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Iowa governor, feds shake hands on Medicaid expansion

The agreement follows the administration's announcement Tuesday that it would permit the state to charge modest premiums to enrollees making more than the federal poverty level. Meanwhile, in Arizona, Republican legislators opposed to Medicaid expansion take their case to court.

16 Dec 2013

Rep. Murphy introduces bill to change mental health treatment

The legislation is a response to the shootings in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 elementary students and six adults.

16 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 13, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a set of steps taken by the Obama administration in an effort to help consumers avoid coverage lapses as the health law takes effect.

13 Dec 2013

Massachusetts residents have broader health insurance coverage, greater access to primary care

In 2006, Massachusetts was on the same brink that the entire nation is on today: the brink of expanding health insurance to cover far more people than before, through government-driven, market-based reform.

13 Dec 2013

Sebelius: Enrollment numbers going up and website getting better, but a review will be launched over healthcare.gov launch problems

Just as the November enrollment figures were released, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified Wednesday before the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee where she was again grilled on the difficulties that have plagued the website's launch and other related issues.

13 Dec 2013

Nearly 98% of Massachusetts residents now have Medicaid coverage

Nearly 98 percent of Massachusetts' 400,000 residents now have coverage—either through individual purchase or expanded Medicaid coverage for children and low-income residents. And while the reform was initially met with controversy, it has gained popularity in the past 5 years.

13 Dec 2013

Issa slams HHS for 'obstructing' investigation of HealthCare.gov

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., says the Department of Health and Human Services is illegally interfering with his panel.

13 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 12, 2013

Today's headlines include ongoing coverage of the health law's implementation -- from details of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' Wednesday Capitol Hill appearance and more information about the most recent enrollment numbers to analysis of policy issues related to the overhaul.

12 Dec 2013

Cost and quality: Consumers continue to face obstacles

A new report finds that states generally do a poor job in communicating physician quality ratings to consumers while a Gallup poll finds that cost issues continue to be a reason some people delay care.

10 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Optimism about Obamacare; 834 errors; can-you-keep-your-doctor debate

This was the week when liberals decided that it was safe to feel optimistic about Obamacare again. ... A worst-case scenario, in which the website remained unusable well into the new year, seems to have been averted, and with it the danger that insurers or Congressional Democrats would begin to bail on Obamacare entirely.

10 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Health law is here to stay; problems for Obamacare go beyond website; future 'doc shock'

For almost two months, the debacle of healthcare.gov allowed conservatives to live the life they always wanted. Health reform was a dismal failure; Obama would go down in history as a laughingstock; government can't do anything; viva Ayn Rand! ... while things are far from completely fixed, the crisis is clearly over. Obamacare will have millions of beneficiaries by the time open enrollment ends; it will add many more in the 2015 cycle. Health reform is pretty much irreversible at this point (Paul Krugman, 12/5).

9 Dec 2013

Gallup poll: Most Americans want health law repealed or cut back

A majority of people in the United States say they want ObamaCare to be scaled back or repealed altogether. According to a Gallup poll released Friday, 20 percent support a scale-back of the law, while 32 percent back efforts to repeal it (Shabad, 12/6).

7 Dec 2013

New studies examine role of hospitals and other health care facilities on nursing reforms

Two new studies by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examine how well hospitals and other health care facilities are doing when it comes to a call to reform the nursing profession. A 2010 Institute of Medicine report warned that the nursing profession must change or it would not be able to meet the growing demands that are emerging as a result of health reform, new technologies and an aging population.

6 Dec 2013

Pace of health insurance applications picks up

News outlets in Wisconsin and Minnesota report increases in applications for coverage through new online marketplaces. But baby boomers, as opposed to so-called "young invincibles," dominate sign-ups in Colorado, while in California, Democratic lawmakers worry a lookalike website set up by Republican lawmakers will lead some applicants astray.

6 Dec 2013

New, improved healthcare.gov gets praise, but problems persist

Administration officials lauded the website fixes and said that 750,000 users logged on Monday, but insurers continued to have concerns about the transfer of inaccurate data and automated subsidy calculations.

5 Dec 2013

States lead in health law insurance sign-up race

States operating their own insurance websites are leading the federal government in signing up people for health coverage. Though healthcare.gov, the federal website which serves the residents of 36 states, is working better for some, complicated cases still bewilder "navigators" -- and Texas has proposed new rules and background checks for the workers.

5 Dec 2013

Reviews mixed for 'fixed' health care website

Some said the Monday's healthcare.gov relaunch -- marked by heavy traffic -- was "rocky" and "bumpy," but administration officials maintained the user experience was much smoother as a result of fixes.

4 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Where's Obama's 'Mission Accomplished' banner?; health law critics overlooking those denied affordable care in the past

Great news: The White House says that Healthcare.gov and the 36 federally run insurance exchanges are finally good to go. The only thing missing from Sunday's relentlessly upbeat progress report was President Obama in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner. Sunday's eight-page report was intended to meet Mr. Obama's deadline for fixing the site after its October 1 debut was a calamity. But the more important goal was political -- namely, claiming enough progress to prevent Democrats on Capitol Hill from joining the GOP demand for delaying the individual mandate to buy insurance or even the entire program (12/1).

3 Dec 2013

Medicaid expansion could exacerbate doctor shortage

As more people gain access to coverage as a result of the health law's expansion of the state-federal insurance program for the poor, finding doctors willing to treat them may be a challenge. Other stories look at how Americans in similar circumstances face vastly different health coverage options because of where they live.

3 Dec 2013

Enforcement of health law mandate a 'crucial test' for IRS

The Washington Post reports that enforcing the requirement that almost all Americans have health insurance represents the biggest boost in the agency's responsibilities in decades.

26 Nov 2013