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Health insurance of a million Texans rides on ruling

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Reported by DallasNews 10 hours ago.

Officials say deeply personal information in hackers' hands

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Deeply personal information submitted by U.S. intelligence and military personnel for security clearances — mental illnesses, drug and alcohol use, past arrests, bankruptcies and more — is in the hands of hackers linked to China, officials say. Regarding the hack of standard personnel records announced last week, two people briefed on the investigation disclosed Friday that as many as 14 million current and former civilian U.S. government employees have had their information exposed to hackers, a far higher figure than the 4 million the Obama administration initially disclosed. On Thursday, a major union said it believes the hackers stole Social Security numbers, military records and veterans' status information, addresses, birth dates, job and pay histories; health insurance, life insurance and pension information; and age, gender and race data. The personnel records would provide a foreign government an extraordinary roadmap to blackmail, impersonate or otherwise exploit federal employees in an effort to gain access to U.S. secrets —or entry into government computer networks. Outside experts were pointing to the breaches as a blistering indictment of the U.S. government's ability to secure its own data two years after a National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden, was able to steal tens of thousands of the agency's most sensitive documents. After the Snowden revelations about government surveillance, it became more difficult for the federal government to hire talented younger people into sensitive jobs, particularly at intelligence agencies, said Evan Lesser, managing director of ClearanceJobs.com, a website that matches security-clearance holders to available slots. J. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a letter Thursday to OPM director Katherine Archuleta that based on incomplete information OPM provided to the union, "the hackers are now in possession of all personnel data for every federal employee, every federal retiree and up to 1 million former federal employees." Reported by SFGate 6 hours ago.

9 Everyday Products With the Biggest Markups

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9 Everyday Products With the Biggest Markups Filed under: Shopping, How to Save Money, Products

*Shutterstock*

By Kyle James

Products with ridiculously high markups exist because somebody, somewhere, is willing to pay that price. Whether it's because of convenience, perceived value or simple ignorance, is up for debate. The good news is that with a little forethought, most of these markups can be avoided, or at the very least lessened. Here are nine of the biggest, along with some common sense solutions and workarounds.

*1. Bottled Water.* If you're buying designer bottled water brands like AquaDeco or Fine, you're getting nailed by an unbelievable 280,000 percent markup. Although, if you're reading Wise Bread, I'm guessing you probably don't buy designer brand water. But you probably do buy bottled water from the grocery store or warehouse club on occasion, in which case you're paying a 4,000 percent markup compared to tap water.*Solution*: Buy a Brita water filter pitcher and filter your tap water from home. You can then take the filtered water with you when you're on-the-go by using a reusable BPA-free water bottle.

*2. Pre-Cut Vegetables/Fruit.* Veggies and fruit that are cut up and ready to go are definitely convenient, especially for busy families. But did you know that you're easily paying a hefty 40 percent markup on the pre-cut varieties?

*Solution:* Shop your local farmer's market and grocery store for deals on fresh vegetables and fruit. Solve the convenience aspect by cutting them all up at once and store them in Ziploc bags. This is a great way to save money and have healthy snacks ready to go for school lunches and quickly-thrown-together family meals.

*3. College Textbooks*. According to CollegeData, the average student spent over $1,000 on textbooks and supplies for the 2014-15 school year with markups hovering around 200 percent for brand new textbooks.

*Solution*: If you plan on reselling your textbooks at the end of the semester, you should consider renting, instead of buying, from websites like Chegg an TextbookRentals. Also, if you plan on buying them, always ask for used textbooks at the college bookstore, or buy them in gently used condition from websites like AbeBooks.com and Half.com. (See also: 20 Places to Buy or Rent Textbooks)

*4. Designer Handbags.* The average name brand handbag carries a markup of well over 100 percent. Brands such as Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Kate Spade and Michael Kors have built a luxury brand reputation based solely on consumer perception.

*Solution*: Always buy handbags on sale. Because of the 100 percent markup, you'll often see 50 percent off sales on handbags at department stores. Also, shop at discount stores such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls for name brand handbags at heavily discounted prices. You might not find Coach or Louis Vuitton, but you'll still find very high quality brands at good prices.

*5. Designer Jeans.* According to The Wall Street Journal, designer jeans often come with a markup in the 260 percent range. For example, the fact that someone would spend $208 on a pair of jeans from 7ForAllMankind, tells me that for some people, being fashionable at any price is the number one priority when it comes to covering your legs with denim.

*Solution*: Shop discount clothing stores and thrift shops for denim. On several occasions I have found designer denim on the rack at thrift stores for pennies on the dollar. Sure, they were a little worn, but most of the designer jeans bought brand new are quite worn, or even have holes in them. Some even have paint all over them like these $575 jeans from Neiman Marcus.

