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The federal health law enters a new phase now that consumers can finally kick the tires on health insurance in the marketplaces created for the uninsured and those who buy their own coverage. Window shopping is fine for now because the key deadline for coverage doesn't come until December.

In October, online health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, will open for business. As the start date nears, people's questions about the particulars of buying insurance on the exchanges are streaming in.

Stodgy old insurance companies are working on their social media skills to deal with new kinds of customer complaints. The company accounts on Twitter and elsewhere also help the insurers manage their brands and do quick damage control.

Health plans come in a dizzying variety. There's been a blurring of definitions lately that makes the jargony choices more confusing than ever. Here's help.

Across the U.S., jails hold many more people with serious mental illness than state hospitals do. San Antonio is reweaving its safety net for the mentally ill — and saving $10 million annually.

The jails, hospitals, courts, police and mental health department in Bexar County, Texas, used to work separately. Since they started cooperating, psychiatric care has improved and costs are down.

An analysis of hospital charges in California couldn't explain the wide variation in listed prices for routine lab work. Teaching hospitals and government-run hospitals charged the least.

These low-benefit plans are part of a strategy that lets workers and employers avoid health law penalties but may not provide substantial coverage.

Insurers and some Democratic senators say people should have a cheaper option on the health exchanges. But those plans may leave people with painfully high copays and deductibles if they get sick.

State legislatures have passed laws that require doctors to have hospital admitting privileges to perform abortions. Some courts are now saying these laws are unconstitutional.