In a session held last Thursday, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour joined Senate Republicans in criticizing Democrats’ plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system. “The longer it’s out there, the worse it stinks,” Barbour said of the Senate health care reform bill.

Along with other governors, Barbour complained about the cost to their states of expanding the Medicaid program. Barbour said it could result Mississippi taxpayers shelling out $1.3 billion over the next 10 years.

“States don’t have this money. In fact, we’re already cutting our budgets,” Barbour said.

He said he may have to cut down $715 million from next fiscal year’s budget. Unlike federal lawmakers, he said, governors must balance their…

In a recent development in the health care industry, UnitedHealthcare and Health Net, Inc. gladly announced that UnitedHealthcare has fulfilled its earlier announcement of the acquisition of Health Net of the Northeast’s licensed subsidiaries and has obtained rights to continue providing service under the HealthNet’s brand in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

HealthNet and its subordinates provide health benefits to more or less 6.6 million individuals through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net’s behavioral health subsidiary provides mental health benefits to almost 6.5 million individuals in the United States.

As part of the HealthNet takeover, United has also requested regulators in New Jersey for a…

Two of America’s biggest labor organizations and strong allies of the Obama administration, A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the Service Employees International Union, have suspended their endorsements of the Senate health care bill now that the Senate has removed the public option.

Due to that only reason, these unions guarantee a fight for the public option, a government-run insurance program, and for other provisions once the Senate approves a final bill and melds it with the House bill, which does provide for a public option.

In a conference call which was held last Thursday afternoon, Andy Stern, the service employees’ president, told the reporters that the Senate “had done all it’s going to do” and…