Broker Regulation

A contract dispute between pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts and its largest client, the health insurer WellPoint, should get resolved quickly but investors will likely overreact to the dustup, according to a Jefferies analyst.

The number of young adults lacking medical coverage has shrunk by 2.5 million since the new health care overhaul law took effect, according to a new analysis the Obama administration is to release Wednesday.

Florida's experimental, five-county Medicaid managed care program is providing such poor service that the state should suspend plans for expanding it statewide, according to a report released Monday by a liberal-leaning think tank.

Republicans are girding to push a bill through the House that would continue a payroll tax cut for 160 million workers, but has drawn White House and Democratic objections because it would also force work on a controversial oil pipeline.

President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the Senate are using a critical year-end spending bill as political leverage to try to force Republicans to negotiate bipartisan legislation to extend payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits due to expire at the end of the year.

The House is expected to vote Tuesday on a year-end economic package that includes a provision raising premiums for "high-income" Medicare beneficiaries, now defined as those making $85,000 and above for individuals, or $170,000 for families.