Chubb Opens Guangdong Branch to Access Southern China Market

September 13, 2016, 1:58 am

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SHANGHAI, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb today announced the opening of its Guangdong Branch in the heart of Guangzhou, Southern China. The new branch is licensed to provide commercial property and casualty and personal lines products and services to customers in Guangdong province. Key product offerings for Chubb in Guangdong include property, casualty, marine, construction and energy, financial lines as well as group and personal accident and health insurance products.

In addition to its China headquarters in Shanghai, Chubb has another branch office in Jiangsu. The establishment of the Guangdong Branch underscores Chubb's commitment to growing its presence in the Southern China market. The new branch opening follows the completion in January of ACE Limited's acquisition of The Chubb Corporation and the launch of the new Chubb brand globally.

Zhang Bei, Chairman, Chubb Insurance Company Limited in China, commented, "China is a strategic market for Chubb. Having a presence in Southern China is critical since the region is not only the trading and manufacturing center of the country, but also one of the fastest-growing insurance markets in China."

Kevin Bogardus, General Manager of Chubb Insurance Company Limited in China, added, "Over the past 12 years, Guangdong has been a thriving market for product and policy innovation. With our team of experienced professionals, we have local acumen backed by global expertise to serve the diverse insurance needs across a broad range of industries in this exciting region. We are delighted that businesses operating in Guangdong can now access our bespoke risk management products and solutions to help them flourish in an increasingly competitive environment."

*About Chubb *

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: new.chubb.com.

In 1994, Chubb set up its first representative office in China. A branch company was subsequently established in 2000 in Shanghai, which was converted to a wholly owned subsidiary upon the approval of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission. The company currently has three operations in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces, with plans to commence operations in other regions in the near future.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160124/325256LOGO Reported by PR Newswire Asia 3 hours ago.

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Why Gap Insurance Is Making A Comeback

September 13, 2016, 3:02 am

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Gap health insurance plans are meant to cover one-time events. When the health care law required some form of major medical insurance, the need for gap coverage should have disappeared. Reported by NPR 2 hours ago.

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Yes on Proposition 52 to keep Medi-Cal funded

September 13, 2016, 5:20 am

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About 1 of every 6 Californians lives in poverty, which helps explain why almost 12 million state residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal — the state’s version of Medicaid, the health insurance program for impoverished Americans that’s jointly funded by federal and state taxpayers. California’s enrollment... Reported by L.A. Times 1 day ago.

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UPMC Partners with Cavulus to Serve Health Insurance Industry

September 13, 2016, 6:06 am

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Cavulus Accelerates Growth with UPMC Co-Development Partnership

Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) September 13, 2016

UPMC and Cavulus, a software and services company serving the health insurance industry, announced today that they have formed a strategic partnership in which UPMC will invest in Cavulus and provide insights and development assistance for the growth of its cloud-based technology.

Serving more than 35 health plans across the country, including UPMC Health Plan, Cavulus’ solutions help insurance companies automate marketing, sales, enrollment, retention and compliance operations, primarily in the Medicare Advantage market. Boosted by Cavulus’ predictive modeling and data analytics tools, the company’s clients have grown membership 20 percent faster than the Medicare Advantage industry average over the past five years.

“We share UPMC’s vision of consumer-centered, affordable health care, driven by innovation and technology,” said Patrick Phillips, chief executive officer of 10-year-old Cavulus. “As a strategic partner and customer, UPMC will provide Cavulus with the expertise that we need to expand our products and services, particularly to meet the needs of the Health Insurance Exchange market.”

The UPMC Health Plan has been a Cavulus customer for three years to support member acquisition for its Medicare Advantage business, which now has more than 134,000 members. “We continue to be impressed with the extensive knowledge that the Cavulus team brings to the table in a complex, highly regulated and very competitive business,” said Mary Beth Jenkins, senior vice president and chief operating officer for the UPMC Health Plan. “We’re excited about the opportunity to co-develop new functionality for this technology.”

Cavulus expects to rapidly extend its product, creating a truly end-to-end solution for targeting, acquiring, managing and retaining health insurance customers.

“Like other partners of UPMC Enterprises, Cavulus can accelerate its growth and reduce its risks by working closely with one of the nation’s leading integrated health care delivery and financing systems,” said Tal Heppenstall, president of UPMC Enterprises, the commercialization arm of UPMC that led the agreement. “This is the kind of strategic partnership that few other health care investors can match.” Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.

