Still no ACA alternative from GOP; Lower home health payments could limit care access for socially vulnerable patients;

News From Around the Web

> Republican Party's plans to replace the Affordable Care Act are at a standstill, reports the Washington Times. Earlier this year, House Republicans planned to propose an alternative to the healthcare reform law but still have yet to do so. Article

> Over 72 million people were uninsured for either the full year or part of the year in 2013. Medical care spending for this population was $121 billion--$25.8 billion were paid out-of-pocket by the uninsured, while nearly $85 billion were uncompensated costs, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Report (.pdf)

> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' move to reduce home health payments by 3.5 percent per year from 2014 to 2017 could reduce access to care for patients with clinically complex conditions and social vulnerability factors, according to a Health Affairs study. Abstract

Mobile Healthcare News

> Apple announced its biggest foray into mHealth Monday with the debut of HealthKit at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Article

> The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week approved the first-ever wireless monitoring tool proven to greatly reduce heart failure hospitalizations and improve quality of life in heart failure patients. Article

And Finally... Here's a corgi working out. Article