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First Edition: March 29, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports detailing Wednesday's Supreme Court oral arguments on severability as well as the Medicaid expansion. News coverage also sums up the week's high court activity and looks forward to what might happen next.

29 Mar 2012

Outside the court: Roaring rallies, rhetoric and reviews

The second day of the momentous Supreme Court hearing on President Obama's health law ended almost exactly at noon. By 12:03, many conservative lawmakers and television commentators who had been in the packed chambers stood on the marble steps outside, saying the health insurance mandate at the heart of the law appeared to be in deep trouble.

29 Mar 2012

Demonstrators provide punctuation, personality to ongoing debate

Though events inside the Supreme Court were staid and steeped in the high court's rules and processes, outside activists converged to argue their positions and to shape public opinion about the health law.

28 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 28, 2012

Today's headlines recap yesterday's Supreme Court action related to the constitutionality of the individual mandate and set the scene for day 3 of the oral arguments, which will tackle issues of severalbility and questions about the health law's Medicaid expansion.

28 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 27, 2012

In today's headlines, the Supreme Court chronicles continue, with reports detailing what happened during yesterday's opening-day oral arguments and previewing what's on tap for today.

27 Mar 2012

High court hears first day of health law arguments; Justices appear skeptical of jurisdictional question

Early reports provide insights into what went on inside the Court as justices contemplated whether the Anti-Injuction Act would preclude their review of the legal challenges to the individual mandate.

27 Mar 2012

Setting the scene: Court arguments offer different kind of drama

With no Twitter, cameras or telephones allowing reports from inside the court, much of the action will take place on the outside. A range of groups have planned demonstrations. All the while, the lawyers involved in the arguments have been busy with "moot court" practice sessions; spectators have been waiting in line in hopes of getting a seat; and stakeholders, such as the health care industry, are anxiously watching for clues to the outcome.

26 Mar 2012

Plouffe defends, Graham and Bachmann attack health law

As the Supreme Court takes up President Obama's health care law this week, the White House dispatched a top political aide to the Sunday talk shows to make the case for the law that will go far in defining Obama's legacy. "As it relates to the Supreme Court, we're confident that it's going to be upheld," senior Obama adviser David Plouffe said on ABC's This Week. ... In the meantime, Republican presidential candidates -- while hoping that the Supreme Court strikes down the law -- have vowed to repeal the law.

26 Mar 2012

Roundup: States face new revenue downturn; Calif. county has disparities in life expectancy

Revenues in most U.S. states increased in the fourth quarter of 2011, but their recent surge is tapering off, as they grew just 2.7 percent from the final quarter of 2010, according to a report released on Monday. "This is a noticeable slowdown from the 11.1 (percent) and 6.1 percent year-over-year growth reported in the second and third quarters of 2011, respectively," the Rockefeller Institute, a think tank that closely watches states' revenues, said in the report.

21 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: The argument for the health law; No one wins contraception battle

It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. If the same principle applies to legislation, the Affordable Care Act -; which was signed into law two years ago, but for the most part has yet to take effect -; sits in a place of high honor.

20 Mar 2012

Different mechanisms might be involved in relapsing and progressive onset MS

Patients with relapsing onset Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who consumed alcohol, wine, coffee and fish on a regular basis took four to seven years longer to reach the point where they needed a walking aid than people who never consumed them. However the study, published in the April issue of the European Journal of Neurology, did not observe the same patterns in patients with progressive onset MS.

19 Mar 2012

First study to document potential effects of cancer on young children's development

Infants and toddlers who have been treated for cancer tend to reach certain developmental milestones later than do their healthy peers, say researchers at the National Institutes of Health and in Italy.

12 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: The fight against IPAB; Chinks in GOP armor on health care law

As part of their broader campaign to repeal health care reform, House Republicans are determined to kill off an independent board that is supposed to help rein in federal spending on Medicare. Their rhetoric is predictably distorted: charging that "15 unelected bureaucrats" should not be able to "ration care." In truth, the independent payment advisory board of nongovernmental experts is specifically precluded from rationing care, and Congress, not the board, has the final say on what cuts should be made.

11 Mar 2012

On the campaign trail, Santorum hits Romney on Mass. health law

GOP Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum continued to press the parallels between the state law signed by his rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and the federal measure, as well as to question Romney's explanation of his positions. Meanwhile, news outlets report on how the gender gap and social issues like contraception are playing in this election cycle.

9 Mar 2012

Some House GOP lawmakers threatening to walk away from last year's budget pact

Conservative Republicans are seeking deeper cuts in both discretionary and mandatory spending. The White House and Democratic lawmakers are "crying foul" and some GOP veterans caution it could produce gridlock. In the background, three key departures from the Senate Finance Committee could make that panel, which oversees Medicare and much of the health law, less centrist.

9 Mar 2012

Good sleep routine tips from people who sleep well

The survey showed that the events of the evening have an impact on the night ahead. Surveyors found that a good sleeper ensure they have at least two hours and seven minutes 'down time' before hitting the bed. The average person will watch at least an hour and three quarters of television, opting for soap operas or comedy quiz shows. And when going to bed, Brits have another 20 minutes rest time before finally falling asleep at 10:26pm.

4 Mar 2012

Snowe's departure from the Senate highlights ever-shrinking political center

Her surprise retirement also underscores what some say is a rift within the GOP between conservatives who demand allegiance to bedrock principles and those concerned with courting swing voters.

2 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 1, 2012

Today's headlines set the stage for the Senate's scheduled vote on a measure sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., that would allow employers and insurers to opt out of provisions in Obama's health care law to which they object on religious or moral grounds.

1 Mar 2012

Ambient assisted-living technology supports active ageing

'When I am less worried, I do not think about the fact that I'm alone': the words of an older Swedish person who participated in a recent trial of European technology that supports active ageing. Loneliness from being disconnected from friends and family, fears about health and safety and worries about security are some of the many burdens of old age. EU-funded researchers are proving how technology can alleviate the problems.

28 Feb 2012

Romney's Medicare plan would gradually raise eligibility age

The plan was released just days before just days before the next round of primary elections. Also in the news, more on GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's tea party appeal and position on abortion, while rival Rick Santorum offers more charges that the former Massachusetts governor is not conservative enough.

27 Feb 2012