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Yes, you are paying more for your health insurance

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Reported by MarketWatch 11 hours ago.

Seven Ways to Save Money on an Overseas Trip

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There's nothing more exciting than an overseas trip, but that exhilaration shouldn't come with an unexpected price tag. Believe it or not, small expenses can grow fast and in unexpected ways.

For example, take my neighbors down the block with their two teen kids. They had a great time in London over the winter break, but the ugly surprise came when the parents started totaling up unexpected charges that they believed would be on the smaller side during a carefully budgeted trip.

Many travelers do most of their price watching on big expenses like hotel and plane fare. Smaller expenses, like cross-town transportation and smartphone bills that rack up pricey international charges if you don't plan ahead, are travel money pits waiting to happen.

To avoid these unexpected--and potentially financially devastating--surprises, consider these tips for conserving money in all major areas of vacation spending:

1. *Sweat the small stuff before you go.* It really does make sense to plan small expenditures before your trip. Talking to friends can help and so can travel magazines and websites. Compare your homework against the findings of reputable guides to your destination.

2. *Keep a close eye on ground transportation costs.* The convenience of cabs or rental cars will likely cost more--and depending on where you go, some options might be safer than others--so be sure to research options like reloadable city smart cards or continental rail passes. Paying individual ticket prices for short hops or long journeys can drain your budget. In particular, pay attention to overseas rental car costs, particularly what you'll pay for collision and liability insurance. Depending on your destination, your rental car premium can be prohibitive and insurance coverage may or may not be adequate. Check with your domestic property and casualty insurers to see if they have any advice as well as your booking company or travel membership organization for recommended car rental companies and specific requirements regarding rental car collision and liability coverage (see "Insurance," below).

3. *Maximize points and memberships.* From auto club memberships that put together reasonable travel packages to mileage and shopping cards that allow you to accrue points that can be traded in for miles or meals, learn to use every conceivable membership reward to replace money you would otherwise have to spend. Keep in mind that by frequenting certain stores, restaurants or other types of businesses at home, you can accrue points faster that would pay for future trips. One important tip--focus on the features you really want at specific destinations and find specific ways to accelerate points for discounts and upgrades. For example, long-distance trips can be made more comfortable through upgraded seating or particular hotel choices--strategize card choices and earning decisions based on where you want to go and how you want to get there.

4. *Don't go broke using your phone. *Before leaving home, call your carrier. First, make sure your phone will work at your destination. Second, check if your carrier offers an affordable international talk and data plan. If not, consider options like getting an international SIM card--a small chip card that fits inside your phone for specific use within that country--or using a prepaid phone. If you're downloading any apps to supply maps, translation or reading material on your phone or computer, do so while you are home to avoid chewing up international data at your destination. Also, be careful with Wi-Fi. Many recognizable global restaurants and fast-food chains offer the service for free. Once you're home, be sure to cancel any international services you've ordered.

5. *Eat smart.* The Internet and the myriad travel sites it offers make it easy to find good places to eat at all price levels practically anywhere in the world. But eating food out can add up. Focus on the lower-cost ways in which the locals eat. If you are staying in a hotel or apartment with kitchen facilities, shop at nearby grocery stores and make your meals there.

6. *Insurance.* What you'd pay out-of-pocket for a delayed trip, lost luggage or a health emergency abroad isn't exactly pocket change--and that's the point. Insurance needs to be part of the money discussion not because of what it costs, but the thousands of dollars it could potentially save you. Start with your health and homeowners insurers; see if any of your domestic coverage might work at your destination. For example, some homeowners/rental insurance might provide liability coverage for out-of-state or foreign trips and some domestic health insurance policies might offer full or partial evacuation insurance in case of a medical emergency. Start with domestic options first and then visit an aggregator website to compare travel insurance options that would provide the remaining protection you need. Finally, when buying travel insurance, check closely for any exclusions or pre-existing conditions that could void your coverage. Also, check forms collision and liability coverage for car rentals at your destination.

7. *Finding Income.* For years, travelers have financed trips by writing travel stories, teaching or getting a short-term job at their destination. If these options are available to you, consider taking advantage of them to generate income at your destination or to help pay off your trip when you get home.

*Bottom line:* Overseas trips can be surprisingly affordable with a little ingenuity and research. The key is making spending decisions that cost you less.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa's financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney

This article is intended to provide general information and should not be considered legal, tax or financial advice. It's always a good idea to consult a legal, tax or financial advisor for specific information on how certain laws apply to you and about your individual financial situation.

-- 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.

Still Haven't Filed Your Taxes? 10 Tips to Help You Meet the Deadline

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The April 18 tax deadline is fast approaching, but if you haven't filed yet, there's no need to panic. While more than half of taxpayers have already filed their returns, each year about 20 percent wait until the last couple weeks to file.

If you're one of the many taxpayers who hasn't yet filed this year's tax return, here are 10 tips to help you meet the deadline, avoid mistakes and boost your refund.

*Organize your documents.* Before sitting down to prepare your taxes, organize your tax forms by category. Put anything related to income (W-2s, 1099s) together and then gather up receipts for expenses (mortgage interest 1098, property taxes, DMV documents, charitable contribution receipts, business expenses, just to name a few). This way you will have everything ready and won't leave anything out.

*Set a deadline.* Taxes are due April 18, but you can do yourself a huge favor by picking an earlier deadline. Setting an earlier deadline will give you a buffer so you don't have to hurry through the paperwork and stress over missing a tax deduction or tax credit. Also, you will miss the last minute tax day rush, and could receive your refund faster.

*Go online and file from anywhere.* Filing your taxes is more convenient than ever with online and mobile options available. The benefits of filing online are numerous, and the biggest benefit of e-filing is that you receive confirmation that the IRS has received your return. If you're in a real crunch, you can file from your phone using the TurboTax Mobile App to conveniently and effortlessly prepare and e-file your taxes. You can jump start your taxes by taking a photo of your W-2 from your phone or tablet and watch your information transfer to the correct forms eliminating data entry and making your tax prep effortless. You can also file anytime, anywhere and move across devices. No waiting in line necessary.

*E-file with direct deposit. *E-filing with direct deposit is faster, easier and more secure than filing a paper return and mailing it to the IRS. The IRS expects to issue nine out of 10 federal tax refunds in 21 days or less. Direct deposit also eliminates the chance of a lost, stolen or undeliverable refund.

*Maximize your deductions.* Even if you wait until the last minute to file, don't forget about the money you shelled out for expenses in 2015. The IRS reports that the majority of taxpayers -- about 75 percent -- take the standard deduction, but including a few additional receipts may push you over the standard deduction amount and lower your tax liability. Taxpayers often forget about deductions like charitable contributions, state tax liability paid, and job search expenses.

*Double check for credits.* In addition to deductions, be sure to double check for tax credits you may be eligible for as well, including the Child Care Credit worth up to $1,000 and Earned Income Tax Credit worth up to $6,242 if you have three or more kids. Tax credits reduce your tax bill dollar for dollar and allow you to keep more of your hard-earned money.

*File even if you owe.* Remember, filing a tax extension only extends the time you have to file your taxes, not the time you have to pay anything you owe. Even if you owe money to the IRS, you can ask for an installment agreement when you file, which may allow you to pay your tax debt over six years.

