PDO Threads used for years in surgery, are now being used in cosmetic applications such as non-surgical face and eyebrow lifts at Rajani MD in Portland, Oregon, new website explains Procedure

Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) March 10, 2016

At Rajani MD, in Portland,Oregon the lifting of the lower facial region has been an area difficult to treat for overall laxity. Neuromodulator injections such as Botox (made by Allergan) in the forehead, eyebrow and outer eye regions have yielded high patient satisfaction ratings, according to Dr. Anil Rajani, who specializes in nonsurgical Aesthetic Medicine.

"The mid-facial area has also responded very well to the injection of facial filler products such as Juvederm and Restylane, with most patients showing great improvement with wrinkles and other aging related indications after initial treatment", says Dr. Rajani.

"The area on the lower half of the face, medically defined as the perioral region, has been the one facial area where dramatic results either require a series of treatments with results developing at a relatively slow pace, or left the patient with a modest result in comparison to the facial areas treated with Neuromodulators and Injectable Fillers.

This lower area of the face is not generally ideal for the placement for these products to treat laxity, as it commonly gives a swollen or heavy look along with an often comparatively modest result to other facial areas treated."

In recent years, Doctors such as Dr. Rajani, have discovered they can cosmetically lift the skin on the face and body, through the PDO Thread Lift treatment. This is accomplished without surgery.

In response to the increasing inquiries for The Thread Lift procedure, Dr Rajani has released a new website that focuses solely on the treatment at http://www.TheThreadLift.com. This site is linked to his popular You Tube channel, where he demonstrates the injection technique, which involves placing a small resorbable thread under the skin, and pulling the tissue up to a neutral position. He explains The PDO Threads are comprised of Polydioxanone, a material that is designed with specific patterns that create a "supportive scaffolding effect through reinforcing tissues that have lost their structure due to natural aging."

While no procedure is without risk, some patients have reported minor side effects such as swelling, bruising, tenderness and numbness. In most instances these side effects dissipated after injection. Dr. Rajani's experience and background has since qualified him as a trainer to other Doctors who seek him out to learn the PDO Thread Lift technique. The cost to obtain the PDO Thread Lift is determined on an individual basis in most clinics, ranging from approximately three hundred to two thousand dollars, and is not covered by health insurance as an elective procedure. Dr. Rajani shares "Many patients I see are seeking The PDO Thread Lift as part of an anti-aging regime to stay looking refreshed, or for a special event to look their best without undergoing surgery.The PDO Thread Lift comes as an exciting development in the Medical Aesthetic industry, as it makes it now possible to substantially lift the lower face without having surgery".

For more information visit http://www.thethreadlift.com and http://www.rajanimd.com. Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.

At a Colorado Consumer Health Initiative luncheon Thursday, a bipartisan panel of state legislators agreed on the need to increase transparency around health care costs. Greater transparency would help consumers understand what they are paying to hospitals, physicians and drug companies and, in turn, to try to bend the upward cost curve of care, the lawmakers concurred. But just three hours later, Republicans and Democrats on the House Health, Insurance and Environment Committee worked together… Reported by bizjournals 12 hours ago.

By Cameron Huddleston, Columnist

Saving hundreds of dollars in just one month might seem next to impossible for some of us. After all, you would have to cut out everything you like, eat only ramen noodles and live like a hermit, right?*Visit GOBankingRates for more ways to save money from top finance experts >>>*Not so. There are plenty of things you can do to cut costs -- some small, some big -- that can add up to major savings in a matter of weeks. In fact, here are 50 ways to save $500 or more in March. Find the ideas that apply to your spending habits and lifestyle and start putting money back in your wallet.

*Related: 31 Easy Ways to Save Money*
-1. File Your Taxes for Free-
The tax filing deadline is fast approaching. So if you haven't prepared your return yet, you may be able to file for free and avoid paying $13 or more -- sometimes much more -- for tax software. If your adjusted gross income is $62,000 or less, you can use the IRS Free File tax preparation software.

Yes, you can download tax forms for free from IRS.gov or pick them up at your local library. But the IRS contends that taxpayers who use tax software -- rather than doing the math themselves with paper forms -- are much less likely to make errors.
-2. Cut the Cost of Tax Preparation-
Even if you do not qualify for IRS Free File, you still can get a break on the full price for tax software or preparation services. Look for coupons for tax software at sites such as Coupons.com, Coupon Sherpa and DealNews.

If you do not trust yourself to prepare a return with tax software, you still may be eligible for a discount from a tax preparation service. For example, if you are getting your taxes prepared by H&R Block for the first time this year, there is a coupon available to save $20 on its services, said Kendal Perez, a savings expert with Coupon Sherpa.
-3. Pay Less to Uncle Sam-
You might be able to save on taxes if you put money into a retirement account. "One of the most valuable, overlooked deals is the saver's credit," said Kyle Taylor, founder and owner of The Penny Hoarder.

The credit is worth $1,000 to $2,000 -- depending on your filing status -- and can increase your refund or lower the amount of tax you owe. It can be claimed on your federal tax return if you meet the following conditions:· You made a contribution to an IRA, or 401k or similar workplace plan· Your income in 2015 did not exceed $30,500 if you are single, $45,750 if you file head of household or $61,000 if you are married filing jointly.

-4. Stock Up on Discounted Frozen Food-
March is National Frozen Foods Month, which is a cause for celebration for frugal-minded shoppers, said Josh Elledge, creator of coupon and money-saving site SavingsAngel. "You should be able to get many products for 60 percent to 70 percent savings," he said.

Stocking up on frozen foods helps eliminate waste -- and wasted money -- for those fresh foods that go bad before they can be consumed, said money-saving expert Andrea Woroch. In addition to sales, look for manufacturer coupons at sites such as Coupon Sherpa that will help you score more savings.
-5. Make Ham Your Meat of Choice-
March is the cheapest time of the year for ham, said Teri Gault, author of "Shop Smart, Save More." Grocery store rewards cardholders typically can save 40 percent to 60 percent -- $12 to $18 -- on a bone-in ham, Gault said.

She buys the limit allowed by the store, cuts the hams into pieces and freezes them to eat throughout the year. "In fact, I just pulled out our last hunk of ham from last March and it's perfect," Gault said.
-6. Get Deals on Seasonal Produce-
One of the best ways to save money at the grocery store is to buy the produce that is on sale because it is in season. Depending on how much produce you typically buy, you can save $10 or more on your regular monthly produce budget, Taylor said.

In March, kale, asparagus, broccoli, potatoes, oranges and pineapples are in season and on sale, Taylor said. Asparagus, for example, typically is marked down to 99 cents to $2.49 per pound from $3.99 to $4.99 a pound -- so you save $3 to $4 a pound, Gault said.
-7. Buy Beverages at a Discount-
Supermarkets tend to mark down sparkling juice and water from March through May, Gault said. Look for discounts of 50 percent or more. And some of these sales will be made even better with store and manufacturer coupons and supermarket loyalty card discounts, she said.
-8. Stop Snacking-
One way to save money this March while potentially cutting down on calories is to stop snacking after dinner for the entire month, said Holly Johnson of money-saving site Club Thrifty.

"If you usually have a bag of chips, a dessert or some ice cream after dinner or once the kids are in bed, you could easily cut that habit and save $10 or more within 30 days or less," she said. "Spring is the perfect time to start preparing for bikini season!"
-9. Turn Down Your Water Heater-
In some parts of the country, it already feels like spring. So you can turn down your water heater and save. Lowering the temperature from the default 140 degrees to 120 degrees will save you 6 percent to 10 percent on energy costs -- about $5 a month, said Shellie Deringer of Saving With Shellie.

Avoid washing clothes in warm or hot water, and do not run your dishwasher during these times to save another $5 a month or so.

And if you are headed out of town for spring break, check to see if your heater has a vacation setting to keep costs low while you are gone, Deringer said.
-10. Keep the Lights Off Longer-
Take advantage of daylight saving time -- which starts March 13 -- to save money on electricity. More hours of daylight mean you can keep the lights off longer.

According to The Energy Collective, leaving an LED light bulb on costs just 1 cent over an eight-hour period. Meanwhile, keeping old-school incandescent lights on for that long costs about 6 cents. If you leave five incandescent lights on for eight hours daily throughout March, you will end up paying more than $9. Switch them off, let the sun light your house and save.
-11. Unplug Energy Vampires-
Some devices continue to suck electricity and run up your electric bill even when they are turned off. You can find out which appliances are using the most juice by using a device that measures electricity usage, such as Kill A Watt, said Christina Brown of Northern Cheapskate.

She was able to check out one of these devices out from her public library so she could identify the energy vampires in her house and unplug them when not in use. "By unplugging things you're not using that are taking up energy, you could save $100 a year -- over $8 a month," she said.
-12. Cut Cooling Costs-
With summer approaching, spring is a good time to see if your air conditioner filter needs to be cleaned or replaced, Taylor said. This is a money-saving move because clogged filters reduce your A/C system's efficiency. You can save between 5 percent and 15 percent on cooling costs by making sure your filter is clean, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
-13. Hang Your Laundry to Dry-
If you live in an area where it actually feels like spring, consider ditching the dryer and "air dry" clothes instead. "Depending on the size of your family, hanging your laundry can help you save $80 to $250 a year," Taylor said.
-14. Decorate Easter Eggs at a Discount-
Skip the pricey Easter egg decorating kits and save $10 by using what you already have, Taylor said. "Bowls, containers, vinegar, food coloring and eggs are all you need to create your own Easter egg designs," he said.

On top of those savings, you will be able to get eggs at their lowest prices of the year, Gault said. Expect to save 20 percent to 50 percent with your supermarket loyalty card.
-15. Use Coupons for Easter Outfits-
Buying new Easter outfits and shoes can set you back $120, GOBankingRates found. You can cut that cost, though, by signing up to receive emails with coupons from retailers or using a free app such as Coupon Sherpa to get deals while you are in stores, Perez said.

