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House Republicans late Saturday prepared to pass a government funding bill that would include a one-year delay in implementing Obamacare. But the White House said President Obama would veto the House measure, on the unlikely chance it made it through the Senate.

Very few insurers around the country are offering top-of-the-line platinum insurance plans. Policymakers predicted less expensive but more restrictive bronze and silver plans would prove more popular than high-end options, and it looks like insurance companies think so, too.

A Senate bill to keep the federal government open for six weeks is expected to pass and move to the House, where GOP lawmakers insist they will insert deal-breaking language to defund Obamacare.

Leading Texas politicians have resisted the federal health care law. But in Houston, community groups and public health agencies are trying to educate the city's 800,000 uninsured residents about new coverage options.

Gov. Tom Corbett hopes to tap into federal money offered as part of the Affordable Care Act to extend Medicaid coverage to more people. But he has conditions. His alternative would require some people to pay an insurance premium and to look for work.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, stood up to oppose the president's health care law. His talkathon began Tuesday afternoon and ended at noon Wednesday.

According to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services, "premiums nationwide will ... be around 16 percent lower than originally expected," and 95 percent of uninsured people live in a state with average premiums that are lower than expected.

The online marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act so people can compare health plans and sign up for health insurance are scheduled to open for business on Oct. 1. As the date approaches, opponents of the administration's health law are ratcheting up their efforts to stop it.

A college student will be able to shop for health insurance on one of the exchanges planned to open for business in October. But depending on the family's financial circumstances, he may be better off staying on his parents' plan or looking into Medicaid.

Congressional Republicans are trying to use budget deadlines to extract concessions from the president on his signature health care law. And they aren't alone in choosing this time to test the president's mettle — liberal Democrats have been pressuring Obama, too.