*No need to wait for Form 1095-B or 1095-C.* If you have employer-provided health insurance, private health insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, you may have received Form 1095-B or C to prove you have health insurance. However, even if you did not receive Form 1095-B or C, there's no need to wait to file because you do not need these forms to file. They are for information only -- so go ahead and file!

*Make a last-minute tax move*. Most money-saving tax moves need to be made by December 31 of the tax year, but there is one thing you can still to help lower your tax bill or increase your refund. You can still contribute up to $5,500 ($6,500 if you're over 50) to your traditional IRA up until the tax deadline on April 18 and still get a deduction for your contribution. Just make sure you let the administrator know that your contribution is for 2015 and not 2016.

*Make Filing Fun: * Tax season may cause anxiety, but there are ways to make filing your taxes fun. Hosting a tax party to file with your friends is a great excuse to get together with friends and enjoy yourselves while you're filing your taxes. And don't forget that listening to upbeat music will keep you motivated through the filing process -- plus you'll have something to dance to when you celebrate having #TaxesDone.

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

Republicans (Yes, Really!) Made Registering To Vote Easier In West Virginia

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Republicans in West Virginia did an uncharacteristic thing last month: They made registering to vote easier, rather than more difficult.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) signed a voter identification and automatic registration bill sent to him by the Republican-controlled legislature on April 1, making the state just the third in the nation to pass an automatic voter registration law.

The law Tomblin signed was an unusual coupling of voter identification, a measure pushed by Republicans that Democrats tend to oppose, with automatic registration, in which the inverse scenario has played out. Automatic registration has gained momentum after Oregon and California became the first and second states to pass it last year. (New Jersey’s Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar bill passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature in November.)

Automatic registration, which shifts the burden of registration from the voter to the state, has the potential to dramatically increase registration rates while improving accuracy and saving states money. Under an automatic registration system, state agencies initiate the registration process when citizens interact with their offices. Citizens are given the opportunity to opt out of being registered. The federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires states to give citizens the opportunity to register to vote when they apply for a new or renewed driver’s license, but voting rights groups have had to sue various states for failing to adhere to that law's provisions. 

Registering voters automatically has become a popular cause for Democrats across the country. President Barack Obama called on lawmakers in Illinois to help make automatic registration “the new norm across America” in February. Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have also spoken in favor of the proposal, while Democrats in Congress have introduced proposals of their own. Twenty-eight states plus the District of Columbia have considered automatic registration measures, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

But Republicans have generally been opposed to automatic registration, arguing that it would endanger voters’ privacy, exclusively benefit Democrats, waste government resources and lead to the accidental registration of noncitizens.

Republicans in West Virginia didn’t offer that litany of objections when the measure came up for a vote last month.

“If you’re making an argument against it, I don’t know what it is,” said state Sen. Craig Blair, the GOP’s majority whip. “When you’re automatically registered to vote, that makes your life easier … It does away with the argument that we’re trying to suppress the vote, because it’s not true.”

(When HuffPost asked Blair if he had a message for Republicans opposed to automatic registration in other states, he shied away from encouraging them to follow West Virginia’s lead, saying each state has its own unique circumstances.)

 State Sen. Charles Trump (R) claimed he hadn’t heard the issue inspire rancorous debates in other state legislatures.

“It surprises me a little bit to hear you tell me that it was controversial or a partisan issue in other places, I don’t see it as that -- when people overthink, 'Does this give an advantage to one side or another,' they’re wrong as often as they’re correct, and that sort of thinking is not where we were and not where I was,” he told HuffPost. “All I can say on that is that the Republican caucus ... is interested in making sure that it is easy for people to vote. We don’t have any agenda other than that.”

The story in West Virginia began earlier this year, when Republicans in the House of Delegates advanced a voter ID measure on a party-line vote. The GOP argues that requiring voters to show a piece of photo identification in order to vote protects against fraud. Democrats, on the other hand, say that in-person impersonation fraud is exceedingly rare, if not virtually nonexistent, and that voter ID laws depress turnout among those who who are less likely to possess an acceptable form of ID, such as low-income voters, students, racial minorities, voters with disabilities and seniors. 


"The Republican caucus ... is interested in making sure that it is easy for people to vote. We don’t have any agenda other than that.”
West Virginia State Sen. Charles Trump (R)
At that time, an amendment proposed by Democrats to implement automatic voter registration failed. But as Democrats successfully proposed expanding the list of forms of identification that would qualify as voter ID, they found Republicans open to the idea of automatic registration.

“It totally surprised me in that there was no real fight or pushback on either of the two fronts -- expanding the IDs, or having the automatic registration,” said state Sen. Corey Palumbo (D). “I was expecting it to be more of a contentious, partisan battle … There clearly was not a big fuss about [automatic registration] and my best guess is it was probably because it was done in the context of a voter ID bill, which [Republicans] by and large very much wanted.”

West Virginia’s voter ID law is relatively less restrictive than those in other states. It allows for student IDs, bank statements, health insurance cards and utility bills, along with driver’s licenses.

Patrick Hickey, an assistant professor of political science at West Virginia University, guessed that Republicans in the state legislature were abiding by the state’s reputation for fairness

“It’s a small state and relatively friendly so you see less partisanship in the process than you do in other states," he said. "Republicans here kinda thought, ‘OK, that sounds reasonable, let’s do that.'”

Democrats in other states could be inspired to bargain for automatic registration like they did in West Virginia. Republicans control 70 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers, so if West Virginia doesn’t prove to be an anomaly, the marriage of voting restrictions with automatic registration to temper their impact could come up again soon.

-- 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 9 hours ago.

Real Estate Expert Marian Schaffer of Southeast Discovery Comments on Strong Growth in Beaufort County, South Carolina and Its Impact on Local Real Estate Market

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Southern Beaufort County Experiencing Inventory Shortage in Some Real Estate Segments as Demographics Shift According to Schaffer

Bluffton, SC (PRWEB) April 14, 2016

Marian Schaffer, Principal and Founder of Southeast Discovery, a real estate consulting firm specializing in guiding Baby Boomers with their real estate needs in the niche markets of retirement relocation and second homes in the Southeast region, recently commented on Beaufort County, South Carolina’s robust expansion over the last decade and its impact on the local real estate market.

“2010 U.S. Census figures revealed a 34.1 percent growth in this area in the decade of 2000 to 2010, more than doubling the population in less than thirty years,” Schaffer noted. “March 2016 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau report Beaufort County as one of three communities in South Carolina among the 20 fastest-growing metro areas in the nation.” Beaufort County’s 2.6 per cent growth was second to the 3.5 per cent growth in Myrtle Beach; Charleston was the third state metro area on the list with a 2.4 per cent growth.

According to the Census Bureau, most of the population increase from 2010 to 2013 occurred on Hilton Head Island which added 2,300 people. Bluffton gained 628 people, and the city of Beaufort gained 524. In January 2015, these areas experienced an increase of about 5,000 more workers than the previous January according to the area’s Lowcountry Council of Governments.

Much of the increase in population can be traced to the Baby Boomer exodus from colder climates, which is helping drive construction and real estate sales. Adding to this dynamic are service members at the military bases in Beaufort, who often stay upon completion of their service obligation and settle in the area. Beaufort County’s strong tourism segment also draws repeat visitors, many of whom eventually choose Beaufort County as a relocation area.