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Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance in the United States in 2015

September 13, 2016, 9:00 am

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Today’s report from the Census Bureau shows the remarkable progress that American families have made as the recovery continues to strengthen. Real median household income grew 5.2 percent from 2014 to 2015, the fastest annual growth on record. Income grew for households across the income distribution, with the fastest growth among lower- and middle-income households. The number of people in poverty fell by 3.5 million, leading the poverty rate to fall from 14.8 percent to 13.5 percent, the largest one-year drop since 1968, with even larger improvements for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and children. Meanwhile, the ratio of earnings for women working full-time, full-year to earnings for men working full-time, full-year increased to 80 percent in 2015, the highest on record. Every State has seen declines in its uninsured rate since 2013 as the major coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act have taken effect. Solid employment growth and robust real wage growth so far this year suggest that incomes are continuing to rise in 2016, and, building on the progress shown in today’s Census report, the President will continue to call on Congress to take steps to invest in job creation, wage growth, and equal pay for equal work.

*SIX KEY POINTS IN TODAY’S REPORT FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU*

*1. Real median household income rose by 5.2 percent in 2015, the fastest growth on record.* Median household income grew $2,798 to $56,516 in 2015, the first time that annual real income growth exceeded 5 percent since the Census Bureau began reporting data on household income in 1967. Data from 2016 so far point to further strong gains in real household incomes, which depend on employment, nominal wages, and inflation. As of August, total nonfarm job growth has averaged a solid 182,000 jobs a month so far in 2016, and hourly earnings for private-sector workers have increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent, much faster than the pace of inflation (1.3 percent as of July, the latest data available).

*2. The total number of Americans below the poverty line fell by 3.5 million from 2014 to 2015, and the official poverty rate fell to 13.5 percent due to the largest one-year drop since 1968.* The poverty rate for children under age 18 fell by 1.4 percentage point (p.p.) from 2014 to 2015, equivalent to more than 1 million children lifted out of poverty. Meanwhile, the poverty rate for those ages 18 to 64 saw its largest one-year decline on record (-1.1 p.p.), and poverty fell 1.1 p.p. for those ages 65 and older. As noted below (see point 5), the official poverty rate does not reflect the full effect of antipoverty policies because it includes only pre-tax income and excludes the direct effect of key policies like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which is designed to include the effects of these programs but also takes into the cost of basic needs when setting the poverty threshold, decreased 1.0 percentage point in 2015, from 15.3 percent to 14.3 percent.

*3. Households at all income percentiles reported by the Census Bureau saw gains in income, with the largest gains among households at the bottom of the income distribution.* While real median household income increased 5.2 percent, gains were even larger in the lower half of the income distribution, ranging from an increase of 5.5 percent for households at the 40th percentile to an increase of nearly 8 percent for households at the 10th percentile. While households at the top half of the income distribution also saw increases, their gains were smaller, with an increase of 2.9 percent in the 90th percentile of household income. 2015 marked the first time real household income grew at all percentiles reported by the Census Bureau since 2006, and real income growth in 2015 was the fastest since 1969 for the 10th, 20th, 40th, 50th, and 60th percentiles. Although the level of income inequality remains high, multiple measures of inequality—including the Gini coefficient, the ratio of the 90th percentile of income to the 10th percentile, and the share of income going to households at the top of the income distribution—fell modestly in 2015 as a result of this pattern of income growth.

*4. All racial and ethnic groups saw increases in household incomes and decreases in poverty in 2015.* As shown in the chart below, all racial and ethnic groups saw gains in real median household income and reductions in their respective poverty rates. Hispanic Americans saw both the largest gains in median income (6.1 percent), while Black Americans and Hispanic Americans saw the largest reductions in poverty (-2.1 p.p. and -2.2 p.p., respectively). The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which includes the effects of a number of important antipoverty programs (see point 5 below), shows a similar pattern, with all racial and ethnic groups seeing reductions in poverty.

*5. In 2015, refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) lifted 4.8 million children out of poverty. *The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which includes the effects of a large number of antipoverty programs, is* *widely acknowledged to measure poverty more accurately than the official measure. Unlike the official poverty measure, the SPM measures post-tax and post-transfer resources, combining earnings with assistance from government programs—including in-kind transfers like food assistance—minus net tax liabilities and necessary expenditures on work, child care, and health care. The measure also bases the poverty line on the cost of meeting basic expenses. Together, in 2015, 9.2 million Americans, including 4.8 million children, were lifted above the poverty line by refundable tax credits, including the EITC and the CTC, illustrating their critical importance to the social safety net. Additionally, research has shown that helping low-income working families through the EITC and CTC not only reduces poverty, but also has positive longer-term effects on children, including improved health, educational outcomes, and labor force participation and earnings in adulthood. Expansions to the EITC and CTC signed into law by President Obama as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 lifted 1.0 million children out of poverty in 2013 according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; these provisions were made permanent under the bipartisan agreement at the end of 2015. The President’s Fiscal Year 2017 Budget includes a number of provisions to further strengthen tax credits for working families, including an expansion of the EITC to workers without qualifying children. (Note that some of these estimates rely on survey data, which research has shown tend to underreport household use of certain programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, leading to underestimates of the poverty-reducing effects of these programs.)