For example, Kohl's typically offers a coupon for 15 percent off, an $18 savings based on the average spent for Easter outfits. Meanwhile, Macy's has savings of 20 percent most weekends -- a $24 savings, Perez said.
-16. Fill Easter Baskets for Less-
Don't spend several dollars each year buying a new basket for the Easter Bunny to fill. Instead, tell your children to set out one they already have. Then the "bunny" can get inexpensive goodies -- such as bubbles, sidewalk chalk and chocolate eggs -- at the dollar store. You also can find bags of filler grass and plastic eggs for a buck at the dollar store, too.
-17. Cut the Cost of Being Crafty-
March is National Craft Month, so it is a good time to stock up on craft supplies at a discount. Check out stores such as Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, Michaels and A.C. Moore for savings of 60 percent or more, Taylor said.
-18. Freeze Your Gym Membership-
Now that the weather is getting warmer and the days are longer, you have more opportunity to exercise outdoors before it gets too hot, Woroch said. But you might not want to cancel your gym membership -- if you do, you may have to pay another initiation fee when you want to return.

Instead, save money by asking the gym to freeze your gym membership. That keeps your account in good standing while reducing the monthly premium, Woroch said. This can save you $5 to $15 a month depending on the gym, she said.
-19. Make Your Own Household Cleaner-
You can save money during that annual rite of spring -- spring cleaning -- by skipping pricey store-bought cleaners and making your own. "All you need are a few kitchen and pantry staples like vinegar, lemon (and) baking soda and you've got cleaning products for less than 50 cents," Woroch said.
-20. Spring Clean Your Finances-
Stephanie Brandt of Debt Free Through Spending recommended spring cleaning your finances by examining your budget and eliminating unnecessary expenses.

Also make sure you're not missing out on any money-saving benefits, such as a health savings account. HSAs help people with high-deductible health insurance policies set aside money to cover out-of-pocket health costs. Contributions are tax-deductible or made with pre-tax dollars.

Brandt said that she helped her mom set up an HSA recently. "By contributing pre-tax to her HSA, she will save $1,000 per year -- over $80 a month," she said.
-21. Eliminate Bank Account Fees-
While you are spring cleaning your finances, check to see whether you are being hit with a monthly maintenance fee on your checking or savings account. GOBankingRates found that the average fee is nearly $5.

To eliminate that unnecessary expense, consider switching to any of these 10 checking accounts and 10 savings accounts that don't charge a monthly fee.
-22. Skip the March Madness Office Pool-
Do not even waste your money -- even if it is just a couple of bucks -- to fill out a bracket and bet on March Madness. You are not going to win. You have just a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chance of getting the NCAA basketball tournament bracket right, according to calculations by DePaul University math professor Jeff Bergen.
-23. Watch the NCAA Tournament at Home, Not the Bar-
Watching March Madness at a restaurant or bar can easily cost you $20 or more if you buy drinks and appetizers. You can recreate the fun environment of a bar without the high price by inviting friends over to watch the games during the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Ask them to bring their own beer and a snack to share. And at the end of the game, you won't even have to worry about paying for a cab or Uber ride home.
-24. Save on Spring Clothing-
You typically won't find deep discounts on spring clothing until the end of the season. But if you need to ready your wardrobe for warmer weather but can't wait for sales, Maria Tiongco Ramos of money-saving blog A Savings Wow! suggests shopping at resale or consignment stores to cut the cost of spring apparel.

"You can save $10 to $100 on each outfit," she said.
-25. Clean Out Your Closet to Offset the Cost of New Clothes-
Another way to lower the cost of buying new clothes for spring is to take items you no longer wear and sell them on consignment. Woroch said that she recently earned more than $20 selling a few inexpensive dresses and blouses through online apparel reseller thredUP, where you can earn up to 80 percent of the selling price of your items.

"This is an easy way to unload some clothes you don't wear and make some money," she said.
-26. Get Winter Apparel on Clearance-
You probably are tired of cold weather by now, so buying winter apparel might be the last thing you want to do. But March is the perfect time to find deep discounts on clothes and gear for next winter because retailers are trying to get rid of their cold-weather inventory, said Andrew Schrage of money-saving site Money Crashers.

"You can easily save up to 75 percent on items," he said.
-27. Buy Greeting Cards from the Dollar Store-
Instead of spending several dollars per card at the grocery store, head to your local dollar store for Easter and other greeting cards for just 50 cents each, Perez said. She said that according to the Greeting Card Association, the average cost of a greeting card is $3. However, in her experience, this number is closer to $4.

"Buy four 50-cent cards at the dollar store instead of four $3 cards at the grocery store, and you'll save $10," she said.

Or you could avoid paying for cards entirely by sending free e-cards.
-28. Book Summer Flights Now to Save-
If you want to save on summer travel, March is the best time to start shopping for low-cost flights, Johnson said.

You can get the best fares on flights by booking 54 days in advance, on average, according to a study by CheapAir.com. The study found that the average savings by booking on the best day versus the worst was $201 per ticket.

"If you start shopping now, you'll be ready to pounce when you find the best deal," Johnson said.
-29. Save Money During Your Staycation-
If you and your family are staying home for spring break, you don't have to actually stay in the house the entire time just to avoid breaking your budget. Perez recommends using a Restaurant.com gift card to treat your kids to lunch or dinner. These vouchers are available for local restaurants and provide savings of $6 to $15, she said.

Also check daily deal sites such as Groupon or Living Social to find discounts on local activities and entertainment so you can do something fun on a budget.
-30. Have Happy Hour at Home-
For the price of two glasses of wine at a restaurant, you can buy a decent bottle and have four to six glasses at home, depending on how heavy you pour, Perez said. "Skip the drinks during your next date night and save $10 or more instantly," she said.
-31. Drop a Bad Habit-
Even if you didn't make a New Year's resolution to kick a bad habit, it's not too late to start now. "By quitting drinking soda, I'm saving nearly $50 a month," said Brown of NorthernCheapskate.com. "If you give up cigarettes or alcohol, you'd save hundreds of dollars."
-32. See Movies on Discount Night-
If you like to watch movies in the theater, you can save by going on certain days when tickets and concessions are discounted. For example, Regal Cinemas offers Value Days for theaters across the country. Sign up for Regal's loyalty club, and you will get 50 percent off popcorn on Tuesdays, Woroch said.

For a family of four who enjoys going to the movies just once a month, this can be a savings of up to $20, she said.
-33. Save When Eating Out-
Eliminating restaurant meals is among the best ways to save money each month. But if you like to treat yourself every now and then, do so at a discount. Elledge of SavingsAngel.com recommends checking sites such as RetailMeNot for restaurant coupons that offer free appetizers or a certain dollar amount off entrees. "It doesn't take much to save 10 bucks eating out," he said.
-34. Cut the Cost of Entertainment-
In 2013, the average household spent $2,482 annually on entertainment, including fees and admission, toys, and other entertainment supplies, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But you could easily save $100 or more a month by opting for low- or no-cost entertainment.

For example, you can take advantage of free lectures and programs at the public library or a nearby university. If you have a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card, you can get a free ticket on the first full weekend of every month to 150 participating museums (in 31 states). Some attractions -- such as the Field Museum in Chicago and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta -- also offer free admission days to state or local residents.
-35. Get a Better Credit Card-
If you are responsible with credit and pay off your balance each month, get a card that offers cash back for purchases. Taylor recommends looking for a card that offers more than the typical 1 percent cash back.

Then, use your card to make everyday purchases. "The average family of four spends $191 on groceries, so even if you just put your groceries on credit, it works out to $150 a year in cash back," he said.
-36. Get Free Antibiotics-
Even though spring has sprung, that doesn't mean the season for battling illness is over. However, you can cut the cost of antibiotics by getting them for free at certain supermarket pharmacies, including Harris Teeter, Meijer and Publix.
-37. Buy Used Sports Equipment for Kids-
If your kids play any spring sports, don't spend a lot on gear they'll quickly outgrow. Instead, buy used equipment to save money.

For example, you can buy used equipment at Play It Again Sports stores for 40 percent to 60 percent of the retail price. Or you can trade in your old equipment and get a discount on new gear.* *
-38. Use Discount Gift Cards-
Whether you are getting a gift for an upcoming baby shower or wedding, buying spring apparel or looking for a new appliance, always search for a discount gift card online before making a purchase, Woroch said.

Gift Card Granny aggregates discount gift cards from many of the popular resellers such as ABC Gift Cards and Cardpool. You can use the discounted cards or e-gift codes to score instant savings on purchases.
-39. Get Free Gift Cards-
Free gift cards are even better than discount gift cards, right? Elledge recommends using the Swagbucks site or app to earn credits for shopping online, watching videos or taking surveys. The credits can then be redeemed for free gifts cards from retailers such as Amazon, Target or Walmart. Use the cards to make everyday purchases.
-40. Get Cash Back When Shopping Online-
You can easily accumulate cash back without any effort using sites such as Ebates or FatWallet. These sites partner with hundreds of retailers to offer consumers a percentage of their purchase back in cash.

Elledge said that cash-back earnings can add up quickly for regular online shoppers. "Plus, with no receipts to enter, it's nearly automatic savings," he said.
-41. Ask Your Cable Provider for Discounts-
If it has been six months to a year since you last checked in with your cable provider, it's time to get on the phone to see if you qualify for any new promotions or discounts, Woroch said. By simply requesting autopay or paperless billing, you can often save on your monthly bill. "Last year, this yielded me a $10 per month savings," Woroch said.

If you are paying for premium movie channels, see if your provider is offering any free trials. Otherwise, consider dropping those channels and watching movie DVDs from your local library for free.
-42. Lower Your Insurance Rates-
Take the time this month to call your insurance company to negotiate a better rate on your policies, said Krisite Sawicki of Saving Dollars & Sense. "We always save at least $100 a year -- $8 a month -- on our insurance policies when we call and ask," she said.
-43. Reduce Your Mobile Data Plan-
Woroch said that most mobile users throw away about $20 a month for data they are not using. So she recommended monitoring your data use with apps such as Onavo and 3G Watchdog. If you uncover excess data that is not being used, switch to a lower data plan and then make sure to use free Wi-Fi connections when possible, Woroch said.
-44. Trim Unused Subscriptions-
If you are getting magazines you do not read or paying for a video streaming service you never watch, it is time to cut those or any other excess subscriptions. Review your bank and credit card accounts to identify services you do not use.

