Health Care Reform

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn may use an executive order to establish a health insurance exchange, a website where consumers could comparison shop for insurance that's a key piece of President Barack Obama's health care law, according to Quinn's chief health care adviser.

Governor Howard Dean told a crowd of brokerswho had slammed the former presidential candidates position on health carethat the individual mandate provision is one of the very large blunders of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and predicted the Supreme Court will rule it unconstitutional.

New Hampshire's Senate is considering whether the state should form an interstate compact to assume control for health care within state boundaries.

Dozens of women on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, alleging that his participation in legal action seeking to overturn the new federal health care law threatens access to comprehensive coverage for women.

Groundwork is being laid to create a statewide health insurance exchange in Kentucky intended to reduce coverage costs, but it would be used only if the federal health care reform law is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Obama administration is buying into an ambitious health care initiative in Oregon, announcing Thursday it has tentatively agreed to chip in $1.9 billion over five years to help get the program off the ground.