Suburbanstats shows the 2015 and 2016 median age as 40 in Beaufort County as a whole, 32 in Bluffton and 50 on Hilton Head Island reflecting an influx of younger people being attracted to the area for jobs. And as a result, more and different kinds of services, retail and entertainment geared to a younger audience are adding to the growth of the area.

With the draw of the Hilton Head Island beaches, numerous waterways and golf courses, as well as a favorable climate, cost of living and general quality of life, the Southern Beaufort County metro area has long been a compelling retirement and relocation destination, according to Schaffer. Bluffton, SC ranked as one of the best 25 places to retire by Forbes in a recent 2016 list.

“Because of its desirable location and its reputation as a sought after retirement destination, Southern Beaufort County is experiencing a resurgence of luxury homes sales in the $500,000 plus range due to pent up demand,” Shaffer noted.

In 2012, Bluffton ranked seventh on financial consumer website Nerdwallet’s top 10 areas on the rise in South Carolina. Population, employment and income growth were used to generate the rankings using five-year estimates data from the 2012 U.S. Census survey. Bluffton’s high score was aided by a 29.64 per cent increase in working age population from 2009 to 2012. It also topped the list with 68.1 percent of its labor force employed in 2012.

Nerdwallet also named Bluffton as the second best place in South Carolina for home ownership in 2014. According to area realtors in southern Beaufort County, there is a shortage of single-family residential homes under $350,000 in Bluffton with most single-family residential homes selling within 30 days. Tract homes in the $300,000 price point in Beaufort have been very active, too. The Okatie area between Bluffton and Beaufort is particularly suited for growth because of its location between both sides of Beaufort County as well as to Interstate 95.

Not surprisingly, the county’s school district is growing by 300 to 600 students annually, according to Superintendent Jeff Moss. As a result, Bluffton opened River Ridge Academy recently and the new May River High School opens in the fall of 2016. The district also set aside land for a new elementary and middle school on the May River campus. Schools are not the only thing to expand. Beaufort Memorial Hospital expanded its emergency room two years ago due to the population growth and increased access to health insurance, according to spokeswoman Courtney McDermott.

“As the nation’s economy strengthens, so does buyer confidence, so people can finally relocate south as their homes sell in other markets. We’re witnessing continuing improvement in roads and other infrastructure to accommodate the growth with more plans in the works,” says Schaffer. “We anticipate strong sales and increases in median pricing through 2016 in southern Beaufort County,” she adds.

About Southeast Discovery
Since 2004, Southeast Discovery has been a trusted resource for candid information and insight on communities, developments, and general real estate in the Southeast. Through its highly-ranked web portal, newsletter and blog and its one-on-one work with clients, Southeast Discovery helps buyers actively looking for a retirement or second home in the Southeast navigate the process of identifying the right area and community for their needs. To learn more, visit http://www.southeastdiscovery.com/. Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.

California effort is underway to allow undocumented immigrants to buy healthcare coverage

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California would be the first state in the nation to ask the federal government to allow immigrants in the country illegally to purchase health insurance through a state exchange under new proposed legislation.

Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) authored a bill that would have the state formally... Reported by L.A. Times 23 hours ago.

ez1095 Is Now Approved By IRS To Generate XML Efile Documents To Be Uploaded to IRS for ACA Efiling

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ez1095 software from Halfpricesoft.com is now approved to efile and upload to IRS site forAffordable Care Act forms. Download and try it at no cost or obligation at http://www.halfpricesoft.com.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) April 14, 2016

ez1095 Affordable Care Act software from Halfpricesoft.com is now approved by the IRS to file 1094 & 1095 forms electronically. The deadline for efiling forms is June 30, 2016. By downloading and entering data in the trial version now and applying for the required TCC code early, businesses will be ready to efile forms and beat the dead line.

“The latest ez1095 software for printing ACA forms 1095 and 1094 has just been approved by the IRS to file electronically, ” said Dr. Ge, the founder of Halfpricesoft.com.

New ez1095 ACA form software is easy-to-use and flexible. Developers created this software in anticipation of the requirements by the government to file forms 1094 and 1095 starting in 2016. ez1095 software’s graphical interface leads customers step-by-step through setting up company, adding employees, add forms and print forms. Customers can also click form level help links to get more details regarding the software.

ez1095 software is compatible Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP and other Windows systems. Potential customers can download and try this software at no obligation by visiting http://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/form-1095-software-free-download.asp

The main features included in the application are:· Print ACA Form 1095-C, 1094-C, 1095-B and 1094-B on white paper for recipients and IRS with inkjet or laser printer.
· PDF print 1095-C and 1095-B recipient copies
· Efile version available at additional cost.
· Support unlimited companies.
· Support unlimited number of recipients.
· Print unlimited number of 1095 and 1094 forms.
· Fast data import feature
· Print Form 1095 C: Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Insurance
· Print Form 1094 C: Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns
· Print Form 1095-B: Health Coverage
· Print Form 1094-B: Transmittal of Health Coverage Information Return

Priced at just $195, ($295 for efile version) this ACA forms filing software saves employers time and money. To learn more about ez1095 ACA software, customers can visit http://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/aca-1095-software.asp

About halfpricesoft.com
Founded in 2003, Halfpricesoft.com has established itself as a leader in meeting the software needs of small businesses around the world with its payroll software, employee attendance tracking software, check printing software, W2 software, 1099 software and barcode generating software. It continues to grow with its philosophy that small business owners need affordable, user friendly, super simple, and totally risk-free software. Reported by PRWeb 20 hours ago.

Scottsdale, AZ Drug Treatment Center Launches Financing Program

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Scottsdale Recovery Center, a Phoenix, Arizona based addiction treatment program for younger adults, announces financing-lending options for patients & families.

Scottsdale, Arizona (PRWEB) April 14, 2016

Having built a reputation as being among Scottsdale, Arizona’s leading drug rehab centers for younger adults in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, Scottsdale Recovery Center has announced this week the rollout of new financing and lending services. Designed for patients and families requiring assistance in paying for addiction treatment, as well as for medical detox and related recovery services, the program marks a major move forward in the facility’s push to help combat rising drug and alcohol abuse & addiction numbers throughout the Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona regions.

Historically reliant on PPO health insurance and private-pay (out-of-pocket) clients, SRC will expand its treatment offerings using two specific financing avenues for all substance abuse and mental health related rehab services. Differentiating itself, however, from most other substance abuse treatment programs, Scottsdale Recovery Center will offer financing options for patients with credit scores starting as low as 580 FICO.

Says Founder and Co-owner, Chris Cohn, MAC, LASAC, NCRS, “While we’ve always been among the more affordable, yet comfortably upscale, addiction treatment options throughout Arizona, we’re very excited to be on the leading edge of helping to make residential (inpatient-type) and outpatient addiction treatment more readily available for those with limited financial means or health insurance options.”

Scottsdale Recovery Center provides a broad scope of inpatient-type (PHP) as well as intensive outpatient (IOP) drug and alcohol treatment services in and around the Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ regions. Geared specifically for younger adults in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, the program’s national acclaim is based largely on its ability to effectively counter the inordinately high rates of relapse inherent to such younger adult age groups.

The program integrates a hybrid approach toward the overall treatment and life re-building process, entailing 12-Step, non 12-Step and holistic properties. The goal is to help younger adults establish firm foundations in both sobriety and recovery, as well as in core life elements. Such examples would be: employment, career, education, life direction, family and social dynamics, spiritual focal points and even developing new passions and life enjoyment skills without the use of mind-altering substances.

