A decay in access to medical services for American adults could continue even if President Obama is re-elected in November, according to a recent Health Affairs study. MORE

Todd Park (@todd_park), United States chief technology officer for the Obama Administration, engaged in a live Twitter chat as part of Big Data Week, a string of community-led events relating to big data. Here is a Twitter recap of the Q&A. MORE

The candidates are still going at it. For frontrunner Mitt Romney, the biggest challenge of the Republican presidential primaries seems to be the direct similarities between his own Massachusetts healthcare law, and the Affordable Care Act, spearheaded by President Obama. MORE

We asked our social media followers whether they feel a tax on the people would be the best possible penalty. Is it unconstitutional? Is it fair? Are there other sanctions that seem more realistic? Here's a Twitter recap of their responses. MORE

On Tuesday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), unveiled a new GOP budget plan, "The Path to Prosperity Budget." With a YouTube video circulating, an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, and various on-camera interviews, Republicans are calling the proposal the "real solution" to the debt crisis. MORE

As he turns 65 this year, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney says he will not sign up for Medicare. Instead, he will keep his private insurance and do without the social safety net, a Romney rep said Tuesday. MORE

Research published this week in the journal Health Affairs suggests computerized patient records are unlikely to cut healthcare costs. The article says going paperless might actually encourage physicians to order costly tests on a more regular basis. How did social media denizens respond to this information? MORE

In Friday's Health IT Social Media Tweetchat, sponsored by HL7 Standards, tweeters pondered whether the ICD-10 delay should be skipped and moved onto ICD-11. Either way, the topic is heating up on all social media channels. Here is a recap of what Twitter users and health IT experts are saying. MORE

Last week, Rick Santorum gave a speech billed as his "major speech on healthcare." One young child asked the Pennsylvania senator about the costs of medical care in America. He asked what Santorum would do in order to lower the costs of healthcare in the country. MORE

After this week's State of the Union address, the Politico website dug into why President Obama barely mentioned healthcare reform law. Obama's law has garnered only 42 percent support by Americans, but has been among the most significant policy accomplishments for Obama since he took office. MORE

Last week, we looked at Rick Santorum's controversial statement that no one has ever died because they didn't have health insurance. This week, it seems another GOP presidential candidate has gotten himself into a bit of trouble regarding health insurance. MORE

In their second debate in 12 hours, the Republican presidential candidates hashed it out Sunday morning during the television program Meet the Press. We live-tweeted the debate (@HITNewsTweet) and present here a full recap of the event and the reactions it prompted. MORE

Back in December, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum stirred up trouble when he declared that nobody has ever died because they did not have health insurance. How did our healthcare-based social media following respond to Santorum's statement? MORE

The 2012 Iowa caucuses take off tonight, as candidates compete for the Republican presidential nomination. But where do the hopefuls stand on healthcare legislation, and how will that sway voters in the Hawkeye state? Here is a Twitter recap of what users have been saying on the subject matter. MORE

This week, the Obama Administration set in motion a Twitter campaign in response to the Republicans in the House of Representatives shutting down the two-month extension to the payroll tax cut. What can you buy with $40? Here are some healthcare related answers from Twitter followers. MORE

Today, Dec. 16, marked the last weekly #HITsm TweetChat, conducted by HL7 Standards (@HealthStandards). The topic determined was an end of the year recap surrounding health IT. Find out what issues were generated through this twitter recap. MORE

Two weeks ago it was reported that a think tank founded by GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich accumulated over $37 million in eight years from major healthcare companies and industry groups. According to The Washington Post, these millions came with special access to the former House speaker, as well as other benefits. MORE

Within the past month, the Occupy Wall Street movement has moved to other political regimes. A new website, occupyhealthcare.net, with the mission of "Working together for change," has been drawing Americans' attention to the current healthcare system in this country and how together we can address common concerns. MORE

One of the education sessions last week at HIMSS Virtual Conference and Expo was "mHealth in Action: From Research to Practice in Metro Miami." In the briefing, the speaker went over his company's mHealth strategy, tackling issues with the use of standards-based mobile technology. MORE

Since Oct. 20, we've heard from providers, physicians, nurses and bloggers how the new ACO regulations will impact the future of accountable care. The topic has also been heating up on Twitter and other social networks. Here are what some users are saying this week. MORE