The New York Times: After Health Care Act, Sharp Drop In Spending On Birth Control
Out-of-pocket spending on most major birth control methods fell sharply in the months after the Affordable Care Act began requiring insurance plans to cover contraception at no cost to women, a new study has found. Spending on the pill, the most popular form of prescription birth control, dropped by about half in the first six months of 2013, compared with the same period in 2012, before the mandate took effect. (Tavernise, 7/7)

Kaiser Health News: Birth Control Coverage Saves Women Significant Money
Women are saving a lot of money as a result of a health law requirement that insurance cover most forms of prescription contraceptives with no additional out-of-pocket costs, according to a study released Tuesday. But the amount of those savings and the speed with which those savings occurred surprised researchers. The study, in the July issue of the policy journal Health Affairs, found that the average birth control pill user saved $255 in the year after the requirement took effect. The average user of an intrauterine device (IUD) saved $248. Those savings represented a significant percentage of average out-of-pocket costs. (Rovner, 7/7)

The Huffington Post: Women Are Spending $1.4 Billion Less On Birth Control Due To Obamacare: Report
Spending on birth control has significantly decreased since the Affordable Care Act's mandate for insurance companies to cover contraception went into effect in August of 2012, according to a new report. An analysis published Tuesday in Health Affairs shows that women have saved $1.4 billion on birth control pills, while out-of-pocket spending on intrauterine devices has fallen 68 percent. Annual, out-of-pocket savings were $248 for IUDs and $255 annually for oral contraceptives. (Lachman, 7/7)

Meanwhile, a program that offered free or reduced-price birth control to young women may be running out of funding.

USA Today: Colo. Won't Fund Birth-Control Initiative Despite Success
A much-heralded Colorado effort credited with significantly reducing teen pregnancy and abortion rates is searching for new funding after GOP lawmakers declined to provide taxpayer dollars to keep it going. Started in 2009 with an anonymous private grant, the state-run Colorado Family Planning Initiative gave free or reduced-price IUDs or implantable birth control to more than 30,000 women. During the period from 2009 to 2013, births to teen mothers dropped by 40% and abortions dropped 35%, the state says. Armed with a national award for excellence, state health officials asked lawmakers this spring to provide $5 million to keep it going but were rebuffed. (Bowerman and Hughes, 7/7)

Also in the news: a profile of one of the architects of the legal challenge to the health law's subsidies, which were upheld by the Supreme Court last month.

The Philadelphia Inquirer: On Losing Side On ACA, This Lawyer Stays Cool
For a lawyer who has just lost what might be the most important legal case of the decade, Jonathan Adler seems unruffled. The Philadelphia native was one of a small group of architects of the latest and likely final serious challenge to President Obama's Affordable Care Act, a case the U.S. Supreme Court decided June 25 in the government's favor. (Mondics, 7/7)

(Helena) Independent Record: Big Tests Ahead For Montana Medicaid Expansion Plans
Montana’s plan to expand Medicaid to the working poor is under the public magnifying glass starting Tuesday, with the release of key documents needing federal approval. The state plans to offer Medicaid to as many as 70,000 working Montanans who can't afford insurance but currently make too much to qualify for Medicaid. The proposal, known as the HELP Act, narrowly passed the Montana Legislature in April and contains a couple of curve balls that federal officials haven’t agreed to. (Lutey, 7/7)

Montana Public Radio: Feds Unlikely To Approve Montana Medicaid Expansion Plan In Its Entirety
Montana’s legislature said yes to Medicaid expansion this spring, but the state’s expansion plan still needs approval by the federal government. Today, the state made the details of its expansion plan public, and is giving the public 60 days to comment on the plan before sending it to the White House. ... The waiver Montana is requesting asks for permission to do several things that are not standard Medicaid practice. Perhaps the most contentious is requiring new Medicaid recipients to pay a premium of up to 2% of their income in exchange for coverage. (Whitney, 7/7)

The Associated Press: Medicaid Expansion Moves Forward With Public Comment Period
The new law would accept federal funds to expand Medicaid eligibility to ... Montanans with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level, about $16,000 per year for an individual and $33,000 for a family of four. State officials said previously about 70,000 people would eligible but raised that estimate to 80,000 this week. ... In May, the Obama administration cited concerns about Montana's plan, but said it is willing to work with the state on solutions that are consistent with federal law. Agency spokesman Ben Wakana at the time said their priority will be to make sure that any waiver approval provides for coverage that is affordable and accessible for Montanans. (Bauman, 7/7)

