The U.S. faces a shortfall of about 450,000 nurses and 120,000 doctors in the coming years. The Senate's top health committee, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is considering bipartisan solutions.

Some lawmakers worry that pushing future post office retirees' health costs to Medicare could hurt the health program's outlook.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says health providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost — or close.

Congress passed a law last year to shield patients from surprise out-of-network medical charges. But many doctors in the House now say the way the law is to be implemented unfairly favors insurers.

Colleges are rolling out a dizzying diversity of COVID-19 containment plans for students and staff. Some have no plans for routine testing, while others aim to test everyone on campus twice a week.