Broker Regulation

Proposed health insurance changes required by the federal government may provide North Dakotans more benefit options, but the package's $83 million price tag will make it a difficult sell, lawmakers predicted Thursday.

President Barack Obama signed off Friday on the first three and possibly last free trade agreements of his administration, deals with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that could be worth billions to American exporters and create tens of thousands of jobs.

State unemployment insurance programs are facing their worst financial position since they were founded in 1935, according to a recent brief by the National Academy of Social Insurance.

President Barack Obama and his allies in the Senate promise to press ahead with separate votes on pieces of his failed $447 billion jobs measure despite unanimous opposition from Republicans. But there also are signs of slippage among Democrats and evidence the strategy isn't working with voters.

A national coalition of consumers, businesses and community-based pharmacists says the merger of pharmacy benefit management giants Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions would put too much power into the hands of a consolidated PBM, and could threaten patient access to equal and affordable access to health care.

The federal government has laid out final rules for a new program that aims to improve patient care by getting doctors, hospitals and other care providers to work together more.