| AARP wants candidates to focus on health care
ST. PETERSBURG - Presidential candidates campaigning in Florida can expect persistent grilling about health insurance, prescription drugs and Social Security if AARP has its way. The lobbying group for older Americans announced Wednesday that it will stock every public campaign event in the state with vocal volunteers who will try to pin candidates down on health care reform and financial security for retirees. The moment is ripe, AARP "social impact" executive Nancy LeaMond said in a news conference. Polls show that Americans place a high priority on accessible, affordable health care, she said. And business groups are beginning to take the same view. The Business Roundtable, traditionally a Republican-tilting organization, will join AARP in trying to steer the public debate toward health care and retirement issues, as will the Service Employees International Union, usually aligned with Democrats.
Blue Chip News: Fundamental Review for Aetna Inc.
Mount Etna is Europe's most active volcano; Aetna is one of the most active health insurance companies in the US. The company operates in three segments. Its Health Care division offers HMOs, PPOs, point-of-service (POS) plans, health savings accounts, and traditional indemnity coverage, along with dental, vision, behavioral health, and Medicare plans. Aetna covers more than 15 million individuals under its health plans, some 13 million dental plan members, and 10 million pharmacy members. Its Group Insurance segment sells life, disability, and long-term care insurance, covering about 15 million people. The Large Case Pensions segment offers pensions, annuities, and other retirement savings products. Shares were down 2% expanding efforts to help consumers purchase health care. BellwetherReport.com is a leading online research firm for international investors looking to get an edge over their portfolio.
Analysis: Medical technology gets personal
WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- While the future for personalized medicine has far exceeded expectations, funding is critical in order to continue taking the necessary steps, health experts said Monday. "We are on a real roll here in terms of the ability to discover things that we previously thought would take us a decade or more, which are in fact turning out at remarkable speed," said Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. Collins emphasized the April 2003 completion of the Human Genome Project, which incorporated more than 2,000 scientists from six different countries to achieve the common goal of mapping out all the letters of the "human DNA instruction book." That research created a platform to launch new applications of the technology that predict medical problems in people via personalized medicine.
bellwetherreport.com: Morning Alert for Countrywide Financial Corp.
Countrywide Financial gives credit where credit is due. One of the largest independent residential mortgage lending firms in the US, the company writes, sells, and services mainly prime first mortgages for single-family homes through its Countrywide Home Loans subsidiary. It also offers home equity loans, commercial mortgages, and subprime home mortgages. In addition, Countrywide Financial is a broker/dealer of mortgage-backed securities; underwrites and sells property/casualty, health, and disability insurance (mainly through Balboa Insurance Group); and runs Countrywide Bank. Countrywide Financial operates approximately 1,000 branch offices in all 50 states and Washington, DC. Shares were down 3% as the company will lost 2 board members. BellwetherReport.com is a leading online research firm for international investors looking to get an edge over their portfolio.
Wells Fargo Insurance Services Opens Orlando Office
Wells Fargo Insurance Services announced today the opening of its first office in Orlando, Fla. The new Wells Fargo Insurance Services office is located at 801 International Parkway, Lake Mary, and offers both commercial and group health and benefits insurance services, as well as extensive experience with the health care industry. Shawn F. Smith has been appointed Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Orlando Wells Fargo Insurance Services office. Joining Smith are Kim McGee, Vice President/Account Manager, and Kim Zastrow, Vice President/Senior Account Manager. Smith has more than 17 years of insurance experience and joins Wells Fargo Insurance Services from Marsh. While at Marsh, Smith assumed various business development roles and was the health care practice leader for Florida and sales leader for the company's Orlando and Tampa offices.
RFID Reader Prevents Reagent Counterfeiting In Healthcare Industry
Cloning and counterfeiting pose perhaps the greatest threat in the healthcare industry where decreased reliability and performance of medical devices and medication affect diagnosis and treatment. The downstream effects are decreased patient safety, insurance cost efficiency, and provider reputations. Iris Diagnostics, a division of Iris International (NASDAQ: IRIS), is tackling the cloning problem head-on by RFID-enabling their iQ200 Automated Urinalysis System. Utilizing chemical reagents to detect the presence of molecules in urine samples, the machine relies on reagents of the correct type, freshness, and authenticity in order to deliver the most accurate results. To prevent reagent counterfeiting, Iris Diagnostics is incorporating SkyeTeks RFID reader and ReaderWare Security technology into their product.
MMA Meddling Leaves 35 000 Without Health Insurance
Bureaucratic wrangling and obstruction by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and the Finance Ministry, both headed by Gasim Ibrahim, have left the governments army of nearly 35 000 civil servants without any health insurance. The International Medical Group (IMG), which signed an agreement with the government in June last year to provide its employees with health cover, ceased paying out on claims on Friday, after the MMA rejected its application for a general insurance licence. That leaves all Maldivian civil servants with no provision by their employer, the government, to help them in the event of health problems. They will have to fall back on the welfare system. Previously the government provided a stipend of Rf. 250 every three months as a health allowance. Many workers did not even realise this was a medical allowance, and almost none put the money aside in case of emergency.
Domestic Partner Benefits Stalled
TAMPA - A year ago, when the University of South Florida administration agreed to find health care options for domestic partners, faculty union leaders called it a breakthrough. The word they use today is stalemate. The two sides are no closer to creating a health benefit for gay and unmarried heterosexual couples like those found at a growing number of Florida universities. The union says the university's leaders care little about finding the money to pay for such a benefit, and suggest that USF follow the example set by the University of Florida and Florida International University, which launched domestic-partner benefits more than a year ago. Finding money may be one of many problems. Responding to the union's criticism, USF administrators say they have yet to find a health-insurance carrier eager to provide coverage.