Or look for free or lower-cost alternatives to subscription services. For example, you can save $4.99 a month if you switch from Pandora's ad-free personalized radio service to its free service with ads. Or you can take advantage of the free offerings on TV and video streaming service Crackle rather than pay $7.99 a month or more for Hulu or Netflix.
-45. Cancel Box Subscriptions-
Subscription boxes can be a fun and convenient way to get items you like -- such as books, food, wine or beauty products -- sent to you each month. But they can be an expensive way to treat yourself.

For example, Birchbox charges $10 per month for a box of five beauty product samples. But Woroch said you can save money and get beauty samples for free from stores such as Sephora and Ulta.
-46. Use Rebate Apps to Save on Groceries-
There are many apps that allow you to get rebates on select grocery purchases by taking pictures of your receipts and submitting them through the apps, Elledge said. His favorites are Ibotta, Checkout 51 and SavingStar.
-47. 'Brown Bag' Your Lunch-
You might shave a little time off your morning routine if you don't prepare a lunch to take to work, but there is a big cost to saving yourself a few minutes. It costs about $4 to pack your lunch, versus $10 or more to get takeout, Perez said. So if you take your lunch to work just twice this month, you will save $12 or more.
-48. Get a Deal on Furniture at the Thrift Store-
If you are graduating from college this spring and moving into a place of your own, you can outfit it on the cheap with thrift store finds.

"There are so many great pieces that are donated and waiting for a new home," said Jennifer Schreiner of Inspiring Savings. Some of these items can look new with a little work -- at a fraction of the cost of new items. You can easily save up to $100 on some items, she said.
-49. Host a Garage Sale-
Spring heralds the start of garage-sale season, so it is a good time to sell what you no longer need and make money off those unloved items, Perez said.

"I bet anyone can find 10 things in their home they no longer want and sell them each for $1 to earn $10 in one day -- though it's likely you'll earn more than that," she said. Then you can use that cash to cover the cost of necessary expenses.
-50. Start Seeds Indoors-
If you grow a garden in the summer, you can save a lot buy starting seeds indoors in the spring rather than buying vegetable plants at a nursery during planting season. For example, at Lowe's you can buy a packet of tomato seeds for less than $2, but a single tomato plant can cost nearly $6 or more.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, you should start seeds indoors about six weeks before the last frost in your area. So March can be a good time to start -- and start saving money on your garden.

*Related: 35 Secrets to Saving Money in 2016*

This article, 50 Ways to Save $500 This March, originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com.

More from GOBankingRates:
*

· 50 Tips for Living Well in a More Expensive World· 8 Simple Ways to Stretch a Dollar· 35 Ways to Save Hundreds on Groceries· 30 Essential Money Habits· 15 Last-Minute Deductions You Don't Want to Forget

*

-- 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 11 hours ago.

The Affordable Care Act's health insurance co-ops booked another round of deep financial losses last year, and 2016 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for these nonprofit alternatives to traditional insurers Reported by ABCNews.com 23 hours ago.

People who suffer from TBI (traumatic brain injuries) are likely to lose their private medical health insurance, according to a U.S. analysis performed recently Reported by HNGN 22 hours ago.

The Affordable Care Act's health insurance co-ops absorbed deep financial losses last year, and 2016 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for these nonprofit alternatives to traditional insurers. Heading into their third full year of operation, the co-ops are adding customers and improving their coverage, but they also face the end of some government programs designed to support insurers as they build business on the ACA's public insurance exchanges. "Plan year 2016 is a critical year for these co-ops — they must move from startup to stability and improve their financial capabilities," said Kevin Counihan, CEO of the federal exchange operator HealthCare.gov, during a Thursday hearing held by the Senate's Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee. Hospital and medical expenses for Community Health Options more than doubled to $354.7 million, something CEO Kevin Lewis attributes in part to pent-up demand from people who had been waiting for coverage in order to seek treatment. Beilenson and other co-op leaders say the formula for calculating this risk adjustment is skewed to favor established insurers, and they are talking with government officials about adjusting it. Evergreen Health wound up running a profit in three of the last six months of 2015, and Beilenson said its newer enrollees have been healthier than initial customers who signed up for coverage because they needed care right away. Reported by SeattlePI.com 22 hours ago.

One day in February 2015, a cheer rang through Zenefits' sales offices.

The San Francisco-based company, which offers free benefits-management software in exchange for becoming the customer's insurance broker, had hit another sales milestone.

Everyone stopped working. Office cabinets were opened, and giant bottles of Fireball whisky, tequila, and scotch appeared.

"The entire company, including all of engineering, would line up at all the tables with shots as soon as a milestone happened," one former salesperson from the San Francisco office recalled. "It was kind of fun, kind of an exciting place to work."

The cause for celebration on this day was the close of a "700-life deal," which was 300 "lives" over the previous record, according to a former employee who was there. That meant the salesperson had landed a customer who would use Zenefits as its insurance broker for 700 people. The insurance industry talks of its customers in terms of "lives."

Cofounder and then-CEO Parker Conrad and his right-hand man, vice president of sales Sam Blond, tossed back shots with the team.

Conrad had a lot to celebrate: The smart and outspoken cofounder had overcome a lot in his past, including a bout with testicular cancer that had made him acutely aware of how health insurance was broken. He had been "fired" (his words) from his previous startup, Wikinvest, by his cofounder.

Now he was doing remarkably well at his second startup. It had come through Silicon Valley's hottest startup factory, Y Combinator, and was on its way to a multibillion-dollar valuation.

But there was one person who didn't attend the celebration: the company's COO, David Sacks.

Sacks didn't think Zenefits should be pursuing large customer deals, staying focused instead on small business. So he didn't join these celebrations, a person close to the company tells us.

It was just one of numerous disagreements the two men would have over how to run Zenefits in the next year.

A year later, by this February, Zenefits had spun out of control and devolved to the point where:

· Conrad suddenly resigned and Sacks was named CEO.
· Blond departed.
· Sacks banned alcohol at work.
· 250 people (17% of the workforce) were laid off, including the entire enterprise sales team.
· The company was investigated on suspicion of selling insurance without a license in several states.
· People involved in a sketchy-sounding insurance-license training program were fired.
· Employee morale tanked.

How did Zenefits do a 180 in a matter of months? And while Conrad shouldered the blame, where was Sacks as Zenefits spiraled out of control?

Business Insider spoke with numerous people who used to work for the company and others who are close to it, on the condition of anonymity.

The general consensus: Zenefits mismanaged hypergrowth and collapsed under its own weight.

*Skyrocketing growth*

David Sacks is a legendary Silicon Valley entrepreneur who got his start at PayPal, went through a short stint in filmmaking, had epic success as an angel investor, then founded the work chat application Yammer and sold it to Microsoft for $1.2 billion. He had invested a large but undisclosed sum in Zenefits and was lured out of retirement to join the company as its COO in December 2014.

He joined at the urging of Lars Dalgaard, a Zenefits board member and partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

The rumor in the Valley was that Conrad, a smart but sometimes volatile CEO, needed a babysitter.

But neither of these men saw it that way.

People close to the situation say Sacks wanted to bring his truckload of management experience to the young, fast-growing company.

Sacks and Conrad divvied up responsibilities. Sales had been going well, so that stayed with Conrad. Engineering reported to Zenefits cofounder Laks Srini, who reported to Conrad.

Sacks took over product, operations (including "accounts management," the team that handled customers' needs after the sale), and the analytics teams.

For a few months, everything went well.

By the spring of 2015, Zenefits was a high-flying Silicon Valley darling. Conrad publicly said Zenefits would have $100 million in revenue under contract by year's end, up from $10 million in 2014. That would make Zenefits one of the fastest-growing startups ever.

The two-year-old company raised a whopping $583 million, and investors thought it was worthy of a $4.5 billion valuation.

Zenefits began to hire people in droves. The startup, which launched in May 2013, had grown to 500 employees by the start of 2015, and it exploded to about 1,600 people by September of that year.

The company seemed unstoppable, with salespeople working from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. and deals closing rapidly, former employees recall.

But soon the fun, hardworking startup culture turned into something else — chaos.

*Quit having sex in the office!*

Zenefits started getting a reputation as a party palace. There were "overindulgent" offsite company parties, one person said, and "a pretty extravagant presidents club in Las Vegas" for top salespeople.

A former employee described Zenefits' Arizona offices in particular as "a zoo."

Parties in the startup tech world are not unusual. But with Zenefits adding gobs of new employees every week, many of them recent college graduates, they were harder to control.

"We used to have a tradition where, every time the biggest deal would close and we were breaking records, we would take shots," a former sales manager in Zenefits' Arizona office said.

"We then started breaking records daily, sometimes twice a day," the person said. "We should have cut out that tradition immediately, but we didn't."

While Conrad took part in some of the partying, he wasn't necessarily leading the way. He participated in the shots-during-work celebrations about five times, multiple people said.

Still, the company cemented its frat-house reputation with an email sent Monday, June 8, 2015, asking employees to refrain from behaving inappropriately. Here is a copy of the email obtained by Business Insider (emphasis ours):

Subject: [MUST READ]-Urgent Building Announcement

Hey San Francisco,

It has been brought to our attention by building management and Security that the stairwells are being used inappropriately. The stairwells were recently opened up to Zenefits employees for our convenience in getting from floors 4 and 5...

*...Also, cigarettes, plastic cups filled with beer, and several used condoms were found in the stairwell. Yes, you read that right.**Do not use the stairwells to smoke, drink, eat, or have sex.* Please respect building and company policy and use common sense. Keep in mind that policy violations may be grounds for termination.

If the stairwells continue to be used inappropriately, our privileges may be taken away.

Emily Agin*
*Director of Real Estate and Workplace Services

A former sales manager explains: "When we were smaller, we could act the way we were acting in the office. I don’t think Parker did a good job of growing up. He let things get out of control. There comes a point where hypergrowth achieves diminishing returns."

** **



A photo posted by Spencer J. Long (@phoenixphotographer) on Feb 24, 2016 at 10:25pm PST



[Zenefits' Arizona office.]

*An 'environment of failure'*

By the time that email was sent, however, Zenefits was hardly a party palace, particularly in the San Francisco headquarters.