*6. In 2015, the share of people without health insurance declined in almost every State, and all States have seen gains since 2013, reflecting continued progress under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). *Today’s new data from the American Community Survey (ACS) show that 49 States and the District of Columbia saw their uninsured rates decline in 2015. The uninsured rate has fallen in every State (as well as in the District of Columbia) since 2013. While the ACS is not the first survey to report estimates of State-level insurance coverage in 2015, the survey’s extremely large sample size allows it to provide particularly reliable estimates.

While all States have seen increases in insurance coverage since the ACA’s major coverage provisions took effect in the beginning of 2014, the extent of those gains have varied widely by State. Notably, States that have expanded Medicaid under the ACA have seen larger coverage gains on average, particularly if they started with a larger uninsured population. If Medicaid non-expansion States had seen coverage gains comparable to those seen by Medicaid expansion states with similar uninsured rates, the uninsured rate in these states would have been nearly 3 percentage points lower in 2015, increasing the magnitude of these states’ coverage gains since 2013 by almost two-thirds.

Today’s Census release also included an estimate of the national change in the uninsured rate based on the Current Population Survey (CPS). According to the CPS, the national uninsured rate dropped by 1.3 percentage points from 10.4 percent in 2014 to 9.1 percent in 2015, bringing the cumulative gain since 2013 to 4.3 percentage points. The new data from the CPS are broadly consistent with evidence from other Federal and private surveys showing that coverage gains continued during 2015; those surveys show that gains have continued into early 2016. The cumulative coverage gains since 2013 have put the uninsured rate at its lowest level ever.

Sandra Black is a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Matt Fiedler is Chief Economist of the Council of Economic Advisers. Reported by The White House 20 hours ago.

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Census Bureau: Poverty Rate Down, Median Incomes Up

September 13, 2016, 8:25 am

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Median household incomes have increased for the first time since 2007 — rising by 5.2 percent. The poverty rate has declined, and more people have health insurance, the Census Bureau says. Reported by NPR 21 hours ago.

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UPMC invests in expanding software company's reach

September 13, 2016, 8:37 am

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UPMC announced Tuesday that it plans to invest in health insurance software company Cavalus to help grow the company's cloud-based technology. “We share UPMC’s vision of consumer-centered, affordable health care, driven by innovation and technology,” said Patrick Phillips, chief executive officer of 10-year-old Cavulus in a statement. “As a strategic partner and customer, UPMC will provide Cavulus with the expertise that we need to expand our products and services, particularly to meet the… Reported by bizjournals 21 hours ago.

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Average Americans Just Got a Huge Income Boost

September 13, 2016, 9:47 am

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It looks like Americans finally got a raise.

The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday released its annual report on income, poverty and health insurance. Every year, the report serves as a key benchmark for how the American people are doing economically.

And this year the report is very encouraging.

The percentage of people without health insurance for all of 2015 was 9.1 percent, down 1.3 percentage points from the previous year. That’s the lowest that the Census Bureau has ever measured, reflecting the impact of the Affordable Care Act.

The official poverty rate in 2015 was 13.5 percent, which was 1.2 percentage points lower than in 2014. The supplemental poverty rate, which takes into account other factors such as the value of government benefits and the costs of medical expenses, fell by nearly the same amount.

But it’s the figures on median household income that will, and should, get the most attention.

According to the report, median household income rose by 5.2 percent, from $53,700 to $56,500. This is the largest increase the Census Bureau has ever recorded.That figure reflects rising incomes for all income groups, which is a very big deal. The story of the past few years ― and, really, for most of the last few decades ― has been an economy in which the rich have prospered far more than everybody else.

The Great Recession officially ended in the summer of 2009. This report is a sign that, finally, everybody is benefiting from the recovery. In fact, the largest income gains last year went to the very poorest Americans.

“This is a big fucking deal,” Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, told The Huffington Post after seeing the report.

He had a lot of company on Twitter:

I can't remember feeling such glee on seeing a new economics data report

— Larry Mishel (@LarryMishel) September 13, 2016

Median real income +5.2% in 2015. Wowzas.

— Neil Irwin (@Neil_Irwin) September 13, 2016

3 key indicators of well-being in Census data moved decisively in right direction in '15 for 1st time since '99: https://t.co/elGb0lxoF9

— Bob Greenstein (@GreensteinCBPP) September 13, 2016

Of course, the report doesn’t suggest everything is hunky-dory in America. Not by a long shot.

Median income still hasn’t reached its pre-recession level. And although more and more Americans have protection against steep medical bills, thanks to Obamacare, millions still struggle with the combined effect of high premiums and high out-of-pocket expenses.