*6. Prescription Drugs.* Prescription drugs can be incredibly expensive, especially if you have sub-par health insurance and get stuck footing most of the bill. According to AHIP Coverage, the price markup on prescription drugs is at a whopping 443 percent.

*Solution*: Ask for free samples while at the doctor's office. A few years ago I was prescribed Lamisil, an expensive prescription drug, which at the time cost $30 a pill and had no generic equivalents. On a whim, I asked the nurse on the way out of the office it they had any free samples. She went and looked and returned with a bag full of Lamisil samples. She told me to come back when I ran out as she didn't have enough for a full treatment plan. Simply by politely asking she saved me over $500 on prescription drug costs.

Also, when approaching the pharmacy window, always ask about generic alternatives to your prescription. Often times the doctor will unknowingly prescribe the name brand drug, and by switching to the generic, you can save significant money.

*7. Eyeglass Frames.* Eyeglass frames have a ridiculously high markup in the 500 percent range. I recently discovered this when I needed a new pair of glasses and decided to buy them directly from the optometrist as my vision insurance was going to pay for them. But after looking through my choices, and the hefty price tags, I quickly realized that you'd be crazy to buy directly from the doctor if you have little or poor insurance. The frames I eventually chose were close to $350, and after doing some research, I could have gotten them online for $125.

*Solution*: To avoid the markup as much as possible, always shop eyeglass frames and lenses online as well as warehouse clubs including Costco and BJ's Wholesale.

*8. Coffee and Tea.* When you hit the Starbucks or local coffee shop, know that you're getting hit by a 250 to 400 percent markup. Sure it's a nice treat from time to time, but visiting everyday can really be a budget buster.

*Solution*: Start brewing at home and take your morning cup of joe with you.

*9. Furniture.* According to CBS Money Watch, most furniture stores markup their prices about 80 percent. This is especially true at boutique shops and high-end department stores like Macy's and Nordstrom.

*Solution*: Because of the high markups you should always try to negotiate a deal, even if the price is already discounted, as the majority of furniture stores have plenty of room to come down in price and still make a profit. This is especially true if you're paying with cash as the store won't have to pay credit card fees.

By knowing what products have the highest markups, you can learn to avoid them whenever possible. Sure, you'll get stuck buying a $5 bottle of water on occasion, or splurge on a $4 cup of coffee, but by developing smart long-term spending habits you can really save significant money. Money that can serve you much better by paying down debt, building that emergency fund, or saving for retirement.

What product markups drive you crazy and how do you avoid them?

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Reported by DailyFinance 6 hours ago.

Little Canada brokerage on the cutting edge of a growing health coverage trend

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There is a revolution going on in how people receive health insurance, and it's only marginally related to the government, MNsure and the Affordable Care Act. The rise of private health insurance exchanges has more to do with employers, employees, tax savings and technology. Reported by TwinCities.com 10 hours ago.

Judge dismisses Oracle lawsuit against Oregon, but battle far from over

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A state court judge threw out a lawsuit filed by Oracle America against five staffers and advisers to former Gov. John Kitzhaber, the Oregonian reported. The lawsuit contended the advisers played a major role in the state’s decision to abandon Cover Oregon, the $300 million health insurance exchange, and instead go with the federal exchange. Multnomah Circuit Court Judge Henry Kantor announced in a brief email that he decided to dismiss Oracle’s case, the O reported. Kantor agreed with the… Reported by bizjournals 21 hours ago.

High Drug Prices Spark War Between Health Insurers And Drug Companies

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High Drug Prices Spark War Between Health Insurers And Drug Companies Americans pay enormous prices for prescription drugs compared to other countries.

PBS reported in 2014 that the "United States spends almost $1,000 per person per year on pharmaceuticals. That’s around 40 percent more than the next highest spender, Canada, and more than twice as much as than countries like France and Germany spend."

The prices for the same drugs are much cheaper in other countries because their governments regulate drug prices. Back in the U.S., insurance companies usually accept whatever price the drug companies choose. This is particularly true if there is no competition for a particular treatment.

However, recently the heath insurance industry has slammed drug companies because the insurers claim the costs for specialty drugs are too high and are raising healthcare costs for everyone, including the health insurance companies, noted The Hill.

Pharmaceutical companies claim that their high prices are needed to cover their research and development money.

The Huffington Post, ScienceDaily and the BBC have reported for years that drug companies spend far more money on advertising than on research and development. Doctors around the world slammed drug companies in 2013 for the high cost of cancer drugs.

