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First Edition: October 11, 2013

Today's headlines include news about what experts are diagnosing as the trouble spots in the federal online health insurance exchange and how to fix them.

11 Oct 2013

Employees at big companies will pick up a bigger share of health care price tag, predicts Aon Hewitt

More workers at big U.S. companies will likely start paying a greater share of their doctor's bill because of a health insurance shift forecast by benefits consultant Aon Hewitt.

11 Oct 2013

Longer looks: Problems with 'regular insurance;' more TV characters with mental illness; women dying younger

Every week reporter Ankita Rao selects interesting reading from around the Web.

11 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: 'Death throes' of health law opponents; Ryan's plan on entitlements may offer way out of budget crisis

Politically, the biggest challenges facing the ACA are behind us. By my count, the law has already survived three near-death experiences: the Democrats' loss of a filibuster-proof Senate majority with the election of Scott Brown in Jan. 2010, the Supreme Court's June 2012 decision upholding (with one exception) the law's constitutionality, and President Obama's re-election last Nov. Much of what we see going on in Washington now is the death throes of the opposition, especially now that Americans are beginning to sign up for coverage (John McDonough, 10/9).

11 Oct 2013

Health exchange issues? There are many, say experts and consumers

The reviews may not be good, but people are visiting the new health care web sites, according to the new AP-GfK poll. In addition, experts offer possible reasons for the problems that continue to plague the federal health insurance web site. Meanwhile, various news outlets examine how certain states are faring with the federal and state exchanges.

11 Oct 2013

Deadline for getting coverage and avoiding fines -- Valentine's Day, not march 31

The Associated Press reports on this development -- which it called a "new wrinkle" -- that will move up by about six weeks the date by which consumers will need to have health insurance or face penalties. Also in the news, lots of talk -- some of which came from President Barack Obama himself -- about how the health law helps or hurts workers and how it impacts health care costs.

11 Oct 2013

US health care spending to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8% for 2012-22

New estimates released 9/18/13 from the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project that aggregate health care spending in the United States will grow at an average annual rate of 5.8 percent for 2012-22, or 1.0 percentage point faster than the expected growth in the gross domestic product.

11 Oct 2013

Indiana sues to halt health law's employer mandate

The state attorney general and 15 school districts filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, claiming that tax penalties for businesses with 50 or more full-time employees that fail to provide health benefits cannot be enforced against state or local governments.

11 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 10, 2013

Today's headlines include a new Associated Press poll that offers the public's early reviews of the first days of the health law's online insurance marketplaces.

10 Oct 2013

State health exchanges running more smoothly than federal marketplace

The New York Times reports that, while difficulties continue for consumers in the 30 states that are using the federal government's online health insurance marketplace, those who live in states that have chosen to operate their own are faring better.

10 Oct 2013

Shoppers on fed's insurance website still face problems

News outlets report on the glitches still plaguing the website, healthcare.gov., in its second week of operation. White House officials say fixes are being made, although they have been unable to say how many consumers have enrolled in plans through the website.

10 Oct 2013

CieloStar to offer MCP's Medical Recovery Insurance plans across US

CieloStar announced today that it has entered into an exclusive distribution partnership agreement with MediCheque Cash Plans Limited of London, England.

10 Oct 2013

EOHHS selects BMCHP to provide health care coverage for MassHealth CarePlus members

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services has selected Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan to provide comprehensive health care coverage for MassHealth CarePlus members in all five MassHealth regions of Massachusetts.

10 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Rep. Ryan says entitlements hold the key to an agreement; health law's impact on smokers; WSJ on Medicaid expansion

Once those threats are removed, however, there is plenty to discuss: how to replace the sequester cuts, which are already devastating domestic programs and are about to get much worse for defense spending; how to use fiscal policy to stimulate the creation of jobs and fix the nation's infrastructure; how to repair a broken tax system, reduce long-term debt, and ensure that social welfare programs remain healthy (10/8).

10 Oct 2013

New agreement gives Health Net's members access to 14 of Prime Healthcare's hospitals

Prime Healthcare Services is pleased to announce that it has contracted with Health Net of California for 14 of its hospitals.

10 Oct 2013

First Edition: September 9, 2013

Today's headlines include reports on how some state health online insurance marketplaces are working as well as the latest from Capitol Hill on the budget standoff.

9 Oct 2013

Prominent leaders explore new era of healthcare partnerships at MDS' annual conference

Prominent healthcare leaders from around the country were reminded that "You don't have to get big, you just have to play smarter and get better" as healthcare organizations explored strategies for success at MDS Consulting's 8th annual Healthcare Leadership and Executive Conference held recently in Las Vegas.

9 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Whether Americans will like health law is open question; GOP has 'nothing to show' for shutdown; Sebelius says demand derailed marketplace's debut

How absolutely bonkers. And yet how unsurprising. We're awash these days in metaphors as overworked as our political debate is overwrought, and it's impossible not to wonder how much one contributes to the other. When nuance and perspective exit the language, do they exit the conversation as well? When you speak in ludicrous extremes, do you think that way, too? Obamacare has proved to be not just ideologically divisive but linguistically fertile. There's seemingly no event or passage in American history to which it can't be compared (Frank Bruni, 10/7).

9 Oct 2013

State highlights: Mass. law shines light on health care prices; Conn. focuses on health care delivery

A selection of health policy stories from California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and North Carolina.

9 Oct 2013

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

Health Insurance News and Research

First Edition: October 11, 2013

Employees at big companies will pick up a bigger share of health care price tag, predicts Aon Hewitt

Longer looks: Problems with 'regular insurance;' more TV characters with mental illness; women dying younger

Viewpoints: 'Death throes' of health law opponents; Ryan's plan on entitlements may offer way out of budget crisis

Health exchange issues? There are many, say experts and consumers

Deadline for getting coverage and avoiding fines -- Valentine's Day, not march 31

US health care spending to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8% for 2012-22

Indiana sues to halt health law's employer mandate

First Edition: October 10, 2013

State health exchanges running more smoothly than federal marketplace

Shoppers on fed's insurance website still face problems

CieloStar to offer MCP's Medical Recovery Insurance plans across US

EOHHS selects BMCHP to provide health care coverage for MassHealth CarePlus members

Viewpoints: Rep. Ryan says entitlements hold the key to an agreement; health law's impact on smokers; WSJ on Medicaid expansion

New agreement gives Health Net's members access to 14 of Prime Healthcare's hospitals

First Edition: September 9, 2013

Prominent leaders explore new era of healthcare partnerships at MDS' annual conference

Viewpoints: Whether Americans will like health law is open question; GOP has 'nothing to show' for shutdown; Sebelius says demand derailed marketplace's debut

State highlights: Mass. law shines light on health care prices; Conn. focuses on health care delivery

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

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Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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