WASHINGTON — With the highest percentage of uninsured residents, Texas would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

But Gov. Rick Perry blocked moves to lay the groundwork for expanded coverage. And among the alternatives he’s supported is an untested regional solution that could put states in charge of Medicare, an approach potentially as controversial as Obama’s.

With Perry running for the Republican presidential nomination, health care in Texas and his own ideas as governor will get fly-speck scrutiny on the national stage.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — When it comes to deciding who pays to reduce runaway Medicare costs, President Obama and House Republicans have very different views.

Republican lawmakers would sock it to future generations of senior citizens, most of whom would have to pay more for their medical coverage.

WASHINGTON – Health insurance premiums should go for actual medical care — not insurers’ overhead and profits — the Obama administration said Monday in rules that for the first time require the companies to give consumers a rebate.

The regulation unveiled by the Health and Human Services department calls for insurance companies to spend at least 80 cents of the premium dollar on medical care and quality. For employer plans covering more than 50 people, the requirement is 85 cents. Insurers that fall short of the mark will have to issue their customers a rebate.

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s Republican leader says congressional lawmakers can and should vote to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law, repeatedly if necessary.

If Obama should veto laws repealing the health care overhaul, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says, the House should cancel funding for its programs. As for the Senate, he says that senators should vote against what he calls the law’s “most egregious provisions.”

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Washington (CNN) — Faced with a divided public over his signature legislative achievement, President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed the health care reform bill passed in March as important for helping both the government and the American people deal with rising medical costs.

The measure endured a bitter political fight that saw no Republicans vote for its final approval, and recent polls show it remains controversial as Democrats face congressional elections in November amid a tough climate due to lingering economic woes.

WASHINGTON – Republicans are promising to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul if they win control of Congress. But with what?

Not even they know.

Some have proposed major changes to workplace coverage, even turning Medicare into a voucher plan. Many prefer small steps that tiptoe around political land mines. Others want a clean start.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Republican candidate who defeated U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska’s primary election has been cited for his role in a recent three-car collision in Fairbanks.

Joe Miller was involved in the crash in his hometown three days after the Aug. 24 election and before the conservative lawyer’s surprise victory in the tight race was confirmed last week in the counting of thousands of absentee votes and questioned ballots. Murkowski conceded Aug. 31 to Miller, whose campaign is backed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express.

WASHINGTON — Actor Andy Griffith has a new role: pitching President Barack Obama’s health care law to seniors in a cable television ad paid for by Medicare.

The TV star — whose role as sheriff of Mayberry made him an enduring symbol of small-town American values — tells seniors that “good things are coming” under the health care overhaul, including free preventive checkups and lower-cost prescriptions for Medicare recipients.

It’s not just the 4th of July holiday that’s raising memories of revolution. The idea of active anti-government resistance, once the province of the fringe or a mere historical parable, is now a common component of the national discourse. If all the voices actively calling for or raising the specter of insurrection since Obama’s election in 2008 were to have their way, there would be a logjam of militias on the White House lawn. Three-cornered hats and muskets would sell out in minutes. They’d have to institute a ticket system. One pitchfork jab per man, woman, or child.

(CNN) — Health care reform was “a long overdue victory for America’s consumers and patients” and Americans are “already seeing a wave of change,” President Barack Obama said Tuesday as he touted the success of his signature domestic policy initiative.

But health insurers must not use health care reform as an excuse to raise rates, and the government will make sure they don’t, Obama said.

He was speaking 90 days after the passage of the Affordable Care Act and patients’ bill of rights.