| Lawmakers Seek Options As Children's Health Insurance Plan Set to ...
(CNSNews.com) - Enacted 10 years ago, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which targets low income families who do not qualify for Medicaid, is set to expire this year, and lawmakers are exploring ways to help insure those still not covered.
"We can say without equivocation that [with SCHIP] we have made a contribution to ensuring that children have better coverage and more access to healthcare than they had before," former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Daschle noted that "21.6 million children today are provided coverage through either the Medicaid program or the SCHIP program. We find that there [are] approximately 43 million children who are covered by the insurance provided through family employers.
HPV stories generate different reporting approach
I found the colorful pamphlets on my desk with a hand-printed note attached: "This hospital has no ties to drug companies — thought you would find this interesting and helpful." It wasn’t signed. I was sorry for that because, of all the letters I’ve received in nearly a year of continuously writing about government waste in social services and government’s intrusion into parents’ rights over their children, this was the only unsigned comment that came my way. I was especially distressed that I wouldn’t be able to talk to this person in person, to tell him or her that, unfortunately, this hospital DOES have ties to drug companies. BIG ties. Yes, this vaccine information brochure from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) does boldly proclaim "the Center does not receive support from pharmaceutical companies." But what it doesn’t say is that some of the doctors working for this hospital not only receive support from pharmaceutical companies, but are the very inventors of the vaccines the brochures promote. For example, one doctor cited in the brochure, Paul Offit, is the chief of the division of infectious diseases at CHOP and director of the Vaccine Education Center there.
New business leads Standard Life charge
STANDARD Life has unveiled a strong set of profits, boosted by record-breaking new business, within maiden results which pleased the City. The Edinburgh insurance giant posted an operating profit of £614 million on the European embedded value basis, an increase of 55 per cent on 2005 and well above analysts' estimates of around £500m. .
It's a Chronic Condition
April 16, 2007 issue - Jonathan Cohn has studied health care for more than a decade, and in that time he's heard hundreds of grim tales—people who skimp on doctors' visits and skip medications so they can make the rent; patients who died because, as he writes in his new book, they "literally could not afford" to fall ill. That book, "Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis—And the People Who Pay the Price," focuses in heart-rending detail on nine of those stories, the kind of which may well find their way into stump speeches in 2008. But it also brings a fresher perspective to the health-care debate, thanks to a second, more surprising source: Depression-era documents that tell nearly identical stories. Then, too, ailing people went without care as politicians and physicians sparred over its spiraling costs.
'Insurers are ageist'
Older people are being discriminated against because insurers are operating an ageist black list, preventing them travelling abroad, or even driving a car, according to a new report. Research published by Age Concern and Help the Aged reveals that the over-65s face huge problems buying motor and travel insurance. One in five is unable to get a quote. The position deteriorates further at 75, where a quarter of applicants are turned down. .
James T. Morris Becomes Pacific Life's President & CEO
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5369005 NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2007--Pacific Life Insurance Company announced today that James T. Morris, 47, assumed the role of president and chief executive officer, becoming only the company's 14th chief executive officer in its 139-year history. This appointment was announced by the Board of Directors in November 2006. Thomas C. Sutton, Pacific Life's previous CEO, will retire in June 2007 after having served for 17 years as chairman and CEO. He will continue to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Morris has also been appointed to serve on the boards of Pacific Mutual Holding Company, Pacific LifeCorp, and Pacific Life Insurance Company. "Pacific Life is a leader in providing financial solutions to customers across the U.S.
Top docs see cuts as politics
The surgeons general of the Army, Navy and Air Force have criticized defense officials for imposing $650 million in "efficiency wedges" on their medical budgets, which will not produce real efficiencies but will only mean cuts in on-base medical services. The feud between the medical officers and Dr. David Chu, undersecretary of defense for force readiness and personnel, got its first public airing at a February meeting of the Task Force on the Future of Military Healthcare. It intensified March 27 before the House armed services subcommittee on personnel. To illustrate the effect of a $343 million cut to Navy medicine, Vice Adm. Donald Arthur said it was comparable to closing a large family practice hospital at Camp Lejeune, N.C., or at the naval base in Pensacola, Fla.
