The healthcare system's secret — no one may be coordinating care

On the drug war, 'we have total and complete failure'

Next big challenge for the health law is carrying it out

A draft form released last month topped out at 15 pages, raising concerns the process would discourage applicants.

A bevy of healthcare experts released recommendations Monday for cost-conscious reforms to Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance they said could save $1 trillion over two decades.

In a Brookings Institution study, the experts urge Washington to embrace small, consensus-driven policy moves to lower healthcare costs rather than wait for a major deficit-reduction deal.

"The time to act on these proposals is now," study authors wrote. "It is time to put a sharp and direct focus on achieving both better health and cost savings." 

House Republicans and Democrats have joined together to re-introduce a bill that would expand the religious conscience exemptions under ObamaCare.

Under the Equitable Access to Care and Health (EACH) Act, individuals would have the option of being exempted from the Affordable Healthcare Act's mandate to buy health insurance. People could avoid the mandate by filing an affidavit as part of their tax return saying their religious beliefs keep them from buying insurance that meets federal standards.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is getting a new chief of staff, according to a note sent to HHS employees Monday.

Andrea Palm will assume the role after the departure of Sally Howard, who is leaving the job for a senior position at the Food and Drug Administration.

Palm joined the health department in the early days of the Obama administration, working in its legislative office. She has also advised the White House Domestic Policy Council and is currently a counselor to Sebelius. 

Gun violence will be back on the agenda Tuesday as members of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) climb Capitol Hill to push for more robust gun control measures.

About 110 pediatricians from 40 states will meet with congressional staff during the fly-in, according to the AAP.

The group will advocate for stronger background checks, an assault weapons ban, and federal research on gun violence prevention. 

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday promoted his proposal to put stricter limits on several widely prescribed painkillers.

Schumer wants to reclassify hydrocodone, a drug used in painkillers such as Vicodin.

Schumer's bill, and a similar proposal in the House, would reclassify hydrocodone as a Schedule II drug, requiring a doctor's signature for new prescriptions and prohibiting automatic refills.

The Obama administration wants to increase the amount it pays hospitals under Medicare.

In a 1,424-page proposal, set to be published in the Federal Register on May 10, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to increase the operating rates for long-term and short-term acute care at inpatient hospitals that treat patients covered by the government healthcare program, and is laying out some new features of the Affordable Care Act.

The CMS proposes increasing payments for acute care, which include short stays for non-chronic conditions like severe injuries or brief illnesses, by 0.8 percent, or about $27 million.

The agency also wants to increase payment rates for long-term care by 1.1 percent in 2014, estimated to come out to $62 million.

The agency's proposed increases account for offsets and reductions in spending, and would take effect starting in October.

"I had more money when Bush and Reagan was president," said the ex-boxer, who owes millions in back taxes.