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Leaders Change Medicaid Expansion Deadline Again
Utah's governor and state lawmakers will miss their self-imposed, July 31 deadline to reach a deal on Medicaid expansion. Gov. Gary Herbert and a working group of GOP legislative leaders hope to pitch a compromise plan when the 2016 Legislature opens in January, House Majority Leader Jim Dunnigan said Tuesday. For several years, state leaders have been unable to craft a plan to provide health care to Utahns who fall into a coverage gap under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But many had pledged that this month's deadline was hard and fast. Now that, too, has been put off. (Knox, 7/7)

The Denver Post: Colorado Health Insurance Premium Requests Are Too High, Group Says
A Colorado consumer advocacy group says insurance companies proposing 20 percent to 30 percent price hikes on 2016 health benefit plans can't justify them. The pent-up demand for care unleashed in 2014 is lessening, the group said Tuesday. "We're asking the state to scrutinize the fact that they could have a healthier pool in 2015," said Colorado Consumer Health Initiative director Adela Flores-Brennan. (Draper, 7/7)

The Charlotte Observer: Blue Cross Eligible For $295M ACA Payout, Seeks Rate Increase
North Carolina’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, is eligible for nearly $295 million in federal payouts under the Affordable Care Act even as the company is seeking another rate increase in the state. The payouts, announced last week, come from a deal between the federal government and insurers to make the ACA more palatable to the industry by minimizing its financial risk. The architects of the 2010 insurance law expected some insurers to face significant cost overruns because the law bars insurers from turning away people with preexisting conditions and also caps rates charged to older customers. (Murawski, 7/7)

The New York Times: Republicans Aim To Hamper Obama’s Policies With Spending Bills
From environmental and work force regulations to health care and contraception, congressional Republicans are using spending bills to try to dismantle President Obama’s policies, setting up a fiscal feud this fall that could lead to a government shutdown. ... In the House, one bill prohibits any federal money from being spent on the Affordable Care Act. Funds for the enforcement of new labor rules would be drastically reduced. The main federal family planning program, Title X, would be eliminated. ... A “conscience” rider would let employers in the District of Columbia refuse health insurance coverage for any service on moral grounds, and hire and fire based on women’s use of health services. (Weisman, 7/7)

Meanwhile, hospitals fight back against the GAO's criticism of their use of a drug discount program.

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Slam GAO Finding That 340B Drug Discounts Fuel Prescribing
Hospitals say the Government Accountability Office used faulty methodology when it found that hospitals that serve high numbers of low-income patients abuse a federal drug discount by overprescribing medications. HHS raised similar concerns about the findings. Hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of low-income patients have access to discounted prices on outpatient drugs through the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which is administered by HHS. (Dickson, 7/7)

The New York Times: CVS Health Quits U.S. Chamber Over Stance On Smoking
The CVS Health Corporation said on Tuesday that it would resign from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce after revelations that the chamber and its foreign affiliates were undertaking a global lobbying campaign against antismoking laws. CVS, which last year stopped selling tobacco products in its stores, said the lobbying activity ran counter to its mission to improve public health. (Hakim, 7/7)

The Washington Post: CVS Health Leaves U.S. Chamber Of Commerce
CVS, which became the first major drug store to remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from all of its stores last year, said it was "surprised" by reports that the Chamber had lobbied foreign governments to ease restrictions on tobacco sales. "CVS Health’s purpose is to help people on their path to better health, and we fundamentally believe tobacco use is in direct conflict with this purpose," CVS spokesman David Palombi said in a statement. (Bogage, 7/7)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Health Leaves U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Over Smoking Stance
CVS Health Corp. is quitting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, citing conflicting stances with the powerful lobbying group regarding smoking. The second-largest pharmacy chain in the U.S., the Rhode Island pharmacy stopped selling cigarettes and tobacco products last year as it positions itself as a wide-ranging health-care provider rather than a traditional pharmacy dispensing drugs. (Armental, 7/7)

The Associated Press: CVS Leaving US Chamber Of Commerce In Tobacco Tiff
CVS Health is leaving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, saying the trade group's position on tobacco products is incompatible with CVS' focus on health. The Chamber of Commerce said its position on tobacco products is being misinterpreted and it's unfortunate that a company is leaving the organization over the issue. (7/7)

Meanwhile, most Americans favor raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes to 21 -

