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Obamacare’s big stick doesn’t seem to be scaring many people into buying health insurance. The health law includes many inducements for people to obtain health insurance — including free Medicaid coverage for many low-income Americans and subsidies for those with moderate incomes. But it also includes the notorious “individual mandate,” a fine for those who can afford insurance but don’t buy it. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 5/20)

By now you may have learned of the plight of one Luis Lang, a South Carolina man whose story went viral after it was reported that he couldn’t afford to treat an illness that was threatening to make him blind — and blamed Obamacare for it. He has since come around to the view that Democrats may not be entirely to blame for his state of affairs — and says he is going to try to gain coverage through the law. (Greg Sargent, 5/20)

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey published Thursday of people who buy insurance in the non-group market found that while many people may choose higher-deductible plans so they can pay a lower premium, they aren’t all that happy about it. It may just be the only way they can get a premium they feel they can afford. (Drew Altman, 5/21)

The employer mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act requires employers with 100 or more employees to offer health insurance to all of their full-time workers. In many industries, this means increased costs for business that will be passed on to consumers and taxpayers. Florida's elder-care industry in particular, which includes rapidly growing sectors like nursing homes and home health care, is caught in a bind that the entire state will pay for if Medicaid is not expanded. Large retailers can raise prices by a few pennies to cover the new health benefits for their low-wage employees, but for some industries it is much more complicated. The compensation level for nursing homes and home-health organizations is set by the state via Medicaid reimbursement rates. (Ben Geyerhahn, 5/20)

From time to time Affordable Care Act skeptics have asked me: “The uninsured can always go to an emergency room, can’t they?” Well, yes. If you have a true emergency, an ER has to take care of you without demanding proof of insurance. But the staff has to treat and stabilize you only for your emergency medical condition; they don’t necessarily have to take care of chronic conditions that may be tormenting you. And for whatever treatment they do give you, they can hand you a bill you’ll probably find hard to pay. (Alan Bavley, 5/20)

For years, Texas has had the highest proportion of uninsured individuals overall, and for adult women specifically, of any state. In 2013, one in five Texans had no health insurance of any kind, including 2.1 million adult women. Beyond limited access to health coverage, Texas consistently has lackluster health indicators — particularly with regard to sexual and reproductive health care. Yet, at seemingly every turn, state lawmakers continue to implement neglectful, or even hostile, policies that hinder access to affordable sexual and reproductive health care and information, especially among low-income Texas women and teens. (Kinsey Hasstedt, 5/20)

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration released highly anticipated draft recommendations that would allow gay men to donate blood after one year of celibacy. While an improvement from the current, highly criticized lifetime ban, the new policy, which was announced in December, still caters to fear and stigma rather than science. It should be reconsidered. (I. Glenn Cohen and Eli Y. Adashi, 5/21)

It’s hardly unusual for a boardroom shakeup or two to ripple through a corporation. Such upheavals usually play out behind closed doors, with little or no public accounting of who ousted whom and why. That lack of disclosure seems unacceptable, however, when the firm in question uses $635 million in government money to help people dealing with mental illness, substance abuse and developmental disabilities. That’s how big a responsibility the state has entrusted to Kannapolis-based Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions. And that’s why the circumstances around the Cardinal board’s sacking of respected CEO Pam Shipman are troubling. (5/20)

Tennessee recently passed a law that requires private health insurance plans and the state’s Medicaid managed care plans to pay for telemedicine services in the same way they pay for health care services being provided in person. Although there were many considerations behind the law, on a very simple level, it just makes good sense. While there are parts of Tennessee that are rich in health care resources, other parts of the state need improved access to care. The easiest way to connect the residents of those areas with health care resources is through telemedicine. (Marcelo H. Fernandez-Viña, 5/20)

As physicians, we spend a significant amount of time counseling our patients on how to live healthier lives. Ironically, as trainees and practicing physicians, we often do not prioritize our own physical and psychological health. Most residents go to work despite significant physical impairment and severe anxiety. Compared with population controls, residents are more likely to experience burnout and exhibit symptoms of depression. These problems persist into practice .... our residency program took decisive action to create a multifaceted program aimed at enhancing resident wellness. (Arghavan Salles, Cara A. Liebert and Ralph S. Greco, 5/20)