On the contrary, Zenefits had become a very stressful place to work. The company told employees in mid-2015 that they had to suspend vacations, in part because the busiest time of year was coming up. (The company later discovered that its employee manual wasn't clear about vacations, and it ended up offering to pay former employees if they promised not to sue over the unpaid vacation time.)

Things were so tense that Sacks grew concerned and approached Conrad, telling him that the company needed to do something to lighten the mood, like a hackathon, a person close to the situation tells us. (A hackathon is an all-night get-together in which people spend 24 hours coding and coming up with new ideas for the company.)

A big source of stress was Zenefits' rapidly increasing head count. The startup hired so many people so quickly that the right hand stopped knowing what the left was doing, former workers said.

It caused friction between Sacks and Conrad, with Sacks advising Conrad to slow down.

"Sacks had stopped hiring in operations by mid-2015," a person close to the company said. "He raised the hiring issue and was in open contention with Conrad in meetings."

As the chaos increased, Zenefits began to fall off pace for its lofty sales target of $100 million in 2015.

Take what happened in Zenefits' enterprise sales department, for instance.

This group was tasked with selling Zenefits' brokerage services and software to large companies. In the span of a couple of months, it doubled in size to about 30 people.

Zenefits liked to promote from within, but many of its workers were very young and had no experience managing, selling enterprise software, or selling insurance.

"Our performance dropped off," one person said. "Nobody was hitting their quota, and most of the team members weren't even closing a deal. The majority of the sales team had a 'zero' on the board month after month."

Worse, the Zenefits software "wasn't enterprise-ready" with the kind of security and features that more expensive enterprise HR software offers.

Another gotcha, this person says, was a very long clawback provision.

If a customer canceled with Zenefits within the first year, the salesperson had to return the commission to the company.

Sources told us that some salespeople were docked $15,000 to $20,000, months after closing a deal.

"The reason you get into sales is to make a lot of money," this person says. "But no one was making money on the enterprise team. It was an environment of failure."

During his third week as CEO, in February of this year, Sacks disbanded and laid off the entire enterprise sales division to concentrate on small businesses.

"It is no secret that Zenefits grew too fast, stretching both our culture and our controls," Sacks wrote in an email to employees when he announced that 17% of the staff would be laid off.

Sacks has also since ended the clawback policy, a person close to the company said.

*A 'culture of dishonesty'*

There were also serious issues with how salespeople were trained at Zenefits in early 2015. Some now feel the process led to a "culture of dishonesty," with both clients and colleagues.

Salespeople at Zenefits were taught to tell prospective customers that the company's product was an automated system, former employees said.

That means they told customers: Enter the data in once — such as the name of a new employee, or an address change — and the system will automatically update all of the other spots throughout the software where that update is needed.

But the former salespeople say they later learned that wasn't 100% true.

In some cases, the Zenefits software was not interconnected with an insurance carrier's software or other HR processes, like payroll. The changes were being sent to a Zenefits employee in Arizona who was manually inputting them into the other system, much like a bookkeeper.

A person close to the company told Business Insider that when insurance carriers offer software automation, Zenefits uses it.

"It's much more about a carrier limitation, not a Zenefits limitation," this person said.

But some of the sales folks were unnerved.

"It doesn't do what we sold it to do," a former salesperson said.

At one point, a public fight broke out between Zenefits and the payroll giant ADP in which ADP balked at the methods Zenefits was using to access payroll information for the companies' joint customers. Zenefits countered by saying it was behaving just as bookkeepers have behaved forever.

But some salespeople were freaked out all the same.

"When I discovered that, I thought, 'How is this possible? We have almost no automation?' That's what caused the problem with ADP, automatic logging-in and scripts that ran in the background and wasn't automated at all," one of the former salespeople said.

On top of that, salespeople were told to urge their clients to sign contracts quickly to avoid a $10,000 broker implementation fee that would go into effect at the end of the month.

"We never ever charged anyone the fee— all this was a lie we told to everyone," the former salesperson says.

"Lying spread in the culture," this person said. "It was a culture of dishonesty and the reason why I left."

Zenefits is "reviewing" its implementation fees as part of an overall compliance review taking place inside the company. 

*Hot water with licensing laws*

A big land mine for Zenefits had to do with employees who allegedly weren't properly licensed to sell insurance. And the licensing issue was something "everyone knew about," one former salesperson said.  

"Most of us had never been in the insurance industry," this former salesperson said. "We were all software salespeople in the San Francisco Bay Area. I got the job and didn't even find out I had to get a license until they told me in an email later."

The company told some new, unlicensed hires that, because Conrad was licensed in all 50 states, "we didn't have to be licensed — we were acting under his umbrella license," this person said.

Or, if a manager with a license was sitting in on calls, "that was good enough."

But as the hiring grew, managers stopped listening in on every call, the source said.

By January 2015, Zenefits executives learned that certain states like Utah and Washington were taking a hard look at Zenefits and its issue with out-of-state licenses. 

*'Macro' brings Conrad down*
**

With some states beginning to take issue with Zenefits' licensing process, salespeople were told to get their licenses as fast as they could.

This is what ultimately caused Conrad's downfall.

It came down to a "Macro" program, software that fools a web browser into thinking a person is still actively working on a web application — even if the person isn't. 

In California, insurance salespeople were legally required to spend 52 hours doing a certain training course. But it often didn't take people that much time, so they would leave the app running, "clicking on their browser to keep it from timing out," until it ran for 52 hours, one person said.

The Macro program automated that process, so Zenefits salespeople were using it to keep them logged in for the full 52 hours while they did other things. It didn't advance the pages or take the quizzes or the final test for them. But they did have to certify that they had met the 52-hour requirement, and the macro let them skirt that.

Macro wasn't a secret at Zenefits. The sales teams used it and talked openly about it, according to all the former salespeople we spoke with.

Zenefits alleges that Conrad "authored the Macro himself." (Conrad declined to comment.)

It's possible Conrad didn't realize how widespread the Macro had become within his sales organization. In the fall of 2015, under advice of his legal counsel, Conrad ordered an internal investigation to look into it.

By November 2015 he learned that the Macro was widely used, and "everyone, including Sacks, was briefed on it by then," one person with knowledge of the matter said.

Sacks then hired an independent firm to investigate further and examine who was using it and identify any legal ramifications.

The firm presented its finding to Sacks in late January. 

"This was the first time Sacks learned of any possible criminal wrongdoing," a Zenefits representative told Business Insider.

"Sacks, with the support of the board, also instructed company counsel to self-report the issue to the California Department of Insurance (CDI), even before Parker's termination," the representative said. "The independent third-party investigation into Macro cleared Sacks completely of having any involvement in or knowledge of Macro. All the evidence — including interviews with Parker himself — confirm this fact."


**Conrad's last day**

Not long after the Macro investigation was completed, on February 8, Parker Conrad resigned as CEO.

The board voted unanimously for David Sacks to replace him. Even Conrad voted in favor of Sacks, one person told us. Conrad agreed to be the fall guy because he thought it would give the company he founded its best shot to get through its issues and move on.

Though Conrad knew he would be vilified, he didn't expect Sacks to lead the charge against him internally. He left with a generous severance package, a person familiar with the situation said.

Before Conrad resigned, the executives and the board had agreed on how his resignation would be announced, both internally and to outsiders.

But on the day Conrad left, Sacks sent a companywide email that Conrad was not briefed on, saying that "compliance is like oxygen." It called out Zenefits' licensing issues and the Macro program, lashed out against the company's culture, and seemed to blame Conrad for the company's problems.

"The fact is that many of our internal processes, controls, and actions around compliance have been inadequate, and some decisions have just been plain wrong," Sacks wrote. "As a result, Parker has resigned."



And the all hands @Zenefits is off with Laks and @DavidSacks -exceptional energy and concentration #luvthesepeople pic.twitter.com/OfnqeTyOp1

— Lars Dalgaard (@LarsLuv) February 9, 2016

**Is Parker really to blame?**

Zenefits' meteoric rise and subsequent fall can be traced back, at least in part, to Conrad's controversial leadership style.

Some former employees can't stand him. Others love him.

"A lot of us were confused by Parker," a former Zenefits salesperson said. "He's one of those individuals who makes decisions during the heat of his emotional state. He was a very emotionally immature leader and showed it time and again. He would berate people in front of large crowds and call people offensive names."

For instance, Conrad publicly rescinded a job offer to a candidate after the candidate wrote a post on Quora saying he couldn't decide between multiple offers. Conrad lambasted the applicant for wanting to choose a job "based on buzzwords."

Yet, he was admired by many employees, too.

"Parker is a good guy, a workaholic. He didn’t do everything correctly but no one’s perfect. People make mistakes," said a former employee who worked with him closely from the early days. 

"He knew people by first name, went out of his way to talk to you. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity he gave me."

Many employees were shocked by his resignation. An employee hired in 2015 in Arizona wrote this on her Instagram about Conrad's final day: 

Somber day at #zenefits today. I feel eternally lucky to work for a company founded by such an incredible visionary. My parents are entrepreneurs and started many small businesses while I was growing up. I can't help but think about how Zenefits would have helped them along their journey. I started a small business of my own before coming to Zenefits. ...Parker always inspired us with his passion and driving mission- to help those with big dreams and make them that much easier to achieve. Zenefits will continue to push forward so many others can pursue their dreams. #thisisday1 And he is a super cool dude to boot! #parkerconrad"

*Can Sacks save the $4.5 billion startup?*

During the time Zenefits was unraveling, David Sacks was a full-time executive there.

So where was he when all this was happening? Did Sacks know about the Macro and other Zenefits' licensing issues? If yes, could the scandal take him down, too?

"The whole Sacks thing was obviously a mystery to a lot of us," one person said.

"We never saw him. What makes it really interesting, is, if he's the COO, where is he on this insurance license that wasn't happening?"

Said another, "It's hard for me to believe that he didn’t know the things going on about licensing, it's the stuff people talked about in the halls."

One person close to the company says Sacks truly didn't know about the licensing issues and Macro because he was respectfully trying to stay out of Conrad's domain.

And, even if conversations were happening in the sales office, Sacks may not have heard them because his operations team was on a different floor than Zenefits' sales team.

