News bites: Romney not out of the woods yet

The rest of the Republican presidential field laid off Mitt Romney on healthcare during Monday's debate, but The New Republic says conservative activists are still prepared to wage a serious battle against the former Massachusetts governor.

A healthcare panel in Virginia heard a Tuesday update on the state's insurance exchange — which is still in the works, even though the state's attorney general is among the foremost critics of the new law and Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) supports his lawsuit to block it.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will probably veto a bill that would undermine his plans for Medicaid, but its passage through a state House panel represents sharp disagreements between Jindal and his Legislature.

And The Washington Post catches up to the fight over Medicaid "maintenance of effort" provisions in the healthcare law, which many Republicans want to see repealed.