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Some senate battleground states show big health law changes

A new Gallup poll shows that Kansas was one of just three states that saw an increase in its uninsured rate while Connecticut's rate was cut in half.

7 Aug 2014

Medicare benefits from immigrants, study says

A study by the Partnership for a New American Economy concluded that immigrants make a substantial contribution to the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund -- putting more into the system than they take out.

7 Aug 2014

Analysis: 90% of uninsured exempt from health law mandate

The number of people likely to face penalties for not complying with the overhaul's insurance mandate is estimated at 4 million -- down from the previous projection of 6 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

7 Aug 2014

First MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics in Nebraska

The first MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics in Nebraska are opening this week inside select CVS/pharmacy stores. Two clinics opened yesterday in Lincoln and one is opening today in Omaha. A third clinic in Lincoln and three more clinics in the Omaha area will open later this month.

7 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 7, 2014

Today's headlines include stories about how uninsured people fare with the health law's exemptions.

7 Aug 2014

Gallup survey: States that embraced health law see big drops in uninsured; holdout states are experiencing far less change

The study found that states that expanded Medicaid and set up their own exchanges experienced greater declines in the rate of uninsurance than those that didn't. Nationwide, the percentage of uninsured Americans dropped from 18 percent in September 2013, to 13.4 percent in June 2014, according to the survey.

7 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Higher costs don't mean better health quality; states and the uninsured

The good news about health care spending continues. In the first nine months of this fiscal year, Medicare spending increased only 1.2 percent in nominal terms, and for 2014, it's now projected to be $1,000 lower per beneficiary than the Congressional Budget Office said it would be as recently as 2010. Even the Medicare trustees are starting to recognize that something big may be happening. In evaluating the recent deceleration, however, a crucial question remains: Can slower cost growth continue without harming the quality of outcomes? (Peter R. Orszag, 8/5).

7 Aug 2014

PSAL students to receive free comprehensive health screening at HSS

It's a parent's worst nightmare, and it happens out of the blue. While playing a sport, often football, a teen athlete collapses on the field and doesn't make it.

7 Aug 2014

Wis. senator seeks to appeal recent decision regarding his health law challenge

The focus of the lawsuit by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is an Office of Personnel Management regulation that allows congressional staffers to get their health care subsidized under the law's exchanges. In other news, health issues are emerging as flashpoints in this year's Arkansas senate race.

7 Aug 2014

Some states boost transparency of insurance rate review amid criticism

Connecticut regulators deny an insurer's proposed rate increase but criticize the state's public hearing process. Meanwhile, Illinois officials give the public online access to rate filings and Florida advocates blame state lawmaker's suspension of rate review for the big premium increases in that state.

7 Aug 2014

Rural residents pay more for exchange plans

Rural residents paid slightly higher premiums for exchange health plans than their city counterparts, reports Modern Healthcare. Meanwhile, Vermont's GOP leaders say they want the state's health insurance exchange to succeed, but residents are fed up with problems.

7 Aug 2014

Calif. insurers team on huge digital medical records plan

Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross are working together to keep and share digital records for about 9 million patients, which could cost $80 million over the first three years.

7 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 6, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index that details how politics play a role in the nation's health care gap between red and blue states.

6 Aug 2014

State highlights: New York hospital mergers surging; Calif. court says home health workers can't sue for damages, injuries associated with caring for Alzheimer's patients

A selection of health policy stories from New York, California, Ohio, Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Hospital takeovers are surging in the New York region, raising concerns that health costs could climb and care could change.

6 Aug 2014

Where new coverage is involved, there's satisfaction, but questions about whether new enrollees will go to the doctor

News outlets report on the behaviors and the satisfaction levels of people who have new insurance as a result of the health law.

6 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Treating Ebola patients in the U.S.; Medicare costs; discouraging Medicaid enrollment

It was a commendable decision - and more unnerving than risky - for Emory University to accept into its hospital two Americans who contracted the deadly Ebola virus while doing humanitarian work in Africa.

6 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 5, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of a partnership between two of California's largest insurers in which they will join forces to create a database of patient medical records.

5 Aug 2014

Justice Dept. seeks full court appeal hearing in health overhaul case

Last month, a three-judge panel ruled against the administration in the case Halbig v. Burwell, which is viewed as a blow to the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, Stateline reports that, based on that ruling, only those states with clear state-based exchange credentials are on solid legal footing.

4 Aug 2014

Newly insured get schooling on how to use coverage

Health law advocates who had focused on enrolling people in insurance now are teaching them how to use their often-complicated policies. Meanwhile, a Hartford physician explains why he won't take Obamacare plans and thousands of inmates in a Cook County jail sign up for insurance.

4 Aug 2014