Health Care

People are waiting longer than they should for an answer when they petition the government to open an investigation into what could be serious safety problems.

A New York judge has told lawyers he'll encourage settlements in lawsuits brought on behalf of nearly 1,000 plaintiffs against General Motors for defective ignition switches.

Walgreen plans to keep its roots firmly planted in the United States, saying it will no longer pursue an overseas reorganization of the company that would have trimmed the amount of U.S. taxes it pays.

Health advocates allege some insurance plans under the new federal health law are discriminating against HIV and AIDS patients by requiring them to pay a percentage of costly medications instead of a flat co-pay, essentially pricing the medications out of reach.

Star Networks USA LLC is recalling all Magnicube Spheres and Magnicube Cubes magnetic sets because of the possibility for injury from swallowing the small, powerful magnets.

___ US airfares on the rise, outpacing inflation NEW YORK (AP) — The average roundtrip ticket within the U.S., including taxes, reached $509.15 in the first six months of this year, up nearly $14 from the same period last year.

Oregon will see a much tighter range of premium prices in 2015 for individual and small employer health insurance plans, according to new rates announced Friday by state regulators.

Business News at 1:30 p.m.

Oregon insurance regulators are seeking the authority to require private insurers to have enough doctors and other health care providers to adequately serve all their customers.

The city of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have dropped opposing lawsuits over the hospital network's nonprofit status.

The government says Medicare's finances have improved.

General Motors knew of ignition switch problems with 6.7 million midsize and large cars for 11 years, yet it failed to warn customers with a recall until last month, according to documents posted by federal safety regulators.

A Senate subcommittee chairwoman says General Motors should have fired its chief lawyer in the wake of a long-delayed recall of millions of small cars.

The nation's largest health insurer expects to play a much bigger role in the health care overhaul next year, as the federal law shifts from raising giant questions for the sector to offering growth opportunities.

Two environmental groups are asking the U.S. Department of Transportation to immediately ban shipments of volatile crude oil in older railroad tank cars, citing recent explosive oil train wrecks and the department's own findings that those accidents pose an "imminent hazard." The petition filed Tuesday by the Sierra Club and ForestEthics seeks an emergency order within 30 days to prohibit crude from the Northern Plains' Bakken region and elsewhere from being carried in the older tank cars, known as DOT-111s.

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A string of fiery train derailments across the country has triggered a high-stakes but behind-the-scenes campaign to shape how the government responds to calls for tighter safety rules.

A string of fiery train derailments across the country has triggered a high-stakes but behind-the-scenes campaign to shape how the government responds to calls for tighter safety rules.

Stung by sticker shock, members of Congress are scrambling to lower the cost of a bill to fix veterans' health care amid a growing uproar over long waits for appointments and falsification of records to cover up the delays at Veterans Affairs hospitals.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to ban the food industry from using artificial trans fats.