Genworth Financial, Inc. at AIFA 32nd Annual Conference - Final
BILL GOINGS, PRESIDENT & CEO, LIFE INSURANCE, GENWORTH FINANCIAL: Good morning. Before I begin, please note the caution in regard to forward-looking statements and the basis for presenting financial information. Genworth's success since our IPO in many ways has been achieved by focusing on solving the needs of consumers and distributors with solutions. The primary focus has been on innovative products, often linked with key services and education that we deliver effectively and efficiently. As we move into 2007, Genworth will strive to be the financial security company of choice for consumers who are looking for solutions to help them buy their first home, protect their families, plan a lifetime retirement and maintain their independence and wellness. In fact, we have a vision of building such a compelling offering that consumers will proactively seek out Genworth products and services, challenging the notion that insurance must be forever sold and not bought.
Cost of Living Found Shockingly High Here
While the survey methodology relates to the top 25 per cent of incomes, Christine Flynn, the affordable housing and economic development planner, said results in most categories were equally applicable - and even more worrying - for people earning less. Ms. Flynn noted the median household income on the Island is about 20 per cent below that for Boston. Apart from the housing numbers, which were more specifically applicable to those earning higher incomes, all the indices provided a reasonable approximation of living costs for people of all income levels, she said. Grocery prices, for example, which affect all income groups more or less equally, were 37 per cent above the national average and 13 per cent above Boston. Utility costs were 52 per cent higher than the national average and 16 per cent above Boston.
Being on your own will cost you
HACKENSACK, N.J. - Moving into your first apartment is a rite of passage. And like a lot of big life changes, it will cost you. Whether you'll be living in a two-family house, a garden complex or a high-rise, you'll have to pay for moving in, buying furniture and insuring your belongings. All together, the expenses will add up to thousands of dollars. Of course, the cost is worth it for the freedom of having your own space (no offense, Mom and Dad!). Here are some of the major expenses you should plan for before you make the leap into your first place: Application fee and/or credit check: When you apply for an apartment, landlords will often ask you to pay for a check of your credit history. This typically ranges from about $25 to $100.
Thanks, Officer Heibeh
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 | The story on the Somali police officer Abdiweli Heibeh was excellent. It has obvious implications for our efforts in Iraq and elsewhere, and I hope that the federal government realizes that men and women like this constitute our best chance to forge peaceful relationships with Islamic communities. I congratulate and thank Officer Heibeh for his service.
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Exonerated man accused of killing photographer
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — William McGuire's Blackberry seemed permanently fused to his hand. From morning to night, the computer analyst thumbed out messages to co-workers and clients. Whether Saturday, dinnertime or a holiday, the 39-year-old always had a few moments to offer advice about a crashed server or forward a hokey joke. "He was a power user," recalled a co-worker at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Jason Steinhauser, Monday at the murder trial of McGuire's wife. "I never knew him to turn it off for any reason," he testified. McGuire's use of the handheld device, described by three colleagues as heavy even for their tech-dependent field, came to an abrupt end on April 30, 2004, when the Blackberry stopped sending and receiving messages.
Patrick seeks federal aid for fishermen
Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said the state's fishermen "need immediate relief to survive new restrictions and to avoid a total collapse of the groundfish industry. "The state has made a compelling case to support a fishery disaster declaration, and I urge the Department of Commerce to provide the declaration as quickly as possible, so that immediate steps can be taken to remedy the economic losses," he said. So far, Mr. Gutierrez has not said how he might act on the declaration. First, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would have to declare that there was a fisheries resource disaster beyond the ability of fisheries managers to mitigate. Anson Franklin, a spokesman for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, said the request was under review.
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