States Alex Salcedo, Co-founder and CEO, “Scottsdale Recovery Center is about pushing the boundaries of success and never settling for what has become an unfortunately low status quo industrywide; this effort to present greater treatment options for those in need of help is exactly the type of openness and forward thinking we aspire to maintain here at SRC.”

The SRC programs maintain Arizona State Licensure as well as Joint Commission Accreditation, which is widely deemed the foremost barometer in gold standard of care within the medical and mental health industries nationwide.

Scottsdale Recovery Center offers varied levels of drug/alcohol addiction and dual-diagnosis treatment services, as well as medical detox, intervention and family support & guidance, aftercare, sober living, life/recovery coaching and integrative alumni support services. Primary locations are available throughout Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ, and with secondary satellite offices in Mesa, Tempe and Chandler. More information on financing options and treatment services is available on the company website at http://scottsdalerecovery.com or by calling the 24/7 support line at (888) 309-3385. Reported by PRWeb 18 hours ago.

Solis Security Selects Vertiscale to Reinforce Cybersecurity for Mid-Market Customers

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Austin companies Solis Security and Vertiscale partner to provide enterprise-grade secure remote access and BYOD capabilities

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) April 14, 2016

Vertiscale today announced that Austin-based cybersecurity services company, Solis Security has become a Vertiscale partner. Solis Security will provide its clients with Vertiscale’s workspace-as-a-service technology to enable secure, remote access to data, applications and desktops from any device. By deploying Vertiscale, Solis Security customers can quickly and easily reduce exposure to cyber-attacks, eliminate potential data breaches caused by lost or stolen devices, and for healthcare clients, strengthen compliance for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.

Industry stats show that 71% of security breaches target small business. Many lack the resources and talent to combat these threats, which can often cripple their company and so, many are turning to specialized Managed Services Providers to handle their security needs.

Solis Security has customers in the fields of banking, insurance, software development and retail throughout the United States. Their customers range from energetic start-ups to well-established companies that take cybersecurity and information technology very seriously.

“Mobility and security are becoming top of mind for our customers,” said Chris Loehr, President of Solis Security, a managed IT and cybersecurity firm. “We’re impressed with Vertiscale’s security features, their fast deployment capabilities, and ease of use. Our customers continue to add more devices and this allows them to immediately and confidently secure a remote workforce.”

“Working with a growing IT and cybersecurity firm like Solis Security will get Vertiscale technology into the hands of many Austin businesses,” said Jon Senger, CTO and Co-Founder of Vertiscale. “Demand for our solution is expanding rapidly and we’re excited to partner with Solis Security to help in securing Austin.”

Vertiscale is sold exclusively through Managed Services Providers. Its uniquely gated application architecture helps minimize security breaches and controls access to important data. Vertiscale encrypts data at rest and in transit and keeps protected data off of end-user devices. The solution enforces stringent role-based access policies and technologies to prevent unauthorized access, while logging user access history for easy reporting during security audits. Vertiscale offers dedicated, encrypted file storage for protected data through the system’s unique HIPAA Drive™. Vertiscale’s cloud management technology portal is extremely secure and light-weight, limiting exposure and potential for security breaches.

To learn more, contact Vertiscale at info(at)vertiscale(dot)com.

About Solis Security
Solis Security was founded in 2003 by Native Texan, Terry Oehring. Terry’s initial vision was to create a company that would help community banks create and implement regulatory compliant security programs. Since then, Solis Security has helped companies in different verticals and different sizes successfully plan and execute their cybersecurity and information technology strategies. In 2003, Solis Security started offering reasonably priced security solutions our SMB clients. Today, Solis has grown into a full service IT and cybersecurity company serving clients internationally. Our approach to only offer products and solutions that meet our security standards gives our clients peace of mind.

About Vertiscale
Vertiscale offers a Workspace-as-a-Service (WaaS) solution that enables MSPs to deliver immediate value with easy deployment and minimal upfront costs. Developed from the ground up with security in mind, Vertiscale’s solution supports and secures mobile computing, remote access, and works with existing hardware. For the healthcare market, it enables MSPs to provide IT services that comply with the technical requirements of the HIPAA regulations. Founded by an experienced technology team with deep roots in virtualization, cloud computing, mobility and security development, Vertiscale is headquartered in Austin, Texas. More information is at http://www.vertiscale.com. Follow Vertiscale on Twitter @Vertiscale and LinkedIn.

# # # Reported by PRWeb 17 hours ago.

Why This Company Is Paying Its Employees To Sleep More

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Would you go to bed earlier if your employer told you to? What about if you were paid to?

Employees at health insurance giant Aetna can bring home up to $300 a year if they get at least seven hours of sleep per night. The voluntary program launched last year as part of the firm's larger effort to promote wellness in its offices.

In an interview this week, Aetna spokesman T.J. Crawford detailed the goals of the program and how it works.

“Having a well-rested and more present workforce is a win for everyone -- our employees, our members and our shareholders," Crawford told The Huffington Post.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults 18-64 years old get between seven and nine hours of nightly rest. Those 65 and older should get seven to eight hours a night. But data from the National Health Interview Survey show that 30 percent of American adults get only six hours or less. 

Studies have shown that not getting enough sleep can affect a person's productivity, creativity and ability to focus. Basically, people don’t perform well when they're sleep deprived. 


Having a well-rested and more present workforce is a win for everyone -- our employees, our members and our shareholders.
T.J. Crawford, Aetna spokesman
Last week, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini chatted about his company's sleep initiative on CNBC's "Squawk Box." Arianna Huffington, the founder and editor-in-chief of HuffPost, joined him for the segment.

"You can get things done quicker if people are present and prepared. You can't be prepared if you're half-asleep," he said, adding later that focusing on employee wellness can boost a business' revenue. "It's going to show up in our bottom line and the Street's confidence that we can do it quarter, after quarter, after quarter; year after year."

Huffington, who recently published a new book on the necessity of sleep, said Aetna's program "really changes the cultural delusion that most businesses have been operating under, which has been ... the more exhausted and burned out the employees are, the more productive they are."

Here's how the program works: For every 20 days an Aetna employee reports sleeping at least seven hours, he or she can earn $25 -- up to $300 in total. If you don't have a calculator handy, that would take 240 nights of good sleep.

Employees can sync a FitBit or similar health-tracking device to the company’s wellness program platform to have their sleep automatically tracked -- or they can manually enter how much they sleep each night. The company has also set up a Tumblr page with sleep tips, videos and resources.So can a business really convince its workers to make healthier choices by paying them? 

It sounds good in theory, but Aetna would not share the results from its program with HuffPost, nor would it say how many workers participate in the initiative.

Seventy percent of U.S. companies offer some kind of wellness program, and many try to sweeten the deal by offering incentives. However, the jury is still out on what truly motivates people to be healthy.

One recent study found that a corporate fitness program that took money away from workers for not achieving their fitness goals actually motivated people to be more active than rewarding them for achieving their goals. And recently some employees and consumer groups spoke up about concerns that employee workplace wellness programs may violate worker privacy and unfairly penalize those who do not want to disclose personal health and medical information.

Crawford noted about Aetna's program: "With regard to privacy, all of our internal wellness programs are voluntary. Employees are in no way required to disclose personal health information."

