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Viewpoints: 'Surrender' by Republicans; 'myth' of income verification; 'this fight didn't end'

The health care reform law will not be defunded or delayed. No taxes will be cut, and the deal calls for no new cuts to federal spending or limits to social welfare programs. The only things Republicans achieved were billions of dollars in damage to the economy, harm to the nation's reputation and a rock-bottom public approval rating (10/16).

18 Oct 2013

Medicaid expansion still in play in Ohio, New Hampshire

Some Ohio lawmakers push back against Gov. John Kasich's move to bypass the legislature to expand Medicaid, and New Hampshire legislators plan to meet next month to hammer out what leaders hope will be a bipartisan deal to expand the state-federal program for the poor. Meanwhile, likely Virginia voters support expansion 51 percent to 42 percent with the divide falling along party lines, according to a new poll.

18 Oct 2013

Two weeks in, Healthcare.gov still confronts technical difficulties

The volume of visits to the site, as well as the platform's design, are being blamed for the problems. Some experts see the necessary fixes as being projects that could take months to complete.

18 Oct 2013

State exchanges wrestle with provider directories, search tools

News outlets report on some of the challenges and sign-up tallies for state-based online insurance marketplaces in California, Minnesota, Washington and Maryland. Also in the news, progress updates regarding outreach efforts and small businesses that are attempting to use the exchanges.

18 Oct 2013

Quality of care provided by female doctors is higher than their male counterparts

According to a University of Montreal research team, the quality of care provided by female doctors is higher than that of their male counterparts while the productivity of males is greater.

18 Oct 2013

Health law mostly untouched by agreement to end shutdown, increase debt limit

Republican foes of the overhaul came out of the confrontation with only a tweak to income verification rules for those seeking subsidies to buy coverage on the new health insurance exchanges. The agreement created a new budget deadline, however, requiring lawmakers to return to the table to reach a long-term deficit reduction agreement by Dec. 1

18 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 17, 2013

Today's headlines include reports and analyses of the Capitol Hill deal to raise the debt limit and reopen the federal government, as well as the latest developments regarding the health law's federal and state health insurance exchanges.

17 Oct 2013

New report examines impact of health reform on community health centers and patients

A new report by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the impact of health reform on community health centers and their patients.

17 Oct 2013

What's in? What's out? Tracking the course of health law changes included in budget talks

After playing a central role in the negotiations, two health law tax provisions -- one related to reinsurance and the other a levy on medical devices -- appear to be off the table as of Wednesday morning. News outlets explained both in stories filed Tuesday night.

17 Oct 2013

5.2M won't get coverage in states rejecting Medicaid expansion; Wis. governor race heats up over expansion plans

A new report projects that 5.2 million adults will not get health coverage next year because their states aren't expanding Medicaid under the health law. In Wisconsin, expanding the program becomes an issue in the gubernatorial race, while in North Carolina, county commissioners ask state officials to reconsider their decision not to expand and in Virginia, supporters of expansion outnumber opponents in a hearing.

17 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Young people could spark needed entitlement changes; Priebus demands that Sebelius go; GOP's 'absurd debate' on Hill health coverage

Eventually this shutdown crisis will end. And eventually the two parties will make another stab at a deal on taxes, investments and entitlements. But there's one outcome from such negotiations that I can absolutely guarantee: Seniors, Wall Street and unions will all have their say and their interests protected. So the most likely result will be more tinkering around the edges, as our politicians run for the hills the minute someone accuses them of "fixing the deficit on the backs of the elderly" or creating "death panels" to sensibly allocate end-of-life health care.

17 Oct 2013

Sebelius gets 'full confidence' from Obama despite shaky exchange rollout

Amid a Republicans chorus calling for her to be fired, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius got the "full confidence" of President Barack Obama Tuesday.

17 Oct 2013

Tuesday came and went with little Capitol Hill progress on reaching an agreement to reopen the government, raise the debt ceiling

Differences among House G.O.P. lawmakers are a key factor in this ongoing Capitol Hill drama, as some members continue to push to advance ways to delay and and derail parts of the health law. The current proposal emerging from the Senate includes changes to the overhaul but most say these provisions would not not significantly alter the measure.

