Bill aims to control health-care costs.
Byline: John J. Monahan BOSTON - The state would begin licensing pharmaceutical company representatives and limit their gifts to doctors, put new restraints on the size of hospital expansions, and encourage a transition to computerized medical record systems as part of a plan approved by the Senate...

Panel tells how to cut town's health costs.
Byline: Lynne Klaft LUNENBURG - The Public Employee Committee is recommending two ideas to selectmen for reducing health insurance costs. The committee is proposing that the board consider mandating retirees switch over to Medicare, but to a program that would contain the costs to retirees...

Medical liability matters.
Medical liability insurance and litigation linger in the back of many young physicians' minds. Once they leave the relative legal security of a residency program, many physicians are unclear how to best protect themselves and their practices. Simple answers are hard to find--largely because they don't exist! ...

Few carriers expected to suffer short term from subprime mortgage mess: longer-term, however, the subprime risk "contagion" could infect carriers with heavy exposure to mortgage-backed securities, analysts warn.
The chaos in the subprime mortgage marketplace is expected to affect few property/casualty insurers in the short term, a new report found, but the next 18 to 24 months could be rough, particularly for life and health carries with too much exposure to mortgage-backed securities. Aggregate exposure...

Business briefs.
COLUMN: Business briefs Telegram & Gazette Bloomberg Index Central Massachusetts +0.26 173.82 Volume: 70,792,276 Up: 9 Down: 12 Unchanged: 8 Gainer: Providence and Worcester Railroad Co. $19.75 +$2.25 (volume...

Unum agrees to pay $676M; Funds complete 2004 settlement.
Byline: Bob Kievra WORCESTER - Unum Group, the nation's leading disability insurer, will pay $676 million in additional benefits to more than 9,500 policyholders, insurance regulators said yesterday. The payments stem from a 2004 settlement that required the company to substantially revamp its claims handling...

The Backup files; A look back at the week in business.
Byline: Bob Kievra COLUMN: THE BACKUP FILES Trimming the view The networks have scaled back plans for the Golden Globes, concerned that no one would tune in tonight to see the party-hearty awards show after it was downsized into a glorified news conference...

The Backup files; A look back at the week in business.
Byline: Bob Kievra COLUMN: THE BACKUP FILES Shifting into gear We shop online for drugs, books, and groceries. Now, courtesy of the state Division of Insurance, we have a new favorite to add to our Web browser. No one will confuse www.mass.gov/autorates with...

Insurer sale to Mapfre backed; Commerce votes to sell.
Byline: Bob Kievra WEBSTER - Commerce Group Inc., founded 37 years ago in an East Main Street strip mall, went international yesterday, with shareholders approving the property and casualty insurer's $2.2 billion sale to Mapfre SA of Madrid, Spain. About 80 shareholders attended the special...

Business briefs.
COLUMN: Business briefs Telegram & Gazette Bloomberg Index Central Massachusetts Last: 177.58 Change: +1.20 Volume: 99,129,045 Up: 13 Down: 12 Unchanged: 5 Gainer: Evergreen Solar Inc. $10.92 +$1.82 ...