Raising – And Answering – Questions About Health Law’s Future

Kaiser Health News: After The Election: A Consumer’s Guide To The Health Law

Now that President Barack Obama has won a second term, the Affordable Care Act is back on a fast track. ... Here's a primer on parts of the law already up and running, what's to come and ways that provisions could still be altered: ... I get my health coverage at work and want to keep my current plan. Will I be able to do that? How will my plan be affected by the health law? (Carey and Gold, 11/9).

The New York Times: With Obama Re-Elected, States Scramble Over Health Law

After nearly three years of legal and political threats that kept President Obama’s health care law in a constant state of uncertainty, his re-election on Tuesday all but guarantees that the historic legislation will survive. Now comes another big hurdle: making it work. ... Will the administration, for example, try to address the concerns of insurers, employers and some consumer groups who worry that the law’s requirements could increase premiums? (Goodnough and Pear, 11/8).

The Associated Press: Obama's Health Care Overhaul Turns Into A Sprint

[N]ot all hurdles have been cleared. Republican governors who opposed the law have to decide whether it's better for their states to now help carry it out. The administration could stumble carrying out the complex legislation, or get tripped up if budget talks with Congress lead to scaling back the plan (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/9).

Kaiser Health News Bloggers Parse What Happens Next On Health Law

Bloggers are focusing on how the law will be implemented, what the role of states may be, how patient care will be affected and how the work left to be done will shake out. Here’s a sampling (Villegas, 11/8).

CQ HealthBeat: Berwick Pleased That Implementation Of Law Is Proceeding, But Worried About Funding

Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald M. Berwick said Thursday he fears that House Republicans might still try to deny funding for health care law implementation, particularly for the insurance exchanges. Berwick, who is now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and spends a good deal of his time visiting health systems around the country, said that just because the electoral results protect the health care law from repeal, “that doesn’t automatically mean it can be implemented" (Adams, 11/8).

Politico: ACA Opponents Scramble For A Plan B

What’s the plan for Obamacare’s opponents now? Judging from Republicans’ mixed messages Thursday, the plan is: disarray. ... The best hopes of resistance, for now, are coming from the states — where some governors are saying they may just not move ahead to set up the health exchanges. But even then, all that happens is that the feds would set up the exchanges for them (Norman and Millman, 11/8).

Politico Pro: U.S. Lawyers Defend Health Law In 'Blue Slip' Case

Once again, the Obama administration is defending the health reform law in court. And this time it’s arguing that there is no reason for a court to strike the individual mandate — which the Supreme Court in a separate lawsuit considered a tax — just because the bill originated in the Senate. This lawsuit alleges that the health law violates the Constitution’s requirement that all revenue-raising bills start in the House. It’s a technical claim that its backer — Iraq war veteran Matt Sissel — hopes will put a significant dent in the law (Haberkorn, 11/9).

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription