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First Edition: February 9, 2011

Today's headlines include news about GOP plans to defund the health law and stepped up Capitol Hill activity surrounding the abortion issue.

9 Feb 2011

Dermatologists offer preventative tips to minimize pesky skin problems caused by plants

What may start as a seemingly harmless day of gardening or yard work can quickly take a turn for the worse when common plants make their mark on the skin, causing a host of mild to even severe skin reactions. That is why dermatologists are arming outdoor enthusiasts with preventative tips to keep these perils of the great outdoors at arm's length.

4 Feb 2011

Governors get advice from Obama administration on how to handle Medicaid

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius provided information Thursday to state officials explaining ways in which current law allows them to change the federal-state program — to gain savings without slashing eligibility.

4 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 4, 2011

Today's headlines include reports that Virginia's attorney general is asking the Supreme Court to expedite its review of the state's challenge to the health law. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is doling out advice to governors about how to handle Medicaid.

4 Feb 2011

Obama administration contemplates requirement that insurers offer free contraceptives

The Obama administration is examining whether the new health care law can be used to require insurance plans to offer contraceptives and other family planning services to women free of charge (Pear, 2/2).

4 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 3, 2011

Today's headlines detail the Senate GOP-led failed vote to repeal the health law and look to what steps will now follow.

3 Feb 2011

Health law ruling draws different state reactions

State officials are sorting a legal decision issued Monday by a federal court judge in Florida overturning the health law. Their challenge is to determine how and whether to proceed with their implementation responsibilities. Some, like Florida's governor, appear to favor taking steps to stall its progress.

3 Feb 2011

Looking beyond repeal vote, House Republicans plan their own health bills

The House GOP moved forward Thursday with targeted measures to advance their own version of health legislation. Four committee chairmen outlined plans to develop specific plans to kill or replace certain elements of the health law. A bill to permit interstate sales of health insurance is among the specific proposals on the table, and a group of conservative Republicans also unveiled a fiscal plan that would stall health law implementation efforts by defunding them.

21 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 21, 2011

Today's headlines highlight the House GOP's plans to advance the "replace" part of their strategy to reverse the health overhaul.

21 Jan 2011

House GOP passes health law repeal

In what is considered to be a symbolic vote, House Republicans joined with three Democrats to fulfill a campaign pledge to pass a bill that would undo the sweeping health overhaul.The vote represented the Republican House majority's first official rebuke of the Obama agenda. Senate action, however, is unlikely.

21 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 20, 2011

Today's headlines feature reports about yesterday's House vote to repeal the health overhaul and about the GOP's next steps in its effort to undo the sweeping law.

20 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 19, 2011

Today's headlines and news coverage offer details about the House health law repeal debate, which started yesterday.

19 Jan 2011

Poll shows opposition to health law softening; GOP and Dems gird for repeal vote

Ahead of a vote on repeal in the GOP-led House this week, strong opposition to the law stands at 30 percent, close to the lowest level registered in AP-GfK surveys dating to September 2009. ... The law expands coverage to more than 30 million uninsured, and would require, for the first time, that most people in the United States carry health insurance.

18 Jan 2011

Obama administration sides with drug companies in pricing lawsuit; Supreme Court agrees to hear case regarding use of prescription drug data

At issue are charges to public hospitals and clinics that treat a large number of poor patients and a Vermont law that restricts prescription drug data.

10 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 10, 2011

Health policy headlines include reports about the decision to delay the scheduled House vote on repealing the health law.

10 Jan 2011

CBO analysis estimates health overhaul repeal price tag to be $230 billion

With the CBO findings, GOP efforts to undo the health law and claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility took a hit. Democrats immediately pounced on the cost estimate as new ammunition in an ongoing battle. But Republican leaders dismissed the document, saying it is a "job-killing" measure that would add to the nation's debt and instead pointed to a report of their own.

7 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 16, 2011

Today's headlines include news about public opinion regarding the GOP health law repeal effort.

7 Jan 2011

U.S. health expenditures increased 4% in 2009

This increase represents the smallest one in at least a half a century. At the same time, though, medical costs ate up a record share of the overall economy. Experts pointed to the recession as a key explanation.

7 Jan 2011

NY Times: U.S. alters rule on paying for end-of-life planning

The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday (Robert Pear, 1/4).

6 Jan 2011