Shannen Doherty Settles Health Insurance lawsuit With Ex-Manager Amid Cancer Battle

August 23, 2016, 12:32 pm

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The 'Charmed' alum claims a small victory in her legal battle against former manager as she continues battling breast cancer. Reported by AceShowbiz 11 hours ago.

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STOCKS DO NOTHING: Here's what you need to know

August 23, 2016, 1:13 pm

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Stocks jumped after strong US economic data on Tuesday, but gave up some of those gains throughout the day.

All three major indexes finished in the green, but it was still the 32nd day in a row in which the S&P 500 did not moved by 1% in either direction.

After trading well into the red early in the day, oil also jumped after reports that Iran may agree to freeze production along with the rest of OPEC.

We've got all the headlines, but first, the scoreboard:

· *Dow:* 18,549.15, +19.73, (+0.11%)
· *S&P 500:* 2,187.33, +4.69, (+0.21%)
· *Nasdaq:* 5,261.27, +16.67, (+0.32%)
· *WTI crude oil:* $48.04, +$0.63 (+1.33%)

1. The US housing market looked strong. New home sales surged to 654,000 the highest level since October 2007. The number smashed expectations of 580,000 homes sold.
2. US manufacturing expanded, but threw up a "warning." Markit's flash manufacturing PMI fell to 52.1, missing expectations of a 52.7 print. While this is still in expansionary territory and export data looked strong, weak order books during the month signaled a "warning light" according to Markit Chief Business Economist Chris Williamson.
3. Best Buy crushed earnings and the stock leaped. Same store sales beat expectations, rising 0.8% compared to expectations of a 0.6% drop. Earnings per share also beat analysts' forecasts at $0.57 per share against projections of $0.43 per share.
4. Toll Brothers luxury homebuilders reported strong growth. The luxury homebuilder reported higher home orders, up 18.2% to 1,748 units from the year before. It also raised it's projection for the average sale price to $840,000 to $850,000 from $820,000 to $850,000.
5. Oil leaped after rumors Iran will play ball with OPEC. Reuters reported that Iran may support actions by the oil cartel to limit production among the nations in order to combat falling crude prices.
6. Oscar, a health care startup, is dropping two of its Obamacare markets. The $2.8 billion health insurance company that is trying to revolutionize health insurance said it will drop its coverage through the public exchanges in New Jersey and Dallas, Texas.
7. Mylan, the maker of EpiPen's, tanked after scrutiny from lawmakers. Shares of the pharmaceutical company fell 4% in trading Tuesday after congressional leaders expressed displeasure over the company's price hiking for its allergy fighting EpiPen's.

* Additionally:*

For the US economy, it all comes back to the labor market.

Investors are all leaning one way in the market, and that could lead to a serious 'shock.'

Companies bought a lot of their own stock to meet earnings targets.

Student debt could be a serious problem for retailers.

*SEE ALSO: The US has a $1.4 trillion hole that needs to be filled*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what Rio's 'uninhabitable' Olympic Village looks like Reported by Business Insider 10 hours ago.

This exclusive report reveals the ABCs of the IoT

August 23, 2016, 10:12 pm

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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 54 minutes ago.

Public Option Would Fix Health Insurance Marketplace

August 24, 2016, 2:26 am

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(Photo: AP/CQ Roll Call)

Protesters march in support of health-care reform on March 9, 2010, in Washington, D.C.

Last week's announcement by Aetna that it would stop selling health insurance in 11 of the 15 states where it offers coverage through public exchanges is not a death blow to the Affordable Care Act, but it’s certainly not good news for President Obama’s signature health-care law.

Aetna maintained it was losing hundreds of millions of dollars on the health law’s marketplaces, and the company is one of more than a dozen major insurers that have announced plans to bail out of the exchanges. The failure of the marketplaces to generate robust competition, as Obama had predicted, should focus liberal attention on what many on the left now regard as a major policy objective: establishing a public option for the health insurance exchanges.

The Affordable Care Act has been a substantial success on balance, but it also has serious flaws. On the plus side, roughly 20 million people have health insurance because of the new law. Even after being kneecapped by the Supreme Court, the statute’s historic expansion of Medicaid has enabled millions of poor people to access health care, and Obama’s departure from office may spur more states to accept the federal money on offer. Despite problems with the ACA’s individual insurance markets, the law has offered coverage to many people who would otherwise have been locked out of the market altogether. It has also made individual health insurance plans better and less costly.

