Health Care Reform

Republican lawmakers in a handful of states are opening another front in the war against President Obama's health care overhaul, seizing on the hot-button issue of birth control with bills that would allow insurance companies to ignore new federal rules requiring them to cover contraception.

A round-up of the weeks employee benefits news, reports and controversy from around the web

Religious leaders are telling a house panel the Obama administration disregarded basic rights to religious freedom in setting policies for access to birth control insurance for employees of religious-affiliated institutions.

Republicans put the brakes on a second of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber's health initiatives Monday, delaying a vote on a widely-supported bill that would create an insurance marketplace for individuals and small businesses.

The White House said Monday legislation in the Senate that would give employers broad leeway to restrict coverage for contraception is "dangerous and wrong."

A new study coming from the University of California-Irvine may upset Republicans who argue health care reform is too costly: Researchers found health care costs on the whole fall when poorer, uninsured patients are provided health insurance.

The White House on Friday confirmed a report that President Barack Obama's new budget predicts a $1.3 trillion deficit for the ongoing fiscal year. The deficit would drop to $901 billion next year under the administration's tax and spending policies.

There are more consumers purchasing individual health insurance than ever before and with the individual mandate starting in 2014, those without coverage will have to apply for the first time. So, where do consumers begin?