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Administration may be scaling back estimates of young adult enrollment

CNN reports that the White House tamps down expectations that the exchanges will meet CBO's original projection that 40 percent of enrollees would be between the ages of 18 and 34. Also, Politico Pro looks at the large number of states that are not carrying out health law provision that allows young adults who were enrolled in Medicaid before aging out of foster care to receive coverage through age 26.

27 Feb 2014

Health exchanges create cybersecurity challenges, hacker opportunities

The Associated Press reports that a number of state health exchanges that were supposed to link to the federal computer system were initially rated as "high risk."

27 Feb 2014

Mailing test results to patient’s home increase colon cancer screening rates by 40%

Colon cancer screening rates increased by nearly 40 percent when free stool tests were mailed to patients' homes, according to results of a pilot study published today in the journal BMC Cancer.

27 Feb 2014

Obamacare enrollment reaches 4 million

About 700,000 people have selected a health plan so far in February, but officials couldn't say how many of those people have paid their first month's premium. For enrollment to reach the revised goal of 6 million, more than double the number of people will have to sign up in March.

27 Feb 2014

Ark. House delays vote on Medicaid expansion; Maine lawmakers offer compromise

In Arkansas, the House held off on a fifth vote for funding the state's "private option." The Maine compromise would expand Medicaid while also reforming the program.

27 Feb 2014

Obama, Boehner meeting touches health law, but resolves little

The President and the house speaker met Tuesday in the Oval Office, but there was little indication any progress was made on resolving their differences on the health law.

26 Feb 2014

Just who's exempt from the individual mandate, and how will the IRS enforce it?

One of the most debated parts of the health care law is the requirement that most Americans buy insurance starting this year. … But it's not clear that the IRS will deploy much in the way of resources to aggressively search for individuals who don't get coverage this first year (Adams, 2/24).

26 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 26, 2014

Today's headlines include reports that, according to the Obama administration, insurance sign-ups under the health law have hit 4 million.

26 Feb 2014

CMS report: 11 million small business workers could see higher premiums under health law

Nearly two-thirds of small businesses will see their health insurance premiums increase under the ACA, according to a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report. Democrats counter that the report ignores subsidies for premiums.

26 Feb 2014

After five days, covered California website restarts; Md. fires builder of troubled exchange

Also in the news, the latest developments regarding the online insurance marketplaces in Connecticut, Oregon, Minnesota and California.

26 Feb 2014

For governors, Medicaid expansion issues create interesting political dynamics

Some Republican governors are seeking political cover as they pursue a version of the expansion, while some Democratic state executives want more backup from the White House.

26 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 25, 2014

Today's headlines include stories exploring the political dynamics governors face regarding the health law's Medicaid expansion.

25 Feb 2014

Indian doctors get access to UPMC telemedicine services to improve patient care

With the latest expansion of its global telemedicine efforts, UPMC is now offering physicians in India access to its world-renowned medical expertise to improve care for patients.

25 Feb 2014

Young adults and uninsured adolescents are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer

A new American Cancer Society study shows that uninsured adolescents and young adults were far more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, which is more difficult and expensive to treat and more deadly, compared to young patients with health insurance.

25 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: False arguments on deadbeats; fighting cancer without insurance; bridging Louisiana's health funding gap

A small war has erupted over the recent Congressional Budget Office report on the employment effects of the Affordable Care Act. Last week, the CBO itself felt compelled to offer a lengthy and detailed rebuttal to the spin that millions of Americans will "lose their jobs" as a result of Obamacare.

25 Feb 2014

State exchanges: Vt. Gov. Shumlin says fixes are working; Mass. makes progress on backlog; Calif. marketplace down for repairs

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says the problems with the Affordable Care Act rollout are getting fixed – and that Republicans were boxing themselves in politically by focusing on failures instead of the successes.

25 Feb 2014

More uninsured children are from immigrant families, reports study

Children from immigrant families now account for 42 percent of uninsured children in the United States, reports a study in the March issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

25 Feb 2014

Regulators propose 1.9% cut to Medicare advantage payments

Federal regulators late Friday proposed cutting payments to private Medicare plans by 1.9 percent after recent lower health care spending growth. Insurers worry the cut could be much deeper than that after health law fees and other payment changes take effect, however, and say another cut could affect benefits for seniors.

25 Feb 2014

Health law deadlines, and even statistics, still in flux

News outlets report on the changes that have been made to the health law and whether these tweaks may be adding new layers of complications. Meanwhile, stories also center on enrollment efforts and the current tally of enrollment numbers.

25 Feb 2014

Maryland's health exchange goals revised after research error

The initial goal was reportedly based on flawed data and the newly set milepost has already been met. Still, The Baltimore Sun reports that the state has halted work on its small business marketplace, and that Maryland will charge for work related to public information requests about what went wrong with the website.

25 Feb 2014