The drug companies have always been able to brush off these types of reports, but they may have met their match.

America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which lobbies for health insurance companies, recently started a PR attack against the drug companies, accusing them of trying to bankrupt Americans and the federal government's budget for health care.

The main issue is Sovaldi, a pill that costs $1,000. People are supposed to take Sovaldi every day for 24 weeks for their Hepatitis C; the total cost is $168,000, reports The Hill.

Sovaldi is manufactured by Gilead Sciences, which is not part of the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a lobbying group for drug companies.

A 12-week treatment of Sovaldi reportedly costs less than $200 to produce, and is sold in India for $300.

However, PhRMA is defending Gilead, likely because the trade organization doesn't want the health insurance industry gaining an upper hand.

John Castellani, CEO of PhRMA, said:

Insurers are increasingly imposing unprecedented cost-sharing on patients that deters them from utilizing the medicines they need to manage — or even cure — their disease while covering the vast majority of costs of more expensive hospitalizations and services these medicines could prevent.

Sources: PBS, The Huffington Post, ScienceDaily, BBC, The Hill
Image Credit: National Cancer Institute Reported by Opposing Views 14 hours ago.

Take Care, Mr. Elson

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Times Documentaries presents the story of one man’s hard path to health insurance in the age of the Affordable Care Act. Reported by NYTimes.com 2 hours ago.

Remaking Medicine: A Hard Road to Health Insurance

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Times Documentaries presents the story of a Kentucky man’s path to health insurance in the age of the Affordable Care Act. Reported by NYTimes.com 2 hours ago.

This policy could be the key to making the freelance economy work

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There's a certain view of the future of the economy in Silicon Valley that envisions people working independently of companies.

It's a freelancer model wherein people and their skills are portable. They move from company to company, plugging in their skills for a few hours or days at a time, then move on to the next project.

The problem with this plan is that it's hard to support yourself on a freelance income, particularly if you do low-skill jobs like delivery, driving, or house cleaning.

People who make an average or below-average hourly wage need the benefits generally tied to employment, such as health insurance and retirement savings.

Last week, venture capitalist Simon Rothman said there should be a "third class of worker," neither employee nor totally independent. This class of worker would get benefits from another entity that wasn't her employer.

But there might be an even better, simpler way: a* universal basic income, or UBI*.

*What is UBI?*

Universal basic income is exactly what it sounds like.

Every person — well, usually every person below a certain income threshold — gets a basic amount of money handed to them on a regular basis without question or direction. Typically, the government is the one to make the payments (yes, that means raising taxes). It's essentially getting paid for living in a place or being a citizen. It's not a lot — just enough for a person to scrape by. Almost everyone will still need a job to maintain their standard of living. But it's a regular payment that everyone can count on for the basic necessities in life, even if for some reason they find themselves unable to find enough, or any, work.

In the freelance economy, independent contractors could use their UBI funds to pay for their healthcare and start contributing a predictable amount of savings. Their skills could be used exactly where and when they were needed most. Employers wouldn't need to be tied to a heavy, broken employment system. They could be light and nimble and pivot as many times as needed. Everyone might be better off.

*Is there any proof that this works?*

Studies about UBI are hard to do, because simply handing money to people is such a politically fraught topic. But the research that has been done on it shows that it doesn't actually reduce employment much for primary earners. People still want to work. It does reduce poverty, and may contribute to better health and social outcomes.

An experiment in Canada in the 1970s seems to suggest that people living with a guaranteed income are healthier. An experiment in India found that poor households with a UBI used it to pay down debt and increase their savings rate. The India experiment showed that people who received this regular cash were more likely to work. And more likely to work for themselves.

"Cash grants led to an increase in own-account work, and a relative switch from wage labour to own-account farming and small-scale business," the paper said.

*How would you pay for it?*

UBI is expensive, but not impossible to afford.

Economist John Quiggin did some back-of-the-envelope calculations a couple of years ago and figured out how much taxes would go up by (emphasis added):

Depending on the design of the tax scales and the mix between income and other taxes, the marginal rate for the average worker would probably be around 40 per cent, and with a moderately progressive tax scale, lots of workers would be paying marginal rates above 50 per cent.

Summing up the exercise, I’d say that a universal basic income of the type I’ve sketched out here is economically feasible, but not, in the current environment, politically sustainable. However, while economic feasibility is largely a matter of arithmetic, and therefore resistant to change, political sustainability is more mutable, and depends critically on the distributional questions I’ve elided so far. *A shift of 10 per cent of national income away from working households might seem inconceivable, but of course that’s precisely what’s happened in the US over the last twenty or thirty years, except that the beneficiaries have not been the poor but the top 1 per cent. So, if that money were clawed back by the state, it could fund a UBI at no additional cost to the 99 per cent*.