On the down side, as Aetna’s decision to leave most of its exchanges illustrates, there are inherent limitations to providing health insurance through markets. Aetna’s stated reason for leaving—that it cannot make money because the people purchasing insurance from the exchanges are sicker than expected—is a case in point. If insurance companies are allowed to deny enrollment and charge more from riskier customers, as they were before the ACA, they can make plenty of money—but the result is that huge numbers of people lack or have worthless coverage. Guaranteeing enrollment and regulating the content of plans fixes this, but it also makes it harder for insurers to make money, potentially prompting them to exit markets.

An additional problem with preserving the role of private insurance can be seen in Aetna’s other reasons for leaving. As Jonathan Cohn of The Huffington Post reports, a major reason Aetna dropped out was to retaliate against the Obama administration for refusing to approve its merger with another insurance company. The leverage that companies have on the individual exchanges allows them to effectively blackmail legislators and regulators into approving actions that are bad for people with insurance.

The Obama administration shouldn’t cave. Instead, Democrats should take steps to address the health law’s underlying problems. The obvious solution is one that surfaced repeatedly in the multiple draft versions of the legislation that eventually became the ACA, and that is now part of the 2016 Democratic Party platform: a public option. This would entail making a government-operated health-care plan available on public markets. Allowing good public insurance to compete would both ensure that decent, affordable insurance is available in all 50 states, and prevent power plays like Aetna’s by making public insurance available as a backstop. If private companies can provide insurance that people want to buy at rates competitive with the public option, good. If they can’t, this would also be fine, because the public sector would absorb a bigger share of the health insurance market, a positive development in itself.

What makes the public option desirable will also make it very hard to pass, of course, even in the event that Congress becomes more Democratic and more progressive after Election Day. Insurance companies know full well how a robust public option would eat into their customer bases and profits, and will fight it with everything they’ve got. Democrats should exhaust every avenue for winning a public option. But if they fall short, there are other ways to strengthen health insurance exchanges.

One of these, which has been advocated by Hillary Clinton, would be to lower the eligibility age for Medicare to 55, down from 65. This would be an easier political lift, and indeed, had it not been for then-Senator Joe Lieberman’s desire to stick it to the liberals who had defeated him in the 2006 Democratic primary, it may well have been part of the original health-care statute. Expanding Medicare makes sense regardless, because it would make good public insurance available to more people. Importantly, it would also indirectly strengthen the exchanges by creating insurance pools that, on average, are younger and healthier. It’s a win-win that Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are expected to take control of the Senate this fall and may even have an outside shot at regaining the House, should be able to pass.

Other potentially viable ways to strength the exchanges, as suggested by the University of Chicago’s Harold Pollack, including making the subsidies available to people purchasing insurance more generous, and providing better compensation for insurers who end up with sicker-than-expected customer pools. As Pollack observes, the latter will be necessary because of a health-care measure approved as part of a 2014 spending bill that largely eliminated the so-called risk corridors that help insurers. The measure was championed by Republican Senator and presidential also-ran Marco Rubio of Florida. Rubio and his allies had framed the risk corridors as an unearned sop to the insurance industry—“a taxpayer-funded bailout.” But that claim didn’t hold water, because while insurance companies cannot deny coverage to applicants, they aren’t actually required to sell on the exchanges. Rather than a gift, compensation for insurers with older, sicker customers ensures that they will remain in markets. Ultimately, Rubio’s initiative did more to harm the middle-class people trying to buy health insurance than to the bottom lines of the insurance companies.

Yet another regulatory fix has been proposed by Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institution: expand the coverage pools by requiring everyone purchasing individual plans to do so through the exchanges. This approach is already in effect in the District of Columbia’s health insurance exchange, one of the best-run in the country, and has proven to be successful.

Even as Democrats mull incremental fixes, they should keep their eye on what for many progressives is the long-term goal: European-style, comprehensive health insurance coverage. Bernie Sanders drew attention to this goal by strongly advocating for a single-payer insurance plan throughout the Democratic primaries. The end point for health-care reform in the United States is arguably much more likely to look like one of the many models offered in Europe, which include hybrid systems that combine public insurance with tightly regulated, often nonprofit, private markets. Full nationalization remains very difficult politically, but there are less-sweeping reform models that could work just as well as single-payer and would be easier to pass.

