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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

Triple-S Management reports consolidated revenues of $584.8 million for first quarter 2014

Triple-S Management Corporation, the leading managed care company in Puerto Rico, today announced consolidated revenues of $584.8 million and consolidated operating income of $10.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

6 May 2014

First Edition: May 6, 2014

Today's headlines include news from Massachusetts that the state is scrapping efforts to fix its troubled health exchange and will start over -- from scratch.

6 May 2014

Viewpoints: Battle for Medicaid; GOP's report on enrollment off base; need for kidney donations

The final battle of the war over the Affordable Care Act is being waged today over expanding Medicaid. ... The refusal of more than half the states to cover so many of their neediest citizens - the number who have fallen into the "coverage gap" is estimated at 5 million - amazes and frustrates health experts.

6 May 2014

Highlights: High Colo. insurance rate changes; La. hospital plan rejected; VA delays in care

A selection of health policy stories from Colorado, Louisiana, Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan.

6 May 2014

Calif. enrollment campaign focused on exchange at expense of Medicaid backlog

The California Health Report examines how the state's efforts prioritized the marketplace issues but fell short in handling Medicaid enrollment. In other Medicaid expansion news, the Arkansas director announces he's leaving and Maine's legislature cannot override the governor's veto.

6 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

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

Study says ambulatory centers perform surgery more efficiently than hospitals

Ambulatory centers perform surgery more efficiently than hospitals and could offer a viable way for the nation keep pace with a growing demand for outpatient procedures.

6 May 2014

Health spending increases hit fastest pace since 1980

USA Today reports on this development, noting some of the factors that will continue to drive up costs. Also, Kaiser Health News explores issues related to who should get costly hepatitis C drugs and The Wall Street Journal reports on the delay in implementing the ICD-10.

6 May 2014

State highlights: Texas company keeps Medicaid contract despite fraud; seattle minimum wage; Conn. housing for those with mental illness

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Washington state, Connecticut and New York. For nearly five years, a state contractor allowed workers with limited expertise to approve dental claims for Texas' Medicaid program, the joint state-federal insurer.

5 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

Research roundup: Compounding pharmacies; marketplace details; changes in insurance coverage

Outraged over a 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak traced back to Framingham, Massachusetts-based drug compounder New England Compounding Center (NECC) that left sixty-four people dead and more than 700 sickened, Congress passed the Compounding Quality Act .

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

Retiring Ore. exchange official lashes out at state leaders

Developments with online insurance marketplaces in Nevada, Oregon and New Mexico are also examined. Tom Jovick retired this week as a Cover Oregon administrator. On his way out, he issued a stinging letter to his fellow Cover Oregon staffers condemning the state's reaction to the IT crisis and saluting the worker bees for carrying on under heavy duress.

5 May 2014