Saigontourist, AIG tie up to provide travel insurance
(SGT-HCMC) Vietnam's leading tour operator Saigontourist Travel Service Co. inked a deal yesterday with AIG General Insurance (Vietnam) Co. Ltd. to provide global travel insurance for tourists. Under the deal signed in HCMC, AIG is the insurance partner to provide global travel insurance for Saigontourist's outbound tourists in one year from April 1. The insurance policy covers health care costs abroad, around-the-clock emergency support by International SOS, accidents, losses, delayed and damaged luggage. Especially, the policy also covers losses or damages caused by terrorism, natural calamities, and epidemic diseases. The two companies declined to announce the fee, but said that the payout can reach US$10,000. Vo Anh Tai, director of Saigontourist, said that the global travel insurance service not only applies to Vietnamese travel abroad but also for overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who buy outbound tourism services at the company.
Your income is worth spending on health
KATHMANDU, Apr. 6: The World Health Day is being observed Saturday with the theme International Health Security and the slogan, "Invest in Health, Build a Safer Future" all over the globe. Challenges to global health have been increasing with the outbreak of new diseases and resurgence of old ones. The present challenge is to take steps for preventing communicable diseases and to provide security to the people if there is an outbreak. Chief Specialist at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) Dr. Nirakar Man Shrestha said that the slogan for the year focuses on people's health and to invest some portion of their earnings for their health. This is important as if there is epidemic in one corner of a country it would affect globally. Dr. Shrestha said that World Health Organisation (WHO) updated its International Health Regulation 1969 in 2005 and that would be implemented from June 2007.
by Divvy Kant Upadhyay
World Health Day celebrated annually on April 7 marks the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO). This year's theme is international health security. The aim of the Day is to urge governments, organizations and businesses to "Invest in health, build a safer future". The WHO feels that International health security is the first line of defence against health shocks that can devastate people, societies and economies worldwide. Implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) from June 2007 will help to build and strengthen mechanisms for outbreak alert and response at national and international levels.
The WHO wants to draw attention to issues like emerging and rapidly spreading diseases like SARS, Avian flu, HIV/AIDS, environmental issues like Global warming, the ongoing danger of bioterrorism, sudden and intense humanitarian emergencies caused by natural disasters like the Tsunami and earthquakes.
bellwetherreport.com: Conseco Inc is Added to the Bellwether Watch ...
Conseco, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of supplemental health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products in the United States. It operates in three segments: Bankers Life, Conseco Insurance Group, and Colonial Penn. The Bankers Life segment markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, life insurance, long-term care insurance, Medicare Part D prescription drug program, and various annuity products to the senior market. The Conseco Insurance Group segment offers specified disease insurance, Medicare supplement insurance, and various life and annuity products to the senior and middle-income markets. It markets its products under the 'Conseco' and 'Washington National' brand names. The Colonial Penn segment provides graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, the Internet, and telemarketing.
Privately insured paid an extra $345 million in 2005
New Hampshire hospitals shifted about $345 million in health expenses onto privately insured patients in 2005, an increase from $179 million in 2001, a Concord-based think tank said in a report released yesterday. The increased cost-shifting largely results from Medicare and Medicaid paying hospitals less than it costs to treat patients on the government insurance programs, the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies said. "Basically, the undercost (reimbursement) of the public players, and charity care, forces these hospitals to shift these costs onto the private sector," said Steve Norton, the center's executive director. That cost shifting, according to the report, means the privately insured must pay about 45 percent more for their health care.
Common Cents: Living for the day
The first was for a 65-year-old lady whom I have known for many years. I was saddened by her death, but I knew she had lived a full life. She had married, raised a family and thoroughly enjoyed watching her grandchildren mature.The second was more difficult. More than a thousand people gathered to mourn the loss of a 35-year-old man. He was the father of four and was in the early stages of a wonderful life.He would not see his youngsters grow up. He would not have the chance to see his daughters marry or his sons play sports. The joys of grandchildren will be missed. There can be no explanation why such young people are taken. It makes no sense. Regrettably, it happens — and more often than anyone expects.My thoughts, however, turn to the survivors — especially the young mother who must now raise the children alone.
Hospitals give the wealthy a leg up
A plush bathrobe hanging in a bathroom of the Pavilion Suites at the University of Colorado Hospital is among the amenities of an executive physical. Patients also have access to private office facilities and may choose healthy oatmeal or eggs Benedict for breakfast. .
Thieves plunder Dole pine fields
More than a thousand pineapples have been stolen from Dole plantation fields in Wahiawa recently, the latest blow to an industry that suffers more than $2 million in losses each year. Over the past two to three months, workers have noticed pineapples disappearing in bunches from Dole's Wahiawa plantation, officials said. Thieves apparently filled the beds of several pickup trucks with pineapples and drove off, police said. In recent months thieves have also walked onto the property with cane knives and backpacks and some have driven dirt bikes onto the fields. Dole has taken some precautions, such as digging trenches around the fields to hinder would-be thieves from driving onto the property. Dole has lost about $3,000 worth of pineapples during the recent string of thefts, police said.
DealerTrack Wins 2007 Dealers' Choice Award
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRAK) today announced that it has been named the recipient of the Diamond Award in the Desking Software category of the Auto Dealer Monthly 2007 Dealers' Choice Awards. The Diamond Award is the highest in the category. Desking is a process in which dealers structure the best deal and present the customer with different financing options to meet customer needs and their own profitability objectives. "We at DealerTrack are honored to receive this prestigious award from Auto Dealer Monthly," said Raj Sundaram, Senior Vice President of Dealer Solutions at DealerTrack. "We believe that SalesMaker offers the richest functionality of any desking solution on the market, integrating sales, finance, inventory and desking to help dealers structure the most profitable deals.
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