In fact, medical bills are a major reason that America’s poverty rate, although lower than it was last year, remains higher than it is in other developed nations. Overall, more than 40 million Americans are still in poverty, which means that more than 40 million Americans are struggling every day just to pay for food, rent or other necessities.

But the report does call into doubt two political arguments that get a lot of currency these days ― that America is in decline, and that the policies of President Barack Obama are to blame.

Not coincidentally, White House officials were among those hailing the report:

I usually try to be restrained, but this is unambiguously the best Income, Poverty & Health Insurance report ever. https://t.co/YdN4HgtIvR

— Jason Furman (@CEAChair) September 13, 2016

-- 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 20 hours ago.

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Obama Tried, But The Gender Pay Gap Hasn't Budged Since '07

September 13, 2016, 9:59 am

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The gender pay gap isn’t moving.

Women working full time earned just 80 percent of what men made in 2015, according to new income data released by the U.S. Census on Tuesday.

That’s an increase of about 1 percentage point since 2014, but the Census said the rise is not statistically significant. The pay gap has hovered at around 79 percent since 2007.There was a lot in the data to celebrate: Median incomes rose 5.2 percent from the previous year to $56,000, the first increase since the Great Recession. The poverty rate declined, and the number of Americans going without health insurance fell.

Because of this good news, many hailed the report as a nice parting victory for the Obama administration.

Genuinely good news from the Census. Thanks Obama! pic.twitter.com/MsCA2Z6oWb

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) September 13, 2016

President Barack Obama has been a big advocate for closing the pay gap ― the first piece of legislation he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which strengthened equal pay laws. He’s also banned pay discrimination among federal contractors and is asking companies to report more pay data.

Still, he’s been stymied by Congress, which has failed to pass other bills ― floated by both Republicans and Democrats ― on equal pay.

And, of course, the bigger issue is that equal pay legislation and executive orders alone won’t get the U.S. to equality.

There are structural issues ― lack of federal paid leave for parents or quality child care ― that can force women out of the workforce or cause them to ratchet back their career ambitions.

There are also other subtle cultural forces at play. Unconscious bias that begins before birth funnels girls and boys into different career tracks, which often mean women take on different majors in college and end up in lower-paying careers.

Bias also means that majority-female careers are often undervalued, some research has shown.

It should be noted that the gap is even wider for black women and Latinas. The new data released Tuesday also shows that women are more likely than men to live in poverty ― and raise children in poverty. Closing the pay gap would go a long way in alleviating that problem.

-- 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 19 hours ago.

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What you need to know on Wall Street right now

September 13, 2016, 10:15 am

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What you need to know on Wall Street right now

*Finance Insider is Business Insider's summary of the top stories of the past 24 hours.*

*To sign up, scroll to the bottom of this page and click "Get updates in your inbox," or click here.*

In 2015, Mallory Downing was hustling for a hedge fund job.

Like many of her peers at Columbia Business School in New York, she sent out hundreds of résumés. She met with more than 100 people in interviews or informal coffee meetings. Not long after, a prominent hedge fund manager stood in front of a group of female investors and said he wasn't sure why he couldn't find any to hire.

Business Insider's Rachael Levy took a close look at the mismatch, and the missing women of the hedge fund business.

Speaking of hedge funds, CNBC's Delivering Alpha Conference is taking place on Tuesday. Famed short-seller Jim Chanos said at the event that Tesla has put itself "under the red line" by merging with SolarCity. Mutual fund legend Bill Miller and Impala Asset Management founder Robert Bishop also announced their top trades.

Former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner spoke earlier in the day at the event, and said: "We're in a world where bad things happen." On stage with him, billionaire investor Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, added that the world he's seeing today looks like the late 1930s.

Paul Singer, the founder of hedge fund Elliott Management, also sounded the alarm, saying: "It's a very dangerous time in the global economy."

Speaking of warnings, we just got some data on auto lending, and it has us worried.

In banking news, Goldman Sachs plans to use retail money to make Wall Street-style profits, Morgan Stanley is moving jobs to Mumbai, and we just got a rare insight into how Wall Street dealmakers make their money.

The CEO of Deutsche Bank, John Cryan, sent a memo to employees, telling them to "be more daring" and make decisions without waiting for their bosses to tell them what to do.

Wall Street is getting excited about a small corner of Jack Dorsey's empire, and it is split on how well Netflix will do internationally.

In the commodities market, Saudi Arabia just one-upped the US, and oil prices are on the brink of another big drop.

Lastly, here are 22 maps that help explain America.

*Here are the top Wall Street headlines at midday:*

*Something's missing from the bond market* - US Treasury yields are rising for the third time in four sessions.

