Last Day of Open Enrollment for Obamacare, LBJ Toll Expansion in Limbo: Your Friday Morning Roundup

Good morning. Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day.Weather: Scattered clouds in the morning, then mostly sunny in the afternoon. Quite chilly. Low: 36 degrees. High: 57 degrees. Wind: NW 5-15 mph.Do you want to get this roundup via email? Sign up for our newsletters here.Haven't purchased a health plan yet? Here's what Texans need to know by FridayThe deadline to shop for a health insurance plan on the federal marketplace is here, and so far more than 579,000 Texans have purchased insurance on healthcare.gov.While that’s nearly 30 percent higher than the sign-up rate this time last year, one reason the pace might be accelerated is because the period to enroll in 2018 plans is 45 days shorter this year.Most Texans have until Friday to shop on the federal marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. Indeed, despite a tumultuous year of back-and-forth debate and various failed attempts by Republicans to repeal or replace the Obama-era health law, it remains in effect.Health insurance experts are urging those who still need to make selections to not just let an existing plan simply expire. Options that were available this year may not be sold for 2018, and people enrolled in those expired plans will be automatically put into a new option that they did not actively select. And there’s good reason to shop around, experts say.Health care: Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Garland will close in March.Critical choices: Earlier this year, The Dallas Morning News talked to North Texans about why health care reform is so hard.  Continue reading...