Benefits Broker

Justice Elena Kagan might have angered some conservatives when she chose not to recuse herself from Monday’s decision not to fast-track the high court’s review of Virginia’s challenge to the health care reform law. But it’s really not surprising she didn’t—or that some people are upset about it—political pundits say.

In the 2009 revision of his classic text, “On Becoming a Leader,” Warren Bennis notes that a Google search on “lack of leadership” resulted in 53.3 million hits, an increase from 27,000 in 2003.

Shares of Cerner Corp. jumped Friday after the electronic medical records company posted strong first-quarter results and increased contract bookings, and raised its expectations for the full year.

The NFL cleared the way for some basic football operations to begin at 8 a.m. EDT Friday, five days after a federal judge declared the lockout illegal and nearly seven weeks after it began.

Merck & Co. on Friday said its first-quarter profit more than tripled as strong sales of key drugs and lower costs from integrating its Schering-Plough acquisition offset competition from generic drugs that slashed sales of two heart drugs.

Humana Inc. reports first-quarter financial results on Monday before the market opens.

To avoid a penalty or other consequences under health care reform, employers should start reviewing benefit and severance arrangements with their executive employees.

North Dakota lawmakers are setting aside money to give state government workers 3 percent pay increases for each of the next two years.