2012 July Health Care News

The July issue of Health Care News reports Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has convinced President Barack Obama’s administration to gamble on the state’s new, largely untested health care plan.

Also in this issue:

• Recent events in Missouri suggest health insurance companies wanting to participate in state insurance exchanges could have to compete under the table for political influence to gain access to the taxpayer-subsidized marketplaces.

• After the failure of other attempts to hold down rising premium costs, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick pushes legislation that would subject state residents to highly regulated global pricing.

• The battle over whether Texas can prevent Medicaid dollars from going to Planned Parenthood has resulted in a courtroom confrontation with potentially far-reaching implications.

• Illinois has decided it cannot justify implementation of the health insurance exchange mandated by President Barack Obama’s health care law before the coming Supreme Court ruling.

• Wisconsin BadgerCare reforms will require more payments from participants as the state braces for rapid expansion of enrollment due to Obama’s health care law.

• A blogger offering dietary and nutritional guidance runs afoul of state bureaucrats, who say he must be licensed by the state to share his experiences online.

• A Georgia law passed last year to allow for the interstate purchase of health insurance hasn’t resulted in a single insurer taking up the opportunity.