| HMO accused of delaying payment in Medicaid program
Home health agencies across Texas say they are being paid late — or not at all — by companies hired by the state to provide care to Medicaid patients with chronic health problems. The state has paid tens of millions of dollars so far this year in premiums to health maintenance organizations that in turn pay providers of medical care or long-term care services. More than 150,000 Texans who are elderly or have disabilities are enrolled in Star Plus, including more than 13,000 in a seven-county area in Central Texas. The HMO program, which is required for certain people, is supposed to save the state money and improve services for recipients of Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for people with low incomes. Home health agencies say the payment problems show that the state was unprepared for the Feb.
The failings of American health care
God bless Susan Levitan and all those other big-hearted RNs who are trying to get the United States to adopt universal health care ("Reflections of a Katrina nurse," March 30). The continued greed and selfishness of most of the rich and powerful, and their obvious indifference to the plight of the working poor who have no health coverage, can cause almost anyone to lose hope in humanity. .
Mercury Insurance ad campaign continues to follow UFO Theorist Dr ...
In his follow-up to theMercury Insurance Television campaign of last year, director Ed Schumacher of Boy Genius follows UFO Theorist Dr. D.B. Selwick on his quest to prove that the low rates of Mercury Insurance are attributable to their extra-terrestrial origins. Since the original spots rolled out, awareness levels have skyrocketed, up to over 60% in Los Angeles and as high as 83% in Miami. Schumacher worked alongside copywriters Scott Corbett and Mark Cohen to develop the Mercury campaign. The doctor first welcomed people into his office last year, presenting the evidence that is the "Basis" for his theory: a UFO sighting and the establishment of Mercury Insurance are one day apart.
This time around, a mysterious "Crop Circle" in the form of the Mercury logo provides further proof of his theory - or does it? Going "Undercover" at the company's headquarters, Selwick looks for something conclusive, something irrefutable...
Offensive Medicine is Profitable
I recently wrote about the possibility that the pharmaceutical industry has been paying doctors to expand disease guidelines in order increase the number of people who "need" prescription medication. I was reminded of that post when I read this article that appeared in December in the San Jose Mercury News: "Drug companies continue to spend more than $150 million a year on their lobbying efforts. Just how brazen are they? They didn't hesitate at all to make Billy Tauzin, the former Republican House representative from Louisiana who negotiated the $500 billion bill to expand Medicare drug coverage, one of the industry's chief lobbyists... But the pharmaceutical industry remains near the top of Fortune 500 magazine's ranking of the most profitable industries in the United States, realizing a 15.7 percent profit as a percentage of its revenues.
FORD ESCAPE, MERCURY MARINER HYBRIDS: BETTER FUEL ECONOMY, LOWER ...
DEARBORN, Mich., March 19, 2007 - In 2004, Ford Motor Company introduced the worlds first hybrid from an American automaker and the worlds first hybrid SUV, the Ford Escape Hybrid. Today, the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid has a new bolder design, numerous engineering refinements that deliver even better real world fuel economy and the highest Federal income tax credits available on any hybrid up to $3,000. .
Tax would cut greenhouse gases and be cheaper in the long run ...
In the long run, they say, a carbon tax will be cheaper for consumers and more effective for the environment than alternative schemes requiring complex carbon emission trading systems, or subsidies for green energy initiatives with no proven return on investment. "The core issue we are facing is the level of our greenhouse gas emissions. By making such emissions more expensive to those responsible for them, we would set in [motion] a host of market responses that would result in a cost-effective reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. "Firms and individuals would have an incentive to avoid the tax." They say the B.C. Liberal government "is on the right track" with the ambitious commitment expressed in its February throne speech to cut greenhouse gas emissions 33 per cent by 2020.
Older females urged to take out women's car insurance
Elderly female vehicle users are being urged to ensure they have women's car insurance cover as research highlights that 20 per cent of all motorcycle riders are now pension-aged women.The call is being made by insurer AA which conducted the research. Females may be entitled to well-priced deals on women's car insurance and should make the most of such deals as they grow in number, the figures suggest.According to AA, the oldest female biker in the UK is around 80 years old, while the number of younger people showing an interest in the vehicles is also increasing.Kate Scammell, Head of AA Motorcycle Insurance, said: "We are definitely seeing more silver surfers seeking the freedom of the road on two wheels. "Young people are becoming more interested in motorbikes as well, perhaps spurred on by their grandparents."Females are often entitled to cheap rates on their women's car insurance as Home Office figures show that they are far less likely than men to be convicted of dangerous driving.Drivers with women's car insurance policies from Kwik-Fit Insurance could save up to £80 compared with other providers, research from 2006 found.© Adfero Ltd
Other Recent Women Drivers ArticlesWomen drivers 'less likely to be colour-blind'
Women drivers 'should check new car's status'
4x4s 'more popular with women drivers'
.
What's the price of a pet? Ask my animal-crazed daughter
For those who are either clueless or Fido-less, on Friday a pet food maker called Menu Foods recalled 48 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food. 60 million containers.
