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For those who dream of universal health care, Washington State looks like a pioneer. As Gov. Jay Inslee pointed out in the first Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday, his state has created the country’s first “public option” — a government-run health plan that would compete with private insurance. Ten years ago, the idea of a public option was so contentious that Obamacare became law only after the concept was discarded. Now it’s gaining support again, particularly among Democratic candidates like Joe Biden who see it as a more moderate alternative to a Bernie Sanders-style “Medicare for all.” (Kliff, 6/27)

Coming off of a profitable 2018, health insurers were still making money selling plans on the individual insurance market, including the Affordable Care Act exchanges, during the first three months of this year, an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows. Insurers remained profitable even though the individual mandate requiring most people to buy health coverage was zeroed out and cheaper, skimpier short-term plans became widely available, researchers found. (Livingston, 6/27)

Four times a year, Northview Church in Indiana does what it calls the Dollar Club. The premise is simple: A dollar by itself doesn't go a long way, but a bunch of dollars, together, well, that's something. So every fiscal quarter, the pastors across Northview's seven campuses in Indiana -- averaging about 10,000 people on a typical Sunday -- asks its congregations to donate a dollar. They then pool all the money and put it to work. The church typically raises between $6,000 and $10,000, and the money has gone to support foster families, help with medical bills, and so on. (Asmelash and Ahmed, 6/27)

Blue Shield of California is getting rid of the one-size-fits-all wellness program and offering choices to help members who want to tackle their health challenges through lifestyle changes rather than prescription medicines. Would you like to try Weight Watchers to help improve your diabetes? Well, Blue Shield and Weight Watchers have worked out a deal that covers the cost of that. (Anderson, 6/27)

New Jersey came one step closer on Thursday to having its own health insurance exchange, after both houses of the state Legislature approved a bill that allows the Department of Banking and Insurance to set up a state-based marketplace for Obamacare plans. The Senate approved the bill 24-12 before the Assembly passed it 49-24. (Sutton, 6/27)