Weekly Dose of Health News February 10 – 14, 2014

This week’s Dose might look brief, but it’s big on the latest news out of Washington DC regarding New York’s Medicaid Waiver Application.

The big news this week is the Obama Administration’s approval, ‘in principle’, of New York’s $8 billion Medicaid waiver application, which is meant to reconfigure health care delivery in the state.

In other New York health news, Governor Cuomo announced that for persons living with HIV/AIDS and receiving rental assistance in New York City, they would be obligated to pay no more than 30 percent of the their income toward rent.

Governor Cuomo announced that Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield will provide their consumers with three weeks of free coverage and $2 million in consumer education to help increase enrollment in the state’s health exchange.

A 25-year study, which questions the value of mammograms, has been published in The British Medical Journal.

Politico reports that 3.3 million people have signed up for Obamacare health exchanges.  The New York State Health Department announced that 412,221 have enrolled in the state exchange.

The Washington Post’s Wonkblog reports that the national uninsured rate is at a five-year low.

Kaiser Health News analyzes Monday’s announcement on further delays to small and large employer insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act with small employers now required to offer minimum coverage by 2016 and large employers required to offer minimum coverage to 70 percent of employees by 2015.