But step one for Democrats should be to expand Medicare and Medicaid, while also strengthening existing private markets. Perhaps this will move the nation towards a single-payer system, or perhaps it will produce something more akin to a hybrid, public-private system. Either way, the goal of reform should be to provide truly universal and affordable health coverage to all Americans. Reported by The American Prospect 21 hours ago.

United States: Michigan Health Insurance Claims Assessment Act Is Not Preempted By ERISA - McDermott Will & Emery

August 24, 2016, 3:02 am

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The trial court dismissed the case, concluding that the law was not preempted by ERISA. Reported by Mondaq 20 hours ago.

One of the biggest problems with Obamacare is only getting worse (AET, UNH, HUM)

August 24, 2016, 5:42 am

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It's going to be a lot easier for people to pick an Obamacare plan in 2017, if only because there will be less to choose from.

One of the biggest drivers that causes increased costs of healthcare is the lack of competition in some markets. This problem is acutely present for the Affordable Care Act's public insurance exchanges, according to a new study by Avalere Health.

According to the healthcare consulting firm, the high profile exits of large insurers such as Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and Humana have eliminated a significant amount of competition within the exchange market.

"A new analysis from Avalere finds that nearly 36 percent of exchange market rating regions may have only one participating insurance carrier offering plans for the 2017 plan year and there may be some sub-region counties where no plans are available," said a post on the study from Avalere President Dan Mendelson.

"Nearly 55 percent of exchange market rating regions may have two or fewer carriers."

Avalere went through each of the coverage regions (the size of which can vary by state) and analyzed the current offerings by health insurers in 2016 and the so-far announced offerings for 2017.

The firm found that there are seven states — Alaska, Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming — in which every single coverage region only has one participating insurer. When this occurs, it essentially gives the insurer a monopoly and forces patients in that region to accept the premium that company offers.

Competition in the health insurance market has been a focus of government regulators for some time. One of the main reasons cited by the Department of Justice for blocking the mergers of Anthem and Cigna as well as Aetna and Humana was due to concerns over decreased competition.

This analysis only takes into account the announced moves from the three companies that plan to roll back their offerings, so there is a chance some insurers may step in to the underserved markets.

As it stands now, however, it appears one of the largest drivers of high healthcare costs for Obamacare is only getting worse.

*SEE ALSO: For the first time, a county in America has lost all of its Obamacare insurers*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What abandoned Olympic venues from around the world look like today Reported by Business Insider 18 hours ago.

There's one state where Obamacare is 'very near collapse'

August 24, 2016, 8:28 am

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Tennessee's Obamacare market is in serious trouble, according to the person who runs the state's exchanges.

Julie Mix McPeak, the Commissioner for Tennessee's Department of Commerce and Insurance, told Nashville's The Tennessean on Tuesday that increases in premium prices and the dwindling number of insurers in the state are causing serious stress in the state's Affordable Care Act exchanges.

"I would characterize the exchange market in Tennessee as very near collapse... and that all of our efforts are really focused on making sure we have as many writers in the areas as possible, knowing that might be one," said McPeak in an interview with The Tennessean's Holly Fletcher.

"I'm doing everything I can to prevent a situation where that turns to zero."

Part of Tennessee have seen the number of insurers offering plans drop significantly, with four of the state's eight exchange rating regions having one or fewer choices for insurance companies according to an analysis from healthcare consulting firm Avalere.

McPeak is trying to avoid something similar to what is happening in Pinal County, Arizona. After health insurance giant Aetna decided to leave the county, it has been left with zero insurers offering plans on the county's ACA exchange. In Pinal County's case, many people who rely on subsidized Obamacare may be left without insurance entirely.

Like many insurers across the country, those offering plans in Tennessee are losing serious amounts of money on the exchanges, leading to significant premium increases for patients and substantial losses for insurers.

According to the Tennessean, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennesse (BCBST) — the only insurer to offer plans statewide — has lost roughly $500 million from the states' exchanges in the three years since it entered them.

Essentially, the people signing up for insurance in the exchanges like Tennessee have been sicker and more expensive to cover than health insurance companies predicted, leading to large losses.

To avoid these losses, many insurance companies have increased prices dramatically in the state, with BCBST requesting a 62% increase for premiums in 2017 after a 36.3% hike in 2016. Both "big five" insurers that do business in the state, Humana and Cigna, are also requesting premium increases of over 20% for next year.

