Just one Connecticut hospital has agreed to participate in the new Charter Oak health care plan for the uninsured, but efforts are under way to sign up more facilities, the state's social services commissioner said Wednesday.

The West Coast Health Board has been ordered to make immediate changes to the patient booking system at Greymouth Hospital. A Health Ministry review found outpatient referrals for fifteen people remain lost, due to poor data entry.

Shares of hospital operator Community Health Systems Inc. rose Thursday after a Stifel Nicolaus analyst upgraded the stock to "Buy" from "Hold," as the company said it has avoided declines in patient volumes that have impacted competitors.

July 8 (Bloomberg) -- Many former U.S. soldiers who were disabled fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and live far from government facilities pay more for health care than other military retirees, a government report found.

As lawmakers scramble to set priorities for a robust health-care reform debate in 2009, two key elements are likely to rise to the top: How to make coverage more equitable and how to define affordability.