So this would be expensive.

But there's a way to do it that makes it expensive only for the wealthy. The wealthy, generally the economy's capital, are the ones who are advocating this shift in the economy in the first place.

Are they willing to fund this economic paradigm shift? The current political climate would suggest no. But the important thing to know is that it's economically feasible, if the political climate changes.

Imagine a socialist state fueling the libertarian dream economy.

*SEE ALSO: Why Silicon Valley's sharing economy needs the welfare state *

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Warren Buffett is in the new trailer for the 'Entourage' movie Reported by Business Insider 1 hour ago.

This one policy could be the key to making the freelance economy work

0
0
There's a certain view of the future of the economy in Silicon Valley that envisions people working independently of companies.

It's a freelancer model wherein people and their skills are portable. They move from company to company, plugging in their skills for a few hours or days at a time, then move on to the next project.

The problem with this plan is that it's hard to support yourself on a freelance income, particularly if you do low-skill jobs like delivery, driving, or house cleaning.

People who make an average or below-average hourly wage need the benefits generally tied to employment, such as health insurance and retirement savings.

Last week, venture capitalist Simon Rothman said there should be a "third class of worker," neither employee nor totally independent. This class of worker would get benefits from another entity that wasn't her employer.

But there might be an even better, simpler way: a* universal basic income, or UBI*.

*What is UBI?*

Universal basic income is exactly what it sounds like.

Every person — well, usually every person below a certain income threshold — gets a basic amount of money handed to them on a regular basis without question or direction. Typically, the government is the one to make the payments (yes, that means raising taxes). It's essentially getting paid for living in a place or being a citizen. It's not a lot — just enough for a person to scrape by. Almost everyone will still need a job to maintain their standard of living. But it's a regular payment that everyone can count on for the basic necessities in life, even if for some reason they find themselves unable to find enough, or any, work.

In the freelance economy, independent contractors could use their UBI funds to pay for their healthcare and start contributing a predictable amount of savings. Their skills could be used exactly where and when they were needed most. Employers wouldn't need to be tied to a heavy, broken employment system. They could be light and nimble and pivot as many times as needed. Everyone might be better off.

*Is there any proof that this works?*

Studies about UBI are hard to do, because simply handing money to people is such a politically fraught topic. But the research that has been done on it shows that it doesn't actually reduce employment much for primary earners. People still want to work. It does reduce poverty, and may contribute to better health and social outcomes.

An experiment in Canada in the 1970s seems to suggest that people living with a guaranteed income are healthier. An experiment in India found that poor households with a UBI used it to pay down debt and increase their savings rate. The India experiment showed that people who received this regular cash were more likely to work. And more likely to work for themselves.

"Cash grants led to an increase in own-account work, and a relative switch from wage labour to own-account farming and small-scale business," the paper said.

*How would you pay for it?*

UBI is expensive, but not impossible to afford.

Economist John Quiggin did some back-of-the-envelope calculations a couple of years ago and figured out how much taxes would go up by (emphasis added):

Depending on the design of the tax scales and the mix between income and other taxes, the marginal rate for the average worker would probably be around 40 per cent, and with a moderately progressive tax scale, lots of workers would be paying marginal rates above 50 per cent.

Summing up the exercise, I’d say that a universal basic income of the type I’ve sketched out here is economically feasible, but not, in the current environment, politically sustainable. However, while economic feasibility is largely a matter of arithmetic, and therefore resistant to change, political sustainability is more mutable, and depends critically on the distributional questions I’ve elided so far. *A shift of 10 per cent of national income away from working households might seem inconceivable, but of course that’s precisely what’s happened in the US over the last twenty or thirty years, except that the beneficiaries have not been the poor but the top 1 per cent. So, if that money were clawed back by the state, it could fund a UBI at no additional cost to the 99 per cent*.

So this would be expensive.

But there's a way to do it that makes it expensive only for the wealthy. The wealthy, generally the economy's capital, are the ones who are advocating this shift in the economy in the first place.

Are they willing to fund this economic paradigm shift? The current political climate would suggest no. But the important thing to know is that it's economically feasible, if the political climate changes.

Imagine a socialist state fueling the libertarian dream economy.

*SEE ALSO: Why Silicon Valley's sharing economy needs the welfare state *

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Warren Buffett is in the new trailer for the 'Entourage' movie Reported by Business Insider 2 hours ago.

