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The vote was a reaction to the administration's guidance last year to states that the so-called welfare-work requirement could be waived.

The nursing-home industry said Wednesday that Congress should include a "viable" guest worker program in any immigration overhaul, and should also lift caps on employer-sponsored visas for healthcare workers.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) said immigration reform should recognize the needs of employers — including nursing homes and long-term care providers, who rely heavily on immigrants for positions such as nurses.

The administration slammed the House bill for seeking to hamper "innovative" programs that would help more welfare recipients find work.

Liberal senators challenged Obama during his Tuesday lunch on Capitol Hill over his willingness to cut Social Security benefits.

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) latest fiscal proposal would prevent the Obama administration from giving states waivers under welfare reform.

The budget, unveiled Tuesday, includes a provision to hamper federal officials from granting additional flexibility under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program.

The opportunity for waivers was announced last summer, touching off a political firestorm as Republicans accused President Obama of "gutting" welfare's work requirement.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius joined Twitter on Monday.

The first tweet from @Sebelius was accompanied by a photo of her at a laptop — a format the White House has also used to verify that President Obama is actually writing his own tweets and other social-media messages.

"Hello Twitterverse. I’m looking forward to reaching out to you and talking about the great work happening at @hhsgov," Sebelius tweeted.

Federal regulators are warning manufacturers to stop labeling products as “latex free,” calling the claims “scientifically inaccurate.”

The healthcare sector added 32,000 jobs last month, continuing its record of consistently strong gains.

Doctors' offices and outpatient health centers saw the biggest gains, adding 14,000 jobs in February. Nursing homes added 9,000 new workers, and hospitals also added roughly 9,000 jobs, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department.

Healthcare has been a consistent leader in the steadily improving employment rate. The sector added 23,000 jobs in January, when employment in healthcare had jumped by 320,000 over the year.

Three Western states are running out of time to set up their own exchanges, Kaiser Health News reports. Read more...

Paul Ryan's budget will preserve both tax increases and Medicare cuts in current law, The New York Times reports.

The Los Angeles Times says California's insurance exchange could partner with Wal-Mart.

Florida Republicans are divided over Rick Scott's plan to accept the healthcare law's Medicaid expansion, Kaiser Health News reports.