While regulators told The Tennessean that they plan to use a number of tax breaks and other strategies to keep patients' monthly costs from skyrocketing in the state, the huge jumps in the requested headline premiums are hard to ignore. 

Of note, requests must be approved by McPeak's office at the Department of Commerce and Insurance, so the numbers for 2017 are just projections.

While many states face challenges, based on the comments by McPeak, the situation seems to be dire in Tennessee.

*Read the full breakdown of Tennessee's situation at The Tennessean»*

*SEE ALSO: One of the biggest problems with Obamacare is only getting worse*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Forget the gross factor: There are serious health reasons for why you shouldn't pick your nose Reported by Business Insider 15 hours ago.

Zika Travel Protection Questions Answered

August 24, 2016, 11:35 am

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Travel Insured International gives insight into how travel protection plans can cover travelers itineraries when it comes to the Zika virus.

Glastonbury, CT (PRWEB) August 24, 2016

With the Zika Virus outbreak causing some travelers to rethink their plans, Travel Insured International, a leading travel protection provider, wanted to answer a few questions that many may have about how travel protection could impact their upcoming vacation plans.· Is Zika Covered by Travel Protection?

For travelers who prefer to cancel their trip out of concern for the Zika virus, we are currently offering plans with Cancel For Any Reason Coverage, allowing travelers to decide for themselves whether to travel or cancel their trip. It is important for travelers to know that in order to qualify for Cancel For Any Reason coverage, the plan must be purchased within 21 days of the initial trip deposit date and the latest opportunity to use the benefit is 2 days prior to the trip departure.

· What if I become pregnant?

Our plans do provide cancellation coverage for a traveler who becomes pregnant after purchasing their policy. If a traveler buys a policy while she is pregnant then she can only cancel if she has complications of pregnancy. Of course a traveler, whether pregnant or not when she buys the policy, can cancel if they have Cancel for Any Reason coverage.

· What advice do you have for travelers?

It is important to understand that investing in a travel insurance policy can protect against unexpected situations that impact the travel industry and vacation plans, which can occur both before and during your planned trips.

· Cancel for Any Reason*

Purchasing a Plus policy that includes the benefit of Cancel for Any Reason is the best way to make sure costs are covered if a traveler is worried about an unexpected event, such as the Zika Virus. This benefit will allow you to cancel for a reimbursement of up to 75% of your non-refundable prepaid vacation costs.

· Interruption for Any Reason Coverage*

The Interruption For Any Reason benefit provides up to 75% cash reimbursement if a traveler must interrupt the trip 72 hours or more after the actual departure date. This may cover unused, prepaid, non-refundable trip costs. Plus, the additional transportation cost paid to join the trip if the traveler must depart after the scheduled departure date or travel via alternate travel arrangements with the most direct route.

· Emergency Medical & Medical Evacuation Coverage

Purchase a plan that provides coverage for medical expenses incurred during travel, particularly outside of the U.S., that health insurance providers frequently deny as out of network. With the medical benefits included in our policies, you can help ensure access to quality medical treatment wherever you travel and protect yourself from unexpected travel medical and evacuation expenses.

· Purchase Coverage No Matter Your Destination

Many people may feel that if an event is not in the destination they are traveling through or to, then they do not need to bother with investing in travel protection. Even if your travel plans to do not involve the direct path or location of the event currently, your plans could still be effected.

· Always Read the Fine Print

One of the most important aspects of receiving the coverage you need with an insurance policy is to always read the fine print and understand the rules and regulations of the supplier. As long as you understand the restrictions and deadlines, you can be reimbursed costs if something unexpected does in fact happen

While the virus is being highly monitored and the general population will most likely remain unaffected, pregnant women and those women planning to get pregnant may want to carefully consider their options. Travel Insured suggests individuals who are planning on traveling to invest in a travel insurance policy in order to protect their investments as well as their overall health and safety.

For more information please contact our Customer Care Department at 1-800-243-3174, or visit us at http://www.travelinsured.com

*Plans may vary by state.
This {material} contains highlights of the plans. The plans contain insurance benefits underwritten by the United States Fire Insurance Company. C & F and Crum & Forster are registered trademarks of United States Fire Insurance Company. The Crum & Forster group of companies is rated A (Excellent) by AM Best Company 2015. The plans also contains non-insurance Travel Assistance Services that are provided by an independent organization, and not by United States Fire Insurance Company or Travel Insured International. Coverages may vary and not all coverage is available in all jurisdictions. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.

