State Corrections Commissioner Tom Roy says his decision to parole a cop killer is consistent with state law and common practice. Roy defended his decision to a legislative committee saying denying parole to the man convicted 29 years ago would violate state law and his own ethics.

A federal audit found that Duluth-based Essentia Health overbilled Medicare by more than $865,000, MPR reports. The findings indicate Medicare was billed $3.18 for every dollar Essentia was owed. The company says the error was caused by an incorrect calculation in their computer system and has refunded the overpayments.

A criminal complaint filed in Wright County accuses the planning commissioner for the city of Rockford of possessing child pornography after a raid at his home Wednesday. Justin Hensley, 35, is accused of possessing at least 10 videos containing juveniles as young as 5 years old performing sex acts.

Now that the federal health care overhaul has been mostly upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, Minnesota officials are working fast to design a online health insurance marketplace for people to enter basic information, learn whether they qualify for subsidies, compare the options and buy a policy.

Lawmakers there could approve a bill during a special session this week to authorize a health insurance exchange system, one of the requirements of federal health reform. The idea is to create a website to help consumers compare the costs and benefits of different policies.

Minnesota's latest effort to fight abuse of heroin and other opiates brings together a range of government departments and health care providers. The health, public safety, human services, and education departments are all involved. So are doctors, since many addictions grow out of the painkillers they prescribe.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services announced Thursday that the state has begun implementing a 2009 law with a goal of extending MinnesotaCare health care coverage to 16,000 uninsured children. Under the plan, parents whose incomes are below a certain level will no longer have to pay premiums for their children on MinnesotaCare.