The Washington Post: Should You Have To Be 21 To Buy Cigarettes? Most Americans Say Yes.
Three out of every four U.S. adults — including nearly 7 of 10 smokers — favor raising the minimum legal age to buy tobacco products to 21, according to findings released Tuesday by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, the minimum legal age for tobacco use is 18 in most states, 19 in four states — Alaska, Alabama, New Jersey and Utah — and 21 in various municipalities across the country, from Needham, Mass., to New York City. Hawaii is the only state that prohibits the purchase of tobacco products to anyone under 21. (Dennis, 7/7)

Modern Healthcare: Intensified Price Competition Driving Aetna-Humana Deal
Insurer Humana is no stranger to transformation since its founding in 1961. But the company's proposed deal to be acquired by rival Aetna is more likely driven by powerful market forces rather than by the need for another makeover. Louisville-based Humana has morphed in the last half-century from a nursing home operator to hospital system to one of the largest Medicare managed-care companies. It almost merged with United Healthcare Corp. in 1998 but ended up walking away from that deal. (Evans, 7/7)

Los Angeles Times: Heroin Use And Addiction Are Surging In The U.S., CDC Report Says
Heroin use surged over the past decade, and the wave of addiction and overdose is closely related to the nation’s ongoing prescription drug epidemic, federal health officials said Tuesday. A new report says that 2.6 out of every 1,000 U.S. residents 12 and older used heroin in the years 2011 to 2013. That’s a 63% increase in the rate of heroin use since the years 2002 to 2004. (Girion, 7/7)

The Washington Post: Heroin Deaths Have Quadrupled In The Past Decade
Primed by widespread use of prescription opioid pain-killers, heroin addiction and the rate of fatal overdoses have increased rapidly over the past decade, touching parts of society that previously were relatively unscathed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. The death rate from overdoses nearly quadrupled to 2.7 per 100,000 people between 2002 and 2013, CDC Director Tom Frieden said during a telephone news conference Tuesday. (Bernstein, 7/7)

NPR: Heroin Use Surges, Especially Among Women And Whites
Health officials, confronted with a shocking increase in heroin abuse, are developing a clearer picture of who is becoming addicted to this drug and why. The results may surprise you. The biggest surge is among groups that have historically lower rates of heroin abuse: women and white (non-Hispanic) Americans. They tend to be 18-25 years old, with household incomes below $20,000. (Harris, 7/7)

USA Today: Heroin Use Surges, Addicting More Women And Middle-Class
Heroin use is reaching into new communities — addicting more women and middle-class users — as people hooked on prescription painkillers transition to cheaper illegal drugs, a new report shows. The rate of heroin use doubled among women over a decade, according to the study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which compared data from the three-year period between 2002 to 2004 with data from 2011 to 2014. (Szabo, 7/7)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Approves Heart Drug Entresto Said To Cut Death Risk By 20 Percent
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a new heart failure drug from Novartis that has been shown to reduce death and hospitalizations from the condition. Excitement has been growing for the drug, known as Entresto, since the results of a large clinical trial were announced nearly a year ago showing a 20 percent reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for worsening heart failure. ... Novartis said Entresto would cost about $12.50 a day, or about $4,500 for a year, with two tablets taken daily. (Pollack, 7/7)

The Associated Press: FDA Approves New Heart Failure Pill From Novartis
Government regulators have approved a new pill from Novartis to treat heart failure, a deadly chronic disease that affects millions of U.S. patients. The Food and Drug Administration approved the combination drug, Entresto, based on studies showing it reduced rates of heart-related death and hospitalization compared with older drugs. More than 5 million Americans and more than 25 million people worldwide have heart failure, a disease that causes the heart to gradually lose its pumping power. It kills up to half of patients within five years, despite numerous generic pills and other treatments available. (7/7)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Approves Novartis’s Heart Failure Drug
The Food and Drug Administration approved a promising new heart-failure drug from Novartis AG that cardiologists say could potentially improve the lives of millions of patients with the condition. The drug, called Entresto, was studied in a clinical trial of more than 8,000 adults and—in a rare development—reduced the rate of cardiovascular death and hospitalization compared to a standard generic therapy, enalapril. (Burton and Loftus, 7/7)

