New projections by the state of Vermont say a public, universal health care system would cost between $8.2 billion and $9.5 billion a year roughly $13,000 to $14,000 per resident by 2020, but that sticking with the current system based on private insurers would cost even more.

The number of overdose deaths from powerful painkillers more than tripled over a decade, the government reported Tuesday a trend that a U.S. health official called an epidemic, but one that can be stopped.

It's become a regular exercise in budget brinksmanship. Medicare is again warning that doctors face draconian pay cuts on Jan. 1 unless Congress acts.

A wave of selling swept Wall Street and stock markets around the world Tuesday after the prime minister of Greece said he would let its people vote on an unpopular European plan to rescue the Greek economy.