States, Health Care Overhaul | featured news

U.S. health officials will allow states to select the basic set of medical benefits that must be offered by insurance plans participating in new exchanges mandated by the federal healthcare overhaul, the U.S. government said on Friday.

In a concession over his divisive health care overhaul, President Barack Obama offered Monday to let unhappy states design alternative plans as long as they fulfill the goals of his landmark law....

If state challenges to the constitutionality of the insurance mandate are successful, they may have the effect of stalling the whole health care overhaul, officials say.