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Administration Seeks to Ease Concerns Over Health-Insurance Spikes

August 24, 2016, 11:38 am

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The Obama administration is racing to persuade people who buy insurance on their own that financial help from the government can soften the blow of increased health premiums. Reported by Wall Street Journal 12 hours ago.

Manalapan Man Charged With Insurance Fraud

August 24, 2016, 1:43 pm

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Patch Holmdel-Hazlet, NJ -- He submitted fake health insurance claims in the name of the eye doctor he worked for, and then cashed the checks, prosecutors say. Reported by Patch 10 hours ago.

Feds aim to calm fears over possible Obamacare rate hikes

August 24, 2016, 1:16 pm

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Even if health insurance rates skyrocket by 10 to 50 percent next year, about two-thirds of Illinois residents who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace would pay no more than $100 a month in premiums, the federal government said Wednesday.

That's because consumers could shop... Reported by ChicagoTribune 10 hours ago.

Tax credits will mitigate Obamacare rate increases in Wisconsin, feds say

August 24, 2016, 1:19 pm

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Following news that Obamacare health insurance rates in Wisconsin could increase by 12 percent to 31 percent in 2017 — and by double-digit percentages in other states — federal health care officials released an analysis they say shows consumers in Wisconsin and other states will still have access to affordable health coverage options next year. An estimated 69 percent of Wisconsin consumers who buy individual insurance via HealthCare.gov could still buy a plan for less than $75 per month even… Reported by bizjournals 10 hours ago.

If health care coverage costs rise, premiums for Floridians would stay affordable, study says

August 24, 2016, 1:44 pm

≫ Next: Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Warns Obamacare "Very Near Collapse"

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The vast majority of Floridian health care users still have access to affordable health insurance coverage, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And even in a hypothetical scenario, where coverage rates increase by 25 percent, 82 percent of Florida health insurance consumers would still be able to purchase coverage for less than $75 a month. “Headline rate increases do not reflect what consumers actually pay,” said Kathryn Martin, Acting Assistant… Reported by bizjournals 10 hours ago.

Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Warns Obamacare "Very Near Collapse"

August 24, 2016, 3:29 pm

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Last week we highlighted how* insurers participating in Obamacare exchanges around the country were set to lose $2BN in 2016* prompting many to impose substantial 2017 rate hikes and/or withdraw from the exchanges altogether.  In fact, we also noted the chart below, from independent analyst Charles Gaba, who analyzed the rate hikes proposed for each of the 50 states.  Per the chart, *Tennessee *was specifically highlighted as a state expecting* 2017 rates to rise an astonishing 59%* in just 1 year.  

 

Today we have new reports from the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Julie Mix McPeak, who is saying that the *Obamacare exchange in her state is "very near collapse*" as she struggles provide at least 1 insurance option in each Tennessee county.  Per The Tennessean:



“*I would characterize the exchange market in Tennessee as very near collapse* ... and that all of our efforts are really focused on making sure we have as many writers in the areas as possible, knowing that might be one," McPeak told The Tennessean. "*I’m doing everything I can to prevent a situation where that turns to zero.”*



*Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is the only insurer that has provided statewide coverage in Tennessee *over the past 3 years with other insurers electing to only participate in select counties.  According to BCBS, the insurer has lost a total of nearly $500mm over that time period, in Tennessee alone, which prompted their request for a *62% premium increase in 2017*.  The problem for the insurance commissioner is that *BCBS hasn't yet committed to providing insurance statewide, a decision they don't have to formally make until mid-September.*  Given that BCBS is the only statewide provider, any decision to pull back coverage could result in people in certain Tennessee counties losing access to health insurance all together. 



Chattanooga-based BCBST, the *only insurer that's sold statewide in the first three years of the federal exchange*, is estimating that, by the end of 2016, it will have *lost close to $500 million in three years.* Such losses are unsustainable, said Roy Vaughn, chief communications officer of BCBST.

 

The insurer, which has previously underscored its support for the individual market, is still weighing what its presence in 2017 will look like. At this point in the process, the insurer only has to notify the state if it decides to make changes to where it will sell plans, McPeak said. It’s too late for another insurer to come onto the 2017 market.