Los Angeles Times: California Aid-In-Dying Bill Shelved For The Year
Stalled by the deep personal beliefs of many lawmakers, a proposal that would allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients in California was sidelined Tuesday. The measure passed the state Senate last month. But on Tuesday, the authors concluded that it did not have enough support to pass the Assembly Health Committee and withdrew it from a scheduled hearing. ... some opposition to the bill on the committee came from their own party. Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona) said the proposal conflicted with beliefs developed when he worked in ambulances as an emergency medical technician. (McGreevy, 7/7)

San Jose Mercury News: SB 128, California's Right-To-Die Bill, Denied
Just weeks after it appeared headed for passage, California's right-to-die bill ran headlong into some Democratic lawmakers' fears that doctors might coerce the poor to end their lives when they become seriously ill -- and was shelved for the year. Sens. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and Bill Monning, D-Monterey, conceded Tuesday that their legislation -- dubbed a "death with dignity" bill by proponents and an "assisted suicide" measure by opponents -- didn't have enough support from members of the Assembly Health Committee to advance to the Assembly floor. (Calefati and Krieger, 7/7)

Kaiser Health News: Lacking Votes, Calif. Assembly Shelves Aid-In-Dying Bill
Backers of a bill that would have allowed terminally ill Californians to get lethal prescriptions to end their lives shelved the legislation Tuesday morning because they lacked the votes to move it out of a key committee. The End of Life Option Act, had already cleared the state Senate, but faced opposition in the Assembly Health Committee. (Aliferis, 7/7)

The Wall Street Journal: California Assisted-Suicide Bill Stalls Under Pressure
A bill that would have made California one of a handful of states to legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill patients was put on hold Tuesday after pressure from a coalition of secular and religious groups. The legislation received a boost in May, when the California Medical Association became the first state medical association to change its position on the issue and dropped its opposition. The state Senate passed the bill in June. ... The measure was opposed by secular and religious groups, including the Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles. (Audi and Lazo, 7/7)

The Associated Press: Right-To-Die Advocates Call California Loss A Brief Setback
California dealt the national right-to-die movement a huge blow when legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs stalled, but advocates aren't conceding defeat. ... Lawmakers and aid-in-dying advocates vowed Tuesday they would continue to fight on behalf of the bill and would begin work on placing an initiative on the 2016 ballot as a back-up option. California is seen as one of the best shots at expanding the thin ranks of right-to-die states that includes Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont. (Nirappil, 7/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Cancer Nonprofit Investigated By Tennessee Secretary Of State’s Office
The Tennessee secretary of state’s office is investigating a cancer nonprofit with family ties to four other charities that were sued in May by the federal government on allegations they bilked donors of $187 million, according to a person familiar with the matter. The group being investigated, the American Association for Cancer Support Inc., of Knoxville, is headed by Jula Connatser, wife of Lance Connatser, the former stepson of James Reynolds Sr. Mr. Reynolds was named by the Federal Trade Commission, 50 states and the District of Columbia in their May 18 complaint as a family patriarch overseeing a web of four sham charities based in Knoxville. (McWhirter, 7/7)

Los Angeles Times: Family Questions Death Of Son Jailed With Mentally Unsound Cellmate
The family of a 19-year-old robbery suspect who is believed to have been killed by his cellmate in a San Bernardino County jail is asking why a young man with developmental disabilities was being housed with an accused murderer who was showing signs of mental incompetence. Rashad Davis of Pomona died of blunt force injuries in May after he was found unresponsive on the floor of a cell he shared with Jeremiah Ajani Bell, 22, at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Bell was in jail, charged with beating a man to death with a baseball bat in what police described as a hate crime. Authorities said Bell had been looking to attack anyone who wasn't black. (Esquivel, 7/8)

Los Angeles Times: Lawmakers Warned About Death Threat Tied To Passage Of Vaccine Bill
California lawmakers and their security officers have been warned to keep an eye out for a man who was arrested last week after he spray-painted threats against public officials for the approval of a tough new vaccine requirement. The California Highway Patrol sent a bulletin to security officials in the Senate and Assembly about the felony vandalism arrest of Marlon Andrino, 28, of Ontario. He was arrested July 2 in Beverly Hills and released on $80,000 bail, according to a report by the Beverly Hills Police Department. (McGreevy, 7/7)

The Kansas Health Institute News Service: KanCare Not Working For People With Disabilities, Advocates Say
Kansans with disabilities make up about one-fourth of KanCare, the state’s managed care Medicaid model. But they’re a vocal segment, and they and their advocates painted a picture Tuesday of a system struggling to provide them with the long-term supports they need to stay in their homes and communities rather than institutions. (Marso, 7/7)