The Voice Of Opposition Past, Justice Kennedy May Save Obamacare Now

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By Joan Biskupic
WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - Justice Anthony Kennedy was furious when a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's healthcare law. As he read the dissenting opinion from the bench three years ago, his anger was palpable. The majority regards its opinion "as judicial modesty," he declared. "It is not. It amounts instead to a vast judicial over-reaching."
That was Kennedy on June 28, 2012.
Now, as the country awaits a ruling in the second major challenge to Obama's signature Affordable Care Act, a question is whether the justice who was the voice of the opposition then could provide the critical fifth vote to uphold the law on the nine-justice court now.
At stake are the tax-credit subsidies that have helped low- and moderate-income Americans obtain health insurance. The challengers say the government unlawfully extended those subsidies to states that did not create local insurance exchanges but instead relied on the federal exchange. If the court strikes down the subsidies, millions of Americans in at least 34 of the 50 states could lose coverage.
Five years after its passage, the Affordable Care Act has become ingrained in American life even as it remains politically divisive. "This is now part of the fabric of how we care for one another," Obama, a Democrat, declared in a speech last week. Republicans have called for repeal and among the related lawsuits simmering in lower courts is a dispute brought by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives over Treasury Department payments to healthcare insurers.

IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT
In the case before the court, the unique issue along with Kennedy's record and his comments in oral arguments raise the possibility he will join the four liberal justices to endorse the law. Three years ago, his fellow conservative Chief Justice John Roberts cast the swing vote with the liberals to uphold the law. It marked a rare episode when Kennedy, the usual key justice on this divided bench, did not control the outcome of a momentous case.
It is impossible to predict with confidence how the court will resolve the case, King v. Burwell. A ruling is anxiously awaited by officials in Washington and the insurance and healthcare industries nationwide.
What is known: Two days after the March 4 oral arguments this year, the justices, per their usual practice, took a vote in a small conference room off Chief Justice Roberts' chambers. The most senior justice on the winning side then assigned the opinion for those in the majority; the senior justice on the dissenting side tapped a writer for the main dissent. Drafts of dueling opinions began circulating among the chambers.
In this conversation through memos, the justices will sharpen their arguments, sometimes compromising in reasoning and rhetoric to keep a majority together. Those in dissent similarly hone their retorts. The process is shrouded in secrecy, and the public will only know who is writing which opinion when they are issued.
For King v. Burwell, the decision could come down as soon as Monday morning, when the justices next take the bench. It is more likely to be issued later this month. The toughest disputes tend to be resolved right up against the traditional end-of-June deadline for the court's nine-month session. Among the 20 awaited cases is also the question of whether the U.S. Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.

A PIVOTAL POSITION
On healthcare, either Kennedy or Roberts could tip the balance. Yet the 78-year-old Kennedy, appointed to the bench in 1988 by Republican President Ronald Reagan, may be in a more pivotal position based on his respect for state sovereignty and concern for the practical consequences of a decision.
While the 2012 dispute posed a broad-ranging constitutional challenge to the individual insurance mandate before it even took effect, this one turns on a mere four-word clause allowing tax credits for insurance purchased through exchanges "established by the state."
The challengers, libertarian lawyers who were among those who lodged the 2012 attack, say that means that the subsidies are not available to people who have bought insurance through federally facilitated exchanges, which vastly outnumber state-run exchanges. The Obama administration contends the law, taken as a whole, makes clear that Congress, when it passed the law, intended the subsidies to apply to all exchanges.
During oral arguments Justice Kennedy suggested the challengers' view of the law could put unconstitutional federal pressure on states, because if they failed to set up exchanges, they would lose subsidies: "The states are being told either create your own exchange or we'll send your insurance market into a death spiral," he said.
Kennedy also does not rigidly interpret the words of a statute. He considers how a decision may play out, and he noted that if "people pay mandated taxes" and are denied tax credits, "the cost of insurance will be sky-high."
Still, Kennedy may harbor skepticism about the law known as Obamacare, and he acknowledged during arguments the possibility that the challengers could "prevail on the plain words of the statute." (Reporting by Joan Biskupic; Editing by Howard Goller)

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 44 minutes ago.

Will This Be Obamacare's Undoing?

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Two Fools discuss the potential ruling and the impact of King v. Burwell, a case that could put health insurance subsidies at risk for millions of people. Reported by Motley Fool 6 minutes ago.

Supreme Court To Announce Decision On Obamacare Subsidies

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A Supreme Court ruling against the government would cut off health insurance subsidies to more than 6 million Americans, and threaten the basic mechanisms of the Affordable Care Act. Reported by NPR 12 hours ago.