However, another person familiar with the matter told us that the account management team, which was part of Sacks' operations organization, also needed to deal with "licensing issues in ongoing accounts."

That would imply that Sacks knew at least something about the licensing compliance issues before he took over as CEO. 

A Zenefits spokesperson says his knowledge was "limited" and sent Business Insider the following statement: 

Prior to November 2015, Sacks had limited knowledge of licensing issues and understood they were being addressed. It wasn't until late November that Sacks learned of the potential extent of licensing non-compliance. At that point, he fully supported an independent review by a big four auditing firm that the company has self-reported to regulators.

Either way, people feel more confident about Zenefits' future now that it rests in Sacks' hands. He has proven time and again he can build successful businesses in Silicon Valley.

One of Zenefits' earliest investors, Box founder Aaron Levie, still has hope. When asked how he thinks Zenefits will will fair under Sacks, he proclaimed: "I'm still very bullish on Zenefits!"

And Sacks is determined to give Zenefits a second shot at greatness.

"As a friend once told me, 'successful companies have multiple founding moments," Sacks told all 1,200 Zenefits employees the day Conrad resigned. 

"This is one of them. This is a founding moment ... This is Day 1."

** **



Somber day at #zenefits today. I feel eternally lucky to work for a company founded by such an incredible visionary. My parents are entrepreneurs and started many small businesses while I was growing up. I can't help but think about how Zenefits would have helped them along their journey. I started a small business of my own before coming to Zenefits. Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind what makes this country so great- dream big and make it happen! Zenefits was founded to help small business and small business owners pursue their dreams. Parker always inspired us with his passion and driving mission- to help those with big dreams and make them that much easier to achieve. Zenefits will continue to push forward so many others can pursue their dreams. #thisisday1 And he is a super cool dude to boot! #parkerconrad

A photo posted by Mandy Cousins (@amandalily5) on Feb 8, 2016 at 6:31pm PST on Feb 8, 2016 at 6:31pm PST



Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 20 hours ago.

Software maker Atlassian has released data on the age breakdown of its employees in an effort to shine a light on age discrimination in the tech industry. The tech industry has long been criticized for its lack of gender and race diversity, but until recently age discrimination has been excluded from the conversation. Tech companies have been resistant to hire older workers -- or even to tell the world how few of them they have on staff. The median age of Facebook's staff is 28; Google's is 26, according to Payscale.

But then along came Atlassian -- offering a perspective on the value of having an age-diverse staff and promising to do even better. Of Atlassian's 1,500 employees, 13 percent are in their 40s and 2 percent are in their 50s. Nearly every team at least one person 40 or older.

The Huffington Post emailed with Aubrey Blanche, Atlassian's 27-year-old global head of diversity and inclusion, after it released its age data.
*Question: **Why did you add age to your diversity effort? What do you think older workers bring to the table?*
A large part of our diversity strategy is focused on understanding, recognizing and celebrating the unique viewpoints and perspectives each person brings to our company. 
Age is an important category because it plays a large role in shaping our identities and perspectives. It's also important to highlight given the obvious patterns, but lack of transparency about ageism in the tech industry. It's the elephant in the room. 

The stereotype about who's successful in tech -- namely, younger, white men -- affects the way we interact with people who have more experience. It can cause people to think they're less creative and innovative, though we know that is not true. David Galenson, a researcher at the University of Chicago, showed that younger and older workers are innovative in different ways. In fact, older people tend to be better at solving more complex, deep-rooted problems, because they often have a deeper level of understanding of current systems gained over the course of their careers. It's when those very different ways of thinking come together, diversity of thought, that teams are able to reach their true potential.
* *
*Tech companies have been difficult nuts to crack for older workers. What do you think about the convention that considers older workers not very tech-savvy?*

I'm young, and the most technical thing I do most days is send emails. The notion that older workers are not tech-savvy is an unfair stereotype. Software has been around for decades. Look at Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page. There are many generations of people with strong technical skills. Companies that don't recognize the value in the 40+ talent pool are robbing themselves of deeply rich experience that can make a big impact within a team and across a company.  

Likely a big reason many tech companies skew young is because of the way they advertise their culture. Instead of focusing on stereotypical tech perks like ping pong and beer after work, we try to promote the type of benefits that attract a wider variety of candidates, such as great health insurance, Foundation Leave time or support for work-life balance. 

*What's it like for you to work in a mixed-age environment? *

I'm 27, which is on the younger side for our company. It's clear to me that Atlassian is eager to hire people with extensive experience in addition to younger folks who are eager to learn and grow. Having the opportunity to work in such a mixed-age environment has made me a stronger contributor. I benefit immensely from the knowledge my co-workers bring, and they help me see things from a different perspective.

Creating that kind of environment is important for fostering highly effective teams, which is why I think our industry should start having more open, honest conversations about these issues. That's the only way we're going to be able to figure out how to effectively tackle these challenges.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

 

-- 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 21 hours ago.

On March 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a proposed rule entitled "Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Programs; Program Integrity Enhancements to the Provider Enrollment Process". Reported by Mondaq 20 hours ago.

The Internet of Things (IoT) Revolution is picking up speed and it will change how we live, work, and entertain ourselves in a million ways big and small.

From agriculture to defense, retail to healthcare, everything is going to be impacted by the growing ability of businesses, governments, and consumers to connect to and control their environments:

· “Smart mirrors” will allow consumers to try on clothes digitally, enhancing their shopping experience and reducing returns for the retailer
· Assembly line sensors will detect tiny drops in efficiency that indicate critical equipment is wearing out and schedule down-time maintenance in response
· Agricultural equipment guided by GPS and IoT technology will soon plant, fertilize and harvest vast croplands like a giant Roomba while the “driver” reads a magazine
· Active people will share lifestyle data from their fitness trackers in order to help their doctor make better health care decisions (and capture discounts on health insurance premiums)

No wonder the Internet of Things has been called “the next Industrial Revolution.” It’s so big that it could mean new revenue streams for your company and new opportunities for you. The only question is: Are you fully up to speed on the IoT?

After months of researching and reporting this exploding trend, John Greenough and Jonathan Camhi of Business Insider Intelligence have put together an essential briefing that explains the exciting present and the fascinating future of the Internet of Things. It covers how IoT is being implemented today, where the new sources of opportunity will be tomorrow and how 17 separate sectors of the economy will be transformed over the next 20 years, including:

· Agriculture
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· Food services
· Healthcare
· Hospitality
· Infrastructure
· Insurance

· Logistics
· Manufacturing
· Oil, gas, and mining
· Retail
· Smart buildings
· Transportation
· Connected Car
· Utilities

 

If you work in any of these sectors, it's important for you to understand how the IoT will change your business and possibly even your career. And if you’re employed in any of the industries that will build out the IoT infrastructure—networking, semiconductors, telecommunications, data storage, cybersecurity—this report is a must-have.

Among the big picture insights you’ll get from *The Internet of Things: Examining How the IoT Will Affect The World*:

· IoT devices connected to the Internet will more than triple by 2020, from 10 billion to 34 billion. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) will comprise 10 billion.
· Nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions over the next five years.
· Businesses will be the top adopter of IoT solutions because they will use IoT to 1) lower operating costs; 2) increase productivity; and 3) expand to new markets or develop new product offerings.
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· The sizable security challenges presented by the IoT and how they can be overcome
· The four powerful forces driving IoT innovation, plus the four difficult market barriers to IoT adoption
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the fast-moving world of the IoT.

Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 18 hours ago.

By TaxAct, Contributor

Tax deductions reduce your taxable income by accounting for expenses you've incurred. The IRS offers many ways to reduce your taxable income, from deducting childcare costs and mortgage interest to charitable donations and moving expenses.

Learn about new tax breaks for 2016 and which deductions are returning this tax season.*Visit GOBankingRates for more tips and news on taxes and personal finance >>>*

-1. Standard Deduction-
Even if you don't have a lot of itemized deductions to file, you still qualify for a standard deduction for 2015, which is based off of your income. Below is a list of standard deductions based off income and how you plan to file:

*Standard Deduction for Individual Taxpayers*

*Your Income*
*Your Tax Due*

$0 -- $9,225
10% of your taxable income

$9,226 -- $37,450
$922.50 + 15% of the amount over $9,225

$37,451 -- $90,750
$5,156.25 + 25% of the amount over $37,450

$90,751 -- 189,300
$18,481.25 + 28% of the amount over $90,750

$189,301 -- $411,500
$46,075.25 + 33% of the amount over $189,300

$411,501 -- $413,200
$119,401.25 + 35% of the amount over $411,500

$413,201 and more
$119,996.25 + 39.6% of the amount over $413,200

Data from Forbes.com.

*Married Filing Joint Return or Surviving Spouse*

*Your Income*
*Your Tax Due*

$0 -- $18,450
10% of your taxable income

$18,451 -- $74,900
$1,845 + 15% of the amount over $18,450

$74,901 -- $151,200
$10,312.50 + 25% of the amount over $74,900

$151,201 -- $230,450
$29,387.50 + 28% of the amount over $151,200

$230,451 -- $411,500
$51,577.50 + 33% of the amount over $230,450

$411,501 -- $464,850
$111,324 + 35% of the amount over $411,500

$464,850 and more
$129,996.50 + 39.6% of the amount over $464,850

Data from Forbes.com.

*Head of Household*

*Your Income*
*Your Tax Due*

$0 -- $18,450
10% of your taxable income

$13,151 -- $50,200
$1,315 + 15% of the amount over $13,150

$50,201 -- $129,600
$6,872.50 + 25% of the amount over $50,200

$129,601 -- $209,850
$26,772.50 + 28% of the amount over $129,600

$209,851 -- $411,500
$49,192.50 + 33% of the amount over $209,850

$411,501 -- $439,000
$115,737 + 35% of the amount over $411,500

$439,001 and more
$125,362 + 39.6% of the amount over $439,000

Data from Forbes.com.

*Married But Filing Separately*

*Your Income*
*Your Tax Due*

$0 -- $18,450
10% of your taxable income

$9,226 -- $37,450
$922.50 + 15% of the amount over $9,225

$37,451 -- $75,600
$5,156.25 + 25% of the amount over $37,450

$75,601 -- $115,225
$14,693.75 + 28% of the amount over $75,600

$115,226 -- $205,750
$25,788.75 + 33% of the amount over $115,225

$205,751 -- $232,425
$55,662 + 35% of the amount over $205,750

$232,426 and more
$64,998.25 + 39.6% of the amount over $232,425

Data from Forbes.com.

