Laura Ellis

After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care law pushed by President Obama, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced that Kentucky would create a state health insurance exchange and eligible for federal subsidies under the new law. Also in Indiana. So how will it work? We found out Friday on Byline, with Julie Appleby, a senior correspondent for the nonprofit news service Kaiser Health News (a program of the Henry J.

In January, when Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Healthcare merged with Lexington's St. Joseph Health System to form KentuckyOne Health, Highlands Family Medicine was part of the deal. But now the Bardstown Road doctors office, which has around 6,000 patients, has announced they'll leave KentuckyOne due to religious restrictions that affect how they can care for patients.

Under KentuckyOne's policies, doctors whose practices had been part of Jewish & St. Mary's aren't allowed to dispense birth control for pregnancy prevention.

On August 15, the Department of Homeland Security began accepting applications for the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals. It would allow some undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children to obtain temporary immunity from deportation. LEO Weekly’s Anne Marshall joined us on Friday's Byline to talk about the program and some local young people who are applying for it.

A Tea Party rally featuring Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell and Senator Rand Paul was held earlier this week in Frankfort to protest President Obama’s health care law. WFPL's Phillip Bailey and Kentucky Public Radio's Kenny Colston were there, and they joined us on Friday's Byline to let us know what they saw.  

The Louisville Orchestra has announced its 2012-2013 season, and General Manager Lindsay Vallandingham joined WFPL's Erin Keane on Friday afternoon to talk about what's on their schedule this season. 

A health insurance exchange is required under the healthcare law, and will allow Kentuckians to compare and purchase insurance plans. But confusion about the exchange remains; lawmakers say information on the exchange is lacking, and want to know what the price tag will be. Kenny Colston has covered the story for WFPL and Kentucky Public Radio. He joined us on Friday's Byline to fill us in on just what we still don't know about how the exchange will work.

A crowded field of candidates will be on the November ballot for the three open seats on the JCPS Board of Education. WFPL's Devin Katayama covers education news, and he joined us Friday on Byline to talk about the candidates and their chances of election.

If you're heading to the Kentucky State Fair this weekend, you'll notice the gates of Kentucky Kingdom remain closed. Developer Ed Hart joined us Friday on Byline to talk about his newest proposal to re-open Kentucky Kingdom; it's a $40 million proposal with a team of supporters that reads like a who's who of the Louisville business scene.

Hart says re-opening Kentucky Kingdom would add $3 billion to Kentucky's economy.

Jefferson County’s suburban fire districts—responsible for protecting nearly 187,000 homes and businesses—are tumbling toward a financial crisis that could force sweeping changes in the way the county fights fires.

The landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars this week had many of our thoughts on space exploration. But only one journalist was asking questions about the legal ramifications of humans in outer space. Fast Company's Neal Ungerleider brought us our favorite headline of the week with his piece, Space Lawyers: They Exist.