5 Policy Issues that Show Why Jeb Bush Will Lose the Latino Vote

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*By Matt A. Barreto and Gary M. Segura*

After Mitt Romney's disastrous performance with Latino voters in 2012, some election observers have suggested Jeb Bush is the obvious candidate to help Republicans win over Latino voters.

Bush's supposed advantages are based on three specific observations: that the Bush family has historically had a more positive relationship with this community than other candidates in the GOP, that the Spanish-speaking Jeb personally benefits from having a Mexican-born wife and Mexican-American children, and that Bush has a history of more moderate positions on issues of importance to the Latino community.

None of these is likely to withstand deeper examination. The first two--the broader family history and the personal characteristics of Bush's immediate family--are based on a form of identity politics that Latinos seldom if ever practice. Latino voters have proven more than willing to reject even actual Latinos as candidates when their policy positions are in contrast to the community preferences. Bush's marriage and linguistic skills, while symbolically important, would founder if his issue positions are in contrast to the average Latino voter.

So what about those issue positions?

Bush's misplaced reputation for moderation is belied by his actual policy record. And few if any analysts have stopped to consider how Bush's specific policy issues line up with Latino support for key policy issues. If Bush is the Republican nominee, Latino voters will no-doubt review and assess his policy commitments. In a review of recent statements by Jeb Bush, we find five significant policy areas where Latino public opinion stands in direct contrast to policy advocated by Jeb Bush. Additionally, Jeb Bush is not currently campaigning for the average Latino voter but, rather, is campaigning for the average GOP primary voter, his path over the next months is far more likely to push him further away from the average Latino voter on a wide range of important policy issues.

Here are five policy areas where Jeb Bush is at odds with Latino voter public opinion:

*1. Obama's Executive Orders on Immigration*

Jeb Bush has said that he is against the Obama executive orders on immigration reform which would protect from deportation young immigrants who came to the country as children (DACA), and immigrants who are the parents of U.S. citizens (DAPA). When asked if he would undo the most recent Obama executive orders Bush told radio host Michael Medved, "The DACA and the DAPA? Yes I would" and called the Obama immigration orders "ill-advised." When it comes to comprehensive immigration reform, Bush has said he "would greatly strengthen border security, linking any legalized status for illegal immigrants to tangible progress on objective border security metrics." And in his 2013 book he wrote that "Permanent residency in this context, however, should not lead to citizenship."
· In a November 2014 poll of Latino registered voters nationwide, 89 percent said they supported the Obama executive actions known as DACA and DAPA, and 80 percent said they would oppose any efforts to block or repeal these executive actions protecting immigrants. In the same poll, 67 percent of Latinos voters said immigration issues were either the most important, or one of the most important issues in evaluating candidates and their decision to vote. Further, Latino voters strongly reject a "border security first" approach--only 13 percent support Bush on that in a 2013 national survey, while 81 percent said they want to see a focus on a path to citizenship implemented at the same time any border security measures are implemented, not making a path to citizenship contingent on border security litmus tests as Bush has proposed. Finally, when asked in 2013 what they thought about giving immigrants legal status, but not citizenship, 78 percent of Latino voters said they would oppose such a plan. In every survey we have seen on this point, Latino voters reject any notion of second-class status for immigrants.
*2. Medicaid Expansion and Obamacare*

Latinos continue to have the highest uninsured rates. According to one estimate, 200,000 Latinos in Jeb Bush's home state of Florida alone would gain health insurance through Medicaid expansion, which Florida has blocked. On the issue of Medicaid expansion Bush has said he does not support expanding Medicaid under Obamacare because "expanding Medicaid without reforming it is not going to solve our problems over the long run," and called Obamacare a "monstrosity" and "flawed to its core."
· In a November 2014 poll of Latino voters, 77 percent nationwide and 74 percent of Latinos in Florida said they thought states should take federal money to expand Medicaid programs. When it comes to Obamacare, only 25 percent of Latino voters in 2012 said they wanted to see it repealed, while fully 66 percent said they think the federal government should help ensure access to health insurance. In a 2013 national poll, fully 89 percent of Latinos said they wanted to learn more about the benefits available under the Affordable Care Act and 75 percent said "in the long run" the ACA will be good for Latinos in the United States.
*3. Raising the Minimum Wage*

