Legislatures, governors contentious on health care issues

In New York and Kansas, health insurance exchanges are under scrutiny.

The New York Times: Cuomo And Top Legislators Near Accord On The Budget
But the Legislature, with a Senate controlled by Republicans and an Assembly by Democrats, was unable to agree on whether to establish a health insurance exchange to comply with the much-debated federal health overhaul championed by President Obama. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, is now planning to sidestep opposition from Senate Republicans by creating an exchange via executive order (Kaplan and Hakim, 3/26).

The Washington Post: Virginia Senate Approves State Spending Plan
After two failed attempts, the Virginia Senate on Monday passed a state budget that includes tens of millions of additional dollars for public schools, health care and transportation ... But the evenly-divided chamber rejected an attempt by Democrats to force the state to pay $1.5 million a year for a Republican-supported law that will require women to undergo ultrasounds before abortions (Kumar, 3/26).

Kansas Health Institute News: Budget Negotiators Meet
The House and Senate budget plans each hew closely to the total $14.1 billion in spending proposed by Gov. Sam Brownback for the fiscal year that starts July 1. ... The House, which has a number of Republican freshmen who campaigned against the health reform law, included provisions in its budget that would bar Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger from spending about $1.2 million in federal grant dollars her agency received to help plan for a health insurance exchange (Shields, 3/26).