Health News

The Associated Press reports on the health law's requirement that employers with more than 50 workers provide affordable health coverage or face fines. But what is affordable? And will workers be helped or hindered by the rule?

Editorial boards weigh in on what Thursday's Supreme Court ruling means for medical research and for the medical industry.

Take a look at KHN's lighter side, featuring today's cartoon and health policy haiku.

A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.

NPR reports on Judge Edward Korman's response to the Obama administration's Plan B proposal while CNN Money explores how the "conscience clause" creates challenges for drugstores as they sell the morning-after pill over the counter.

A selection of health policy stories from Georgia, Virginia, California and Oregon.

In Texas, revenue woes are hampering a series of health care experiments, including how the state gives health care to its poor and uninsured, though federal approval for the projects came in May. In California, lawmakers get set to add some dental coverage for the state's poorest residents.

The decision was applauded by many researchers and drew speculation that it could likely boost patient care. Meanwhile, the stock of Myriad Genetics tumbled after the court's finding invalidated the company's hold on testing for two breast cancer genes.

Other media reports detail Sen. Ron Wyden's proposal to allow accountable care organizations to focus on the sickest, most costly patients; questions from Rep. Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., about the navigator program's funding; and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif., angry response to a reporter's question about late-term abortions.

Meanwhile, Minnesota officials announce the opening of a call center Sept. 3 to answer consumer questions about the state's online insurance marketplace, which will begin enrolling people a month later.

This week's articles come from The Nation, Forbes, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic and the Los Angeles Times.

Health policy research and briefs this week come from Health Affairs, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Dartmouth Atlas Project, the Centers for Studying Health System Change and the California HealthCare Foundation.

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how, after months of battle, Arizona lawmakers endorsed a Medicaid expansion plan backed by Gov. Jan Brewer.

On Thursday, Rep. Mike Honda reintroduced a bill aimed at advancing mobile health innovation as well as other health technologies. The bill would require FDA to establish a new Office of Wireless Health and create an HHS program to support mobile health developers and help them ensure that their technologies align with privacy regulations. TMC News, Honda release.

U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced that she will step down from her position in July. Benjamin -- who previously ran a rural health clinic in Alabama -- has been an advocate for the use of health IT to increase health care access, improve care quality and reduce costs. Healthcare IT News, Modern Healthcare.

Medical Group Management Association research shows the health care industry's readiness to meet the Oct. 1, 2014, compliance deadline for ICD-10 continues to lag. Only 4.8% of surveyed practices reported making significant progress in their ICD-10 readiness. Healthcare IT News, FierceHealthIT.

On Wednesday, a Department of Veterans Affairs official said the department has reached a "tipping point" in processing the backlog of disability claims. VA expects to meet its goal of processing all claims pending for more than 125 days by 2015. Washington Post's "Federal Eye," NextGov.

NoMoreClipboard will integrate ICA's health information exchange tools into its personal health record and patient portal systems. The Veterans Benefits Administration has awarded Harris Corporation a four-year, $37 million contract to work on its veterans' benefits claims system.

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is urging Covered California to bar Anthem Blue Cross from the health exchange's small business market because the insurer imposed several "excessive and unreasonable" rate hikes. Los Angeles Times et al.

State lawmakers and county officials have reached an agreement on how to split the costs of expanding Medi-Cal. Under the plan, counties would pay back a collective $300 million next year and then select from two formulas for splitting future costs. KPCC's "KPCC News."