Year: 2014

A few U.S. states whose newly created Obamacare insurance exchanges were stalled by technology failures may join the federal government's HealthCare.gov marketplace for next year, while only two states that relied on the administration plan to go it alone. Exchange officials in Oregon, Maryland and Massachusetts are weighing whether to enlist new private technology contractors or to turn to the federal government after faulty exchanges slowed enrollment in their states to the lowest rates in the country. The reshuffle would mean the federal government would continue to remain responsible for enrolling millions of people in coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare law in most of the country next year, a far cry from its goal of independent marketplaces in all 50 states. Republicans have sought to defund it, even shutting down the government last year in an attempt to do so.

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – A U.N. human rights watchdog called on the Obama administration on Thursday to limit its use of drones targeting suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban militants and to curb U.S. surveillance activities at home and abroad. U.S. drone strikes have led to excessive civilian casualties and unrestricted data collection has eroded the right to privacy, the U.N. Human Rights Committee said in its first report on Washington’s rights record since 2006. “A lot has to do with lack of transparency and oversight,” Swiss lawyer Walter Kaelin, who is among the panel’s 18 independent experts, told a news briefing where the findings were issued. Referring to surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Kaelin said: “What we are calling for is that if surveillance is undertaken, it has to be done in line with principles of legality, that there is the need for very clear detailed regulation containing safeguards for those under direct surveillance.

Merck & Co Inc appointed Baxter International Inc executive Robert Davis as chief financial officer, as it looks to cut costs and focus on drugs that are more likely to be approved by regulators. Merck – struggling with slowing sales, delays in new drug approvals and failures of experimental drugs – said in October it would cut 8,500 jobs and chop annual operating costs by $2.5 billion. “The main thing for Davis to focus on is trying to make Merck’s structure more flexible so that it can move more quickly to areas that have good returns,” Morningstar analyst Damien Conover said.

How a controversial HIV law could be changed in Iowa.

By Gary Robertson RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Mark Warner holds a 15-point lead among Virginia voters over Republican challenger Ed Gillespie, but the Democrat's support for Obamacare could cost him votes in the November election, according to a poll released on Thursday. Warner is favored by 46 percent of voters as he seeks a second term, compared with 31 percent for Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, according to the Quinnipiac University survey. Libertarian Robert Sarvis has 6 percent backing. Warner voted in 2010 for the Affordable Care Act, or President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform, which has had a troubled launch.