Daytona Beach, FL, USA. When the Bert Fish Medical Center pursued an acquisition in secrecy, the resulting scandal put all of the public hospitals in Florida under a spotlight.

There was nothing wrong or unusual about the Bert Fish board of directors pursuing the take-over of their public hospital by Adventist Health System, but they did so in utter secrecy.

Washington, DC, USA. The Affordable Care Act asks states to create health insurance exchanges to help their residents purchase coverage. Only 15 states and DC have done so.

The rest of the states risk having the federal government do the job for them.

Boston, MA, USA. Getting control of health care expenses may be even harder than covering the uninsured. Massachusetts is launching the nation’s broadest effort so far.

Like the federal Affordable Care Act, the 2006 Massachusetts health law it was patterned after was aimed primarily at providing health coverage for the uninsured. There is no question it did that.

Springfield, IL, USA. Medicaid saves substantial amounts of money by limiting access to behavioral medications. Some question whether it is fair to the patients.

Most medical cost containment strategies target the billions spent on mental health by imposing some limits on access to prescription drugs. All but a handful of state Medicaid programs involve this type of restriction.

Champaign, IL, USA. Misconceptions about the viability of Medicare can be debunked or discredited, says Law Professor Richard L. Kaplanan, an expert on retirement benefits.

Medicare has become one of the most controversial federal programs for numerous reasons, but misinformation has played a key role in fostering criticism of it, says Kaplan. He argues it us more important than ever for voters and policymakers to fully understand the program’s existing contours and limitations.