Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said his debilitating stroke has sparked a new interest in the experience of people on Medicaid.

In an interview published Wednesday, Kirk said that most Illinois residents insured through the low-income health program would be eligible for just 11 rehabilitation sessions following a stroke.

"Had I been limited to that I would have had no chance to recover like I did. So unlike before suffering the stroke, I’m much more focused on Medicaid and what my fellow citizens face," Kirk told the Chicago Sun Times. 

Hillary Clinton was seen leaving New York-Presbyterian Hospital with former President Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton on Wednesday.

Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) will lead a new subpanel on healthcare, entitlements and energy policy in the 113th Congress, leaders announced Wednesday.

The House Oversight appointment comes as leaders reduce the committee's seven subpanels to five.

Healthcare was previously lumped in with the District of Columbia, the Census and the National Archives. 

States passed fewer restrictions on abortion rights in 2012 compared to 2011, a record-breaking year, according to a new study.
 
The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, found that states sought to restrict the practice with 43 new laws in 2012.

That number is less than half of the restrictions passed at the state level in 2011. 

The lead advocacy group for U.S. nursing homes praised lawmakers for putting off automatic cuts that were set to hit Medicare on Jan. 1.

But the American Health Care Association (AHCA) warned that it will continue fighting the still-looming 2 percent provider cut until it is gone forever.

"As we’ve shown throughout these negotiations, the long term and post-acute sectors stand at the brink of our own cliff, already reeling from deep cuts to Medicaid and Medicare throughout 2012," said AHCA President Mark Parkinson in a statement.

The left-leaning National Women's Law Center (NWLC) praised the Obama administration's birth-control coverage mandate as it took effect Jan. 1 for many health plans.

The policy remains controversial among employers who disagree with birth control or consider some forms equal to abortion. It is the subject of more than 40 legal challenges now pending in the courts.

The NWLC noted Wednesday that the policy means a range of preventive services apart from birth control — including disease screenings, breastfeeding support and "well-woman" visits — will be available to women without a co-pay. 

House OKs bill to avoid 'fiscal cliff,' doc pay cut [free reg. req'd]

Healthcare predictions for 2013

Judge halts contraceptive mandate for Mich. firm

A district judge ruled Monday that Texas can exclude Planned Parenthood from its new healthcare program for poor women.

The state has tried to defund the family-planning organization since 2011, when the state legislature passed a law prohibiting taxpayer dollars from funding organizations that provide abortions.

The law prompted a lengthy court battle between Texas and Planned Parenthood clinics in the state that do not offer abortions but participated in the state's Medicaid-based program. 

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President Obama said he would agree to "new ways to reduce" U.S. healthcare costs in order to lower bills in Medicare.

The comments came during a speech at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the eve of the so-called "fiscal cliff," a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect Tuesday.

By Monday afternoon, Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were nearing a compromise on avoiding the crisis. 

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