*Trusts and Estates*

*Your Income*
*Your Tax Due*

$0 -- $2,500
15% of taxable income

$2,501 -- $5,900
$375 + 25% of the amount over $2,500

$5,901 -- $9,050
$1,225 + 28% of the amount over $5,900

$9,051 -- $12,300
$2,107 + 33% of the amount over $9,050

$12,301 and more
$3,179.50 + 39.6% of the amount over $12,300

Data from Forbes.com.

*Related: How to Know If You Can Really Write Off That Charitable Donation*
-2. Mortgage Insurance Premiums Deduction-
If you obtained your mortgage insurance policy in 2007 or later, you might qualify for a deduction on the amount you've paid toward your mortgage insurance premium. However, as of mid-December, lawmakers haven't extended the expiration date on this provision, according to The Motley Fool. If this measure isn't extended, you won't be able to deduct the amount you've put toward your mortgage insurance premium.
-3. Tuition and Fees Deduction-
Regardless of whether you take the standard deduction or itemize, you can deduct up to $4,000 in qualifying tuition and fees paid for yourself, your spouse or a dependent in 2015. The expenses must be for higher education. If you are married but filing separately or if another person can claim an exemption for you as a dependent, then you don't qualify for the tuition and fees deduction.

*Learn: The Most Expensive States for Paying Taxes*
-4. State and Local Sales Tax-
You have the option of deducting either your state and local income taxes or state and local general sales taxes paid. If you live in a non-income taxing state, deduct state and local sales taxes paid.
-5. Cash Donations-
If you itemize deductions, you can deduct cash donations to IRS-approved charities. You must have written record of your donation in order to deduct cash gifts, no matter the amount. A qualifying written record can be a copy of the bank record, a statement from the organization or a payroll deduction record.
-6. Non-Cash Donations-
If you itemize, you can claim the fair market value (FMV) of donated clothing, household items and stock. Fair market value is the price you otherwise could have sold the items at. If you plan to donate your car, make sure you are donating to a qualified charity, such as a 501(c)(3).
-7. Donating Your Time and Talents-
You can deduct certain expenses for charity work. For instance, you can deduct the cost of gas and oil if you use your car to get to and from the place you volunteer. If you don't want to calculate the value per mile you can deduct, a standard mileage rate of 14 cents per mile is acceptable.

You can also deduct the cost of purchasing and maintaining uniforms you wear to hospitals where you volunteer.
-8. Student Loan Interest Deduction-
Even if you don't itemize your deductions, you can deduct up to $2,500 in qualified student loan interest paid in 2015. You do not qualify for this deduction if your gross-adjusted income is more than $80,000, or $160,000 for married couples filing jointly.
-9. Job Search Expenses-
If you itemize, you can deduct expenses incurred while searching for a job in the same line of work as your current or most recent job. Expenses you can deduct include:· Transportation, which includes a deduction of 56 cents per mile, parking, tolls and cab fees· Preparing, printing and mailing out your resume· Phone expenses· Ad placement· Fees related to job searches· Employment agency fees

-10. Moving Expenses-
If you meet the IRS distance and time tests and moved for a new job, you can qualify for a moving expense deduction. Qualified expenses include the cost of moving your belongings and travel to your new home. The standard mileage rate is 23 cents per mile. You can also deduct the cost of lodging for yourself and household members.
-11. Military Reservist Travel Expenses-
If you travel more than 100 miles from home for service, you can subtract travel expenses from the income you report on your tax return. Qualifying expenses include transportation, meals and lodging.
-12. Medical and Dental Expenses-
You can deduct medical and dental expenses for you, your spouse and your dependents after your total medical expenses exceed 10 percent of your adjusted gross income (AGI). If you or your spouse is age 65 or older, you can deduct total medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your AGI.

*Related: Don't Forget These 8 Important Deductions*
-13. Tax Preparation Fees-
Whether you did your own taxes or paid someone to do them, you can include the fees on your miscellaneous tax deductions list. Costs can include tax return preparation and electronic filing fees.
-14. Mortgage Interest Deduction-
If you itemize, you can deduct the interest paid on your mortgage. As part of the deduction, you can deduct interest paid on loans totaling $1 million or less. If you're married and file separately, you can only deduct on loans totaling up to $500,000.
-15. Mortgage Points-
If you itemize, you can immediately deduct the points you paid to purchase or build your primary home.
-16. Home Renovation Deduction-
Most often, home renovation costs are not deductible on your tax return. However, if you make improvements to your home for medical purposes, such as adding entrance and exit wheelchair ramps and lowering cabinets for accessibility purposes, you can deduct these renovations as medical expenses. If these renovations increase the value of your home, however, they cannot be claimed as medical-related expenses, according to TurboTax.
-17. State, Local and Foreign Taxes-
Certain taxes imposed on you can be claimed as an itemized deduction on your tax return. Including state and local sales tax, you can also deduct:· State and local personal property taxes· State, local and foreign real estate taxes· State, local and foreign income taxes

-18. Business Use of Your Home-
You can deduct certain expenses for using a part of your home for business. To qualify for this deduction, you must use part of your home for one of the following:· As the primary location for trade or business· As the primary location for meeting and tending patients or clients· As a storage facility for inventory or product samples for your business or trade· If you have a separate, unattached structure on your property, it must be used exclusively for your business or trade· For rental use· As a daycare facility

-19. Business Use of Your Car-
If you use your car for your job or business, you might be able to deduct the costs incurred for business use. You can either use a standard mileage rate of 54 cents per mile or the actual expense method.
-20. Business Travel Expenses-
You might be able to deduct certain unreimbursed business expenses incurred while traveling for work. Costs could include transportation, baggage fees, meals, lodging and laundry. Any expenses that are considered extravagant or lavish do not qualify for the business travel expenses deduction.
-21. Educational Expenses-
Under the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which was extended through December 2017, you can deduct up to $2,500 per student. With this tax credit you can deduct college-related expenses, such as the cost of course materials.
-22. Employee Business Expenses-
If you itemize, some local transportation costs are deductible, as well as certain business entertainment and gift expenses. Keep record of your expenses as proof for when you deduct.
-23. Appraisal Fees-
If you donated property in 2015, you can include appraisal fees you paid on your miscellaneous tax deductible items.
-24. Fees to Collect Interest and Dividends-
Fees paid to a broker, bank, trustee or similar agent to collect taxable bond interest or dividends on shares of stock (but not stocks, bonds or securities) are deductible.
-25. Hobby Expenses-
You can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses incurred from a hobby. Unlike a business, a hobby is specifically not meant to make a profit. If you suffer losses due to a hobby, you cannot deduct the loss from your income.
-26. Investment Fees and Expenses-
Certain fees you pay to manage your investments can qualify as a miscellaneous deduction. Such costs include:· Fees for investment counseling· Custodial fees, if paid for outside of the account· Software and online services used to manage investments· Safety deposit rental fees· Transportation costs to and from an advisor's office· Attorney costs used to collect taxable income· Costs to replace lost security certificates

-27. IRA Losses-
Losses on traditional and Roth IRAs can be claimed as a miscellaneous itemized deduction if all the amounts in your accounts have been distributed to you and the total distributions are less than your unrecovered basis.
-28. Repayment of Income-
If you had to repay income that you included in ordinary income in an earlier year, you might be able to deduct the repaid amount. In most cases, you can only claim a deduction for repayment of income if your repayment qualifies as an expense or loss you had at your business, trade or in a transaction.
-29. Legal Fees-
If you itemize, you can deduct legal fees related to doing or keeping your job, collecting taxable alimony, or tax advice. You cannot deduct fees you paid to defend against charges that rose from participating in a political campaign.
-30. Safety Deposit Box Rental Fees-
You can deduct safety deposit box fees paid for storing taxable income-producing stocks, bonds and investment-related documents.
-31. Gambling Losses-
For gamblers, you might be able to recoup some of your losses. Winnings from gambling is taxable and must be reported. If you suffered gambling losses, you can deduct up to the amount of gambling income you reported. Claim your losses as a miscellaneous deduction.
-32. Casualty, Disaster and Theft Losses-
Losses related to your home, household items and vehicles not covered by insurance or reimbursed could be deductible.
-33. Educator Expenses-
K-12 educators can deduct up to $250 for any unreimbursed expenses for books, supplies, computer equipment and other supplementary materials. To qualify, you must work at least 900 hours in a school year.
-34. Health Savings Account Contributions-
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are tax-exempt accounts used to pay or reimburse certain medical expenses. As a benefit of HSAs, you can claim a tax deduction on contributions you or another individual made to your HSA.
-35. Alimony-
If you paid alimony in 2015 as part of a divorce or separate maintenance decree, you can deduct how much you paid. Your payments qualify as alimony if:· You and your spouse or former spouse do not file jointly· You paid with cash, check or money order· Your payment went to your spouse or former spouse· In the case of being legally separated, you do not live in the same household as your former spouse· Your payment is not for child support or property settlement

