All DC Decoder
- Obamacare 101: What owners of small businesses need to know
Obamacare includes a separate online health-insurance marketplace for small businesses, those with fewer than 50 employees. Here is a Q-and-A on how it works.
- Government shutdown: Obama faces political risks, too
On Day 1 of the government shutdown, polls are on President Obama's side. But if the government shutdown drags on, the economy could suffer and Obama could look ineffective.
- How government shutdown affects benefits for seniors, poor, jobless, veterans
Recipients of Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment benefits won't be hit by the government shutdown. The poor may be first to feel the pinch of the funding crisis.
- Obamacare 101: What to know if you opt out of buying health insurance
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, requires that individuals buy health insurance. If you don't want to buy insurance, you will have to pay a penalty – unless you qualify for an exemption from the mandate.
- Obamacare 101: how the federal subsidy works
As of Oct. 1, Americans needing health insurance can shop for one at new electronic marketplaces. Here's how to tell if you are eligible for a federal subsidy to help you pay for coverage.
- Government shutdown begins: What happens now?
A last-ditch effort is under way to form a House-Senate panel to negotiate new funding so shut-down government operations can resume. But Democrats in the Senate are likely to wait to see if GOP lawmakers will crack.
- Obamacare 101: What to know if you already have health insurance
As Obamacare rolls out, the president's frequent assertion – that 'if you like your health-care plan, you can keep your health-care plan' – is proving to be not quite true for some people.
- As the clock ticks toward a government shutdown, who's driving the debate?
So far, Republicans and Democrats have failed to avert a partial government shutdown tied to the future of Obamacare. Both sides flooded the Sunday news shows with blame-naming and dire warnings.
- Romneycare vs. Obamacare: Lessons for today's 'shutdown' debacle
You won’t hear many Republicans say it, but Mitt Romney’s health-care insurance program in Massachusetts, seen as a model for the Affordable Care Act, has been largely successful and popular.
- President Obama, Rep. Rodgers duel over budget showdown
As Speaker John Boehner was trying to organize his troops in the face of Democratic stone-walling over linking Obamacare to a budget deal, President Obama and GOP conference chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers were weighing in from the sidelines.
- Obamacare 101: What happens starting Oct. 1?
Oct. 1 is the first day the uninsured can shop on the new online marketplaces, or 'exchanges,' for health-care coverage. Under Obamacare, they have until March 31, 2014, to enroll in a health plan, or opt to pay a penalty later.
- Political clock ticks toward government shutdown. Here’s what would happen
Unless Congress agrees on a budget bill before next Tuesday, many federal government agencies and programs could cease operating or be curtailed. Here's a look at what could happen if the crisis is not averted.
- Government shutdown 101: 12 ways it could affect you With Congress failing to fund the federal government by Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year, the government has gone into partial shutdown. Here is a list of what's open, and what isn't, during the shutdown.