He also said that some of the company's other wellness programs, like its mindfulness-based stress reduction program, had been studied in a randomized, controlled trial and had been shown to help reduce stress in employees.  

Sarah DiGiulio is The Huffington Post’s sleep reporter. You can contact her at sarah.digiulio@huffingtonpost.com.

-- 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 15 hours ago.

Specialists On Call Announces Key Appointments to Executive Team

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Specialists On Call announces the addition of Ann Kessinger, EVP of Sales & Marketing, and Sean Banerjee, Chief Technology Officer, to its leadership team.

Reston, VA (PRWEB) April 14, 2016

Specialists On Call, Inc. (SOC), the nation’s leading provider of clinical telemedicine services and solutions to acute care hospitals, today announced the addition of Ann Kessinger and Sean Banerjee to its leadership team. These appointments signify SOC’s continued focus on attracting the industry’s best talent while demonstrating its commitment to client success and the expansion of future service delivery capabilities.

Ms. Ann Kessinger joins the company as Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, bringing over 15 years of experience working with preeminent national hospitals and health systems across the country. She joins SOC from her previous role as Executive Director of Sales and Marketing at The Advisory Board Company. Prior to the Advisory Board, Ms Kessinger served as Associate Vice President of Strategic Accounts with Executive Health Resources (EHR), an Optum Company, where she had direct P&L responsibility for over $300M of renewal business across 900 client hospitals.

In late 2015, Mr. Sean Banerjee was appointed as the company’s new Chief Technology Officer, delivering over 20 years of IT leadership experience within the healthcare industry to SOC. Most recently, he served as the VP of Engineering at Evolent Health, where he led the development of the firm’s end-to-end-integrated, cloud-based SAAS platform. Mr. Banerjee had previously led the IT eBusiness division of Anthem, the nation’s largest health insurance company, overseeing all web application assets.

“As 2016 will be an important year in our growth, the additions of Ann and Sean to the SOC leadership team demonstrate our continued commitment to client service excellence and technology-driven solutions,” said Mr. Hammad Shah, Specialists On Call’s Chief Executive Officer. “A skilled leadership team serves as a strong foundation as we move forward in creating best-in-class solutions that accelerate patient care and allow our more than 350 hospital clients to take full advantage of telemedicine across the enterprise.”

About Specialists On Call
Specialists On Call (SOC) is the nation’s most experienced and trusted provider of physician consultations via telemedicine, offering 24x7 coverage and serving over 350 hospitals nationwide. Through its Neurology, Psychiatry and Critical Care service lines, SOC delivers board certified, U.S.-trained specialty physicians directly to the patient’s bedside. The company's Consult Coordination Center (CCC) is a “virtual hospital”, with both clinical and operational support teams dedicated to accelerating patient care through a fully-redundant and state-of-the-art infrastructure.  SOC was the first private provider of acute clinical telemedicine services to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and has maintained that accreditation every year since 2006. 

For more information, visit http://www.specialistsoncall.com. Reported by PRWeb 13 hours ago.

Six Easy Steps to the Revolution

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*Written with Helen A Berger, PhD, resident scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University and author of A Community of Witches.*

After the revolution....I remember having so many conversations with friends in the late 1960s about this. We would get a cheap bottle of Chianti and drink and talk and spin such wonderful dreams--the wine, the talk, the camaraderie, and the hope--it was all exhilarating. I still miss it, but I subsequently learned in a sociology course that this was what Karl Marx called Utopian socialism, which Bob Marley so beautifully described as "pie in the sky by and by." And here we are again another century; another revolution. The thought of it is exciting filled with possibilities, but this time I would like to see those possibilities not remain dreams but become a new reality, a better society.

So what is the plan? How do we get to our better, although, I am sure, still imperfect, world? Well, it is going to take sustained work from all of us, or at least most of us. Change does not come easily or cheaply. The cost of this change is doing a lot of tedious but necessary work and forming coalitions with people we may not agree with on all issues. Politics is a messy and tiring business--but it is how change happens. If you really want the revolution you need to be committed to making it happen.

What we need now are progressives at all levels of government, including the lowest levels of local government. These are often not exciting jobs, nor jobs that give you glory, but they are the routes to gaining a greater say in how the rules are made and to being in a position to make change. We have learned this election season that many of the election rules are made by the parties on the local level. We need progressives to join the Democratic Party, do the work, and be there to make the decisions. We have also learned that many laws that affect people's lives and that determine if they even get to vote are made at the local level and again we need progressives there.

Local government is also the minor leagues for politicians. It is an easy place to start as the barriers to entry are few and it gives you name recognition. Bernie began as Mayor of Burlington, Vt., which had fewer than 40,000 people when be he ran for office.

So how to begin? We have six suggestions: Do any or all of these if you can but at least do #6.

1. Find out when your local Democratic Party meeting is and go. There are no credentials required and no fee. Just show up and start doing some of the work. They need participants and you will quickly move up in status and be asked to do more.

2. Join a study or work group in your local community. For example, most towns have zoning committees, and you can make a real difference in helping to create affordable housing or more of a tax base or join the local traffic study group and make room for more bikes and begin saving the environment. Town and city governments also need volunteers and provide a good entry level position for then running for City or Town Council.

3. Attend the Democratic Caucuses to elect the delegates for the conventions. Make your presence known to the candidates running and support your favorite. The times and places are normally online. Only the faithful attend, you demonstrate your commitment. Usually these caucuses take a couple of hours only.

4. Join regulatory committees on the local level. These are equally as tedious as they are very important. It is where all those pesky rules that end up making things possible or not are made.

5. When new laws are passed on the state or local level, go to the town, city or state house and find out who is writing the regulations for a particular law, contact them and be part of that process. The devil is in the details and you need to be part of creating those details.

6. Vote. Yes, going out and voting matters. For better or worse, we have a two party system and whether you choose to vote for one of the two people on the ballot in November, who are in the major parties or not, you are choosing politicians--passively by not voting and directly by doing your bit.

There were many things that brought us George W. Bush and his tax breaks for the very wealthy and the Iraq war, but among those things was a protest vote which stopped the first serious environmental candidate for president, Al Gore, from winning. Purists! The Green Party didn't want to make any compromises and let what they believed was the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Of course, we can't forget the role of the Supreme Court that stopped the recount either. Now again the Supreme Court is up for grabs--this will influence the laws for the next 40 years or possibly longer.

No, everyone who disagrees with you is not the same. Real people, who are gay, who are poor, who are Muslim, who are immigrants, who have no health insurance, and pregnant women who just can't for whatever reason have this fetus become a child are relying on each of us. And no, it is not better for them to have pie in the sky by and by. We need to take responsibility for our actions--we vote for the possible or we don't vote and we let the anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, take control of the country and the Supreme Court.

The choice is yours and mine. We then work first on the local level and then, on the state and national for the more progressive changes. Change doesn't happen magically, it is a slog of hard and boring work, with some moments of excitement. As in any renovation project it is easy to tear down, but much harder to build up. We can easily destroy, but to truly bring revolution we need to build and we need to work with others, even those with whom we don't always agree. So do If you really want that revolution, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty doing the actual work of politics.

-- 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 12 hours ago.