The tainted food could kill pets by causing their kidneys to shut down. After Menu Foods received the first complaints of pets dying from kidney failure on Feb. 20, they began their own tests on 40 to 50 animals. And about 15 percent died.
To consider the impact of a 15 percent mortality rate, remember: The Humane Society of the United States estimates there are 73 million dogs and 90 million cats in the country.
If even a fraction of those ate the gravy-infused products made by Menu Foods, it could result in the deaths of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats.
But there's one problem: It might not be so easy to know if the renal failure is tied to the food.
Triple-digit title loans banned in IA
Cash-strapped Iowans will soon have to turn elsewhere to get emergency loans because LoanMax will be forced out of business, its owner said Tuesday, by a new Iowa law that bans triple-digit interest rates on car title loans. Iowa lawmakers were jubilant Tuesday as Gov. Chet Culver signed into law House File 5, which reins in annual interest rates of 300 percent or more on such loans.
Right now, LoanMax can charge customers $251 to borrow $400 for about two and a half months. After July 1, the company will be able to charge only $33 for the same loan.
Thats not enough to keep the lights on and keep the employees and pay for their health insurance, said Rod Aycox, the owner of the Georgia-based LoanMax, which has 12 offices in Iowa.
But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Democrat from Des Moines, said: Its a great day for Iowa and a victory for consumer protection.
AM Best Assigns Ratings to Interglobal Insurance Company Limited
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2007--A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of B++ (Good) and an issuer credit rating of "bbb" to Interglobal Insurance Company Limited (IIC) (United Kingdom). The outlook for both ratings is stable. The ratings reflect the strong risk-adjusted capitalisation, low loss ratio and volatility of the business that will be written by IIC. Offsetting factors are the company's modest size and business position. A.M. Best believes that initial capital of USD 32.5 million and likely future retained earnings will provide IIC with a strong risk adjusted-capitalisation. A.M. Best believes that IIC's future financial performance will be good based on the performance of the existing account written by InterGlobal Limited (a managing general agency) (IL).
Health Insurance In Florida: Facts To Be Considered
The state of Florida, located in the Southeastern United States, mostly constitutes a large peninsula covered by Atlantic Ocean in the east and Gulf of Mexico in the west. Florida, also known as the Sunshine State, has a climate which is somewhat tempered due to its close proximity to water. Severe weather is quite common in the state. Central Florida, is also known as the lightning capital of United States, due to maximum number of lightning strikes it experiences when compared to any other place in the country. Cold Fronts that bring high winds sometimes sweep through the peninsula knocking out thousands and causing damage to mobile homes. Also, the state of Florida experiences maximum tornadoes per square mile in United States, though not as high in intensity as in the Midwest or Great Plains.
METRO BUSINESS CALENDARS
Career-Prospectors, www.career-prospectors.com, a job-search networking group, meets every Monday at 7:15 a.m., in the conference room at Long & Foster, 9321 Midlothian Turnpike. Details: Michael Soden, (804) 594-7065 or Fred Carreras, (804) 378-2021. .
Do homework on auto purchase
If you're ready to buy a car for the first time, you don't want to be taken for a ride on this significant purchase.
To make sure you don't overextend your budget and come to regret your decision, avoid these new-buyer mistakes: -- Focusing on the monthly payment
When you're just getting started, you may not have a lot of room in your budget for auto expenses after rent, utilities and food. So nabbing a low monthly car payment seems critical.
But that figure shouldn't be the starting point in your negotiations on the car lot. Doing so only opens the opportunity for a dealer to finesse the interest rate or other loan terms to meet your monthly price.
"The figure essentially doesn't have anything to do with the car," said Philip Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com and co-author of "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers."
"The dealer looks not at the price of the car but what you can pay."
Instead, get approved for a loan from your bank or credit union before going to a dealership.
Buyers getting break on term life insurance
Think about college tuition, health care and your electric bill, and it's easy to assume that prices only move in two directions: up and way up.
But you might not have noticed that one important financial product is significantly cheaper these days: term life insurance. Industry experts estimate that term premiums have fallen 40 percent or more in the past decade alone.
"This is great news," said Gary Schatsky, a financial planner in New York. "You're buying the same thing you bought yesterday at a lower price. It doesn't get any better than that."
Part of the credit goes to longevity. With people living longer, insurers expect fewer claims in a given period and have been able to reduce premiums, industry officials said.
Competition also has trimmed prices.
Coast Masters just might float your boat
If you attended the boat show held at the Mobile Convention Center last month, you were probably amazed at all the beautiful vessels on display. After inspecting your dream boat, you had to finally ask the big question: How much? Even to the wealthiest would-be customers, there had to be some sticker shock upon discovering how much new boats cost these days. When you add the cost of insurance, storage fees and possible purchase of a tow vehicle, it gets harder to justify the expense, especially if the boat is used only once or twice a month. But there may be a solution to many of the concerns of boat owners or potential owners. Coast Masters, a newly formed boaters club based at Dauphin Island, will allow members the opportunity to participate in the boating lifestyle without the hassles of ownership.
|
