The Senate confirmed Burwell's nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services 78 to 17, with only Republicans casting votes against her.

That is down about 2 million from an earlier projection by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, reflecting the calculation that more of the nation's 30 million uninsured will qualify for exemptions under the law.

Take a look at KHN's lighter side, featuring today's cartoon and health policy haiku.

Huffington Post gathers five reporters who followed the passage and implementation of the health law to share their insights. Meanwhile, the journal Health Affairs examines how accountable care organizations have given little attention to surgery, focusing instead on managing chronic conditions, and a new study looks at premium increases before the health law.

The agreement, announced Thursday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gives authority to the acting VA chief to fire senior officials and to allow veterans who have experienced long waits or who live further than 40 miles from a VA facility to seek care elsewhere. If passed by both houses, the bill would also authorize VA to spend $500 million hiring new doctors and nurses.

A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.

A selection of health policy stories from South Dakota, Washington state, Iowa, Arizona and Georgia.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the federal health insurance website is slated for an overhaul that will likely result in the scrapping of major parts of it that caused problems during last fall's launch. Its tight timeline is among the issues raising new concern. Meanwhile, news outlets also report on small business exchanges as well as developments regarding state online marketplaces in Connecticut, Kansas, Washington and Colorado.

States continue to debate issues related to the health law's Medicaid expansion provision.

This week's studies come from Health Affairs, The Annals of Internal Medicine, The Commonwealth Fund, Avalere Health and the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Senate confirmation of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

KHN’s consumer columnist offers several suggestions to a mother worried about her adult child “aging off” the family’s work-based insurance.

This periodic KHN feature highlights readers' thoughts and reactions to KHN original stories.

The Senate is scheduled to proceed with consideration of the Obama administration pick to take over the Department of Health and Human Services.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is pushing President Barack Obama to do more while some senators are attempting to develop a bipartisan bill that would address delays in the delivery of health care for military veterans.

The Wall Street Journal reports that this step is part of the push to make it easier to use and share medical health records.

The congressional budget analysts announce that they will continue to track the financial impact of the marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion program but not some of the other smaller changes made under the law. Meanwhile, a new strategy for employers who provide health care is coming under scrutiny.