Pride in Prejudice

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A word can go out of style. Words we use to describe important new ideas are associated with their moment in time and lose their power, becoming quaint as society builds on those ideas and grows past them. Women everywhere live in relationship to some form of gender-based oppression. It can be different for each individual woman, but practically all women have some experience of being treated unequally to men. Many of us hope for the world to become a place where women are liberated from that oppression. But if I use the term "Women's Liberation" to describe that, suddenly I am connected to an earlier time which, in hindsight, is characterized by some degree of naiveté about the issues that society needs to overcome to create true equity for women.

One word that seems to have become quaint to us is the word "prejudice." We seem to have forgotten prejudice's destructive power. Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. Prejudice against others is (as I learned in first grade) "judging before knowing." It's judging people without having any real experience of them. I was taught that prejudice is both an inaccurate way of understanding the world and morally wrong.

This is not the all too human habit of having unconscious biases toward people who are different than we are, though that also can lead to a great deal of suffering. This is the blatant belief in the inferiority or evil of people based on their membership in a particular identity group.

Prejudice takes many forms. A shocking number of people in the US think that all or most Muslims are terrorists. The physical reality is that if only 1 percent of the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world chose to cause physical harm to the US, that would be 16 million fighters. The total number of combat personnel in the entire US military, including reserves, is only about one seventh of that, 2.3 million combat and non-combat combined. Not only would we not stand a chance against the attack of 16 million suicide prepped, bloodthirsty jihadists, but they wouldn't have to commit acts of terrorism in the first place. Terrorism is an asymmetrical means of engagement, a way for a vastly smaller, weaker group of people to attack a much larger and more powerful one. The goal of terrorism is to induce terror in the target society making it more defensive, authoritarian, and closed. As that society tries to exert more control it alienates an ever growing proportion of its population. It effectively destroys itself. If 1% of the Muslim population of the world wanted to destroy the U.S., they could simply invade. Still, many people use their inaccurate belief that a large percentage of people of the Muslim faith seek to do the U.S. harm as a reason to close our borders to people in need if they happen to be Muslim, despite the fact that, statistically, a USAmerican is considerably more likely to die in a lightning strike than than terrorist attack.

We see prejudice in the calls for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border. One of the most important arguments in favor of this is the belief that undocumented immigrants from that part of the world engage in a high rate of criminality when in fact the crime rate is much lower for immigrants than U.S. born people. These security-minded wall builders make what amounts to an emotional decision that illegal immigration is a primary threat to U.S. security.

We see prejudice in many responses to apparent cases of police brutality. A black man's death in police custody is video taped (trigger warning for racial violence) and many people would rather focus on his resistance to being handcuffed than his muffled cries of, "I can't breathe," and obvious distress, as if resisting arrest carried a death sentence. We find the idea that a large proportion of the black community experiences the police as a destructive force to be ludicrous. We haven't experienced it ourselves and we won't trust the experience of others. We're more offended when someone sees prejudice in our beliefs than we are by racism. We see the issue as being generated by the specific shortcomings of black people rather than the very human shortcomings of the system that is the product of both historical and present day prejudice. The logic of this belief escapes us: if we would rather believe in the inferiority of other groups than our own very human denial, then we are, by definition, racist.

For a time it seemed the U.S. would only make forward progress in the struggle against prejudice. The civil rights movement made it both illegal and socially unacceptable to be openly prejudiced, but The Southern Strategy, (trigger warning for racially offensive language used to make a point), mass incarceration, anti-"political correctness," and a host of other social mechanisms have allowed prejudice to persist and acted as incubators for a return to overt prejudice. We blame leaders for creating this situation, but we need to hold ourselves accountable for how effective these strategies have been on us. We choose our leaders, and we've chosen many who choose prejudice. Choosing prejudiced leaders is choosing prejudice.

Fear has driven us to a place where prejudice makes sense to us. The threat of terrorism is real, but it's only our reaction to it that makes it an existential threat: our own descent into irrational fear-motivated violence. Force is our answer to everything: force abroad, force at home. And when the target of our force pushes back, well, they should have submitted to force, this, often from the very people who resent being required by the ACA to have health insurance. "Force them but don't force us."

We call for unity, but only among the "right" people. It is a unity against the "others," not with them. Our definition of a "Great America" doesn't really exclude them if they act the way they're supposed to, but it would certainly be complete without them. We'd willingly deport even the very workers who are statistically likely to produce our food, whether on the farm or in the kitchen. "Go back to where you came from, but make me a sandwich first." We point the finger at "them." They're the problem. We do everything we can to gain an advantage: fudge our taxes, ask our friends to punch in for us, surf the web on the clock, pad our expense account, sneak a joint or a few lines on the sly, call out sick when we're really hung over, but it's those others who are stealing from us.

One word that hasn't gone out of style is "pride." We have more people in prison than any nation in history and we're proud of our freedom. The average wealth of a black family is 6 percent the average wealth a white family and we're proud of our equality. The party of Lincoln and the Southern Strategy garners 6 percent of the black vote and the support of white supremacists and we're proud of our heritage. The U.S. spends as much on its military as the next seven nations combined and we're proud of our strength.

Our pride has become the kind that masks fear rather than the pride that celebrates what's honorable. We think our pride is justified simply because we are us. We're proud of what is ours simply because it is ours. We esteem ourselves without taking estimable action and disparage others without actually knowing them.

The ugliest parts of both our history and our present most often stem from unexamined, confident prejudice. Name it when you see it.

-- 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 12 hours ago.

Nancy Pelosi: ‘Being a Woman is No Longer a Pre-Existing Medical Condition’

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(Screen Capture)

(CNSNews.com) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi today listed a number of things she believes mark the progress that has been made since President Barack Obama took office, including how being a woman is treated by health insurance plans. Reported by CNSNews.com 11 hours ago.

This exclusive report reveals the ABCs of the IoT

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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
· Connected Home
· Defense
· Financial services
· 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.
· Governments will be the second-largest adopters, while consumers will be the group least transformed by the IoT.

And when you dig deep into the report, you’ll get the whole story in a clear, no-nonsense presentation:

· The complex infrastructure of the Internet of Things distilled into a single ecosystem
· The most comprehensive breakdown of the benefits and drawbacks of mesh (e.g. ZigBee, Z- Wave, etc.), cellular (e.g. 3G/4G, Sigfox, etc.), and internet (e.g. Wi-Fi, Ethernet, etc.) networks
· The important role analytics systems, including edge analytics, cloud analytics, will play in making the most of IoT investments
· 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
· Complete analysis of the likely future investment in the critical IoT infrastructure: connectivity, security, data storage, system integration, device hardware, and application development
· In-depth analysis of how the IoT ecosystem will change and disrupt 17 different industries

*The Internet of Things: Examining How the IoT Will Affect The World* is how you get the full story on the Internet of Things.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide to the IoT universe, choose one of these options:

1. Purchase an ALL-ACCESS Membership that entitles you to immediate access to not only this report, but also dozens of other research reports, subscriptions to all 5 of the BI Intelligence daily newsletters, and much more. >> *START A MEMBERSHIP*
2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> *BUY THE REPORT*

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 9 hours ago.

IDC Offers Insurance Companies New CRM Vision

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IDC Offers Insurance Companies New CRM Vision IDC Health Insights on Monday outlined best practices for customer engagement strategies to help health insurance companies adopt a semiretail approach to interacting with members or patients. Health insurers need an integrated customer engagement strategy enabling automated interactions, shared communications, and appropriate transaction and information transparency, IDC said. Reported by CRM Buyer 4 hours ago.

