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Despite some success, state health exchanges continue to get mixed reviews

Though most of the state-run online insurance marketplaces have not been hobbled by the same types of difficulties that marred the federal exchange's launch, some states are successfully enrolling their residents while others still confront hurdles.

5 Nov 2013

HSS study shows exercise program helps reduce arthritis pain for Asian seniors

Experts say it's never too late to reap the benefits of exercise, and a program offered in New York City senior centers is improving quality of life for many older adults.

5 Nov 2013

Dems, GOP both consider bills to let people keep their health coverage

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle consider legislation that would allow people to keep the health insurance coverage they had that was canceled as a result of the health law. Elsewhere, Virginia's governor race continues to hinge on the candidates' stances on the law and Senate Democrats may allow a vote on legislation that would end health law subsidies for lawmakers and their aides.

5 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 5, 2013

Today's headlines include continuing coverage of the implementation issues that are plaguing the health law, as well as President Barack Obama's pledge to campaign for the overhaul's success.

5 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: Website is like 'a patient bleeding from self-inflicted wounds;' remembering patients who never had care and the need for health law

Obamacare is starting to resemble a patient bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. A month after launch, the online health exchanges where individuals are supposed to shop for insurance remain slow or unusable, except in states that opted to run their own marketplaces and did a more competent job than the administration. As if that weren't trouble enough, critics are justifiably mocking President Obama for his repeated, untrue promise that if people liked their health plans, they could keep them. Oops. Hundreds of thousands of people are getting termination notices for plans that don't meet the strict new requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Presumably, not all those people disliked their plans (11/3).

5 Nov 2013

State highlights: GOP tries abortion issue to lure Hispanic vote

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, California and West Virginia.

5 Nov 2013

Consumers losing their health policies could become potent political force

Several news stories examine how this group is adept at generating attention, especially among its elected representatives.

5 Nov 2013

Study finds one in five people who visited health website enrolled in a plan

A Commonwealth Fund survey also finds that 17 percent of those eligible for a marketplace plan have reached out online, on the phone or in person to get information, PoliticoPro reports. Other outlets look at news about state marketplaces.

5 Nov 2013

Figuring out health law winners and losers involves trade-offs; triggers anxiety, confusion

News outlets examine a range of policy issues related to the health law and its implementation.

5 Nov 2013

Senate Dems express increasing alarm over website issues

With its first rocky month down, some say the most critical days are beginning for healthcare.gov. Meanwhile, the technical difficulties that have plagued the site are starting to chip away at the Democratic unity that has, so far, surrounded it. Some senators, for instance, are beginning to express concerns about its impact on the upcoming mid-term election and are calling for a delay in the individual mandate penalties if the website is not soon operational.

4 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 4, 2013

Today's headlines include the latest on the efforts to address the problems with healthcare.gov, as well as the continuing controversy surrounding President Barack Obama's promise that Americans could keep their health coverage if they liked it juxtaposed with the news of recent policy cancellations.

4 Nov 2013

Some states see enrollment success even as others, federal insurance exchange struggle

Even as the federal and some state-based insurance marketplaces falter, enrollment numbers in some state-based exchanges are exceeding expectations -- including nearly 49,000 in Washington state alone. But some places, like Oregon, are dealing with technical problems that are forcing officials there to hand-process applications.

4 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: Policies being canceled were once considered substandard; that insurance 'was working for people'

The weirdest thing about the ongoing conniption about the cancellation of people's health insurance plans -- supposedly as a result of Obamacare -- is the notion that these are plans people liked, even loved. When did that happen? It wasn't so long ago -- months, even weeks -- when the health insurance companies were being roundly cursed for their ruthless mistreatment of individual health plan customers. Constant rate hikes. Cancellations after policyholders got sick. Endless hoops to jump through to file a claim or appeal a rejection (Michael Hiltzik, 10/31).

4 Nov 2013

State highlights: Patients crowd free clinic event in Calif.; Mass. bill aims at lowering retiree health costs

An army of doctors, nurses, dentists and other health workers on Thursday began providing free care to a steady stream of patients at the annual Care Harbor clinic at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Care Harbor founder Don Manelli estimated that 700 to 800 people would receive free care by the end of the day Thursday. In all, the clinic expects to serve about 4,000 Angelenos--many of whom don't have insurance, or don't have coverage for services like dentistry or vision care (Brown, 10/31).

4 Nov 2013

Health law policy issues: Abortion and maternity coverage raising GOP concerns

As if the rollout of the federal health law didn't have enough problems, abortion is back in the spotlight. How the various health plans in the exchanges would or would not pay for abortion was one of the very last issues settled before the bill was passed in 2010. Now abortion's invisibility on the federal HealthCare.gov website has some people pretty upset (Rovner, 11/1).

4 Nov 2013

Lawmakers don't have to say which staffers have to use health exchange

Members of Congress can choose who -- if any -- among their staffs go on the health law's insurance exchange.Sen. David Vitter, R-La., objects to the fact that they don't have to announce those decisions.

4 Nov 2013

Insurers seek to explain the factors behind wave of health plan cancellations

The top trade group for health insurers, among others, is attempting to explain the "why" behind these recent developments.

4 Nov 2013

Research roundup: States struggling with Medicaid expansion "complex issues"

We conducted a secondary analysis of data (2005 to 2010) from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. ... Comparisons were made between 2 groups to reflect likely movements in insurance status after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act implementation: (1) the uninsured who will be Medicaid eligible afterward versus Medicaid insured, and (2) the uninsured who will be Medicaid ineligible afterward versus the privately insured. ...

4 Nov 2013

As Healthcare.gov falters, navigators and marketing efforts forced to the sidelines

Navigators, who had planned to be working hard on online enrollments by now, are forced to try paper insurance applications or trying to answer consumers' questions about why they can't enroll. At the same time, a marketing blitz planned by health law advocates is on hold until the website works better.

4 Nov 2013