It seemed like a good idea at the time.But a health insurance tax credit for small businesses, part of President Barack Obama's health care law that gets strong support in public opinion polls, has turned out to be a disappointment.

A lawsuit filed against the NFL Players Association by retirees was dismissed Tuesday by a federal judge, who said she's "empathetic to their concerns" but ruled they had no legal right to hundreds of millions of dollars in additional post-career benefits they claimed they lost during lockout talks last year.

While job absenteeism rose slightly in the first quarter of 2012, absenteeism is still below prerecession levels recorded before the recession, according to Bloomberg BNA's Job Absence & Turnover Report, a quarterly employer survey.