-36. Self-Employed Health Insurance-
Is health insurance tax deductible for the self-employed? Absolutely. If you were self-employed in 2015, you can deduct premiums paid for medical and dental insurance, as well as qualified long-term care insurance for yourself, your spouse and your dependents.
-37. Penalty for Early Withdrawal of Savings-
If you withdrew your money early from a certificate of deposit or similar bank investment, the penalty you pay could qualify among deductions for taxes.
-38. IRA Contributions-
Although IRS itemized deductions do not allow Roth IRA contributions, you might be able to claim the amount you put toward a traditional IRA. Get a deduction for up to $5,500 contributed to a traditional IRA in 2015. If you're age 50 or over, you can contribute up to $6,500.
-39. Personal Exemptions and Dependents-
For personal exemptions and dependents, you can deduct up to $4,000 for 2015, an increase from the 2014 limit of $3,950.
-40. State Balance Due-
If you owed additional taxes on a prior year's state return and paid them in 2015, you might be able to deduct the taxes paid.
-41. 401k Tax Deduction-
Although there is no 401k tax deduction you'll include when you file your taxes for 2015, just by making contributions you reduce your taxable income. That's because your pretax contributions are deducted from your taxable income when your employer issues your W-2 form.
-42. Dependent Care Flex Spending Account-
A Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) lets you set aside pretax money for expenses related to caring for a child, a disabled spouse, parent or other mentally or physically handicapped dependent. You are allowed to contribute up to $5,000 pretax dollars toward a Dependent Care FSA. The amount you contribute will not be taxed on your tax return.
-43. Union Dues-
Among the numerous tax write-offs for 2015, union dues and expenses are included. You can deduct initiation fees and dues you pay for membership in a union.
-44. Work Uniforms-
If your employer requires you to wear clothes that is not suitable for ordinary wear, you can claim them as a deduction. Common items deducted include theater costumes and safety gear. Note that suits do not qualify for your list of itemized deductions.
-45. Senior Tax Deduction-
If you were age 65 by the end of 2015, you are eligible for an additional standard deduction.
-46. Car Registration Fees-
You might be able to include vehicle registration fees on your 2015 tax deductions, if you meet certain requirements.
-47. Jury Duty Pay-
If you gave your jury pay to your employer because they paid your salary while you served on the jury, you could deduct your jury pay from your taxable income.
-48. Earned Income Tax Credit-
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a commonly overlooked tax credit for low- to moderate-income individuals. Although it is not considered an IRS deduction, the EITC is a refundable tax credit meant to supplement income. The amount you receive will range from $503 to $6,242
-49. Bad Debt Deduction-
If you lent money that was never repaid, you have bad debt. To deduct bad debt, you must prove that you loaned out cash or you have previously included the amount in your income, according to the IRS. You must also show that you attempted to collect the debt and that there is no chance the debt will ever be collected.
-50. Home Sale-
If you sold your home at a profit, you can exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for married filing jointly) of gains from your income.

This article, Tax Deductions 2016: List of 50 Tax Write-Offs You Don't Know About, originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com.

More from GOBankingRates:
*

· Oprah's Weight Loss in O Magazine Boosts Weight Watchers Stock 7 Percent· 6 Most Important Deductions You Need to Claim· 9 Banks That Don't Use ChexSystems· Kanye West's Net Worth: $145 Million and Dropping Fast· 10 Best Career Moves for Women in Their 30s

*

-- 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 18 hours ago.

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A.M. Best has placed under review with negative implications the financial strength ratings of B+ (Good) and the issuer credit ratings of “bbb-” of Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP), HIP Insurance Company of New York, Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and ConnectiCare, Inc. (ConnectiCare) (Farmington, CT). All companies are subsidiaries of EmblemHealth, Inc. and domiciled in New York, NY, unless otherwise specified. The under review status reflects a Reported by Business Wire 18 hours ago.

WASHINGTON -- The American health care system is confounding under the best of circumstances. But frustration can reach a boiling point when a patient thinks she's followed all the rules and still gets hit with a huge surprise bill.

That's what happened to Lisa Bettendorf in 2012. She had to pay almost $10,000 even though she said the doctors told her their treatment would be covered.

Bettendorf injured herself in a fall caused by fainting. "I had a fricking hole in my face that I could stick my tongue through," she said. So she visited the emergency department at a nearby hospital that was in her insurance plan's network.

"I was very aware that you had to be in-network and you had to ask the right questions when you were getting medical care," said Bettendorf, who lives outside San Francisco.

When she arrived at the emergency room, a physician informed her that the hospital's regular plastic surgeon wasn't available, but that a doctor from another hospital would come perform her surgery. As it happens, this wasn't the first time that confusion over her insurance network had led to extra costs, so Bettendorf expressed concern to the visiting physician that his services wouldn't be covered by her policy.

"He said, and the ER doctor agreed and the nurse nodded her head, 'It doesn't matter. You're in an in-network ER, and it does not matter that I am not in-network. You have come to an emergency room, you need emergency treatment on your face, they couldn't get the first doctor. It is moot,'" Bettendorf said. "He said it to my face."


It's wrong, and shame on them.
Lisa Bettendorf, who faced almost $10,000 in surprise bills
But that's not how it worked out. During a follow-up visit to the plastic surgeon's office, Bettendorf learned that she owed him for the surgery because he didn't accept her insurance, despite his previous assurances. So she wound up paying him $4,400. She later received a bill from the hospital for another $5,290, and she paid that, too. Her health insurance company and the state insurance department were no help, she said.

Bettendorf wishes she hadn't just paid the bills because then the hospital, the doctor and the insurance company had their money and no incentive to negotiate with her.

"You are completely at their mercy and they want nothing to do with helping you and doing the right thing," she said. "It's wrong, and shame on them."

Bettendorf's experience isn't unusual: 30 percent of Americans have received an unexpected medical bill when their insurance didn't cover costs, according to a Consumers Union survey last year.

Oops, Sorry, You Have To Pay

What happened to Bettendorf is an aspect of what's called "balance billing," when a medical provider that isn't part of a patient's insurance network demands payment after treatment has been provided. Balance billing often comes as a shock to patients who have obtained care at a hospital that their insurance covers or visited a laboratory recommended by their physician. In most states, consumers have little to no recourse in these cases, and must pay the charges or see the debt sent to a collection agency.

Surprise medical bills are the result of an almost perfect storm created by the shortcomings of health care in America.

Health insurance rules are arcane and filled with exceptions. The networks of providers covered by plans are constantly changing, and the directories of covered hospitals, doctors and the like that insurers offer are often inaccurate. The prices charged by physicians, hospitals, labs and others are all over the map and difficult to discern in advance. Medical providers themselves don't understand how insurance works, and usually no one is responsible for keeping track of who is doing what when a patient gets care.

The problem is especially acute nowadays, because insurance policies that don't cover any out-of-network care have become more common.

"Everybody in the chain is culpable, but they also -- in this wonderful system we have -- have the ability to point to each other and say, 'See? It's not my fault because it's the way the system works,'" said Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Slavitt's agency also oversees the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges.Hospitals, doctors, labs and others choose to stay out of some health insurance companies' networks because they believe those insurers pay too little. And when they treat a patient who has insurance they don't accept, these providers object to being forced to accept lower payments that they already rejected by refusing to contract with that insurer. Insurance companies, too, put the onus on policyholders to figure out where they're supposed to get treated.

"That should be between the plans and the providers. Let them figure that out. Duke it out. Just take the consumers out of the middle," said Elizabeth Imholz, director of special projects at Consumers Union in San Francisco. "It really shouldn't be that hard, but frankly it really does get down to, in some cases, greed and people not wanting to diminish their income at all."

Making matters even more complex is that certain types of medical providers are more likely to be out-of-network, and they're the same ones a patient has little to no say over choosing, Imholz said. Anesthesiologists, radiologists and pathologists who work in hospitals are examples, she said.

Regulators Bring Pressure

This isn't a new problem, and none of the consumer protection provisions in the Affordable Care Act address it. But federal and state authorities are increasingly taking steps to protect patients from surprise bills.

At the federal level, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is pressuring the health care industry to find a way to free patients from these billing disputes -- and warning that government action may come if they don't, Slavitt said.

"The industry can solve this problem without our help, but with a lot of strong encouragement, and I think they would be wise to do that," Slavitt said. "I refuse to believe that this is as difficult as people say it is."


Everybody in the chain is culpable.
Andy Slavitt, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Solutions could range from merely requiring providers to disclose upfront that they aren't in-network, to creating blanket exceptions for emergency care, to designing health insurance plans that limit patient exposure to out-of-network charges, to instituting new payment models under which a hospital receives a lump sum and distributes the money to anyone who participated in caring for a patient, Slavitt said.

"You're going to be seeing me playing a very visible, public role trying to bring people to make progress on this issue on their own, and if they don't, we have regulatory tools," Slavitt said. "This is a personal passion of mine."

He has already begun to make his case to the health care sector in a public way. At a conference last month held by the Federation of American Hospitals, a trade group, Slavitt delivered that message directly to industry executives and lobbyists.

An Issue of Fairness

Pennsylvania's insurance commissioner, Teresa Miller, has gone further than that since Gov. Tom Wolf (D) appointed her last year. She's drafted a proposal for a new law to protect consumers from surprise medical bills and held public hearings on the issue. Under Miller's proposal, insurers and health care providers would have to work out payments in these cases and not bill the patients.

"We just don't want consumers to get stuck with these bills because we just don't think that's fair, especially since these are all situations where consumers don't know that they've seen an out-of-network provider," Miller said. "The only way I see that's fair is take the consumer out of the middle of this."

Elsewhere, New York state enacted a strong patient rights law about surprise bills last year and Texas passed a more limited set of rules, while Florida and more than a dozen other states are weighing new reforms to shield consumers from these charges.

In Pennsylvania, the state Insurance Department has received just 35 complaints about unexpected balance billing since 2014, but Miller suspects it's more common than that and that patients aren't aware anything unusual has happened, because the health care system is already so convoluted.

The issue might be turning personal for the Keystone State's top insurance regulator. "I may be getting a surprise balance bill myself," Miller said. "I'm not even sure, and I've been looking at this issue."

It could take months to figure out what she owes, if anything, she said.


We just don't want consumers to get stuck with these bills because we just don't think that's fair.
Teresa Miller, insurance commissioner for Pennsylvania
In the absence of rules guaranteeing that patients won't incur big charges when they act in good faith to select in-network medical providers, Miller said there are a few things consumers can do to protect themselves.

Prior to going for scheduled medical care, they can call ahead to their medical provider and the insurance company to make certain the care falls in-network. Consumers who get bills from medical providers for treatments they believe should have been covered can ask their insurer for help or complain to their state's insurance commissioner.

Some providers may be willing to negotiate a lower amount when the insurance company refuses to pay. People with job-based health benefits can also request assistance from their employers.

But the way things are set up now, unexpected bills can't be entirely prevented, Miller said. "We've seen instances where consumers have done that and still gotten hit with these surprise bills."

-- 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 16 hours ago.