On minimum wage, Jeb Bush has said he is against raising the minimum wage and wants to let the private sector decide what the minimum pay should be, "We need to leave it to the private sector. I think state minimum wages are fine. The federal government shouldn't be doing this."
· Latino workers are heavily represented in lower income categories and disproportionately find themselves as minimum wage workers. In a November 2014 poll of Latino voters, 78 percent said they want to see the federal minimum wage raised to10.10 per hour, including 80 percent of Latino voters in Florida. While Jeb Bush stated that "minimum wages are fine" a national poll in July 2014 found that 67 percent of Latino were somewhat or very concerned they were currently not earning enough to pay their basic expenses.
*4. The Importance of Addressing Climate Change*

On environmental issues and climate change, Jeb Bush has that it's not clear that climate change is a man-made phenomenon and that the EPA is doing too much and that, "We have to begin to rein in this top-down driven regulatory system." Bush says he wants the federal government to provide more incentives for hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling.
· In contrast to Jeb Bush, 82 percent of Latinos in a 2013 national poll said they were somewhat or very concerned that human activity is causing the earth to get warmer. In contrast to a weaker EPA, 77 percent of Latinos said they would support the President taking executive action through the EPA to flight climate change. On the issue of fracking, polling data from Colorado, a state where hydraulic fracking for oil shale was being debated, found that 70 percent of Latinos opposed increased fracking and oil shale development. Overall, 84 percent of Latino voters in 2014 said it was important for the federal government to take measures to reduce carbon pollution.
*5. Taxes on the Super Wealthy*

When it comes to the federal budget deficit, Jeb Bush created a bit of a stir three years ago when he said he was open to small revenue increases; however a senior spokesperson, Kristy Campbell, made clear in 2014 that Gov. Bush does not support any new tax increases. Rather, a headline in Forbes Magazine outlining the Bush tax plan said "Jeb Bush Catered Tax Cuts to the Wealthy," pointing out that he favored providing tax cuts for the wealthy and "tax relief for rich investors." Coupled with tax cuts for the wealthy, Bush has called for more spending cuts and touted his record as Florida Governor in vetoing state budgets for schools, job training and parks, regularly bragging about his extensive use of the line-item veto to cut state spending.
· Polling data from Latino Decisions has repeatedly found Latinos oppose additional cuts to government services and instead support new tax increases on the most wealthy as a way to generate more revenue to address the deficit. In a 2012 poll of Latino voters 87 percent wanted to see tax increases on the super wealthy as part of the budget deficit solution, including 82 percent of Latino voters in Florida. When given a direct choice between lowering taxes or increasing government investment, only 25 percent of Latinos thought lowering taxes was the best approach to help the economy grow while 67 percent thought increased investment in new infrastructure projects was more important.
*Matt A. Barreto* and *Gary M. Segura* are co-founders of the polling and research firm Latino Decisions. Barreto is Professor of Political Science at UCLA and Segura is Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. They are co-authors of the recently published book, Latino America: How America's Dynamic Population is Poised to Transform the Politics of the Nation.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.

hCentive Expands Partnerships With Insurance Carriers and Benefits Administrators to Participate In WebInsure™ Benefits Marketplace

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RESTON, Va., June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- hCentive, the leader in health insurance exchange solutions, announced today that the company has added health and ancillary insurance carriers and benefits administrators to its WebInsure™ Benefits marketplace. WebInsure™... Reported by PR Newswire 10 hours ago.

America's Biggest Health Insurance Providers

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Reported by Forbes.com 8 hours ago.

Summer Absent-Mindedness Causes Travel Delays, Warns APRIL Travel Protection

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APRIL evaluates ways that cognitive function is impaired by hot weather, pointing to a number of factors which complicate summer travel to a greater degree than one might intuit.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) June 15, 2015

A recent study of students’ math proficiency by Joshua S. Graff Zivin, Solomon M. Hsiang and Matthew J. Neidell for the National Bureau of Economic Research – which found a correlation between warm weather and low test scores – may explain the prevalence of automobile accidents during summer months despite more favorable road conditions in general. APRIL Travel Protection (AprilTravelProtection.com) warns that test taking isn’t the only cognitive function impaired by good weather, pointing to a number of factors which complicate summer travel to a greater degree than one might intuit.

Fortunately, consumers tend to be smarter when it comes to protecting their summer travel investments. According to Squaremouth (https://www.squaremouth.com/) – America’s fastest growing travel insurance comparison site on which APRIL offers its fully customizable APRIL Choice program – 37% more travel insurance policies were sold for summer travel throughout 2013-2014 as compared to winter travel, based on policies sold during each calendar year for the corresponding summer or winter travel seasons.

“As any school teacher can attest, a student’s focus drops significantly toward the end of the year, when the sights and sounds of spring become more appealing than what’s displayed on the blackboard. Unfortunately, weather-related lapses in concentration are not something we outgrow in adulthood,” said Jason Schreier, CEO of APRIL USA.