New Member Acquisition Software Organization Aligns with Family of Companies, Creates Firewall Against Health Care Fraud, Waste and Abuse

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Last year AREScms officially offered Medicare and Medicaid technology software solutions to the health insurance industry. New partnerships now offer multiple compliance solutions and easy, intuitive use for health plans, brokers, FMOs and others.

(PRWEB) April 15, 2016

Insurance brokers and general agents were the first and unexpected customers to use AREScms®, a SaaS product that provides operational efficiencies, agent management and cost saving solutions. Insurance sales and marketing professionals realized the value to their businesses for reliable, failsafe protection from the massive health care fraud, waste and abuse issues that plague America’s health care system. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) release of its 2015 Improper Payment Report shows that the improper payments rate for 2015 was 12.1 percent, costing taxpayers $43.3 billion. With health plan reimbursements expected to be impacted the need for cost savings and efficiency are a must to survive in the increasingly competitive health insurance industry.

Just last year veteran health care software designer Daryl Price of West Linn, Oregon, believed there was a better way to address the needs of the hundreds of health plans relying on expensive “big box” customer relationship management (CRM) systems. His team created a CRM-like product initially for Medicare and Medicaid plans. Price thought it would be snapped up by health plans struggling to achieve positive ROI in the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) economy. So AREScms, http://www.AREScms.com, an affordable and comprehensive health plan information system was born.

“We hit our sales goal for 2015, but it was the customers of AREScms that surprised us,” said Price. “Brokers, insurance professionals and their agencies created an unexpected demand, buying our cloud-based SaaS application almost immediately after we demonstrated the product.”

AREScms is now available for all health plan products, and the product is far more flexible and less costly than any other CRM on the market. According to Price, AREScms is at about half the cost of other products and does not charge a per-user fee. This gives health plans of all sizes, small insurance brokerage firms and FMO’s a highly functional, affordable and compliant tool for unlimited users.

The first clients for 2016 Annual Enrollment Period, (AEP) were UnityAdvisors and its sister company Keystone Medicare Advisors in western Pennsylvania. The Insurance Store in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and its subsidiary, The Insurance Store NW, bought the AREScms system in March and will implement it in its existing and new stores and affiliate agents in the Pacific Northwest.

“AREScms is core to our strategic growth plan and we believe it will become the industry standard for compliance, the product is far superior to anything else available in the insurance industry,” says Victoria Bramley, president of The Insurance Store. “AREScms keeps the multitude of agents affiliated with my agency compliant, tracks their leads and streamlines the sales cycle. I am able to monitor all of our costs, improve efficiencies in the sales process and greatly reduce waste, all in real time.” Bramley plans to use AREScms this year for a major expansion of her brick and mortar stores throughout Oregon and into Washington State.

While Bramley calls AREScms the perfect solution for an agency that sells a variety of health products, including Medicare and Medicaid, major health plans are now also taking a hard look at AREScms. Price and his team have received multiple requests for demonstrations across the country.

“Platform adopters are thrilled to learn that there is no company core-system software installation required. The end-user only needs a compatible browser and we can support them,” Price says. “Assistance from the technology department is virtually unnecessary. Installation can be completed quickly and efficiently.”

Another feature built into AREScms is a unique software development life cycle process not seen previously in health plan customer management technology environments. AREScms applies new functionality into the application for better end-user support and security, while operating seamlessly under the workflows and tasks for complete two-way government-compliant sales, marketing and enrollment.

# # #

Based in Vancouver, Washington, AREScms is an acquisition, retention and enrollment solution–Customer Management System. For more information or product demonstrations, go to AREScms.com or contact Paul Leffler, AREScms operations at (877) 880-5737 or Paul(at)AREScms(dot)com.

Press contact: Mara Woloshin, 503-310-4504 mara(at)woloshin(dot)com 24/7 Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.

Ameritas Life Completes Security Life Insurance Company of America Acquisition

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Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. announced it has completed the acquisition of Security Life Insurance Company of America and Security Health Insurance Company of America, New York, Inc., effective April 1, 2016.

Lincoln, NE (PRWEB) April 15, 2016

Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. (Ameritas), headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, announced it has completed the acquisition of Security Life Insurance Company of America (Security Life) and Security Health Insurance Company of America, New York, Inc. (Security Health), effective April 1, 2016.

Throughout 2016, the group division of Ameritas Life will transition existing Security Life business, working through Security Life’s general agent distribution network. This includes individual and group dental and vision plans.

“We’re excited to serve our growing customer base,” said Karen Gustin, Ameritas group division executive vice president. “It is our intention to maintain the Security Life small group focus while introducing Ameritas’ vast dental, vision, hearing care and LASIK products to this distribution. Security Life’s individual dental and vision products will mean even more plan choices in the Ameritas growing individual product portfolio, expanding our ability to offer our members a plan that is the right fit for their needs.”

The group division of Ameritas provides dental, vision and hearing care products and services, insuring or administering benefits for more than 6.4 million people nationwide. It has one of the largest dental networks in the country with more than 413,000 access points and vision plans featuring the nation’s two largest vision networks.

Its contact center has earned BenchmarkPortal’s Center of Excellence certification every year since 2007 and placed in the Top 100 for small contact centers in 2014 and 2015. In New York, dental, vision and hearing care products are offered through Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York.

About Ameritas Life
Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. and its affiliated companies provide a wide range of insurance and financial services to customers throughout the United States, including life insurance; annuities; group dental, vision and hearing care insurance; individual disability income insurance; retirement plans; investments and public finance. Securities and investment advisory services offered through affiliate Ameritas Investment Corp., member FINRA/SIPC. For more information, visit ameritas.com. Reported by PRWeb 19 hours ago.

Obama Admin Doubles Down on Forcing Religious Groups to Accept Abortion Drug ‘Accommodation’

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Two weeks ago the Supreme Court asked both sides in the Little Sisters’ case to file supplemental briefs. The Little Sisters’ case challenged Obamacare’s requirement that nonprofit employers must provide employee health insurance coverage that includes potentially life-ending drugs and devices. Reported by CNSNews.com 17 hours ago.

Top 10 Federal Tax Charts

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These ten charts -- previewed in our Countdown to Tax Day series -- provide context for some important tax policy issues.Our first chart reminds us why we pay taxes by showing where the money goes.  Three large areas account for roughly two-thirds of the budget:  health programs such as Medicare, Social Security, and defense and international security assistance.  The safety net (including programs like SNAP and unemployment insurance) plus interest on the debt make up roughly another sixth.The remainder -- roughly 20 percent -- is everything else, from infrastructure to science research, the FBI, education, veterans' programs, and so on.So, a part of almost every tax dollar goes to things like a safer highway bridge, a new hip for an elderly person, a soldier's gear, or diabetes research.

&nbs;&nbs;

Our second chart shows where federal tax dollars come from. The individual income tax is the largest federal tax, generating close to half of federal revenues.  It's progressive, meaning that tax rates generally rise as income rises.The second largest category is payroll taxes to fund Social Security and Medicare, which account for a third of federal revenue.  Payroll taxes as a whole are regressive:  lower-income people pay a larger share of their incomes in tax than higher-income people do.  (That's because people pay Social Security tax only on their first $118,500 in wages.)  Most lower- and middle-income people pay more in payroll taxes than federal income taxes.But, while payroll taxes are regressive, Social Security and Medicare overall are progressive when you account for the benefits they provide as well as the taxes they collect. Corporate taxes provide just 11 percent of federal revenue.  The remaining 9 percent comes from various excise taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other goods, as well as the estate tax on large inheritances.  Despite growing evidence -- and public awareness -- of the high concentration of income and wealth at the top, policymakers have shrunk the estate tax dramatically since 2001.  Consequently, only about 2 of every 1,000 estates have to pay any estate tax.  

