Health law: Filling in some policy details

News outlets flesh out specific provisions of the health law, including how some aspects of the measure impact small businesses, state implementation efforts and the individual mandate.

NPR: Questions Mount As Health Law Rolls Out
Confused about the new health law? You're not alone. Over the past couple of weeks, All Things Considered asked listeners to e-mail questions. On Wednesday's show, I tackled some on the air. Here they are, with a few bonus questions and answers that weren't broadcast (Rovner, 1/19).

The Washington Post: The Fact Checker: Small Business And The Health Care Repeal
There are red flags whenever someone attributes huge swings in data to a single cause — in this case the new health care law. Could so many more small businesses really be signing up for health insurance because of a law that only passed ten months ago? The answer is no (Kessler, 1/19).

CQ HealthBeat: Small Business Employees May Not Have Choice Of Plans in Exchanges
[I]t may come as a surprise to many that there is no certainty yet that exchanges created for small businesses under the health law will actually give employees that choice [of plans]. The health law isn't crystal clear on that point. And insurers are pushing for a system in which the owners of small businesses, not their employees, actually pick the plan that will cover their workers (Reichard, 1/19).

San Jose Mercury News: California Leads Nation In Implementing Health Care Reform
On one side of the country, House Republicans this week launched an almost certainly futile effort to undo national health care reform. On the other side, in California, something entirely different is happening: Politicians and health care advocates are moving full speed ahead to put the law into practice. The contrast between the theatrics this week in the nation's capital and the nuts-and-bolts activity taking place in the nation's most populous state could hardly be more stark (Zapler, 1/19).

Minnesota Public Radio: Fries With That? Health Reform Puts Calories On The Menu
The federal health care reform law will require chain restaurants to begin posting calories and other nutrition information on their menus in hopes consumers will choose lower-calorie alternatives. ... Restaurants are waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to release final regulations, which could come anytime between now and March 23 (Stawicki, 1/20).

Kaiser Health News: Repeal Vote Over, Federal Effort To Compel Consumers to Have Insurance Faces Renewed Scrutiny
KHN staff writers spoke with health policy experts about possible alternatives to the individual mandate, which also faces mounting legal challenges with 26 states joining in lawsuits opposing it. Is it time for Democrats to revisit this provision, and perhaps develop alternatives to it? If so, what mechanism could be used instead? (Miles, Marcy and Parashar, 1/19).