White House orders 6 states to submit Medicaid backlog solutions; Can hospital closures fix the healthcare system?;

News From Around the Web

> The next open enrollment period doesn't begin until Nov. 15 but up to 3 million people whose jobs or lives changed in ways that affect their insurance can sign up immediately, Bloomberg reported. Article

> The Obama administration has given Alaska, California, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee until Monday to submit plans to resolve application backlog issues that have prevented more than 1 million people from getting Medicaid coverage, Kaiser Health News reported. Article

> Critics argue that some health insurers discriminate against sick people by putting certain drugs in the highest-cost drug tiers, forcing them to fork over significant out-of-pocket expenses or discouraging them from signing up, according to The Fiscal Times. Article

Healthcare Provider News

> To fix the healthcare system, providers must accept and embrace the necessity of hospital closures and physician firings, healthcare experts said during a recent panel discussion as part of the Aspen Ideas Festival. Article

> Violence against front-line hospital workers is a growing problem across the country and the globe, specifically against nurses and emergency department workers. Article

And Finally... And then God said, let there be eggplant! Article