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March 12, 2013 The proposal describes changes to the Medicare program in Obamacare-like terms. One change would be to the choices seniors would have as part of a "new Medicare exchange" — similar to the insurance exchanges now being built under the Affordable Care Act.

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February 25, 2013 Since the governors last met in July, some have shifted their views on the federal health care law. A few Republicans have even changed their minds about the potential benefits of the president's plan to expand Medicaid.

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February 21, 2013 Emergency contraceptives like Plan B and ella are effective at preventing pregnancy after unprotected sex. Claims that the pills are tantamount to abortion, however, aren't supported by science, say researchers. The only way the drugs work is by stopping a woman's body from ovulating.

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February 20, 2013 Florida's expansion of Medicaid will provide health insurance coverage to more than a million people. Florida will also become the seventh state headed by a Republican to agree to take the federal offer to provide Medicaid to all state residents with incomes up to about $15,000 a year.

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February 19, 2013 Federal programs, including many that provide health care, could soon be hit with deep cuts to their budgets. Agencies won't close, but services ranging from food inspections to vaccinations could be cut back. And the health care industry warns that half a million jobs could be lost within a year.

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February 14, 2013 A study finds those who used emergency contraception were about evenly divided between in their reasons. About half said it was because another contraceptive method had failed and half cited unprotected sex.

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February 7, 2013 The administration's proposal calls for insurance companies to provide contraceptive and sterilization coverage, rather than hospitals, universities and charities affiliated with religious groups. The approach failed to satisfy leaders of the Catholic Church.

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February 6, 2013 Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said he would seek to expand the state's Medicaid program under the terms of the Affordable Care Act a day after Ohio Gov. John Kasich effectively said the same thing when he unveiled his proposed budget.

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February 6, 2013 President Obama has ordered an end to a 16-year-old ban on federal funding of research on guns and health. But the political controversy that led to the ban in the first place is far from over.

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February 1, 2013 Under the proposed rule, employees at nonprofit religious organizations would get access to no-cost contraception, but their employer wouldn't pay for the coverage. The move is another attempt to provide contraceptive coverage without violating the beliefs of religious nonprofits.

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January 22, 2013 Abortion foes say the U.S. Supreme Court's aggressive decision set the issue on the path toward becoming intractable. Others say factors besides the landmark case — including doctors, lawyers, President Nixon and the Catholic Church — more strongly influenced the state of today's debate.

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January 11, 2013 Religious groups were among the first to object to a requirement that employers' health plans provide free birth control. But some companies have also objected, saying the mandate violates their religious freedom, too.

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January 7, 2013 Economists have calculated that spending on health care continued to increase slowly in 2011, at a rate similar to the two previous years. Researchers point to the stagnant economy for holding back health inflation.

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January 4, 2013 Health care has been a major focus in recent budget battles. New legislation provides a temporary fix in payments for doctors, but it will be paid for by a decade of cuts to hospitals. And a program for long-term-care insurance won't ever get off the ground.

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January 2, 2013 The California congressman lost his seat this fall. Stark has been part of almost every piece of health legislation enacted while he was in office. The 113th Congress will be the first one in 40 years to convene without him as a member.

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