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After months of debate last year, Los Angeles County officials agreed to pay for 146,000 people in the country illegally to receive medical care through the public health system. More than a year later, however, officials have fallen about 11,000 short of that target, and left more than $20 million of their budget unspent. (Karlamangla, 11/3)

An Illinois judge said on Monday he will rule no later than Dec. 11 on motions by Chicago and its four pension funds to dismiss a lawsuit that could greatly increase the cash-strapped city's retiree healthcare costs. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen heard nearly three hours or arguments by Clint Krislov, a lawyer representing Chicago retirees, who claimed his clients are entitled to lifetime healthcare coverage, and Richard Prendergast, the city's attorney, who contended the lawsuit should be tossed because it is based on faulty facts. (11/2)

The only public health clinic in Illinois’ poorest county is in a former synagogue off a largely abandoned main street, a bright spot with multicolored windows where seniors can get flu shots and moms get help feeding their kids. But today the lights are off and the doors locked. A sign on the door apologizes for the inconvenience: Because of the impasse over the state budget, we are only open on Wednesdays. (Burnett, 11/2)

Independent doctors across Ohio are quickly banding together to preserve and improve how they practice medicine — and to strengthen their collective voice in their dealings with insurance companies, suppliers and lawmakers. (Sutherly, 11/3)

We know obesity increases your risk of having high blood pressure, getting diabetes and being diagnosed with certain cancers. Now it turns out it can also increase costs for your state government. A study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs found that medical care associated with severe obesity cost state-run health programs $8 billion in 2013. California's program for the poor, known as Medi-Cal, took the biggest hit, spending $1.3 billion that year on severe obesity-related care. (Karlamangla, 11/2)

BJC HealthCare has a message for patients who are out-of-network: We don’t want your business. With many consumers currently selecting insurance plans, the area’s biggest hospital system wants them to think twice before picking a plan that doesn’t include BJC as an in-network provider. A BJC representative announced its plans in a room full of insurance brokers at an industry meeting at the end of September, according to brokers who attended the event held in the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel in Clayton. (Liss, 11/2)

Chipotle closed 43 of its Pacific Northwest locations after the chain’s third foodborne illness this year sickened about two dozen people — prompting renewed scrutiny of a company that touts its use of fresh ingredients and farm-sourced fare. (Blankinship, 11/3)

Like most patients, Robert Delfino did what his doctor told him: Go to the hospital for an outpatient cardiac procedure to determine the cause of his heart condition. Delfino, 54, was following the advice of his cardiologist, listed in his insurance company’s provider network catalog. Fortunately for Delfino, of Delray Beach, his coronary blockage was not serious enough to require a stent. The real problem came two months later, when Delfino received a bill for $15,000 from the hospital, which was not an in-network provider. (Chang, 11/2)

When Florida cut $100 million from mental hospitals and fired a third of their workers, patients paid the price — sometimes with their lives. Since 2009, injuries and violent incidents have increased across the state. In some cases, patients died after overworked hospital employees made mistakes or delayed calling 911 for hours. Here are the stories of how 13 patients and a baby wound up dead in the state’s care. (Cormier, Braga and Anton, 11/2)

Carol Marshall's twin teenage daughters rarely needed a childhood doctor. But this spring, during their senior year of high school, each came down with something that wouldn't go away. Their mother took them on separate trips to what she thought was an urgent-care clinic in an Aurora shopping mall. She said a doctor spent a couple of hours with Alyssa, who had developed pneumonia and needed an antibiotic, and about 20 minutes with Courtney, who was fighting a chest cold or flu. (Olinger, 11/2)

Five years after being diagnosed with HIV, Matthew Bratrsovsky knows what it is like to be stigmatized by those who fear, or look down on, people who have the virus that causes AIDS. Bratrsovsky is thankful he can let his guard down at Howard Dental Center, a nonprofit that offers dental services to HIV-positive and AIDS patients.Drugs used to treat the infection can cause dry mouth, a condition that leads to gum problems and cavities. Jayson Richardson, 36, who lost 14 teeth to gum disease, came to Howard to be fitted for partial dentures. (McGhee, 11/1)

Rotech Healthcare is laying off 61 workers in its Charlotte office, citing lower Medicare reimbursements that will take effect in January. The company said affected employees handle customer service and medical supply sales at its call center at 207 Regency Executive Park Drive, Suite 200. The job cuts represent 56 percent of Rotech’s local workforce. Medicare will cut reimbursements by 40 percent to 50 percent for several products that Rotech provides, including physician-prescribed oxygen, oxygen equipment, positive airway pressure devices and other durable medical equipment and services, Rotech said in a statement. (Peralta, 11/2)

Justin Henderson was a little gun-shy at first. But it was 2008, and the Great Recession had stalled the real estate industry, leaving the Denver-based developer sitting on properties that weren t cash-flowing. When a couple of friends and colleagues started leasing their warehouses to pot growers, Henderson weighed his own options. It s a tricky thing to tell everybody in your conservative financial life that you re part of the marijuana industry, he said. Henderson now heads a company he believes is poised to become a mover in the cannabis industry beyond Colorado s borders. To do so, Henderson's Peak Marijuana Dispensary, 260 Broadway in Denver, is diversifying — developing a line of marijuana products, acquiring hemp grows, keeping an eye on the implications of health care research — and exploring how to use intellectual property and licensing agreements to expand to other states. (Wallace, 11/2)