A new report from the Obama administration shows that health insurance enrollment for 2015 missed a goal set by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell Reported by ABCNews.com 14 hours ago.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is about to embark on an old-school search, swapping its Internet algorithm for a custom-built van that will cruise across the U.S. to find out how people use its online services and react to new features. The van will make multiday stops in seven states, stopping near colleges, libraries, parks and more in hopes of finding out how average Americans are using the company's digital offerings. NEW YORK (AP) — Honest Co., co-founded by movie star Jessica Alba, is denying a news report that said its laundry detergent contains an ingredient that Honest promised its customers it would never use. The rig count is seen as an important indicator of the strength and stability of energy prices and the health of the oil and gas industry. The move, coupled with GM's in-house research, should help the company in its race with Google and others to have autonomous cars start transporting people on public roadways. The Affordable Care Act's health insurance co-ops absorbed deep financial losses last year, and 2016 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for these nonprofit alternatives to traditional insurers. Heading into their third full year of operation, the co-ops are adding customers and improving their coverage, but they also face the end of some government programs designed to support insurers as they build business on the ACA's public insurance exchanges. The SEC says executives from Aequitas Capital Management told clients they were using their money for investment purposes but executives instead used the money to fund their lucrative salaries, repay prior investors and pay expenses, including a private jet and golf outings. WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration expanded approval of a Pfizer drug to treat a small subset of lung cancer patients with a rare mutation. The agency said Friday that Xalkori capsules are now approved for patients with the ROS-1 gene mutation, Reported by SeattlePI.com 13 hours ago.

As the tax filing deadline looms, the state has revealed that some of the 1095-A tax forms sent to Hawaii households in January may be incorrect. The state is reviewing its process to be able to revise the forms, officials confirmed Friday. The 1095-A form includes health care insurance information that individuals and households must include in their annual tax filing to prove their purchase of health care coverage through the now defunct Hawaii Health Connector. The state would not say how many… Reported by bizjournals 11 hours ago.

health-care-services-corporation.jpg

Health Care Service Corp, the Chicago-based company is the largest customer-owned health insurance company in the U.S and the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For the company, the second year of Affordable Care Act once again proved to be a financial show-down.

read more Reported by TopNews 5 hours ago.

*What's Our Health Data Worth?*

When Barack Obama came to Austin, TX, to speak at SXSW, the yearly festival of ideas in music, technology, and movies, the President was wearing a Fitbit on his wrist. Fitbit's wildly popular fitness trackers can capture health data such as heart-rate, sleep patterns, and location. Apparently, Obama has people to tweak his technology, limiting how much of his personal information pours into the ocean of data for sale about consumers. But the rest of us have few protections against such information being collected and monetized, according to a SXSW panel organized by Consumer Reports and let by Teresa Carr, a senior editor who reports on health and medical topics for the organization.

“It’s a 21st century gold rush, where our health data is looked at as a natural resource,” Carr said at the session, held on Monday at Austin’s JW Marriott. Medical records shared among doctors and hospitals are covered by HIPAA, the medical privacy law, but data shared among app developers, financial firms, and others is unregulated. As Obama has pointed out, the use of such data can enhance research and promote public health. But there are also risks. Lucia Savage, the chief privacy officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was one of three panelists speaking alongside Carr. She pointed out that nearly any consumer information can reveal clues to health. “It includes how clean or dirty the air is where you live, and how many bags of potato chips you bought last week.” You may have purchased 20 bags of snacks for a soccer team practice, but to someone accessing your buying habit details, it can look as though you’re immersed in a junk food binge.
 

*The Trouble with Data*

Americans are worried about how health data of all kinds is shared, according to Consumer Reports research conducted in 2015. Nearly everyone surveyed—91 percent—agreed that their consent should be required whenever health information is shared. And 45 percent of respondents in the survey, a nationally representative group of more than 2,000, found it “creepy” when an ad targeting their medical conditions popped up in a web browser. How do those ads show up? If you see an oncologist, the resulting medical records can’t be sold to a data broker, but when you visit websites that provide information on cancer treatments, that information is captured and shared just like web searches on vacation spots or dress shoes. 

The panelists, who spoke in front of close to 200 SXSW-goers, tried to define both the risks and benefits of sharing health data widely. 

The risks to individuals were sketched out by Lygeia Ricciardi, a health-industry IT consultant who helped pioneer digital health programs at HHS. One risk arises from stolen health data: She cited research showing that medical fraud costs victims an average of $13,500, and 200 hours of work to rectify. Such fraud can occur when criminals submit health claims under a victim's name. And, while it’s possible to be reimbursed for fraudulent credit card charges, there’s no way to pull back sensitive medical information that has been widely shared. (Consumers can take steps to protect themselves.)

However, legal uses of health data can also have adverse affects on consumers. The Affordable Care Act resolved the problem consumers faced when they were denied health insurance because of preexisting conditions. However, other problems remain. Speaking after the session, panelists said they were unaware of any clear federal standards preventing private companies from using information about health conditions to make hiring or promotion decisions, and they worried about discrimination based on these conditions.As data become far easier to acquire, abuses like that could become more widespread, panelists agreed.

*Apps Lack Privacy Policies*

But that’s just one side of the story. There’s not a lot of societal benefit from marketers trading data on what TV shows we all watch, but things are different when it comes to medical information. Sally Okun, vice president of policy and safety at Patients Like Me, was a panelist who spoke in favor of increased data-sharing combined with strong consumer empowerment. Her company is a health-data sharing platform founded in 2004 to make it easier for people with relatively unusual illnesses to get information, and supply data to researchers. And she cited a consumer phenomenon that turns a concern about medical devices on its head. Researchers have warned that pacemakers and other equipment could be compromised by hackers, but Okun said that some highly tech-savvy patients are talking about hacking into implanted devices because they want fuller access to data on their own health.

Ultimately, the desire for privacy depends a lot on context, panelists said. Ricciardo recounted an art project in New York City, in which passersby at a Brooklyn festival were asked to trade personal data for a cookie—not a web cookie, but the literal kind. Hundreds of people agreed, giving up their mothers’ maiden names, driver’s license numbers, and in some cases the final four digits of their Social Security numbers for the confections. Would they have provided a list of their current medications? It's hard to know. 

Users of Patients Like Me share a lot of data because they are confident they are in control of the information, Okun said. However, that’s not the rule for many other health websites and apps. She pointed to research recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found that of 211 diabetes-management apps in the Google Play store, only 19 percent had privacy policies—and many of those polices stated that consumer data was being collected and shared. In these cases, consumers may not be aware of that data can be shared with marketers.

Looking ahead, the panelists agreed that government regulation would lag innovation, as it usually does—but they didn't call for new controls. “You don’t want laws rewritten every two weeks because some software was updated,” Ricciardi said. However, responsible developers can adopt HIPPA as a guideline, even if when it’s not legally required, and HSS has started a portal for developers of health and medical apps to get guidance on best practices. “There’s nothing stopping developers from doing the right thing,” Savage said. 

*Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.*

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    Reported by Consumer Reports 5 hours ago.

Patch Hollywood, CA -- The actress accused her former business management firm of illegally accessing her medical records and failing to pay her health insurance. Reported by Patch 12 hours ago.

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus said Monday night they would not support the federal budget deal proposed by House Republican leadership, putting the spending plan -- and the entire appropriations process for the year -- in serious jeopardy.

From the basement of a Capitol Hill restaurant, Tortilla Coast, Freedom Caucus members took an official position against the $1.07 trillion budget that's scheduled for a committee vote on Wednesday. The conservatives took issue with the top-line spending number, arguing that Republicans should go back to the $1.04 trillion level under automatic spending cuts known as sequestration that were set in 2011.

At least 30 members of the roughly 40-member Freedom Caucus voted to formally oppose the budget. Those 30-some members are vital for the Republican budget. Without their support, the document would lack a majority of House votes, since the spending blueprint typically gets no Democratic backers.

Earlier Monday, GOP leaders held a special closed-door meeting with House Republicans to lay out a plan that would retain the current, $1.07 trillion budget caps, but would cut more than $100 billion over 10 years.

Those cuts, however, did little to convince conservatives. Members leaving the Freedom Caucus meeting castigated the reductions as "show votes."

"Those are all great ideas," caucus member Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) said of the spending reductions. "But they are not things that are going to pass. They are things that are promises of future cuts, which is what we've been doing for five years."

At this point, Labrador told reporters at the restaurant, "everything we've heard has been less than stellar."

Republicans attempted to placate conservative spending worries through a variety of votes, ranging from cuts to child tax credits for undocumented immigrants to reductions to the state Children's Health Insurance Program. But those votes don't seem to have done enough.

"I'm looking at it purely from a standpoint that there is an increase in spending in this budget," said Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), a member of the Budget Committee. Such a budget would break a commitment Republicans made to the American people, he said.

If there is no budget, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has intimated there won't be appropriations bills. A return to the regular legislative process for appropriations was a key tenet of Ryan's pitch for the speakership. Republicans overwhelmingly support the process of individual spending bills so that they could add policy riders to legislation.

But without a budget, the House -- and by extension, the Senate -- appears likely to forego individual appropriations bills and instead consider an all-encompassing continuing resolution that would kick spending decisions into the new year.

The budget, a non-binding resolution laying out spending priorities for the next 10 years, is little more than a press release, except in one key area: It sets the spending limits for the next fiscal year. And without those individual allocations, there's little point in Republicans trying to go through appropriations process.

Freedom Caucus members seemed to think there wasn't much to be gained from appropriations bills, anyway. Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) expressed serious doubt about the Senate approving a budget of its own. He noted a recent comment from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) that, in effect, left House Republicans to believe conservative policy riders weren't going to be taken seriously in the Senate.

Alexander, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, said he didn't want controversial riders introduced in appropriations bills.

"They can offer on the floor, or they can run for the House of Representatives," Alexander said. "That's the two ways to do that."

Freedom Caucus members still say the House should pass a budget. As they have said for well over a month, they contend the budget should go back to the October deal that showcases conservative values.

"I'm hoping that leadership listens to the loud voice of the American people that has been speaking now for the last three or four months in every one of our primaries, where the establishment has been rejected from 50 to 70 percent in every one of our states," Labrador said. "If they don't listen to that, then maybe everybody needs a new job."

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