Unfortunately, the funding to support SB1088 is missing from initial budget proposals. Officials estimate we need $359,700 from the general fund plus $818,000 in federal Medicaid dollars to fund the program. While not an insignificant amount, the public health implications of failing to provide expectant mothers with dental coverage have a far greater cost. This is why I encourage the legislature to include funding for SB1088 in the final budget.

In a major victory for the Obama administration, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that the Affordable Care Act allows federal exchanges to offer subsidies, thereby preserving the insurance coverage of roughly 6.4 million Americans, including 126,000 Arizonans.

The cost of being uninsured in America is going up significantly next year for millions of people. It's the first year all taxpayers have to report to the Internal Revenue Service whether they had health insurance for the previous year, as required under President Barack Obama's law. Those who were uninsured face fines, unless they qualify for one of about 30 exemptions, most of which involve financial hardships.

A new study says nearly 60 percent of Arizonans who can buy health insurance through the federal marketplace will qualify for a tax subsidy.

In the debate over Medicaid expansion, the ace up the sleeve of expansion advocates is federal largesse. The federal health care law requires states to eventually cover 10 percent of the cost of expanding Medicaid eligibility; but for the next three years 100 percent of the cost is covered by the federal treasury.

Recently, the Kaiser Family Foundation issued a brief on “Implementing New Private Health Insurance Market Rules,” and it leave room for some interpretations.

For many people in Medicare Part D, late summer is usually the time of year when they fall into the infamous “doughnut hole,” which is the coverage gap that requires enrollees to pay all of their medication costs.