The Kansas City Star: Kansas Opens State Workers' Health Plan To Same-sex Spouses
Newly married same-sex couples in Kansas have begun to enjoy some of the same benefits as heterosexual couples, including changing a last name or adding a spouse to a health plan. Same-sex spouses of state workers and public university employees can apply for the state’s health insurance plan through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment or a school’s human resources department. (Lowry, 7/7)

The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Kansas Opens State Employee Health Insurance To Same-Sex Spouses
The state of Kansas is changing its stance on health insurance benefits for same-sex spouses of state employees. Previously, members of Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration had declined to change state policies, saying they were still studying the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. (Koranda, 7/7)

Kaiser Health News: Want A Good Laugh? Head To The Hospital
Every month, a group of older adults goes to Washington, D.C.’s Sibley Memorial Hospital, but they don’t see a doctor or get tests. They’re not sick. They come just for laughs. They gather in a room next to the hospital cafeteria for the 'Laugh Cafe,' one of the activities offered to local seniors, including the 7,300 members of Sibley’s Senior Association. The price of admission is one joke, recited out loud. ... Sibley is one of several hospitals in the Washington area — along with others across the country — offering social activities and other benefits to help seniors stay healthy and out of the hospital, while encouraging them to visit. (Jaffe, 7/8)

WBUR: Mass. Budget Accord Would Increase Tax Credits For Low-Income Workers
The annual state budget compromise agreed to Tuesday by a six-member conference committee would eliminate a corporate tax break that has been suspended every year since its inception to pay for increased tax credits to low-income workers. The $38.1 billion bill (H 3650) would also suspend for three years a law requiring a vetting process before privatization of services at the MBTA, giving Gov. Charlie Baker a partial win on a key reform he proposed for the transit agency. (Metzger, 7/7)

Los Angeles Times: Community Celebrates Opening Of Martin Luther King Hospital
When King/Drew hospital closed eight years ago, the people of South Los Angeles feared that it would not be replaced. In low-income communities of color, they say, businesses leave, never to return. But on Tuesday, residents rejoiced as the long-delayed Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital opened, delivering on a long-standing promise by the county to bring medical care back to an area with a high rate of chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. (Jennings, 7/7)

The Rockford Register-Star: Doctor Shortage Addressed By Telepsychiatry
There's a room at the Rosecrance Ware Center in Rockford where patients have been going for six months to see Dr. Michael Kuna even though he's not there. Kuna, who lives in Naperville, appears to them on a television screen. The psychiatrist for 30 years speaks to them as he would patients he sees in person. His patients speak to him as if he were sitting across a desk from them. The only difference, Kuna said, is the 160-mile round trip he doesn't have to make to see people who desperately need his services. (Curry, 7/7)

The Baltimore Sun: Hopkins To Help Hospitals In Hawaii Improve Patient Safety
The Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality has entered into an agreement with a Hawaii health system to improve patient safety and care at hospitals in the state. Hopkins and The Queen's Health Systems in Honolulu will evaluate safety programs at several hospitals, then use strategies proven by the Armstrong Institute to make them better. The two institutions kicked off the initiative Tuesday. (McDaniels, 7/7)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Program Gives Deaf Caregivers New Opportunities
Corporate mergers often mean layoffs, as new bosses redefine standards. But when Valley View at Elwyn, an assisted-living home for deaf residents, joined the Mercy Health System, something very different happened. Valley View's 13 direct-care providers are deaf and use American Sign Language with their patients, some of whom have lived there for 30 years. But Mercy LIFE (Living Independently for Elders) requires staff to be registered nurse aides, and Valley View's staff lacked that qualification. (Faherty, 7/8)

Nashville Tennessean: Non-Traditional Med Center Grows In Westmoreland
Before finding Hope Family Health in Westmoreland, Sharon Greene lived without needed health insurance for 10 years. She is one of almost 10,000 residents who will be served by the new 13,700-square-foot building in Sumner County, which had a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday. (Yankova, 7/7)

The Wall Street Journal: The Coming Shock In Health-Care Cost Increases
By upholding the legality of insurance subsidies on the federal exchange, the Supreme Court secured President Obama’s legacy of expanding access to health care. Now Mr. Obama must secure the other fundamental legacy of the Affordable Care Act: controlling health-care costs. The growth of health-care spending has slowed in recent years, and per-person Medicare and Medicaid costs have declined. ... Still, most analysts expect that the growth in health-care costs will rise without further action. And the latest data from the Census Bureau indicate this acceleration may be starting. The country is at an inflection point: Will we let our foot off the brakes, or will we permanently bend the cost curve? (Ezekiel Emanuel and Topher Spiro, 7/7)