*There's a big difference between how millennials and their parents spend money* - Gordon Smith, chief executive for consumer & community banking at JPMorgan, gave a presentation on Monday at the Barclays Financial Services Conference discussing the spending patterns of millennials.

*President Obama just sent a letter to health insurance CEOs asking for help fixing Obamacare* - President Barack Obama is enlisting the help of some health insurance companies to try to fix the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

*Wells Fargo is getting rid of sales goals for retail bankers* - The bank said on Tuesday it would eliminate all product sales goals in retail banking, starting next year.

*Valeant's CEO was clueless when analysts asked about a specialty pharmacy his company deals with* - At a Wells Fargo healthcare conference, analysts asked Valeant CEO Joe Papa aboutDirect Success Pharmacy.

*JAMIE DIMON: 'I would love to be president of the United States'* - JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon wants to live in the White House, but he doesn't think it will happen.

*Nobody knows where to put their money* - Investors who think stocks and bonds are overvalued are in a record majority compared with those who think they're not, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

*KKR: 'The last couple of days certainly looks like just the beginning of the tide rolling out'* - Bonds are crashing around the world, and the stock market is on the move after an extended quiet period.

*A hot new app is hoping to change the way you manage your money* - A team of computer science professors at the University of Michigan are trying to change the way we manage money.

*The 238-mile range for the Chevy Bolt is a big problem for Tesla* - Sometimes it's a burden to be first. Tesla is the little car company that could. CEO Elon Musk and his team, building on the work of the car maker's original founders, have put electric cars decisively on the map.

*We tested the high-tech suitcase meant to make business travel less stressful — here's the verdict* - Air travel comes with its fair share of pain points.

*SEE ALSO: This brilliant map renames each US state with a country generating the same GDP*

Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 19 hours ago.

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Making high-tech investment has been a resounding success

September 13, 2016, 10:33 am

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MVP Health Care is pleased to sponsor this special publication recognizing GlobalFoundries and its significant contribution to the economic vitality of our region. MVP has enjoyed a strong and productive relationship with GlobalFoundries, working together to help meet the health insurance needs of its employees. We share a strong commitment to wellness, especially in the workplace, and that has led us to a joint focus on strengthening employee wellness programs, which we have achieved through on-site… Reported by bizjournals 19 hours ago.

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Number Of Uninsured Falls Again In 2015

September 13, 2016, 10:34 am

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The federal health overhaul may still be experiencing implementation problems. But new federal data show it is achieving its main goal — to increase the number of Americans with health insurance coverage. Reported by ajc.com 19 hours ago.

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How Greater Washington stacks up when it comes to health coverage

September 13, 2016, 12:13 pm

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Greater Washington's rate of insured individuals improved last year, with D.C., Maryland and Virginia all reporting fewer uninsured residents, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday. The national report, which also made headlines for showing U.S. household incomes grew 5.2 percent last year, highlighted a drop in the overall number of people without health insurance across the country in 2015. Overall, the number of people in the U.S. without health coverage fell to… Reported by bizjournals 17 hours ago.

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Why This Election Will Decide the Future for the Millennial Generation

September 13, 2016, 12:17 pm

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.For many millennials, who have only seen a few elections, this campaign season may not seem as incredible as it does to those of us who have seen 30+ years of elections. The 2016 Presidential campaign is unprecedented. It is not only that the first woman candidate is on the ballot, or that the first non-political person is also running. These facts are interesting, to be sure, but when you add in a woman who has been pilloried by the opposition relentlessly, and a billionaire television reality show star, things begin to take on an air of theatricality. Sometimes I wonder if we have all been hit with a confundus charm (Harry Potter, of course) and this really is not happening.

I have never seen an uglier election. From the beginning, the Republican nominee's language, his bullying, and his jarring rallies have been alarming and surprising. When he actually won the nomination of the conservative Republican Party I could not believe it. Neither the press nor the members of the Republican Party have been able to check him. The Republican nominee knows how to get and keep attention.

Why will this election decide the future of Millennials? Because of the stakes. Other than the posturing and the rhetoric, real issues are on the table, and will be decided by this election.

1. The Supreme Court has a vacancy, and in the next 4-8 years will probably have another one or two openings. The President nominates candidates to fill these positions. With the death of conservative Justice Anton Scalia, the court is now split evenly between liberals and conservatives. The risk for women of a conservative court is monumental. A conservative court could overturn Roe v. Wade, the court decision which gave women the right to make their own decisions about their bodies. Conservatives continue to bring cases to the court that would overturn Roe v. Wade and make women go back to the days of back alley abortions. No one is pro-abortion, at least no sane person. Pro-choice puts decisions about women's bodies in their own hands and consciences. Attacks on Planned Parenthood, women's rights and women's bodies have continued on the state and federal level. Women's health, contraception, and screening would be at risk if a conservative Justice or two is appointed. The future of women's health and rights will be in the hands of the next President, and the decision will last for at least a generation, and likely longer.

