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Medicare open-enrollment begins: Seniors should carefully consider new options

Officials are cautioning seniors to stay away from the health law's new online marketplaces -- as open-enrollment season begins for Medicare managed care and prescription plans.

16 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 15, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the budget deal taking shape in the Senate would not derail the health law, but would include some tweaks.

15 Oct 2013

Experts worry about other trouble spots with health law marketplaces

Politico reports that other steps in the online enrollment process, including computing subsidies and transferring signup information to insurers may also have bugs. The Associated Press reports that some insiders predicted the problems well before the website launch, while The Washington Post notes that paper applications are increasingly popular because of the problems.

15 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 14, 2013

Today's headlines include the latest on the budget negotiations as well as examinations of what's happening with the health law's online insurance marketplaces.

14 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 10, 2013

Today's headlines include a new Associated Press poll that offers the public's early reviews of the first days of the health law's online insurance marketplaces.

10 Oct 2013

State health exchanges running more smoothly than federal marketplace

The New York Times reports that, while difficulties continue for consumers in the 30 states that are using the federal government's online health insurance marketplace, those who live in states that have chosen to operate their own are faring better.

10 Oct 2013

First Edition: September 9, 2013

Today's headlines include reports on how some state health online insurance marketplaces are working as well as the latest from Capitol Hill on the budget standoff.

9 Oct 2013

Software crash in first days viewed as root cause of exchange delays

The New York Times reports that a major software component crashed under the pressure posed by millions of visitors last week to the federal online insurance marketplace. Still, other technical issues beyond traffic also are at work, and some insurers say they are getting faulty and incomplete data from the new U.S.-run health exchange.

9 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 8, 2013

Today's headlines include the latest on how the health law's online insurance marketplaces are operating and what caused the initial systemic problems.

8 Oct 2013

Day 2: Consumers shopping for insurance on exchanges continue to confront delays, challenges

Interest and demand appeared to overload websites and clog phone lines. Federal officials, who were taking steps to build additional capacity into the system, said traffic to the website exceeded expectations.

4 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 3, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the federal and state health exchanges worked on their second day of operations. In the background, the congressional budget stand off continues.

3 Oct 2013

Despite snags, online insurance marketplaces open for business

The technical glitches were complicated by the millions of people who visited the online health exchanges on Tuesday, their first day of operations. For instance, Health and Human Services officials reported that 2.8 million unique visitors had been to the federal website.

3 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 2, 2013

Today's headlines include news reports about how the health law's new online insurance marketplaces -- glitches and all -- went live at both the federal and state levels.

2 Oct 2013

Obama says marketplaces overwhelmed by demand

In remarks in the Rose Garden to mark the opening of these centerpieces of the health law, the president says federal officials are will overcome the technical problems.

2 Oct 2013

Chief's personality affects how insurance exchanges will work

The New York Times profiles Gary Cohen -- the head of the consumer office overseeing health reform. And, doctors and other stakeholders weigh in on how the health law will unfold.

1 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 1, 2013

Today's headlines detail how the federal government has been shutdown as a result of the ongoing congressional battle over the health law. Still, even as House and Senate lawmakers were unable to overcome this issue to reach a deal to provide funding to continue government operations, Oct. 1 is still the official launch of the overhaul's online insurance marketplaces.

1 Oct 2013

First Edition: September 30, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the readiness of the health law's online marketplaces and other key provisions the day before their Oct. 1 launch date even as the looming government shutdown becomes more of a reality.

30 Sep 2013

'Average' exchange premiums come in lower than projected

The Obama administration said Wednesday that average premiums in the health law's online insurance marketplaces will be lower than projected by the Congressional Budget Office - 16 percent lower nationwide.

26 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 25, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about projected health insurance premium costs on the health law's new online marketplaces, as well as news from Capitol Hill and a joint appearance by President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton to talk about the overhaul.

25 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: GOP's 'charge into the fixed bayonets;' Republican health plan is superior to Obama's; Congressional hypocrisy on its health policy

So House Republicans have passed and sent to the Senate a budget that includes no funding for the Affordable Care Act, setting up a political showdown that could result in a government shutdown. We wish the GOP luck, since we support the policy if not the strategy. But however this charge into the fixed bayonets turns out, we hope the folks who planned it will take responsibility for what happens now (9/23).

25 Sep 2013