First Edition: December 16, 2010

In today's headlines, continuing analysis of how the health law is faring in the courts and what the sweeping measure's future might look like.

Kaiser Health News: State Insurance Officials To Vote On Rules For Descriptions Of Health Policies
Reporting for KHN, Susan Jaffe writes: "Choosing a health insurance policy should be easier if consumers use the simple chart and other information that state insurance commissioners are expected to approve Thursday" (Jaffe, 12/15).

The New York Times: On Health Law, Check Back In A Generation
As the history of social legislation would suggest, and as this week's federal court ruling in Virginia makes clear, the health care debate has instead entered a new and protracted period of flux, and its effect on our politics may not be settled until a lot of the president's aides are collecting Medicare checks of their own (Bai, 12/15).

The New York Times: Health Suits Stir Concerns On Court Partisanship
With a loose web of conservative plaintiffs leading the charge, and judicial rulings breaking thus far along ideological lines, the drive to scuttle the Obama health care law is once again highlighting the role of partisanship in America's courts (Sack, 12/15).

NPR: Health Care Rulings Reignite Judicial Bias Debate
Earlier this week, Virginia's Henry Hudson became the first judge to overturn part of the Obama administration's signature health care law (Johnson, 12/16).

The Wall Street Journal Health Blog: A Health-Care Dream Team On A Hunt For The Best Treatments
Here's a premise we'll bet you've heard before: If only the rest of the country could deliver the kind of high-quality, low-cost medical care that such organizations as the Mayo Clinic and Intermountain Healthcare provide, America's health-care problems would be solved (Winslow, 12/15).

The New York Times: Ruling Is Upheld Against Executives Tied to OxyContin
A federal district judge in Washington has upheld the disbarment of three former top executives of the company that made the prescription painkiller OxyContin, ruling that they should still be prohibited from involvement in any government-financed health care program (Meier, 12/15).

Los Angeles Times: Healthcare Is A Rare Bright Spot In Employment Picture
After a tough couple of years, healthcare hiring is up again. While the pace of new jobs remains far below that of a few years ago, healthcare organizations have more job postings up right now than they have for months (Yee, 12/15).

The Wall Street Journal Private Equity Beat: Private Equity Investment In Health Care To Increase Next Year, Study Says
Health-care reform and an aging population are bolstering the confidence of the private equity industry's outlook on the sector. A survey shows that investments are expected to increase significantly next year (Sergie, 12/15).

Los Angeles Times: CareMore Adding Office Space To Keep Up With Rapid Growth
CareMore, a Cerritos-based health maintenance organization, is on a hiring binge that will require it to double its headquarters space in March. The company, which caters to Medicare recipients, has hired 220 employees since September and plans to add as many as 275 more next year, said Dawn Maroney, chief sales and marketing officer (Vincent, 12/16).