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The Morning CheckUp: June 1, 2011

Welcome to The Morning CheckUp, ThinkProgress Health’s 7:00 AM round-up of the latest in health policy and politics. Here is what we’re reading, what are you?

– Mitt Romney’s abortion hurdle: While Massachusetts health reform did not specifically mention abortion, “[e]stablished court precedent in Massachusetts is that if the state is going to subsidize health care services, they must offer abortion services” — which RomneyCare does. [Sam Stein]

– Tim Pawlenty is a big fan of pay for performance: a proposal that “seems to echo an idea that President Obama has not only supported, but also introduced as a key part of the Affordable Care Act.” [Suzy Khimm]

– New York slow to establish exchanges: as are other states struggling to pass “legislation to set up the new online marketplaces for insurance.” [Politico]

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– Oral arguments in the 6th Circuit: A three-judge panel in Ohio will hears arguments in Thomas More Law Center’s challenge of the Affordable Care Act, making it the second appeals court “to hear oral arguments in a healthcare reform case.” [The Hill]

– Protecting Medicaid: “A Democratic briefing for several dozen Medicaid advocates on Republican plans to cut the program by close to $750 billion resulted in what one participant called a ‘clarion call’ to action.” [The Hill]

– Worldwide spike in long-term care: By 2050, the demand for long-term care (LTC) workers will more than double in the developed world, from Norway and New Zealand to Japan and the U.S. [Health Populi]

– Uninsured have very little skin to put in the game: A Commonwealth survey found that “young adults ages 19 through 29 are among the groups most likely to be uninsured, with some 15 million of them lacking coverage in 2009, according to census data.” [NYT]

– Connecticut exchanges move forward: The state Senate “passed legislation to create a health insurance exchange” yesterday, sending the bill to the House. [CT Monitor]