2. At this time, the United States is the strongest nation on the planet, and has involvement all over the globe. There are those who hate us, but this country represents freedom to so many! Will our society become more open or more isolated? America is the only country in the world who says, "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me...I lift my lamp beside the golden door." (Emma Lazurus) That quote is the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, which serves as the symbol of freedom and liberty for the entire planet. We are a nation of immigrants. If we kick out millions of immigrants, even if they came illegally, what will this do to America? Should we really make them leave? Do we want to continue our globalization, our involvement on the world stage, or do we want to be isolationist, barring the "golden door" to those who seek its promise? What would building a wall result in? What would we wall out? And more frightening, what would we be walling in?

3. Our economy is recovering from the financial crisis of 2008. Yes, it has been a slow recovery, but it has been a recovery. Tax breaks for the wealthy have been tried several times over the last 40 years , and wealth and income inequality has become so overwhelming in America we really do not have the right to claim "upward social mobility" at this point in our history. Supply side economics are beloved by the right wing, but seems to fail at every implementation. If you want to take a good look at what this economic model does, take a look at the Kansas experiment. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/zorn/ct-kansas-conservative-brownback-economic-disaster-zorn-perspec-0518-jm-20160517-column.html. Perhaps a better way to stimulate the economy would be raising the minimum wage and fixing our infrastructure. Without a doubt, this election will decide the future of the economy.

4. The Affordable Care Act is not perfect, far from it, however, its benefits are obvious. One cannot be turned down for insurance due to a pre-existing condition, children may stay on their parent's insurance until they are 26 years old, insurance must, by law, cover at least one prescription drug per category. Millennials may have been too young when the law was passed to appreciate it, but these benefits have been life changing for many. To check out the top ten benefits of the ACA, take a look at the AARP's article http://www.aarp.org/health/health-insurance/info-08-2013/affordable-care-act-health-benefits.html. Obamacare needs work, but it has been beneficial to most.

There are so many issues at stake in this election, I could not possibly enumerate them in a single article. Perhaps the most important issue, though, is the scary and hateful language. I speak here of racial, ethnic, religious bigotry and xenophobia. A vein of American fear, prejudice, and anger has been tapped by the Republican nominee, at a level I have never seen before. These views have been given full rein, and are being openly touted, resulting in such shocking rhetoric I can hardly respond. Yesterday I saw a news clip of the Republican nominee assuring a group of evangelical Christians that America would be a Christian nation again. Uh....the United States was founded on the notion that everyone should have religious freedom. The Puritans left England because they were being persecuted by the state church, the Church of England. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, which would impede the free exercise of religion. Establishing a state religion is unconstitutional, and against the wishes of our founders. When leading members of the Republican Party have to disavow the words and opinions of their own nominee on a regular basis, we should pay close attention as to what those words mean.

The future is before us. We can move forward, or we can try to go back. We can honor our allies or we can get into bed with a dictator, a man that Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican Presidential nominee, calls a thug and a murderer. The Republican Party itself considers Putin, the Russian dictator, an adversary.

I hope, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, that we will continue to move forward toward a more open, free, and inclusive society. I believe that is the society the millennial generation favors, and I hope they will take part in making sure it has a chance to flourish.

I hope this article will stimulate discussion and thought, not accusations and name calling. We are all, right left or center, entitled to our opinions.

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Allowing Refugees To Better Their Communities Results In Big Benefits

September 13, 2016, 1:37 pm

≫ Next: Minnesota's uninsured rate keeps falling

≪ Previous: Why This Election Will Decide the Future for the Millennial Generation

The approaching UN General Assembly summit on refugees and migrants promises to bring attention to humane and coordinated approaches to addressing the needs of the millions of displaced individuals around the world. But even before the current conflict in Syria resulted in more than a million Syrians fleeing to Lebanon, the small country was already home to nearly 600,000 refugees from other Middle Eastern countries. Fortunately, some Lebanese have seen refugees not through the lens of being a problem, but as being assets to the economy, culture and to helping reduce conflict in Lebanon.

Ahlouna, a nonprofit organization in the town of Saida, an hour's drive from Beirut, has worked with marginalized communities in Lebanon since 1997, providing job training, education, humanitarian aid, financial assistance, psychosocial support and more. Currently, its major operation is a bakery that solely employs refugee women from many corners of the Middle East. Five days a week, the women expertly hand-make catered cakes, candies and more.I recently had the privilege of visiting this bakery. None of the 45 women are professional bakers, but far from seeing this as a disadvantage, Ahlouna director Rashid Hamdou is delighted that his is not a typically trained staff. He likes their fresh approach to their work and is pleased they have learned a trade for which they are steadily compensated. "We are proud our products are made by unskilled women with no professional training or education. Many of them are illiterate and they're supporting their families," he says, adding that now that the women are known, and respected for their skills, they are considered part of the local community. And having had the privilege to sample their goods, I can attest that the bakery items are delicious, fresh and top quality!

