Health Care Reform

Maryland's efforts to implement federal health care reform topped a list of a list of bills signed Tuesday by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Amid a budget debate that will affect the health care of virtually every family, a new poll finds support for President Barack Obama's overhaul at its lowest level since passage last year.

Five years ago, Gov. Mitt Romney championed health care reform for Massachusetts, promising universal coverage and lower costs.

In the five years since Massachusetts' landmark health care initiative was signed into law, it has served as a blueprint for national health care, a political football in last year's elections and a talking point in the 2012 presidential contest.

Last week the Senate approved a bill that would eliminate the controversial 1099 provision from the Affordable Care Act, and just three days later another important piece of the legislation went down with Friday night's budget agreement. This time the "employee free choice" voucher program emerged in the cross-hairs.

The Affordable Care Act allows for multiple states to jointly operate health exchanges. Linda J. Blumberg, writing for for the Urban Institute, says there are four reasons why states should take this route.