health care

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says "6 in 10 Americans who currently lack insurance will be able to find coverage that costs less than $100 a month" in health insurance exchanges set to open next week. Here, Sebelius i

Administration Touts Lower-Than-Expected Obamacare Premiums

11:42am September 25, 2013

by Julie Rovner

According to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services, "premiums nationwide will ... be around 16 percent lower than originally expected," and 95 percent of uninsured people live in a state with average premiums that are lower than expected.

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Senate More Than Likely To Keep Obamacare Intact

6:25am September 25, 2013

by David Welna

Congress has just days to avoid a government shutdown when the new fiscal year starts next Tuesday. Standing in the way is a House provision that cuts off all funding for the health care law known as Obamacare. The aim is to cripple that program just when its major provisions are about to kick in. But the Senate is not expected to pass any bill that defunds or delays Obamacare.

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House GOP Group Forces Boehner To Choose Sides

6:25am September 25, 2013

A GOP group in the House is behind an effort to defund the Affordable Care Act through the process of keeping the federal government funded. Speaker John Boehner may have to choose whether to stand by them and force a government shutdown, or makes a deal with Democrats to avert it. Steve Inskeep talks to former Ohio Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette for insight into Boehner's dilemma.

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One bad winter storm could leave Estes Park Medical Center isolated and unable to transfer seriously ill patients to facilities with intensive care units and other specialized services.

After The Floods, Colorado Hospital Braces For Winter

11:38am September 24, 2013

by Eric Whitney

A hospital in Estes Park, Colo., escaped the flood damage that affected much of the area this month. But the small hospital in the mountains now relies on a single road to evacuate critical patients. A bad snowstorm could stop traffic and ground helicopters, leaving the hospital isolated.

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House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, talks about the deadline to fund the government Thursday on Capitol Hill.

House Nears Vote To Fund Government, Defund Obamacare

11:18am September 20, 2013

by Tamara Keith

The Republican-controlled House is set to vote Friday on a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open for business through the middle of December. And the White House has already said if it makes it to the president's desk, he'll veto it. That's because the bill also would defund the Affordable Care Act.

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Fourth year Tulane medical school student Neha Solanki (far right) preps a Greek frittata during a class at Johnson & Wales.

Just What The Doctor Ordered: Med Students Team With Chefs

9:26am September 19, 2013

by Kristin Gourlay

Tulane medical students are trading in their scrubs for chefs whites. They've teamed up with culinary students at Johnson & Wales University as part of an innovative new program designed to teach both groups how good nutrition can help stave off lifestyle diseases.

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Florida Makes Spreading Word On Health Care Law A Challenge

1:01pm September 18, 2013

by Greg Allen

The state fought hard against Obama's Affordable Care Act. Now Gov. Rick Scott's administration is questioning the use of federally funded navigators to enroll residents in health care exchanges.

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Workers at the eHealth call center outside Sacramento, Calif., get ready to sell health insurance through the marketplaces created under the federal health care law. Sales start Oct. 1.

For-Profit Online Insurance Brokers Gear Up To Sell Obamacare

8:34am September 18, 2013

by Eric Whitney

For online insurance brokers, selling health insurance through the Affordable Care Act presents a new opportunity — and a new competitor. It's unclear who will come out ahead: the businesses, with more experience, or the feds, who won't charge commissions.

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Differences in brain chemistry can affect an individual's likelihood of weight gain.

Calling Obesity A Disease May Make It Easier To Get Help

9:04am September 17, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

If obesity were a disease, would you be more likely to seek medical help because insurance would pay for treatment? Or would you feel stigmatized and just give up? That's the debate surrounding increased efforts to classify obesity as a disease.

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Interior Secretary Sally Jewell (center) gets a tour of King Cove, Alaska.

Proposed Alaska Road Pits Villagers Against Environmentalists

6:29pm September 13, 2013

by Annie Feidt

A proposed road in Alaska is pitting residents against environmentalists. The people who live in a remote village want better access to an airport with year-round flights to Anchorage for medical emergencies. But the road would cut through a wilderness area, which environmentalists say would set a bad precedent.

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