When it opened its doors in 2005, the business was in a unit the size of an apartment. It could fit only 10 people, and it had just one chocolate-making machine. But as demand soared, Ahlouna and Global Communities, with whom it partnered, saw the opportunity to create jobs within the community. A generous Ahlouna board member donated land (a limited and expensive commodity in Lebanon) and Global Communities helped build a new facility. This helped Ahlouna fulfill its mission: to empower poor refugee women in Lebanon by providing them with options to earn, and ways to engage with their communities. And as the business expanded, so did its revenue. Solid support from women-owned businesses in the area helped too. The focus has been and remains on opening up doors for women. Ahlouna does not focus on nationality; it improves the lives of poor women by training and employing them for the long haul.

Many people have been with them since they opened their doors in 2005. First, the bakers earn salaries that are higher than average market rates, along with health insurance. This is very unusual in Lebanon, especially for women. Also, the entire board works closely with the employees, for no pay. They constantly look for ways to cut costs, such as holding fundraisers at private homes so that all the proceeds are invested back into their nonprofit business. Also, all their products meet exacting industry standards -- high-quality, hand-made goods keep customers coming back for more.

Providing training and jobs to bakers was the initial component of Ahlouna, but it has added several projects to help strengthen the community. Health care at home, job training and placement, business management, food assistance, psychosocial support, school subsidies, home visits to the elderly, caring for children with special needs, sanitation and hygiene education. They work with nearly 2,000 families on an ongoing basis, so they know their needs and have the connections to get them the help they need. But they know that especially in a crisis as dire as this one, needs will evolve and situations will change. For this reason, Ahlouna conducts quarterly needs assessments to ensure they are providing continuous and helpful support. Their aim -- and they succeed -- is to provide support for people in their communities and to provide services for whole families. It is essential to help communities that are accommodating an influx of newcomers as the war next door in Syria drags on.

Global Communities' contribution to Ahlouna took place in 2008, and the catering business continues to expand today. I was proud to see that our partnership had produced a sustainable, local solution to the needs of women refugees in Lebanon, and to see it complementing our current work with Syrian refugees and their host communities in Lebanon with support from United Nations High Commission on Refugees. Hamtou tells us that although anti-American sentiment in Saida is widespread, the business has helped break down barriers and open eyes. "We are really proud to say we work with the USA; we say it bluntly and clearly. They came, believed in us and our value and they help us."

It is incumbent on those of us who work in global development to partner with and support similar projects that do not just help people survive, but actually sustainably thrive. More projects like this in areas affected by the Syrian conflict will help ease the strain on community resources, stimulate financial growth, improve relations and support those who support themselves.

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Minnesota's uninsured rate keeps falling

September 13, 2016, 2:06 pm

≫ Next: This Is What Happens When Your State Government Blocks The Medicaid Expansion

≪ Previous: Allowing Refugees To Better Their Communities Results In Big Benefits

In 2015, Minnesota's uninsured rate dropped to a record low of 4.5 percent, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census estimates that 244,000 Minnesotans did not have health insurance in 2015, a decrease of nearly 200,000 from two years prior. Minnesota holds the fifth-lowest uninsured rate in the country behind Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Vermont and Hawaii. The national uninsured rate also fell, to 9.1 percent, due in part to tax penalties for those… Reported by bizjournals 15 hours ago.

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This Is What Happens When Your State Government Blocks The Medicaid Expansion

September 13, 2016, 2:32 pm

≫ Next: Zenefits settles with five more states over broker licensing snafus

≪ Previous: Minnesota's uninsured rate keeps falling

The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Americans get health insurance. But it’s helping Americans in some parts of the country more than others.

Now, thanks to the U.S. Census Bureau, there’s an easy way to see where.

Obamacare has two big components. one is the creation of exchanges, through which people without access to employer-coverage can buy private coverage.

The other is an expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides insurance to the poor and disabled.

The law’s architects had hoped, and expected, that people living in every state could take advantage of both. Then the Supreme Court intervened. In a 2012 ruling about a constitutional challenge to the law, the court gave states new leeway to decline participating in the Medicaid expansion.

States with Republican governors or legislatures (or both) were quick to seize on that latitude. They wanted no part of Obamacare, they said, and so declined to participate.

But ever so slowly, Republican officials in some of those states had second thoughts. The federal government picks up nearly all of the cost of new Medicaid enrollees, so for the states it’s a sweet deal financially. It’s more money for doctors and hospitals, and eventually other businesses ― and, of course, critical financial protection and access to medical care for the poor.

