching their pearls about someone stanning a murderer when this is the United States of America. As if we don’t lionize criminals, as if we don’t have, you know, we don’t stan murderers of all sorts, and we can give them Netflix shows,&#8221; Lorenz began. &#8220;There’s a huge disconnect between the narratives and the angles that mainstream media pushes and what the American public feels.&#8221;
O&#8217;Sullivan pressed her to elaborate, mentioning the women who had even showed up outside the courthouse when Mangione was there.
&#8220;You’re going to see women especially that feel like, Oh my God, right? Like, here’s this man who’s revolutionary, who’s famous, who’s handsome, who is young, who’s smart. He’s a person that seems like this morally good man, which is hard to find,&#8221; Lorenz claimed.
Instead of pushing back, O&#8217;Sullivan joked, &#8220;Yeah, I just realized women will literally date an assassin before they swipe right on me. That’s where we’re at.&#8221;
One point of agreement, for both O&#8217;Sullivan and Lorenz, was their belief that the people raving over Mangione and supporters of President Donald Trump were no different.
&#8220;I totally agree. They want somebody to take on this system. They want someone to tear down these barbaric establishment institutions,&#8221; Lorenz explained.
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Matt Walsh was among those who called out both Lorenz and O&#8217;Sullivan, saying, &#8220;Psychotic wench Taylor Lorenz gushes over Luigi Mangione, calls him a &#8216;morally good man,&#8217; and brags that fan-girling a murderer has led to the biggest audience growth she’s ever had. The CNN &#8216;journalist&#8217; sits and laughs along. Just an utterly depraved display all around.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Psychotic wench Taylor Lorenz gushes over Luigi Mangione, calls him a “morally good man,” and brags that fan-girling a murderer has led to the biggest audience growth she’s ever had. The CNN “journalist” sits and laughs along. Just an utterly depraved display all around. <a href="https://t.co/EJkaZNSGEy">https://t.co/EJkaZNSGEy</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1911500617547137445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Taylor Lorenz’s Horrible Take On Suspected Murderer Luigi Mangione Just Got Ten Times Worse

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