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First Edition: September 13, 2013

Today's headlines include stories highlighting how the health law factors into Capitol Hill's current political dynamics.

13 Sep 2013

As opponent presses McConnell on conservative credentials, Senate Minority Leader to offer new bill delaying health law provision

This might come as news to the Obama administration - Mitch McConnell apparently has done nothing in the Senate to thwart the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. At least that's the charge leveled by Matt Bevin, a tea party-backed candidate who claims the Republican leader is not conservative enough.

13 Sep 2013

SPHHS releases resources on website that help understand issues related to health information laws

Health Information & the Law, a project at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), released new resources on a website that offers easy-to-understand content on key issues related to the use and exchange of health information and how it affects the transformation of the U.S. health care system to a patient-centered, value-based system.

13 Sep 2013

Professional soccer team signs up to help D.C. health exchanges

On the other side of the issue, the Heritage Foundation unveils a new billboard in New York City.

13 Sep 2013

State highlights: Nation's older population strains budgets in Northeast; Detroit may replace health coverage with stipends; access to care in rural Alaska

Most of the nation's oldest population is now clustered in the Northeast and growing rapidly, according to Census data, straining medical, housing and transportation budgets and forcing lawmakers to look for new approaches. And legislators and governors are reaching the conclusion that the way to pay for the elderly is to cater to the young (Wilson, 9/12).

13 Sep 2013

As marketplaces get ready for opening, several states still facing debates about Medicaid expansion

Pennsylvania and Ohio are among the states where the Medicaid question is still in play this year. Meanwhile, in Arizona, an effort to get a referendum to block the expansion fails and an advocacy group vows to bring a lawsuit to stop it.

13 Sep 2013

Marketing of health law goes mainstream

The Associated Press reports that applying for coverage in new online insurance marketplaces will feel like a combination of doing your taxes and making a big purchase.

13 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: GOP 'obsession' with health law prevents progress on key financial issues; the 'fantasy of fertility;' VA is 'model' for transforming U.S. medicine

Try as they might, House Republican leaders are having trouble stopping their colleagues from shooting themselves in the foot -- again. Having failed to approve any of the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies, Congress has to pass a stopgap spending bill by Sept. 30 to keep much of the federal government from shutting down.

13 Sep 2013

Federal data system for health exchanges passes a test

Reuters reports this system has now been tested and certified as secure. Meanwhile, Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly confused by the media blitz surrounding the law's new online insurance marketplaces.

13 Sep 2013

The final push for Obamacare

News outlets report on the ambitious plans of a handful of health insurance co-ops starting from scratch after being funded by the law, how smokers may be charged higher premiums if they don't take cessation classes and the challenge of explaining the law in multiple languages.

13 Sep 2013

Feds to PA.: Shift some kids on CHIP to Medicaid

Federal officials denied a request by Pennsylvania to keep more than 50,000 children on the state CHIP program and have instead instructed officials there to shift the kids' coverage to Medicaid ahead of implementation of Obamacare.

13 Sep 2013

AFL-CIO ramps up criticism of health law

The labor federation approved a resolution Wednesday urging changes to parts of President Barack Obama's health care law that it says would drive up the costs of union-sponsored health plans to the point that workers and employers would abandon them.

13 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 12, 2013

Today's headlines include a range of stories related to the politics and policies in play as Oct. 1 -- the health law's big day -- quickly approaches.

12 Sep 2013

State highlights: S.F. suing Nevada over 'dumped' patients; feds push Pa. to move kids to Medicaid; Medicaid contractor's lawsuit against La. goes forward

A selection of health policy stories from California, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Georgia and Oregon.

12 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Hopes for single payer system remain; GOP's move to tie debt ceiling to health law is dangerous; subsidy fraud must be stopped

With the Oct. 1 rollout of a major facet of the Affordable Care Act on the horizon, you'll be hearing a lot about the glitches, loopholes and shortcomings of this most important restructuring of America's healthcare system in our lifetimes.

12 Sep 2013

Some House GOP lawmakers take hard line position against health law funding in debt limit debate

As Republican leaders unveiled a plan to avert a government shutdown, they faced the challenge of building support for the proposal within their own ranks because it does not defund the health law. Some within the caucus reacted with skepticism.

12 Sep 2013

Some big insurers 'MIA' from state-based exchanges

CNN reports that health plans such as Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna are practicing watchful waiting to see how the launch of these online marketplaces and the 2014 push to expand coverage rolls out. Meanwhile, California's exchange will be ready, according to its executive director, and most uninsured Kentuckians will receive discounts, says the governor.

12 Sep 2013

Health Insurance News and Research

First Edition: September 13, 2013

As opponent presses McConnell on conservative credentials, Senate Minority Leader to offer new bill delaying health law provision

SPHHS releases resources on website that help understand issues related to health information laws

Professional soccer team signs up to help D.C. health exchanges

State highlights: Nation's older population strains budgets in Northeast; Detroit may replace health coverage with stipends; access to care in rural Alaska

As marketplaces get ready for opening, several states still facing debates about Medicaid expansion

Marketing of health law goes mainstream

Viewpoints: GOP 'obsession' with health law prevents progress on key financial issues; the 'fantasy of fertility;' VA is 'model' for transforming U.S. medicine

Federal data system for health exchanges passes a test

The final push for Obamacare

Feds to PA.: Shift some kids on CHIP to Medicaid

AFL-CIO ramps up criticism of health law

First Edition: September 12, 2013

State highlights: S.F. suing Nevada over 'dumped' patients; feds push Pa. to move kids to Medicaid; Medicaid contractor's lawsuit against La. goes forward

Viewpoints: Hopes for single payer system remain; GOP's move to tie debt ceiling to health law is dangerous; subsidy fraud must be stopped

Some House GOP lawmakers take hard line position against health law funding in debt limit debate

Some big insurers 'MIA' from state-based exchanges

Federal officials, contractors give health exchange 'data hub' thumbs up

Big changes for addiction treatment predicted under Obamacare

First Edition: September 11, 2013

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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