 

“We agree with the assessment of the ACA marketplace in Tennessee. We appreciate the support of our request to close the gap between our rates and medical expenses for ACA marketplace plans. Beyond rates as we’ve discussed with the (TDCI), *we continue to have concerns about uncertainty with the ACA at the federal level,*" Vaughn said to The Tennessean. "*Due to these concerns, we are keeping all of our options open at this point about participating in the 2017 marketplace*. We anticipate making a final decision in mid-September.”



Governor Bill Haslam said that Tennessee had concerns about the Obamacare exchanges from the start noting that the federal government can't force insurers to cover people at a loss. 



“Ultimately, I think that’s where the federal government needs to come in and address the situation. They created the program and so they’re going to have to address that. *They can’t make insurance companies cover people if it doesn’t pay off for insurance companies,*” Haslam said. “Those of us who had some structural questions about the Affordable Care Act said OK, we’ve set this up, now you need to come up with an answer for this if we’re not going to have anybody that covers the exchange.”



When questioned about the seemingly failing exchanges in Tennessee, a representative from the Department of Health and Human Services noted that *people receiving subsidies* *in Tennessee will only see their insurance premiums increase $2 in 2017 to $104 per month*.  While that may be true, it says absolutely nothing about the overwhelming majority of people who don't receive subsidies and are facing a 59% increase in their costs YoY. 



“Consumers in Tennessee will continue to have affordable coverage options in 2017. *Last year, the average monthly premium for people with Marketplace coverage getting tax credits increased just $2, from $102 to $104 per month*, despite headlines suggesting double digit increases,” said Marjorie Connolly, HHS spokeswoman, in a statement.



*We're unsure whether to take Connolly's comment as just another piece of propaganda intended to defend a failing piece of legislation or an intentional, blatant admission that the Department of Health and Human Services simply doesn't care about the majority of Americans, the so-called 1%'ers, who are facing debilitating increases in healthcare costs*.  We'll let you decide on that one. 

Meanwhile, Kevin Walters of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance echoed our concerns:



"Our team has answered hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from concerned policyholders upset about premium increases and whether they can afford another jump," TDCI spokesman Kevin Walters said. "*A 45-year old Nashville resident will face premiums ranging from $500 to over $600 a month*, depending on the carrier.  *To focus on the 'majority' receiving subsidies speaks nothing to those who receive no such assistance and, instead, face $500-plus premiums.* While some consumers may switch plans, rising prices are faced by all."



In the end, the administration can only keep its head in the sand about Obamacare for so long.  The fact is that exchanges across the country are on the verge of collapse.  They're *stuck in a negative feedback loop *where *healthy people are refusing to sign up, which leads to losses for insurers, which leads to higher rates, which, of course, leads to even fewer healthy people signing up.*

As we've said before, "if Obamacare enrollments continue their current trend and insurers continue to hike premiums at alarming rates then *Republicans may not have to worry about "repealing and replacing Obamacare" as it might just work itself out "naturally"."* Reported by Zero Hedge 8 hours ago.

States Start to Approve Steep Increases in Health Premiums

August 24, 2016, 9:41 pm

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The first handful of states have released approved 2017 rates for people who buy health insurance on their own and the results so far are consistent with what many expected: There are significant increases in premiums for next year. Reported by Wall Street Journal 2 hours ago.

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Illinois submits Obamacare insurance premium increases to feds

August 24, 2016, 7:55 pm

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Illinois consumers are one step closer to facing sky-high increases for individual health insurance plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace.

The Illinois Department of Insurance said Wednesday it has submitted rate increases to the federal government that for some types of... Reported by ChicagoTribune 3 hours ago.

In Iran, unique system allows payments for kidney donors

August 24, 2016, 11:25 pm

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The whirling hum of a dialysis machine could have been the soundtrack to the rest of Zahra Hajikarimi's life but for an unusual program in Iran that allows people to buy a kidney from a living donor. [...] as black-market organ sales continue in countries like India, the Philippines and Pakistan and many die each year waiting for kidneys, some doctors and other experts have urged America and other nations to consider adopting aspects of Iran's system to save lives. The AP gained rare access to Iran's program, visiting patients on dialysis waiting for an organ, speaking to a man preparing to sell one of his kidneys and watching surgeons in Tehran perform a transplant. A person needing a kidney is referred to the Dialysis and Transplant Patients Association, which matches those needing a kidney with a potential healthy adult donor. The government pays for the surgeries, while the donor gets health coverage for at least a year and reduced rates on health insurance for years after that from government hospitals. Today, more than 1,480 people receive a kidney transplant from a living donor in Iran each year, about 55 percent of the total of 2,700 transplants annually, according to government figures. Iran says its system safeguards against black-market organ sales by having the nonprofit groups handle all arrangements and hold money in escrow until after the surgery. Poverty around the world drives black market kidney sales, a lucrative business the World Health Organization estimated represented at least 5 percent of all transplants in 2005, though it acknowledges that figure is only a guess. The U.N. health agency's guiding principles on organ transplantation call for banning organ sales, though it allows for "reimbursing reasonable and verifiable expenses," including the loss of income by a living donor. A series of academic papers and opinion pieces in recent years by doctors and promine Reported by SeattlePI.com 1 day ago.

