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Analysis: Medicaid enrollment grows even in states that refused to expand eligibility

Consultant Avalere Health found enrollment growth even in states that opted not to expand the health insurance program for the poor because of the so-called "woodwork effect."

15 May 2014

Some consumers lose longtime doctors in new plans

Insurers say narrow networks that exclude some providers are part of the trade-off for keeping down premiums and enrolling those with pre-existing conditions.

15 May 2014

Republicans seek end to health law tax on medical devices

Also, two Republicans want states with failed health insurance exchanges to pay back the money the federal government gave them to start the marketplaces. Elsewhere, abortion rights groups push against a proposed ban on the procedure, and the parties debate over the prevalence of canceled health plans.

15 May 2014

Viewpoints: What's next for employer mandate; SCOTUS and retiree health plans; the 'next big issue'

As complaints and cavils about the Affordable Care Act fall by the wayside, one piece of the law looms ever larger as its most controversial element: the employer mandate, which in 2016 will impose a penalty on businesses with 50 to 99 employees for not offering them health coverage (Michael Hiltzik, 5/12).

14 May 2014

IRS finalizes rule on data about consumers who purchase exchange plans

The regulation focuses on state exchanges and requires that these marketplaces report information such as enrollees' names, addresses, birthdates and premium amounts. In addition, news outlets also examine what went wrong in states with problem-plagued websites and what is happening in locations where the marketplaces have proven popular.

14 May 2014

State highlights: Va. abortion clinic reg review; Calif. budget and Medi-Cal

A selection of health policy stories from Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas and Georgia.

14 May 2014

Boehner Spokesman's surprise: Leaving Capitol Hill for AHIP

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14 May 2014

Highlights: Mass. death rate drops after universal coverage; Calif. immigrant licensing; Calif. offenders mental health treatment

The mortality rate in Massachusetts declined substantially in the four years after the state enacted a law in 2006 mandating universal health care coverage, providing the model for the Affordable Care Act.

13 May 2014

Viewpoints: heath insurance and mortality; newly insured vs. previously insured on marketplaces

The connection between health insurance and mortality is really hard to pin down, even if insurance truly has strong protective effects. The uninsured in America are mainly non-elderly adults.

13 May 2014

Study: In states that didn't expand Medicaid, community health centers will likely take a hit

News outlets examine the cost and benefits states must weigh as they contemplate expanding the Medicaid program. Also, news outlets report on the latest related developments in Georgia and North Carolina.

13 May 2014

Republicans look for new battles as health law fight quiets

In the meantime, some sparring continues over the law, a new poll looks at Americans' attitudes on Obamacare, and Democrats continue their push to try to drum up support for the overhaul.

13 May 2014

New paper suggests scrapping the health law's employer mandate

The paper, published by the Urban Institute, makes the case that this requirement will not lead to more people getting coverage because those firms that don't provide it will likely opt for the penalty.

13 May 2014

Viewpoints: House chairman calls for Shinseki resignation; Hagan's case for Obamacare

Since January of 2013, I've served as the chairman of the House Veterans' Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, which is tasked with the oversight responsibility of making sure that the VA meets all of our nation's obligations to our veterans.

12 May 2014

First Edition: May 12, 2014

Today's headlines include news about the inner-workings of some state-based health exchanges. Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with NPR, Richard Knox writes: "Previous drug treatments didn't clear the virus from Bianco's system. But it's almost certain that potent new drugs for hep-C could cure him.

12 May 2014

Obama's pick to head HHS draws praise from Democrats and Republicans during first confirmation hearing

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who has been nominated by the White House to become the next Health and Human Services secretary, also faced tough questions about the health law's implementation and the trouble-plagued healthcare.gov. Her answers revealed some policy positions and what her priorities will be if she wins the Senate's OK.

12 May 2014

Mass. plan for new health insurance exchange has estimated price tag of $121 million

After millions of dollars have already been spent on attempts to fix Massachusetts' online marketplace, known as the Health Connector, insurers and some exchange board members say the cost is too high.

12 May 2014

Research roundup: Unearthing factors in hospital readmissions; dissecting the enrollment surge

Using inpatient data from an urban teaching hospital, we examined how elements of individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status influenced the likelihood of readmission ... Patients living in high-poverty neighborhoods were 24 percent more likely than others to be readmitted, after demographic characteristics and clinical conditions were adjusted for. Married patients were at significantly reduced risk of readmission, which suggests that they had more social support than unmarried patients. These and previous findings that document socioeconomic disparities in readmission raise the question of whether CMS's readmission measures and associated financial penalties should be adjusted for the effects of factors beyond hospital influence at the individual or neighborhood level, such as poverty and lack of social support (Hu, Gonsahn and Nerenz, May 2014).

12 May 2014

First Edition: May 9, 2014

Today's headlines include highlights from the first Senate confirmation hearing for Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Barack Obama's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary.

9 May 2014

Federal exchange spent $647 per enrollee -- a relative bargain

Meanwhile, Oregon names an official to oversee its shift to the federal exchange, while other stories examine the slow start of California's small business exchange and the higher costs faced by some Arizona families forced to switch their children from the Children's Health Insurance Program to private insurance when that state ended the program.

9 May 2014

State highlights: Missouri Medicaid benefits; telepsychiatry in rural states; Conn. for-profit hospital bill

A selection of health policy stories from Missouri, North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Michigan and Alaska.

9 May 2014

Health Insurance News and Research

Analysis: Medicaid enrollment grows even in states that refused to expand eligibility

Some consumers lose longtime doctors in new plans

Republicans seek end to health law tax on medical devices

Viewpoints: What's next for employer mandate; SCOTUS and retiree health plans; the 'next big issue'

IRS finalizes rule on data about consumers who purchase exchange plans

State highlights: Va. abortion clinic reg review; Calif. budget and Medi-Cal

Boehner Spokesman's surprise: Leaving Capitol Hill for AHIP

Highlights: Mass. death rate drops after universal coverage; Calif. immigrant licensing; Calif. offenders mental health treatment

Viewpoints: heath insurance and mortality; newly insured vs. previously insured on marketplaces

Study: In states that didn't expand Medicaid, community health centers will likely take a hit

Republicans look for new battles as health law fight quiets

New paper suggests scrapping the health law's employer mandate

Viewpoints: House chairman calls for Shinseki resignation; Hagan's case for Obamacare

First Edition: May 12, 2014

Obama's pick to head HHS draws praise from Democrats and Republicans during first confirmation hearing

Mass. plan for new health insurance exchange has estimated price tag of $121 million

Research roundup: Unearthing factors in hospital readmissions; dissecting the enrollment surge

First Edition: May 9, 2014

Federal exchange spent $647 per enrollee -- a relative bargain

State highlights: Missouri Medicaid benefits; telepsychiatry in rural states; Conn. for-profit hospital bill

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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