It’s already become something of a favorite parlor game among liberals, especially among liberal law geeks, to speculate about when the Supreme Court will strike down state and federal statutes that prohibit corporations from making direct campaign contributions to candidates and political parties. In Citizens United, the court killed statutory bars to corporate and union political […]

Maggie Mahar: You probably have seen headlines like this one: “O-Care premiums to skyrocket.” The warning, which was posted on The Hill, seemed designed to cheer conservatives distraught by Obamcare’s enrollment numbers. It began by announcing that next year, “premiums will double in some parts of the country. The sticker shock will likely bolster the […]

Chief Justice Roberts’ attempt to portray his decision in McCutcheon v. FEC as minimalist actually shows just how far from minimalist it is. According to the Chief Justice, no one should worry about the consequences of the Court’s decision because “there are multiple alternatives available” that would accomplish the Government’s asserted interest without, in the majority’s view, […]

Reader Jan sends notice on the approval of the IPCC WGAR5 summary for policymakers pdf. (link fixed) Lifted from his e-mail, he muses: As for all IPCC reports, this one is a little thick, but can be parsed by the economically inclined. It is, on the one hand, lousy if unsurprising news. On the other […]

Hmmm.  Looks like I wasn’t the only one calling for people to use FedEx rather than UPS when given the option. Unless, of course, my new blog gets wayyyy more “page views” than I had thought.

After providing free medical services to individuals without Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial insurance since 1998, Polk County, Arkansas’ 9th Street Ministries medical clinic mission will be closing its doors on April 24, 2014. Although the clinic faced funding difficulties during the Great Recession, the reason for its closure is unrelated to finances or lack of […]

Maggie Mahar on the Uninsured: As I explain in an earlier post, Charles Gaba, the enrollment guru who has been tracking Obamacare sign-ups since October, now estimates that by April 15, some 17 million Americans will have purchased their own insurance policies either in the Obamacare Exchanges (8 million) or off-Exchange (9 million) But how […]

Roberts suggested that he believes Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood can bring forth claims of religious freedom, saying courts have held that “corporations can bring racial discrimination claims as corporations” and that “those cases involve construction of the term ‘person.’” – John Roberts Offers Conservatives A Way Out Of Birth Control Dilemma, Sahil Kapur, TPM, […]

by Maggie Mahar at The Health Beat Blog. Charles Gaba, who has become the “Nate Silver” for Obamacare enrollment numbers; now predicts that by April 15, 17 million Americans will have purchased their own healthcare coverage. His back-of-the-envelope estimate includes “a nice round 8 million”  who buy policies in the government marketplaces. In parentheses, he […]

When donors furnish widely distributed support within all applicable base limits, all members of the party or supporters of the cause may benefit, and the leaders of the party or cause may feel particular gratitude. That grati­tude stems from the basic nature of the party system, in which party members join together to further common […]