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Beta version of Cover Oregon gets mixed reviews

The troubled Cover Oregon insurance exchange unveiled its long-awaited beta website to mixed reviews Tuesday. Meanwhile, Humana announced it will waive fees for enrollees who bought plans on the Mississippi exchange who see a doctor by the end of June for a non-preventive visit. Also, Republicans probe state websites which are still having major problems.

19 Feb 2014

Automated Obamacare payment system months from completion

Meanwhile, California, Texas and Arizona exchanges do poorly at enrolling Latinos, while in Oregon, insurance agents and other consumer guides hope to get their first look today at an overhauled website. In Texas, a campaign targets neighborhoods with high rates of uninsured residents.

19 Feb 2014

More than 1 million people signed up for health plans in January -- bringing the total tally to more than 3 million

According to Obama administration officials, the overall enrollment figure reflects people who enrolled in coverage through the federal or state exchanges from October through January.

14 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Decoupling jobs and insurance; overblown fear: Medicaid willl take my house

Three blog posts and a column should probably suffice to cover the debate over Obamacare and work incentives, but I don't want to let the topic drop without first stepping back and talking about the actual health policy disagreement here.

14 Feb 2014

HHS enrollment figures indicate sign-ups even in states where officials have opposed the health law

News outlets offer a sampling of state-specific health plan enrollment numbers. Even Oregon, with its non-working exchange, signed up more than 33,000 people.

14 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 13, 2014

Today's headlines include news coverage of yesterday's update from the Obama administration regarding the number of people who have enrolled in private health insurance through the health law's online marketplaces.

13 Feb 2014

Budget issues begin to cloud outlook for state exchanges

The Associated Press reports that questions are emerging about how these online marketplaces will operate under the current financing model. Also, the latest news on exchanges from California, Oregon and Florida.

10 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Health law distorting--or 'undistorting' the labor market; gas stations should follow CVS' lead; ways to fight heroin

On Wednesday, Douglas Elmendorf, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, said the obvious: losing your job and choosing to work less aren't the same thing.

10 Feb 2014

States struggle to fix failed exchanges

The "spectacular failure" of health insurance exchanges in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maryland and Oregon -- despite their support of the health law -- gets a closer look from ProPublica. Repair efforts in Maryland and Oregon are also covered.

9 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 7, 2014

Today's headlines include reports from Capitol Hill about the continuing efforts to overhaul Medicare's payment system for doctors.

9 Feb 2014

Maryland, Minnesota and Oregon attempt to boot up exchanges

Meanwhile, PBS NewsHour looks at why enrollment lags among Latinos, the ethnic group with the highest uninsured rate, despite tens of millions being spent on outreach in states like California.

7 Feb 2014

CVS to stop selling cigarettes by fall

The move is part of a trend of pharmacies becoming health providers.

6 Feb 2014

Washington's insurance exchange is winning, too; N.Y. and Calif. see strong Obamacare enrollment numbers

More than 33 percent of eligible Washington residents have signed up for care on the state's health law online insurance exchange. In New York and California, exchanges see big sign-up numbers. Finally, lawmakers in Florida and Virginia ready plans for insurance exchanges that aren't part of the health law.

5 Feb 2014

GOP candidates to campaign on state exchange glitches

Republican candidates in states that have had troubled exchange rollouts plan to campaign on those problems in gubernatorial and state legislative races later this year, reports The New York Times. Other news outlets report on developments in Kentucky, Oregon, Rhode Island, Maryland, Minnesota, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

3 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 3, 2014

Today's headlines include a range of stories about how the health law is working in different locations across the country.

3 Feb 2014

Financial, social hardships account for increased likelihood of asthma readmissions among black children

Black children are twice as likely as white children to be readmitted to the hospital for asthma - a disparity due in large part to a greater burden of financial and social hardships, according to a new study.

3 Feb 2014

Dems trade barbs on botched insurance exchange rollouts

In Maryland and Oregon, Democratic politicians are blaming each other for problems with state-run exchanges.

31 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 31, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the retirement announcement by Rep. Henry Waxman and the health policy legacy he will leave behind.

31 Jan 2014

Minn. workers got bonuses for work on troubled exchange; Colo. reports robust Jan. enrollment

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on the bonuses awarded to 14 managers before the insurance website went live. In other state marketplace news, Colorado officials say about 67,000 people and businesses signed up for coverage this month. Exchanges also make news in Maryland, Massachusetts and Oregon.

31 Jan 2014

White House health care adviser to leave his post

White House coordinator for health reform Chris Jennings resigned after six months, citing personal reasons and family considerations.

25 Jan 2014

OCT News and Research

Beta version of Cover Oregon gets mixed reviews

Automated Obamacare payment system months from completion

More than 1 million people signed up for health plans in January -- bringing the total tally to more than 3 million

Viewpoints: Decoupling jobs and insurance; overblown fear: Medicaid willl take my house

HHS enrollment figures indicate sign-ups even in states where officials have opposed the health law

First Edition: February 13, 2014

Budget issues begin to cloud outlook for state exchanges

Viewpoints: Health law distorting--or 'undistorting' the labor market; gas stations should follow CVS' lead; ways to fight heroin

States struggle to fix failed exchanges

First Edition: February 7, 2014

Maryland, Minnesota and Oregon attempt to boot up exchanges

CVS to stop selling cigarettes by fall

Washington's insurance exchange is winning, too; N.Y. and Calif. see strong Obamacare enrollment numbers

GOP candidates to campaign on state exchange glitches

First Edition: February 3, 2014

Financial, social hardships account for increased likelihood of asthma readmissions among black children

Dems trade barbs on botched insurance exchange rollouts

First Edition: January 31, 2014

Minn. workers got bonuses for work on troubled exchange; Colo. reports robust Jan. enrollment

White House health care adviser to leave his post

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