State Farm Agent Mark Citsay Raising Funds for USA Cares

August 25, 2016, 1:03 am

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Mark Citsay, of State Farm, pledges to raise $3,000 for USA Cares.

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) August 25, 2016

State Farm Agent Mark Citsay is proud to announce he has pledged to raise $3,000 for USA Cares, which depends on direct financial support to pay for the many services provided our nation’s military families, and will look to his company’s Matching Gift program to match all or a portion of the money raised. “It’s an honor to raise funds for this outstanding organization that assists military families that are in crisis,” said Citsay. “I would also call on other State Farm agents in Las Vegas to help raise money to assist our nation’s heroes and their families.”

USA Cares provides financial and advocacy assistance to post-9/11 active duty U.S. military service personnel, veterans and their families. It assists all branches of service, all ranks and components and treats all with privacy and dignity in appreciation for their service and sacrifice. The goal of USA Cares is to help restore financial stability and self-sufficiency by giving “a hand up, not a hand out.” The objective is to reach families at the earliest stage of intervention to proactively prevent further financial distress.

To donate directly to USA Cares, please visit https://usacares.secure.force.com/pmtx/dn8n__SiteDonation?id=a2Z40000001HltN.

About Mark Citsay, State Farm
Mark Citsay State Farm offers auto, home and property, life and health insurance, as well as financial services. Mark is a member of the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors, Chairman’s Circle, President’s Club and Million Dollar Round Table. For more information, please call (702) 363-1979, or visit http://www.markcitsay.com. The office is located at 9455 W. Russell Road, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV 89148.

About the NALA™
The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALA’s mission is to promote a business’ relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.

ezPaycheck Payroll Software From Halfpricesoft.com Helps Teach Students Banking Skills

August 25, 2016, 3:05 am

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Faculty in high schools are utilizing the latest release of ezPaycheck payroll software to teach students banking and career decisions. Get the details for your school at http://www.halfpricesoft.com

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 25, 2016

Halfpricesoft.com developers have added features to assist high school students using EzPaycheck payroll software to understand just how far a paycheck really goes. Students can now learn how to spend wisely and to choose their career path more carefully.

"ezPaycheck payroll software has been updated for utilization classrooms to teach teenagers valuable banking skills." founder of Halfpricesoft.com.

Back to school has never been easier for business classes. Students can now receive a weekly or monthly paycheck printed via ezPaycheck that reflects the wage level of their chosen career. Students get to see what their take-home pay would be after deductions for taxes, health insurance and savings plans. Then they must pay virtual bills based on lifestyle choices they make, such as mortgage or rent and car payments. For many, the process is an eye-opening experience that demonstrates a need for frugality and gives them a greater understanding of how a college education could make a difference in their income and lifestyle.

EzPaycheck payroll software is ideal for school programs because teachers have the following features:
Set up virtual bank accounts
Print life-like checks (based on virtual funds)
Import data from Quickbooks, Quicken and similar accounting software
Create unlimited virtual businesses
Use with an unlimited number of students
Assign pay rates to students that reflect real-world wages for their chosen careers
Program deductions for taxes using actual federal, state and local tax rates (updated annually)
Program deductions for health insurance and savings plans

Schools and businesses can test drive ezPaycheck payroll software without cost or obligation.

Whether test-driving it for use with a school programs or trying out features for use with a business, new customers can sample ezPaycheck payroll software and all of its features free for 30 days. Customers can download ezPaycheck at http://www.halfpricesoft.com. All features are included, along with a sample database for testing. For continued use beyond 30 days, a full-use license key can be purchased for just $89 per installation for the non-network version.

