Benefits Manager

The Federation of American Hospitals cut its first-quarter spending on federal government lobbying 30 percent from the year-earlier quarter, when Congress debated and then passed the health care overhaul.

Medicare officials are confirming that the program will pay for the prostate cancer drug Provenge, an innovative therapy that costs $93,000 and extends life about four months.

John Russo's chemical lab in North Kingstown has been growing in recent years, even despite a deflated economy, and he expects to add another 15 to 20 positions to his 49 employees over the next year.

When Connecticut lawmakers return to the state Capitol on Thursday, not only will they be asked to grant Gov. Dannel P. Malloy greater budget-cutting authority, now that state employees have defeated a labor-savings and concessions deal, but to also scale back some of the workers' future benefit

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia exercised a rarely used power last fall to let Philip Morris USA and three other big tobacco companies delay making multimillion-dollar payments for a program to help people quit smoking.

Health insurer Humana Inc. says it will begin testing all Arizona job applicants for tobacco use, and those who light up won't get the gig.

The NBA is headed to deadline day, with perhaps one last chance to avoid a lockout.

A newly released audit that criticizes oversight of the Kentucky's $13 billion pension fund could provide the impetus needed to get the legislature to act.