Democratic leaders in the U.S. House scrambled Friday to allay lingering concerns about a broad health care overhaul and raised the possibility a vote planned for Saturday could slip into next week.

When makers of heart defibrillators wanted Medicare to vastly expand the types of patients eligible to receive the devices, which can cost upward of $25,000, agency officials were skeptical. It was not clear how many of those patients would actually need a defibrillator, a device that can deliver a life-saving shock to restore a faltering heart to normal rhythm.

Urged on by President Barack Obama, Democratic leaders in the U.S. House hustled Thursday to round up support for a sweeping health care overhaul headed to a close floor vote Saturday.

New York City health officials scrambled to explain themselves Thursday following outraged media reports about bankers who got scarce H1N1 flu vaccines through their employers

In a coup for House Democrats, AARP will endorse sweeping health care overhaul legislation headed for a history-making floor vote, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

House Democrats cleared the way Wednesday for a pivotal floor vote on health care overhaul as early as the weekend, after tweaking their 1,900-page bill to crack down harder on insurance companies.

Public health experts worried about the spread of the H1N1 flu are raising concerns that workers who deal with the public, like waiters and child care employees, are jeopardizing others by reporting to work sick because they do not get paid for days they miss for illness, reports the New York Times.

The Senate Democratic leader indicated Tuesday that lawmakers may not complete health care legislation this year, missing President Barack Obama's deadline on his signature issue and pushing debate into a congressional election year.

Johnson & Johnson will eliminate about 6 percent to 7 percent of its global workforce, or some 7,000 to 8,000 positions, as the diversified healthcare company restructures and seeks cost savings, the company said Tuesday.

Health insurer Humana Monday projected lower profit next year as it sees profit margin pressure on its Medicare business for the elderly and weaker enrollment in its commercial plans serving employers.

The health care overhaul bill produced by House Democrats would impose an array of new taxes, fees and government mandates on major players in the health industry, including insurers, doctors and drugs and medical devices makers.

The House health care bill released Thursday raises most revenue by taxing individuals making $500,000 or more, but also tightens rules for corporate accounting and takes aim at foreign companies working in tax havens.

After months of struggle, House Democrats unveiled sweeping legislation Thursday to extend health care coverage to millions who lack it and create a new option of government-run insurance

The global economy still faces major hurdles on its path to recovery, such as the ballooning public deficits and weak consumer spending, and investors remain cautious until they're resolved, Barclays President Bob Diamond told CNBC.

Stryker Biotech and top management have been indicted on charges they engaged in a fraudulent marketing scheme for certain medical devices, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday.