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HHS Sec. Sebelius: 'I don't know' how many have enrolled in health law's exchanges

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on The Daily Show Monday that she doesn't know how many people have enrolled in health insurance exchanges, but that "hundreds of thousands" of accounts have been created and that officials will give monthly reports on enrollment.

9 Oct 2013

Software crash in first days viewed as root cause of exchange delays

The New York Times reports that a major software component crashed under the pressure posed by millions of visitors last week to the federal online insurance marketplace. Still, other technical issues beyond traffic also are at work, and some insurers say they are getting faulty and incomplete data from the new U.S.-run health exchange.

9 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: U.S. 'designed for stalemate'; tea party's last stand?; 'war over Obamacare' not over

Though the big social insurance programs are still running, many federal programs that directly target those in the most need are either empty or running on fumes. ... The growth of the modern state is tied to the awareness of public issues in health and the need to address them.

8 Oct 2013

Research roundup: Health law's effects on consumer spending; Mass. experience finds increased use of laparoscopic surgery

The authors find that average out-of-pocket spending is expected to decrease for all groups considered in the analysis, although decreases in out-of-pocket spending will be largest for those who would otherwise be uninsured.

5 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Marketplaces offer Americans the kind of shopping they like; enrollment isn't as robust as administration claims

Americans have grown accustomed to online comparison shopping, as the overwhelming number who clicked on health-exchange websites demonstrates.

5 Oct 2013

GOP rank-and-file push to reopen federal gov't, eye medical device tax repeal instead

Some Republicans are moving away from efforts to repeal the entire health law and are turning their focus instead to repealing the health law's medical-device tax and reopening the federal government.

5 Oct 2013

State highlights: Calif. hospitals will partner, not merge; states prep for EMS changes; Texas ads to target Wendy Davis

Amid growing health care consolidation as Obamacare rolls out, UC Irvine and MemorialCare Health System have agreed to a partnership deal. The UC Board of Regents said Wednesday it has approved an affiliation between UC Irvine Health and MemorialCare, two major hospital systems in Southern California. It's not a merger and both will remain independent (Terhune, 10/2).

4 Oct 2013

Figuring out how to shop around on health exchanges

News outlets report on the efforts by states, navigators, organizations and others to help uninsured people find their way through the challenges of applying for health insurance on the new online marketplaces.

3 Oct 2013

Traffic reports: High volume causes health insurance shoppers to experience delays

Across the country, states reported computer problems and long wait times as consumers tried to check out the new insurance options available through the health law's online insurance marketplaces. At the same time, though, many states reported tallies of applications and hits that exceeded expectations.

3 Oct 2013

Small insurers play larger role in health exchanges

Media outlets examine the rise of small insurers in the new online health insurance marketplaces, the expected increases in physician demand and the importance of enrolling young people to balance the costs of caring for those who are older and sicker.

3 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 2, 2013

Today's headlines include news reports about how the health law's new online insurance marketplaces -- glitches and all -- went live at both the federal and state levels.

2 Oct 2013

Your guides to buying insurance on the health insurance exchanges

While Americans who get health insurance through their jobs won't need to go there, news outlets have information for consumers who may want to purchase insurance through the new exchanges

2 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Sen. Barrasso warns insurance buyers beware; it will take time to assess marketplaces

Today begins the first phase of Obamacare's big test. The Obama administration has spent months and millions of dollars promising people great benefits from the new government-run health insurance exchanges. Now Americans will see for themselves. ... Instead of lower health care costs and better access to care, here are four reasons for the buyer to beware (Sen. John Barrasso, 10/1).

2 Oct 2013

Impasse over health law leads to federal government shutdown

The long-running battle to defund or derail the health law came to a head Monday when Congress failed to approve a short-term spending measure to continue funding the government. For an entrenched group of House Republicans, Obamacare is the sticking point. But a new round of polls finds public opinion doesn't support their strategy.

2 Oct 2013

Chief's personality affects how insurance exchanges will work

The New York Times profiles Gary Cohen -- the head of the consumer office overseeing health reform. And, doctors and other stakeholders weigh in on how the health law will unfold.

1 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Health law rollout brings excitement and concerns; new disparities likely in states turning their back on the law; is the coverage affordable?

The United States is embarking on a truly historic journey toward near-universal health care coverage this week. Starting Tuesday, the federal government will make it possible for millions of uninsured Americans who can't get health insurance, or can't afford it, to obtain coverage with the aid of government subsidies. It is a striking example of what government can do to help people in trouble (9/28).

1 Oct 2013

Comments on shutdown: Both parties are shirking their duties; this fight may hold off health law battle on debt ceiling

Yes, defaulting on the U.S. debt would be worse than shutting down the government. But both represent such recklessly, breathtakingly, wastefully irresponsible derelictions of leadership that the people who run this town ought to be ashamed of themselves if either comes to pass.

1 Oct 2013

For consumers shopping for insurance on new health exchanges, a lot will be determined by where they live

People who live in states where officials were less enthusiastic about the health law's new online marketplaces will likely have to look harder to find information about them. Meanwhile, coverage costs will vary widely, not just from state to state, but sometimes between cities and regions within the same state.

1 Oct 2013

Navigating the health law's new insurance options

In some states, the task of helping consumers find their way through the health law's new online insurance marketplace has fallen to "navigators." In general, though, news outlets report on the strategies and public outreach efforts underway in locations across the country.

1 Oct 2013

Tips for shopping on new Obamacare exchanges

Media outlets offer guides to the uninsured and to those who buy their own coverage on the eve of the startup of new online marketplaces under the federal health law.

1 Oct 2013

Health Reform News and Research

HHS Sec. Sebelius: 'I don't know' how many have enrolled in health law's exchanges

Software crash in first days viewed as root cause of exchange delays

Viewpoints: U.S. 'designed for stalemate'; tea party's last stand?; 'war over Obamacare' not over

Research roundup: Health law's effects on consumer spending; Mass. experience finds increased use of laparoscopic surgery

Viewpoints: Marketplaces offer Americans the kind of shopping they like; enrollment isn't as robust as administration claims

GOP rank-and-file push to reopen federal gov't, eye medical device tax repeal instead

State highlights: Calif. hospitals will partner, not merge; states prep for EMS changes; Texas ads to target Wendy Davis

Figuring out how to shop around on health exchanges

Traffic reports: High volume causes health insurance shoppers to experience delays

Small insurers play larger role in health exchanges

First Edition: October 2, 2013

Your guides to buying insurance on the health insurance exchanges

Viewpoints: Sen. Barrasso warns insurance buyers beware; it will take time to assess marketplaces

Impasse over health law leads to federal government shutdown

Chief's personality affects how insurance exchanges will work

Viewpoints: Health law rollout brings excitement and concerns; new disparities likely in states turning their back on the law; is the coverage affordable?

Comments on shutdown: Both parties are shirking their duties; this fight may hold off health law battle on debt ceiling

For consumers shopping for insurance on new health exchanges, a lot will be determined by where they live

Navigating the health law's new insurance options

Tips for shopping on new Obamacare exchanges

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