17 Oct 2013

Where seniors live affects their health care and the medications they get

The Associated Press examines how geography can make a key difference in the treatments that Medicare beneficiaries receive. Other outlets look at the annual open enrollment period for Medicare prescription drug plans. USA Today reports that thousands who rely on nursing home trust funds have had their savings mismanaged or stolen.

17 Oct 2013

Federal exchange: Initial expectations were rosy, but consumer frustration now taking root

The Washington Post reports that visits to healthcare.gov dropped 88 percent between Oct. 1 and Oct. 13. In an interview, President Barack Obama said the glitches consumers have experienced must be addressed.

17 Oct 2013

California exchange draws strong interest, while Hawaii's finally opens

Media outlets report on the progress of state-run exchanges, ranging from the nearly 100,000 application starts in California, to Hawaii's two weeks-delayed launch, to Oregon officials' concern about sites using sound-alike names.

17 Oct 2013

Congressional health coverage at center of House GOP concerns

Conservatives argue that federal contributions to their health insurance, which the health law requires them to purchase in the new online marketplaces, is an unfair subsidy. But Democrats say the government is just providing the same support that it has in the past and what other big employers give workers.

17 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 16, 2013

Today's headlines including stories detailing how certain health law provisions are factoring in to the continuing congressional budget stalemate.

16 Oct 2013

Data suggest state-run online insurance marketplaces making progress -- 38,000 people have signed up; 100,000 have completed applications

Meanwhile, headlines across the country offer updates on specific state exchanges in California, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota and Colorado.

16 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: 'False hysteria' over health law's part-time criteria; marketplaces 'flunk' initial test; Ben Carson's surprising assessment

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, has had a difficult launching, but the more serious challenges for the law relate not to glitch-filled Web sites but rather to its possible long-term effects on the United States economy. The law is not likely to last if it imposes a severe drag on growth and job creation, or involves large costs obscured by the legislative gimmicks used to shape the scoring of the bill by the Congressional Budget Office. Indeed, Casey B. Mulligan has discussed the negative effects of the legislation on the American labor market in a series of posts on Economix, while the policy expert Charles Blahous explains in detail why the "fiscally reckless" legislation will aggravate the already difficult federal and state fiscal situations (Philip Swagel, 10/14).

16 Oct 2013

Health Insurance News and Research

Viewpoints: 'Surrender' by Republicans; 'myth' of income verification; 'this fight didn't end'

Medicaid expansion still in play in Ohio, New Hampshire

Two weeks in, Healthcare.gov still confronts technical difficulties

State exchanges wrestle with provider directories, search tools

Quality of care provided by female doctors is higher than their male counterparts

Health law mostly untouched by agreement to end shutdown, increase debt limit

First Edition: October 17, 2013

New report examines impact of health reform on community health centers and patients

What's in? What's out? Tracking the course of health law changes included in budget talks

5.2M won't get coverage in states rejecting Medicaid expansion; Wis. governor race heats up over expansion plans

Viewpoints: Young people could spark needed entitlement changes; Priebus demands that Sebelius go; GOP's 'absurd debate' on Hill health coverage

Sebelius gets 'full confidence' from Obama despite shaky exchange rollout

Tuesday came and went with little Capitol Hill progress on reaching an agreement to reopen the government, raise the debt ceiling

Where seniors live affects their health care and the medications they get

Federal exchange: Initial expectations were rosy, but consumer frustration now taking root

California exchange draws strong interest, while Hawaii's finally opens

Congressional health coverage at center of House GOP concerns

First Edition: October 16, 2013

Data suggest state-run online insurance marketplaces making progress -- 38,000 people have signed up; 100,000 have completed applications

Viewpoints: 'False hysteria' over health law's part-time criteria; marketplaces 'flunk' initial test; Ben Carson's surprising assessment

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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