How many nurses does it take to run a hospital? Legislatures in at least seven states and the District of Columbia are trying to answer that question as they debate bills that would require hospitals to have a minimum number of nurses on staff at all times. » read more

The Obama administration said this week that it would award $54 million to community groups in 33 states to provide personal assistance for people who are signing up on the new online health-insurance marketplaces, which open next fall. The size of the long-awaited grants offers a glimpse into the potential difficulties of carrying out the health law in those 33 states – including Texas and Florida – which are relying on the federal government to run all or part of their marketplaces. The states that are setting up their own marketplaces are getting separate funding from the federal government, and they’re expected to have more money to reach out to the uninsured. » read more

Doctors have been warned for decades about the dangers of delivering babies early without medical reasons, but the practice remained stubbornly persistent. Now, with pressure on doctors and hospitals from the federal government, private and public insurers and patient advocacy groups, the rate of elective deliveries before 39 weeks is dropping significantly, according to a hospital survey. » read more

While federal law generally bars illegal immigrants from being covered by Medicaid, a little-known part of the state-federal health insurance program for the poor pays about $2 billion a year for emergency treatment for a group of patients who, according to hospitals, mostly comprise illegal immigrants. The funding – which has been around since the late 1980s – underscores the political and practical challenges of refusing to cover an entire class of people. » read more

Sam Lewis turned 65 in the nick of time. For a year, he’d been broke. His Brentwood, Calif., general contracting business had gone bust. He couldn’t make payments on his home, and he lost it. He couldn’t pay his health insurance premiums, so he let it lapse. » read more

Hours after the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s health care law Thursday but made its Medicaid expansion optional, a reporter asked senior White House officials how they’d entice states to participate. » read more

Last year, Luis Duran drove almost 200 miles to San Antonio to have a colonoscopy because he didn’t want to wait six months for an opening at a county clinic. A few days later, the doctor in San Antonio – a friend of a friend who’d performed the screening for free – called to break the news that Duran, 51, had advanced colon cancer and needed immediate surgery. » read more