After months of intense discussions, California's health insurance exchange on Thursday remained on the sidelines of a Nov. 4 ballot initiative that would allow the state's elected insurance commissioner to regulate rates.

The Obama administration said Thursday that 7.3 million people who bought private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act had paid their premiums and were still enrolled.

In a partnership that appears to be the first of its kind, Anthem Blue Cross, a large California health insurance company, is teaming up with seven fiercely competitive hospital groups to create a new health system in the Los Angeles area.

In a midterm election year in which the political climate and map of battleground states clearly favors Republicans, many GOP candidates are nevertheless embracing some Democratic priorities in an effort to win over skeptical voters.

The Medicaid program, already the nation's largest insurer, has quickly added millions to its rolls since the start of Obamacare's coverage expansion.

Parker Conrad's start-up, Zenefits, is thought to be one of the fastest-growing companies in recent Silicon Valley history, and his investors and associates describe him as an uncommonly talented software visionary.