The Wall Street Journal: What A Break In The Obamacare Battles Could Bring
The Supreme Court’s ruling in King v. Burwell defused a political and policy crisis over the Affordable Care Act, but how long any cooling-off period lasts, or whether one exists at all, could affect efforts to address remaining implementation challenges. ... A cooling-off period could provide an opening for some red states to consider expanding their Medicaid programs and to negotiate the terms of waivers with the Department of Health and Human Services that conservatives in these states may want to make expansion more politically acceptable to them. Less controversy around the ACA would also enable efforts to enroll the remaining uninsured to proceed unimpeded by the negative coverage, confusion and misperceptions that often flow from political warfare about the health-care law. (Drew Altman, 7/8)

Bloomberg: Improve Health Care: Track Artificial Hips
To obtain better value for health-care dollars, it's important to evaluate in detail which ones are well-spent and which are not. The $150-billion-a-year market for implantable medical devices in the U.S. -- which includes everything from artificial hips to pacemakers -- is a good illustration of this challenge and how to meet it. Examining how well devices are working requires knowing where each one goes. Without tracking, it's difficult to find out which patients do better with one kind of device, and which ones are better off with another kind. (Peter R. Orszag, 7/7)

The New York Times: Ever-Growing Waits For Veterans’ Care
It was shocking last year when hospitals operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs were caught falsifying data to hide the long delays endured by patients needing medical care. What’s even more shocking is that despite strenuous efforts to improve the system, more veterans are facing long waits than before. ... The problem may well get worse. The department, which operates a huge system of hospitals and clinics, expects a shortfall of about $2.5 billion in programs to treat veterans outside the department’s own facilities for the rest of this fiscal year, ending Sept. 30. (7/7)

The Baltimore Sun: The Choice Ahead: Private Health Insurance Monopoly Or Single-payer System
The Supreme Court's recent blessing of Obamacare has precipitated a rush among the nation's biggest health insurers to consolidate into two or three behemoths. The result will be good for their shareholders and executives but bad for the rest of us -- who will pay through the nose for the health insurance we need. We have another choice. (Robert B. Reich, 7/7)

Deseret News: Medicaid Expansion Is Not Best Option For A Healthy Utah
This summer, our state lawmakers will choose whether to derail Utah’s fiscal stability for years to come. They have to decide if Utah will expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Why is this decision so critical? If legislators expand Medicaid, they could imperil the budget and risk funding for critical state services taxpayers rely upon, including transportation and education. (Evelyn Everton, 7/8)

The Charlotte Observer: Colorado Shows N.C. Better Way To Stop Abortions
Health care professionals have long known that the most effective way to prevent abortions isn’t to make the last steps into a clinic harder to take. A better way: Give women more tools to prevent pregnancies. For teens, that especially includes education, and states across the country – including North Carolina – have seen significant drops in teen pregnancy in recent years thanks to more robust education programs. But no state has had close to the success of Colorado. (Peter St. Onge, 7/7)

The Kansas City Star: Osawatomie State Hospital Needs To Be Fixed
Like other judges, I had been working with our local agencies to do what I could, legally, to keep as many people as possible out of the state hospital. This saves the state resources and avoids the trauma that a person with mental illness may experience when forced to receive treatment outside of his or her community. But it isn’t always possible, or safe, to do this. Some people’s symptoms are so severe that they must receive care and treatment in a hospital. As judges, we must have a place to send people who we determine are a danger to themselves or others. (Kathleen Lynch, 7/7)

JAMA Internal Medicine: The Veiled Economics Of Employee Cost Sharing
Cost sharing has certainly increased, from copayments for physician office visits and prescription drugs to deductibles; the fraction of workers in a plan with at least a $1000 deductible for coverage of a single person increased from 10% in 2006 to 41% in 2014. Higher cost sharing feels like a decrease both in the generosity of coverage and in compensation. It seems particularly unfair to lower-wage workers who face the same deductibles and copayments as their higher-paid counterparts and who may be discouraged from seeking needed care. But increases in cost sharing are not necessarily regressive nor necessarily associated with lower compensation. (Katherine Baicker and Amitabh Chandra, 7/7)