Social issues are back: ” All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling — though improving — economy pushed to the background. Social issues don’t typically dominate the discussion in shaky economies. But they do raise emotions important to factors like voter turnout.” [AP]
3 Attorneys General to sue over contraception reg: “Three state attorneys general said Thursday evening that they’re prepared to challenge the policy in court if the White House doesn’t withdraw it immediately, and blasted the policy as “unprecedented coercion” of religious beliefs.” [The Hill]
Romney never opposed Massachusetts’ contraception mandate: “On a conference call this afternoon, former Massachusetts secretary for human services Phil Johnston said Mitt Romney is “really not being truthful” when he claims to have opposed, and tried to repeal, a contraception mandate during his time as Massachusetts governor.” [Capital New York]
HHS releases ‘plain language’ insurance labels regs: “The Obama administration Thursday unveiled final regulations detailing the new health insurance summaries that the federal health law requires plans to give to consumers to help them make informed coverage choices.” [Kaiser Health News]
Lawmakers making little progress on SGR fix: “Republicans expect to receive on Thursday a list of Democratic options to pay for a large tax-cut extension measure that includes a freeze in scheduled cuts to Medicare physician pay rates. However, at least one Republican expects negotiations on the legislation to make little progress before a law freezing current policy in place expires at the end of the month.” [Modern Healthcare]
Key challenges for small businesses and exchanges: “The Affordable Care Act’s state health insurance exchanges for small businesses present a host of opportunities for states now creating them, but they also present design and regulatory challenges that could make or break the success of the program, according to a cluster of articles in the February issue of Health Affairs.” [Health Affairs]
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