States shaking health law tree to deal with what falls out

States are grappling with the realities of the health law: Illinois is using social media to field consumer worries over the rollout of the law even as the law brings more money -- and more stress -- to the state. In the meantime, the differences between exchange launches in Washington state and Oregon are examined.

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Social Media Team In Illinois Tends To Consumer Frustrations With Federal Health Care Website
Inside a command center at a Chicago marketing agency, a small team of social media experts hunkers down to monitor online chatter about President Barack Obama's health care law, answer questions on Facebook from discouraged consumers and post information and advice on Twitter. They are holding down the fort for a $33 million ad campaign planned for Get Covered Illinois, the new health insurance marketplace that's a cornerstone of the law, also known as "Obamacare," in what is arguably the biggest social media campaign rolled out by the state of Illinois (10/18).

The Chicago Tribune/Kaiser Health News: Affordable Care Act Brings More Money, More Stress To Illinois
As political debate continues to rage over President Barack Obama's signature health care overhaul, the law already is reshaping health care in the most troubled communities in Chicago and its suburbs. Since 2010, Illinois health clinics have received more than $50 million in development grants under the Affordable Care Act to build new facilities, expand operations, modernize equipment and improve the overall quality of care for the state's poor and uninsured (Hood, 10/18).

The Seattle Times/Kaiser Health News: A Tale Of Two State Exchanges
To get a glimpse of how the two-week-old health-insurance exchanges are faring under the Affordable Care Act, there may not be a better place to look than the Pacific Northwest and its striking contrasts. On the one hand, the Washington state-run exchange, called Washington Healthplanfinder, is widely perceived to be off to a strong start. … Compare that to Oregon, where state officials acknowledge not a single resident has been able to enroll through the website of that state's exchange, called Cover Oregon, because the site still is not fully functioning (Landa, 10/18).