Medicare Part D beneficiaries may receive some much-needed relief on the cost of their prescription drugs starting in 2019. Back in 2010, the Affordable Care Act set a timeline to close the coverage gap. The so-called “Part D Donut Hole” was initially scheduled to close by 2020. But legislation signed this year, through the recently enacted Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA), is expected to go into effect in 2019— closing the gap one year early. The Medicare “Donut Hole,” a nickname for the g...

Over the last 15 to 20 years, health care has gone through quite a few changes. Drastic government initiatives for health insurance mainly started with President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Social Security Act of 1965, which brought about what we now know as Medicare and Medicaid. Since then, the actions of both the government and the private sector until the 1990s focused on lowering costs across both sectors. This was a difficult feat due to a previously private but universal service suddenly becomin...

Until the Brexit, the nation woke up every day to further news of the Orlando shootings. Donald Trump’s rhetoric was picking up again, as he once again emphasized the importance of limiting Muslim immigration to the United States. Of all things, even slurs on President Obama’s ethnicity and religion came back to light through his speeches. However, the startling British exit (shortened to the stylish ‘Brexit’) has nearly eclipsed the attention to the Orlando shootings. While public opinion may ...

In recent news, Ohio state officials told Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley that he could not be on the Democratic primary ballot. The petition to be on the ballot required 1,000 valid signatures from a single county. O’Malley submitted 1,175, but only 772 were considered valid. Both of his fellow Democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, are on the ballot. Presidential primaries are often reserved only for partisan candidates, but that does not nec...

Senior editor at The Atlantic, David Frum, titled his article, “The Question That Will Decide the 2016 Election.” The question is this: Will you take away my health insurance? Health insurance coverage is on the rise among low-income households and in crucial swing states like Florida. In next year’s elections, health care programs, specifically the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- also known as Obamacare -- will play a crucial role as a “swing issue” between Republicans and the Democrats. Republ...

Federal rules and regulations are a source of discussion and debate whenever they come up. Some rules and regulations are straightforward and generally accepted. One example of this would be the interim federal safety regulations on the use of infant life jackets while boating. The regulation follows common sense, and stands aside in the presence of state law. On the other hand, some federal rules and regulations become controversial issues, such as the Common Core standards of education. The C...

If there are swing states, there are also swing issues. These are the issues where there are no “official” Republican or Democratic positions. These issues are significant because it is here where the candidates’ values must come out. Unfortunately, these are also the issues that presidential candidates tend to avoid on the campaign trail. Since having positions on these “swing issues” might alienate their voting blocs, candidates play it safe. This 2016, three of the four leading candidates (...

On October 20, shortly after the Democratic presidential debate, former U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) decided to withdraw from the 2016 Democratic primary. If your first thought is bewilderment over who Jim Webb is, it only highlights how the media has overlooked this presidential candidate. Jim Webb is acutely aware of the current percentage of independent voters to Democrats and Republicans, and not only in the interests of a possible run as an independent candidate. He knows that it is the i...

Recently, various news services exploded with the fact that retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has only been part of the Republican Party for less than a year. They questioned his “fitness” to be a candidate if he had been an independent just until October 31, 2014. However, those who had been awaiting Dr. Carson’s pursuit of the presidency were aware of his party switch. It was even hailed as a signal that Dr. Carson would pursue the 2016 presidency. The real question is, why did previous no...