Health groups vow cost control

Leading groups in the healthcare industry have offered to squeeze $2 trillion in savings from projected increases over the next decade, White House officials announced. The pledge comes amid a debate over how to overhaul the nation's healthcare system, and Obama administration officials predicted that it will significantly increase momentum for passing such changes this year. The groups aim to achieve the proposed savings by using new efficiencies to trim the rise in healthcare costs by 1.5% a year, the officials said.