Mont. ballot initiative banning individual mandate could be powerful message

In the meantime, programs in Missouri and Minnesota are being held up as examples of how provisions of the health law could unfold across the nation.

Politico: Montana Gets Vote On Blocking ACA Nov. 6
The balance of power in the Senate may hinge on the outcome of the Montana Senate race between Democratic incumbent Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg, his GOP challenger. But a little-discussed undercard on the ballot could send a powerful message that reverberates beyond November. On Election Day, Montana residents will vote on a measure that would ban the state or the federal government from ordering Montanans to purchase health insurance. Its passage would be a largely symbolic rebuke of the Affordable Care Act's coverage requirements and would mirror similar laws and proposals in other states (Cheney, 9/9).

St. Louis Beacon: St. Louis Area Clinics' Program Called Model For Expanded Medicaid Under ACA
The Affordable Care Act remains a contentious political issue in Missouri, but St. Louis is already a leader in demonstrating one positive effect of the reform law, according to a speaker at a forum Saturday. Bethany Johnson-Javois, CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, says St. Louis is giving the public what amounts to a front-row view of how health reform will unfold in 2014 under ACA. She was referring to the federal demonstration grant, called Gateway to Better Health, which is to serve an estimated 30,000 uninsured residents in St. Louis and St. Louis County from now until ACA takes full effect in 2014. The number represents about one-fifth of all of the uninsured in the city and county (9/9).

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Pioneers In Health Exchanges
Things are a bit hectic these days at Certifi, a small health care technology company in Hopkins. On Sept. 15, the company will flip the "go-live" switch on the most significant contract in its six-year history -- handling the backroom accounting functions for the state of Utah's health insurance exchange. The deal makes Certifi something of a trailblazer in the changing health care landscape, as Utah is one of two states (along with Massachusetts) to have a functioning health insurance exchange, a key element of the federal health law (Crosby, 9/8).