OVERNIGHT HEALTH: What to watch for in tonight’s debate

by Sam Baker and Elise Viebeck - 10/03/12 10:48 PM ET

Meh: Efforts to sell health insurance across state lines haven’t made much of an impact or galvanized much popular support, according to a new paper from researchers at Georgetown University. Only six states have passed laws to allow the sale of insurance policies from other states, and not a single insurance company has taken advantage of the expanded market, according to the research. Healthwatch has more.

{mosads}Teen births at historic low: New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that teen births have hit their lowest point since the 1940s. About 330,000 children were born to teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 last year, the CDC reported — a figure that has dropped 38 percent since 1991. The birth rate for women in their early 20s hit a record low, meanwhile, at 85.3 births per 1,000. The numbers are in line with previous reports finding that teen pregnancy has become much less frequent in the past two decades. Most experts have attributed the trend to a rise in the use of effective contraception. In a statement Wednesday, Planned Parenthood Vice President Leslie Kantor backed “expanding access to high-quality sex education and making long-acting types of birth control … more accessible to teens.” Read more about the new numbers at Healthwatch.

Thursday’s agenda

AHIP will begin its 2012 state issues conference in Washington, D.C.

State by state

Jerry Brown veto seeks stronger ties between Calif. health law and federal act

Christians-only health ministry is shut down in Kentucky

Lobbying registrations

FrogueClark / Health Management Associates

Reading list

ObamaCare will extend health insurance to 32 million Americans. This is who they are.

Medicaid stars in new Obama campaign ad

Poll finds seniors happy with Part D [reg. req’d]

Nurses seek expanded role