There is never a cost or obligation to test this low cost, high quality software application. Download at http://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp

About Halfpricesoft.com
Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software, including payroll software, employee attendance tracking software, accounting software, check printing software, W2, software, 1099 software, and ezACH direct deposit software. Software from halfpricesoft.com is trusted by thousands of customers and will help small business owners simplify their payroll processing and business management. Reported by PRWeb 21 hours ago.

Sorry, Donald--A Woman Campaign Manager Doesn't Make You Any Less Misogynist

August 25, 2016, 5:38 am

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For the first time, a Republican presidential candidate has named a woman as campaign manager. It's a bit late -- Susan Estrich and Donna Brazile got there decades ago on the Democratic side. Still, I keep hearing that it's a mark of progress, which will appeal to women voters, that Kellyanne Conway is Donald Trump's new campaign manager.

I can't agree.

The fact is that the Trump campaign is so steeped in misogyny that appointing a woman as campaign manager won't be nearly enough to convince women to vote for him. Especially a woman with Conway's extremist views.

Consider this, from an article in Jezebel:
To get a sense of Conway's perspective on gender and the "gender gap," take the speech she gave to the Conservative Women's Network in 2011, an event co-sponsored by the very conservative Clare Boothe Luce Foundation and Heritage Foundation. In the speech, Conway bemoans feminism as "gloom and doom," and argues that "femininity is replacing feminism as a leading attribute for American women." She then continues with some familiar talking points for conservative women, namely that hating men ("the revulsion towards men in your life") is "part and parcel of the feminist movement." She also shares some helpful fashion tips like, "If women want to be taken seriously in the workforce, looking feminine is a good place to start."
Kellyanne Conway has made a career out of trying to help far right-wing candidates get votes from women, despite the fact that they consistently promote anti-woman policies. Her roster of clients includes Todd Akin, the former U.S. Congressman and failed Senate candidate. As readers may recall, Akin justified criminalizing all abortions, including when the pregnancy results from rape, this way: "It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down."

After Akin lost the election, Conway counseled Republican conservatives to simply stop talking about rape -- not that they should rethink their wildly unpopular ideas to ban all abortions under all circumstances. She likes to say, "we need to address women from the waist up," meaning, stay away from discussions about reproductive health care. But if she thinks evasiveness will fool women voters, she should think again.

While Conway has been the most visible public face of the Trump campaign in recent days, appearing on TV almost as many times as her boss used to, reportedly the political strategy is being shaped by Breitbart's Steve Bannon (the darling of the white nationalist "alt-right" crowd) and disgraced former Fox News chief Roger Ailes (who stands accused of horrific serial sexual harassment).

According to Politico:
"Kellyanne is not a campaign manager in the traditional sense of the word. She got the title as part of combat pay," said one source involved with the discussions. "She's the candidate manager, which considering how tough it is to manage someone like Donald -- who has the temperament of a 12-year-old who always gets what he wants -- is a far harder job."
By all accounts, Conway is smart and talented. But to bring women voters on board, she will need to do a lot more than manage her candidate. The problem is not simply how he comes across -- although certainly it is a huge drawback that he is seen as a racist, xenophobic, misogynistic man with the emotional self-control of a spoiled child. An even greater problem is that this spoiled child has truly terrible policy ideas.
· Trump opposes sensible gun regulations, even though the risk of a domestic violence homicide is five times greater when there is a gun in the house.· Trump's idea of child care assistance is to give big tax breaks to the wealthiest families, leaving those who need help the most -- women in lower-income categories -- with little or nothing.· Trump's advice to women who face sexual harassment at work is to go find another career.· Trump wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, ending the requirement of full coverage for birth control, bringing back coverage denials for "pre-existing conditions," and forcing millions of women and their families to lose their health insurance altogether.· Trump supports overturning Roe v. Wade, even though according to a recent survey 53 percent of people who identify as pro-life say they want Roe to remain the law of the land, and acknowledged that "there has to be some form of punishment" for women seeking abortions.
No amount of spin can overcome this reality: Women voters are all too familiar with the authentic Donald J. Trump; that is why they reject him. At the end of the day, they are as turned off by his anti-woman policies as by his calling women "disgusting,""bimbos," and "fat pigs."

We can all be happy for Kellyanne Conway that when the history of this campaign is written, she will be remembered as a pioneering Republican who broke an important gender barrier. But that doesn't give her a pass on matters of judgement, policy or philosophy.

-- 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.