Sebelius urges Texas leaders to pitch plan to cover poor

Speaking in Texas, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said it was up to state leaders to propose alternative ways to expand health coverage to the poor. Meanwhile, in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott raised privacy concerns related to so-called navigators, who will be trained to walk people through their insurance options under the health law.

The Associated Press: Texas Gets Call To Talk Health Care
If Texas wants to tailor its own expansion of health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act, then it's now up to state leaders to reach out to the federal government to have a dialogue, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday (Lozano, 8/19).

The Associated Press: Scott Raises Obamacare Privacy Concerns
Gov. Rick Scott is joining other Republicans lawmakers around the country in questioning privacy issues surrounding the navigators hired to walk people through their health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act…Scott said there are many serious, unanswered questions and he plans to discuss the issue with his cabinet at a meeting Tuesday in Miami (Kennedy, 8/20).

And, a new poll shows California support for the health law remains strong, while Politifact assesses Sen. Marco Rubio's claim that Obamacare will harm his elderly mother -

The Sacramento Bee: Field Poll Shows Continued Support For Health Care Overhaul In California
A majority of California voters remain unflinching in their support of the federal health care overhaul, though nearly half of the electorate predicts it won't affect them much, according to a new Field Poll. Forty-six percent of California voters – a plurality – say they do not expect to be much better or worse off when the law is fully enacted, according to the poll. Of those who do expect their families to be affected, 23 percent predict they'll fare better, 26 percent worse (Siders, 8/20).

Tampa Bay Times/Politifact: Will Obamacare Hurt Medicare Advantage?
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has vigorously opposed Obamacare for many reasons. Lately, he's been invoking his mother, suggesting she'll be harmed by the president's health care plan. Mrs. Rubio is one of the millions who choose to receive Medicare benefits through privately run Medicare Advantage plans. ... We won't rate Rubio's statement on our Truth-O-Meter, since it's essentially a prediction. But as we'll see, experts told us Rubio's remarks oversimplify matters and put too much blame on the health care law for a situation that predates Obamacare (Sutton, 8/19).