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 Our third chart shows that the United States is a low-tax country, contrary to claims like those from GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.  Among members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, only South Korea has lower government receipts as a share of the economy than the United States.

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 Federal taxes are generally designed to ensure that federal income and payroll taxes don't tax people into -- or deeper into -- poverty.  The glaring exception is childless adults, roughly 7.5 million of whom are, in fact, taxed into or deeper into poverty.That's mostly because they're largely excluded from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which, for them, is too small (or, for many of them, non-existent) to offset their income taxes and the employee share of their payroll taxes.Our fourth chart highlights an example: a 25-year-old single woman making poverty-line wages in 2016 ($12,494) as a retail salesperson.  Under current law, she's taxed nearly $1,000 into poverty:

· She will have $956 (7.65 percent of her earnings) in Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes deducted from her paychecks.· Her taxable income, after subtracting a $6,300 standard deduction and a $4,050 personal exemption, is $2,144.  She's in the 10 percent bracket, so she'll have a $214 income tax liability.· Together, her $214 in income tax liability and $956 in payroll taxes add up to $1,170.· Yet, she's eligible only for a small $184 EITC, so her federal tax liability will be $1,170 minus $184 -- or $986. 

Policymakers should make it a top priority to fix this glaring flaw in the tax code by strengthening the EITC for childless workers.

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 As our fifth chart shows, policymakers of both parties -- including President Obama and House Speaker Paul Ryan, as well as Senate Finance Committee member Sherrod Brown and House Ways and Means Committee member Richard Neal -- have proposed to increase the EITC for childless workers and to lower the eligibility age, which would move toward making a key principle universal:  nobody should be taxed into poverty.

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 There's understandable skepticism that lawmakers will act on that issue this year.  But provisions in last year's tax bill show the gains that are possible.  The bipartisan tax bill that policymakers enacted in December included a major anti-poverty achievement in making permanent critical improvements in the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that would have expired at the end of 2017.  The improvements will continue to raise roughly 16 million people, including up to 8 million children, above or closer to the poverty line in 2018 and beyond.The EITC and CTC encourage and reward work, and growing evidence suggests that income from these tax credits leads to better maternal and infant health, improved school performance, higher college enrollment, and increased work effort and earnings in adulthood, as our sixth chart shows.

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 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plays a fundamental role in our system of government -- helping taxpayers comply with the tax code, ensuring that the tax laws are enforced fairly and credibly, and collecting nearly all of the revenue that funds federal programs from defense to the safety net, roads, scientific research, and education.  While policymakers should give the IRS the resources each year to do its job, they've fallen short in recent years.In fact, since 2010, lawmakers have deliberately targeted the agency with severe budget cuts.  Last year's budget bill provided a modest -- but far from adequate -- funding increase.  Yet even with it, IRS funding is still 17 percent below 2010 levels after accounting for inflation.  In particular, policymakers have gutted enforcement funding, making it easier for tax cheats to escape audits.  All of these cuts came in the context of a rising number of tax returns to process (as our seventh chart shows), new legislative mandates, and the growing threat of identity theft.It's essential that lawmakers take a more meaningful step this year to restore IRS funding.

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 One area of the federal tax code that's ripe for reform is "tax expenditures" -- or subsidies delivered to individuals or businesses through deductions, exclusions, and other tax preferences. In 2015, tax expenditures cut federal income tax revenue by over $1.2 trillion.  As our eighth chart shows, that's more than that year's cost of Social Security, or the combined cost of Medicare and Medicaid, or non-defense or defense discretionary spending.The biggest income tax expenditure for individuals in 2015 was the provision allowing households to exclude the value of employer-provided health insurance from their taxable income, Treasury estimates.  Other prominent tax breaks include the deduction for home mortgage interest and the lower tax rates for capital gains than for earned income. One of the largest corporate tax expenditures is the "deferral of income from controlled foreign corporations," which allows multinational corporations to delay paying U.S. taxes on their foreign profits, sometimes indefinitely.  Wage and salary earners, in contrast, have to pay taxes on their earnings in the year that they earn them.Tax expenditures aren't just costly; they often provide their largest subsidies to high-income people -- the people least likely to need a financial incentive to do whatever the tax break is designed to encourage, such as buying a home or saving for retirement. For these reasons, policymakers considering ways to address the nation's long-term budget problems should consider reforming tax expenditures.  As President Reagan's former chief economic advisor, Harvard economist Martin Feldstein, has said, "cutting tax expenditures is really the best way to reduce government spending."

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 Tax Day is a timely reminder that wage and salary earners, and small and domestic businesses, pay taxes on their income and profits each year to pay for the nation's priorities.  Yet many multinational corporations effectively get to choose each year whether and how much U.S. tax to pay on their foreign profits -- and many choose to avoid those taxes indefinitely.  All countries face a basic question of how to tax profits that domestically based companies earn in other countries.  A worldwide tax system taxes them the same as domestically generated profits, whereas a territorial system imposes no taxes on foreign profits.  The United States has a hybrid system that taxes foreign and domestic profits at the same rate but only taxes foreign profits when they're brought back to the United States, allowing companies to defer U.S. tax indefinitely. This deferral feature is one of the costliest corporate tax expenditures, as we noted the other day.  And it gives multinational corporations a powerful incentive to artificially shift U.S.-earned profits overseas.Shifting a large amount of U.S.-earned profits to foreign tax havens is one way that multinationals achieve a much lower overall tax rate for their foreign income than their domestic income, as our ninth chart shows.  (Various other tax breaks enable multinationals to pay a lower share of their domestic profits in tax than the top statutory corporate tax rate of 35 percent.)  Reducing the tax code's foreign tilt should be a core element of any future corporate tax reform.

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 Our tenth chart shows that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, Americans overwhelmingly take pride in paying their taxes, as a 2014 survey by the IRS Oversight Board shows.Our country's tax system is based on voluntary compliance.  Its proper functioning, therefore, depends on lots of civic duty and responsibility, and that's exactly what exists.  Some 94 percent of Americans believe it's their civic duty to pay their fair share of taxes.In The Atlantic last April, Vanessa Williamson highlighted some interview anecdotes that hint at the reasons behind these strong survey results:

· A 28-year-old from Utah: "It feels good to contribute."· A former Marine: "[It's] the cost of being an American."· A woman from Kansas: "[T]he country has to be taken care of."

Beyond the pride of fulfilling a fundamental civic obligation, Americans can take pride in where their tax dollars are going (see here for state tax dollars and here for federal).  As one woman from Florida told Williamson, "maybe my little bit of money that I'm putting in is paying somebody else's Social Security or Medicare."

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This post originally appeared on Off the Charts, The Conter on Budget and Policy Priorities' blog

*More on this Topic*
· Policy Basics: Where Do Federal Tax Revenues Come From?

· Policy Basics: Tax Exemptions, Deductions, and Credits?

· Policy Basics: Federal Payroll Taxes?

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