First Edition: December 13, 2010

Today's health policy headlines highlight today's expected ruling by a Virginia federal court judge on the health law's constitutionality.

The Wall Street Journal: Federal Judge Set To Rule On Health Law's Constitutionality
A Virginia federal judge is expected to rule Monday on whether the Obama administration's health law violates the Constitution, opening a new stage in the administration's defense of its biggest legislative achievement (Adamy and Perez, 12/13).

Politico: Courts Race On Reform Repeal
A federal judge in Virginia will rule on one of the most prominent health reform repeal lawsuits Monday, sources tell POLITICO. The ruling stands to upstage the repeal lawsuit in Florida, where the judge is set to hear long-scheduled oral arguments on Thursday (Kliff, 12/13).

The Washington Post: Federal Judge To Rule Monday On Constitutionality Of Health-Care Overhaul
A federal judge in Virginia is expected to rule Monday on the constitutionality of the nation's health-care overhaul (Helderman, 12/11).

Politico: 1099 Repeal Foiled Again
Another day, another failed attempt at 1099 repeal. Republicans rebuffed a Democratic effort to repeal health reform's universally-panned 1099 IRS reporting requirements as a piggyback in the tax cut deal, congressional aides on both sides of the aisle confirm to POLITICO (Kliff and Haberkorn, 12/13).

The Wall Street Journal: Firms Feel Pain From Health Law
Big employers faced with incorporating the first round of health-care changes next month are grappling with how to comply with the long list of new rules (Mattioli, 12/13).

Los Angeles Times: Maternity Insurance Is Scarce And Expensive For Many Californians
Tens of thousands of California women find themselves in similar straits, struggling to find — and afford — maternity coverage. While many young adults are covered by employer-based insurance, motherhood can be a huge financial blow to those who are self-employed or work at businesses with no coverage for workers (Helfand, 12/12).

The Washington Post: Recommendation Could Come This Week For Maryland's First New Hospital In 30 Years
Two health-care giants have spent the past two years waging a costly and intense battle to win state approval to build a new hospital in northern Montgomery County, the county's fastest-growing region (Sun, 12/12).