“Summers are also the busiest time for vehicle traffic on the roads so we often see a confluence of logistical hiccups that can potentially have a disastrous impact on one’s summer vacation. And while the risk of physical injury may increase, one need only be stuck on the road behind an overturned tractor-trailer to miss a flight,” noted Schreier, reminding travelers they’re just as likely to be impacted when someone else takes their eyes off the road versus their own lapse in judgment.

A Scientific American article by Harvard doctoral candidate Adrian F. Ward, focused on the impact of temperature on judgment and decision making, suggests the phenomenon is linked to the role of glucose in cognitive abilities. The author points to research from P. A. Hancock and I. Vasmatzidis for the University of Central Florida’s Department of Psychology and Institute for Simulation and Training which explains that significantly more energy is required to cool the body down in warm or hot conditions as compared to the cooler climates.

According to APRIL, while there is no discernible spike in policy triggers when comparing winter statistics against the summer, when looking deeper into the specific nature of issues faced by policyholders one begins to observe different patterns based on seasonal variance.

“Obviously, travelers are more likely to be affected by weather-related issues during the winter, but when you look at the types of problems encountered during the summer, you start to see a totally different picture. Human error begins to play a much greater role,” Schreier noted.

“Whereas you might expect flight delays or cancellations during blizzard conditions, you’re more likely to be hit by an absent-minded cyclist on a summer trip to Europe,” explained Schreier. “You might be window shopping, meanwhile he’s more focused on another pedestrian’s summer dress. These types of minor issues happen all the time, but as anyone who’s ended up in a foreign emergency room can verify – your typical U.S. health insurance policy will not be accepted. A minor injury can become a major cost at a time when most Americans tend to splurge beyond their budget already.”

In addition to cognitive factors, summer tends to be a more active period for outdoor activity in general, which also contributes to the potential for mishaps. As more people take to the streets during a time when everyone is prone to distraction, this can have a profound impact on accidents and delays.

Purchasing travel protection is always a good idea regardless of season, but APRIL notes that not all policies are equal. “Some insurance companies are more air centric, whereas others might be stronger in terms of medical coverage,” Schreier advised.

The APRIL Choice program sold through Squaremouth was designed specifically for the aggregator market to give consumers the flexibility of determining exactly how much coverage they need and what types of triggers will activate their policy. Consumers can compare these trigger options against those offered by competing insurance providers in order to select the policy that’s right for their specific needs.

“There’s also the question of how policyholders are assisted when their worst fears come to fruition,” noted Schreier, explaining that insurance companies typically spend one or more months evaluating claims before paying out to resolve issues. “This means policyholders have to pay out of pocket with no guarantee their claim will be approved.”

APRIL's ‘Stress Less Benefits’ provide instant adjudication – a ground-breaking innovation which pays to resolve covered issues on-the-spot while the vacationer is still traveling. Every policy sold by APRIL and its supplier partners offers this feature for a wide range of inconveniences that can’t be predicted in advance, including severe weather and natural disasters, injury, sickness, death, job loss or relocations, supplier default, terrorism, military duty, strikes and more.

APRIL is the only insurance company to offer this progressive benefit to U.S. policyholders.

For a list of triggers covered by APRIL's ‘Stress Less Benefits’ or more information on policy options, contact APRIL at 855-277-4587, email info(at)AprilTravelProtection(dot)com or visit http://www.AprilTravelProtection.com.

-----About APRIL Travel Protection-----
APRIL Travel Protection is owned by APRIL, an international group with 45 operational companies in more than 40 different countries. APRIL is listed on Euronext Stock Exchange and has yearly sales of more than $1.1 billion.

With its guiding principles to build trust, push boundaries, innovate and keep it simple, APRIL Global Assistance Network benefits from an extensive organizational structure servicing more than six million policyholders worldwide.

The company’s U.S. division is supported by American Modern Insurance Group (an AM Best A+ rated carrier) as its preferred underwriter and is headquartered at 11900 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 600, Miami, FL, 33181.

### Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.

How Should A Business Owner Define Retirement?

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In theory, I retired last week. I completed some health insurance and qualified plan forms and turned in my corporate credit card. I handed over my badge that got me into the building, and we even gathered for cookies and punch to say a few words over the dearly departing. This [...] Reported by Forbes.com 8 hours ago.

Considerations for small firms thinking about self-funding health insurance

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 -More-  Reported by SmartBrief 8 hours ago.

Anthem has made a takeover approach to Cigna, as consolidation in health-insurance industry intensifies - @WSJ

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Reported by Breaking News 6 hours ago.
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