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Texas abortion bill sent to full chamber

A Texas House committee approved sweeping abortion legislation early Wednesday, setting up a new fight on the proposal that would, along with other restrictions, ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The full chamber will take up the proposal early next week.

4 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Dems' abortion policies on the wrong side of public opinion; Doctors need to be more accurate in death reports

Last week saw two major developments in the legal and political battle over the Obama administration's sound decision to require most employers to provide free insurance coverage of contraceptives for women under the new health care law -; one of them positive and the other a blow to the mandate and to religious liberty (7/1).

3 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 3, 2013

Today's headlines detail the Obama administration announcement that it would delay the health law rule requiring businesses provide insurance to workers.

3 Jul 2013

Texas protesters, lawmakers ready for committee clashes on abortion bill

Protesters and lawmakers gird for a new day of debate on Texas' proposal to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy as well as enact regulations some activists say will shutter all but a few of the state's abortion clinics.

3 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 2, 2013

Today's headlines include various reports about changes afoot in the insurance marketplace.

2 Jul 2013

Views on abortion: USA Today offers contrasting points on effort to set ban after 20 weeks; Democrats can fight back against inroads made by abortion opponents

The 20-week bans are the latest front in the abortion wars that have raged ever since the Supreme Court's decision 40 years ago in Roe v. Wade. In addition to the state bans, the U.S. House passed a 20-week limit in June, using the atrocities by Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell as a rallying cry. Preventing murders like the ones Gosnell committed is certainly an urgent goal. But 20-week bans won't do it and could, in fact, create more tragedies than they prevent (6/30).

2 Jul 2013

Lawmakers gird for new abortion fight as Texas special session convenes

Texas lawmakers resume debate on proposed abortion legislation as the state legislature opens a special session Monday. Republicans say they will quickly pass new abortion restrictions despite opponents' efforts. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office projected that a House bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks would increase Medicaid costs by as much as $400 million.

2 Jul 2013

Nearly half of states opt not to expand Medicaid

With most state legislative sessions coming to a close, 23 states and the District of Columbia have agreed to expand the program, as laid out under the health law. Many of the others will leave billions of federal dollars on the table, while a handful are still undecided.

2 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 1, 2013

Today's headlines include a variety of weekend news reports, including coverage of the Obama administration's final contraceptive coverage rule as well as a range of other stories on health law implementation issues.

1 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

Americans are used to hearing that health care will bust the budget. The Congressional Budget Office projected last year that Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs would eat up 9.6 percent to 10.4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product by 2037, crowding out many other vital programs. But a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that the United States is not the only country that will struggle to contain public spending on medical care (Eduardo Porter, 6/27).

29 Jun 2013

Texas steels for new abortion bill fight -- set for Monday

A special session set for Monday in Texas will reignite debate over a controversial abortion bill that was blocked this week after a marathon filibuster and shouting fracas by the bill's detractors. Texas Gov. Rick Perry was critical of the lawmaker who led the filibuster.

29 Jun 2013

High court moves tentatively toward hearing case on abortion-inducing drugs

The Supreme Court asked Oklahoma's Supreme Court to clarify a law that state judges had struck down as an unwarranted curb on medical practice and the right to abortion.

29 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 28, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that the high court sent a tentative signal Thursday that it was moving toward hearing a case on the regulation of abortion-inducing drugs.

28 Jun 2013

Texas abortion fight inspires activists

The victory of Texas abortion-rights activists may be shortlived -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced he would reconvene lawmakers next week to vote again on the measure -- but it is rallying people across the country on both sides of the issue.

28 Jun 2013

Florida firm gets religious reprieve from health law's contraception coverage rule; W.Va. auto dealer seeks relief

An update on employers' legal challenges to the provisions requiring contraceptive coverage.

28 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 27, 2013

Today's headlines include reports explaining how yesterday's Supreme Court decision on DOMA impacts federal health benefits and the health law's coverage expansion.

27 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Entitlements driving U.S. toward insolvency; Shalala on being informed; Catholics find contraceptive mandate morally wrong

As currently structured, entitlement programs can't keep up with longer life expectancies and changing demographics. Soon, one-third of Americans will be retired and will spend one-third of their lives in retirement. Meanwhile, the ratio of workers to retirees has dropped precipitously. During this decade and the next, the number of Americans 65 or older will jump 75 percent, while those of working age will nudge up by just 7 percent. Within a decade, the total price for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will reach $3 trillion a year, but we'll have fewer workers paying into the system and supporting those growing costs (R. Bruce Josten, 6/25).

27 Jun 2013

Texas Democrats defeat abortion bill after midnight drama

Democrats in the Texas Senate late Tuesday successfully filibustered abortion legislation that would ban the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy and also shutter all but a few abortion clinics in the state.

27 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the latest developments in the health care marketplace.

26 Jun 2013

Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to Massachusetts abortion law

As lawsuits over early abortion laws spring up across the country, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a different kind of abortion challenge -; this one involving free speech. The court will consider a case challenging a Massachusetts law that bans demonstrations within 35 feet of entrances and driveways of abortion clinics. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in January sided with the state in McCullen v. Coakley, ruling that the law strikes the right balance between protecting free speech and patients' rights (Millman, 6/25).

26 Jun 2013