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More court hearings for health law legal challenges

This week, the Pacific Legal Foundation will make oral arguments in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Its challenge claims the health law imposes new taxes unconstitutionally.

7 May 2014

Massachusetts' health reform law decreases mortality by 2.9%

In the first four years after Massachusetts instituted comprehensive health reform in 2006, mortality in the state decreased by 2.9% compared with similar populations in states that didn't expand health coverage, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health researchers.

6 May 2014

College graduation is a time to reassess health insurance

College seniors need to add one item to their "to-do" list as graduation approaches: check out their insurance options, the Los Angeles Times reports. Also, KHN examines California Latinos' interest in getting health care in Mexico--even if they have purchased U.S. insurance.

6 May 2014

Laid-off workers must be notified of health exchange options

The Obama administration issued a rule Friday requiring employers to inform laid-off workers that, in addition to paying the full cost of their former work-based coverage under COBRA, former employees also have the option of buying insurance through the health law's online marketplaces.

6 May 2014

FBI turns attention to Oregon's health exchange troubles

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is one of many federal agencies taking a long look at the difficulties that plagued Oregon's online insurance marketplace and led state officials to decide to scrap it.

6 May 2014

First Edition: May 5, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about how President Barack Obama poked fun at the health law during his White House Correspondents' Dinner speech.

5 May 2014

Viewpoints: Learning from enrollment numbers; health costs soaring; value of vaccinations

Admit it: After seven months of full-blown hysteria, you're finding it hard to stay interested in how many people sign up for Obamacare. We've known for some time that whatever existential threats the Affordable Care Act faces, low enrollment is no longer one of them.

5 May 2014

Newly released enrollment data highlight last-minute sign-up surge

The Obama administration's final report on insurance enrollment under the health law offered the most complete picture so far regarding who signed up, the degree of state-by-state variation and what impact these numbers could have on rates.

5 May 2014

Supermarket access key ingredient in obesity programs

Living close to a supermarket appears to be a key factor in the success of interventions to help obese children eat better and improve their weight, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 3, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

5 May 2014

Burwell confirmation hearings promise to showcase partisan split on health law

Though confirmation is likely for Sylvia Mathews Burwell to head up the Department of Health and Human Services, the GOP will use the process to skewer Obamacare.

5 May 2014

HHS data suggest Latino enrollment fell short of expectations

Getting a complete grasp of this demographic's sign-up rate is difficult, however, because almost a third of those who signed up did not report or specify their race or ethnicity.

5 May 2014

Long-term use of drug combination reduces risk of recurrent urinary tract infection in children

Long-term use of a drug combination reduces the risk of recurrent urinary tract infection by up to 80 percent in children with the urinary condition vesicoureteral reflux compared to placebo, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

5 May 2014

First Edition: May 2, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of the latest round of health insurance enrollment data released by the Obama administration.

2 May 2014

State highlights: Calif. panel backs coverage for those in state illegally; Mich. mental health funding cuts; Ga. rural hospitals

Senate Panel Backs Health Coverage For Those In The Country Illegally A proposal to have the state fund an expansion of health care to cover low-income residents in the country illegally was advanced Wednesday by the state Senate Health Committee. Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) introduced SB 1005, which would use state money to expand Medi-Cal eligibility to those with an annual income of about $15,000 or less for one person but who have not been able to qualify because of their immigration status. People in the country illegally are prohibited from participating in the federal Affordable Care Act program providing subsidized care (McGreevy, 4/30).

2 May 2014