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State highlights: Mass. can't ban painkiller, judge rules; Kan. and health care compact bill

A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts, Kansas, Florida, Michigan, Connecticut, Maryland, Arizona, Hawaii, Missouri and Georgia.

17 Apr 2014

Uninsured rate drops more in states that expanded Medicaid, run own exchanges

News outlets also provide updates on Medicaid expansion efforts and debates in Colorado, Virginia, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina and Indiana.

17 Apr 2014

A heavy lift? legal challenge to Medicare's 'two midnight' rule

Modern Healthcare reports that some legal experts say it will be tough to convince judges to overturn the controversial rule on classifying Medicare in-patients.

17 Apr 2014

Census changes will make it hard to gauge health law's impact

The revisions are intended to make the survey more accurate, but specific questions will be so different that the results will not be comparable to previous years.

17 Apr 2014

Vulnerable Democrats fight health law stigma

In tight races around the nation, Democrats are hoping that stories about the health law's rocky rollout are behind them, while Republicans try to make the races a referendum on the law.

17 Apr 2014

EKF Diagnostics' new handheld Lactate Scout+ device ideal for checking sports medical health

Since Lactate Scout+ analyzer launch incorporating hematocrit compensation, EKF, is seeing an increasing interest from users in both sports and medical science.

From EKF Diagnostics 17 Apr 2014

Exchange fixes, questions in Oregon, Maryland, Massachusetts

Cover Oregon severed a contract with technology consultant Deloitte as it moves into a new era of fiscal austerity, while the Maryland exchange continues to enroll consumers in coverage.

17 Apr 2014

Enrollment extensions wind down but health law politics getting complicated

People wanting coverage on the federal and some state websites needed to sign up by Tuesday, and federal officials say they won't again extend the deadline. In addition, news outlets examine why it will take time to determine whether the overhaul is a success and how Republicans are treading carefully as they call for overturning a law that has provided benefits to millions of Americans.

16 Apr 2014

First Edition: April 16, 2014

Today's headlines include a report detailing how changes in the Census Bureau's annual survey could mask the health law's impact.

16 Apr 2014

Viewpoints: Obamacare dilemma -- some people dislike the law but embrace its provisions; are health costs falling?

Polls have consistently shown that even though the public opposes Obamacare, people like some of its most significant provisions. That's particularly true of the requirement that insurers ignore preexisting conditions when signing up customers for coverage.

16 Apr 2014

CBO shrinks estimate of health law spending based on lower subsidy costs

Expanding health coverage under the health law will also slow premium growth, helping lower the total cost of the law, the nonpartisan office said.

16 Apr 2014

Some push to sync Obamacare deadline with tax day

This year's intersection of the deadlines to sign up for health insurance, as well as to file taxes, elevated the role of many tax preparers who have been educating uninsured clients about the health law. Some tax preparers contend the two deadlines should be permanently connected.

16 Apr 2014

Survey: Signing up for Obamacare no walk in the park

California enrollees said they had trouble getting through to call centers, calculating their income and gathering the required documentation, among other difficulties, according to a survey by the California HealthCare Foundation. Meanwhile, media outlets note that Tuesday is the last chance to sign up in California, while April 22 is the deadline in Minnesota.

16 Apr 2014

First Edition: April 15, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the Congressional Budget Office's latest estimate of the costs for expanding health insurance.

15 Apr 2014

CBO projects health law subsidies will cost less than previously expected

The new CBO projections find that the health law's expansion of health coverage will, from 2015–2024, cost $104 billion less than previously projected.

15 Apr 2014

Va. GOP not backing down in Medicaid stalemate

Despite appeals from traditional allies such as local hospitals, chambers of commerce and business leaders, Republicans in Virginia's House of Delegates remain firm in their stand against expansion. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania's request to set up a modified expansion is moving into a negotiation phase with federal officials, and union members take the fight to voters in Florida.

15 Apr 2014

What is 'preventive' care? answer causing patient-doctor friction

Access to preventive care at no charge to the patient is a tenet of the health law, but differences over just what's considered "preventive" are causing friction between doctors and patients, reports The Wall Street Journal. Other stories look at how California community clinics have yet to see increased demand for primary care doctors and how plans are targeting newly insured diabetics to avoid costly complications.

15 Apr 2014

Highligts: Calif.'s medical system for prisons; gender therapy in Boston; Ga. public health money

California's $840-million medical prison -- the largest in the nation -- was built to provide care to more than 1,800 inmates. When fully operational, it was supposed to help the state's prison system emerge from a decade of federal oversight brought on by the persistent neglect and poor medical treatment of inmates.

15 Apr 2014

Obama turns to 'proven manager' to shepherd HHS and health law

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, whom President Barack Obama named to replace outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is a relatively unknown 'budget wonk' who is being asked to navigate some difficult terrain to keep the president's signature achievement on track.

15 Apr 2014

Sebelius notes misstepts but praises the health law

In an appearance on "Meet The Press," the outgoing Health and Human Services secretary offered her views on the botched rollout of healthcare.gov and the decision to leave the Obama administration. Meanwhile, news outlets also examine how her resignation unfolded.

15 Apr 2014