One by one, Republican governors started getting their states to join the Medicaid expansion ― either by persuading legislatures or using their own authority. Mostly it was in states like Arizona, Michigan and Ohio ― places that, politically, are not too conservative.

Not every such state has joined, however. And in those states, not surprisingly, the progress on helping people get insurance lags conspicuously. Among the seven states where the Census Bureau found that more than 12 percent of people still didn’t have coverage last year, six were states that rejected the Medicaid expansion. The three biggest holdouts are Florida, Georgia and Texas. Two of the others are also in the South, in which Republicans dominate. The animated map above, based on information from Tuesday’s annual report on health insurance from the Census Bureau, shows what that means: The law’s effect washes over the country, dramatically reducing the number of uninsured along the coasts and in the upper Midwest, but reaching the South more slowly.

The result is a disparity in how many people have insurance, from state to state. And although that disparity existed even before Obamacare, for a variety of reasons, now the disparity is getting wider, as analysts at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted on Tuesday.Of course, insurance alone does not guarantee access to affordable health care. But studies have shown that people with insurance generally and with Medicaid specifically tend to be better off financially and probably (but not definitely) healthier, as well.

As the new Census Bureau report shows, some parts of the country can see that effect firsthand. And some cannot.

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Zenefits settles with five more states over broker licensing snafus

September 13, 2016, 2:56 pm

≫ Next: HUFFPOST HILL - D.C. Comms Strategists Vying For Pepe The Frog Account

≪ Previous: This Is What Happens When Your State Government Blocks The Medicaid Expansion

Besieged human resources company Zenefits, which previously settled its dispute with Tennessee over selling health insurance without proper licenses, has reached similar deals with five other states: Arizona, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey and South Carolina. The settlements are part of a broad campaign by CEO David Sacks to put the San Francisco-based web-focused health and benefits brokerage's legal, management and PR woes behind it. Under former CEO and co-founder Parker Conrad, who was ousted… Reported by bizjournals 14 hours ago.

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HUFFPOST HILL - D.C. Comms Strategists Vying For Pepe The Frog Account

September 13, 2016, 2:44 pm

≫ Next: Zenefits settles with Arizona, four other states over broker licensing snafus

≪ Previous: Zenefits settles with five more states over broker licensing snafus

Republicans are trying to control Donald Trump’s appearances and limit his interaction with the press ― which is Washington speak for “pretending he’s not who he is.” The whole country is feeling the reverberations of Hillary Clinton’s cough, recalling that classic Gay Talese essay in Esquire, “Frank Sinatra Did Benghazi.” The Supreme Court won’t allow Ohio to restore early voting, disenfranchising thousands of Ohioans and, far worse, prompting even more “Trump could really win this thing” think pieces. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, September 13, 2016:

*FAR-RIGHT LAWMAKERS NOT KEEN ON EMERGING BUDGET AGREEMENT *- Ben Weyl: “As the Senate grinds toward a bipartisan deal to keep the government open, House Republicans are increasingly resigned to accepting whatever the upper chamber decides to send their way. *The growing fatalism comes as the Senate is on track to pass legislation in the coming days to fund the government through early December — amid chatter that senators could soon leave town for a lengthy recess*, effectively forcing the House to either pass the Senate bill or allow a government shutdown weeks before the presidential election...But even members of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus say they see the writing on the wall. ‘It’s gonna happen,’ said Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va), a Freedom Caucus member who knocked off former Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a 2014 primary.” [Politico]

*WEAK TEA*: “Rep. *John Fleming* (R-La.) on Tuesday moved to force a House vote this week on a resolution to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. *With Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) at his side, Fleming gave notice on his ‘privileged resolution’ to impeach Koskinen*. The House will need to act on the measure no later than Thursday, since privileged resolutions have to be taken up within two legislative days once notice is given. Fleming and other members of the House Freedom Caucus have been pressing for a vote on Koskinen’s impeachment for months. They argue that the commissioner impeded Congress’s investigation into the IRS’ scrutiny of Tea Party groups’ applications for tax-exempt status.” [The Hill’s Naomi Jagoda]

*PEPE THE FROG CREATOR JUST WANTS PEACE* - This would be the most offensive cartoon-related development this cycle if the Dilbert guy would just shut up. Dana Liebelson: “A California cartoonist never thought the frog he drew over a decade ago would have anything to do with a U.S. presidential election or Nazis. Then 2016 happened. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign published an explainer on Tuesday about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “horrifying” use of Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character that white supremacists have co-opted. But Pepe wasn’t always a controversial symbol with a national platform. Until recently, he was just a frog.* ‘What I am going to say? ‘Hey, you anonymous white supremacist, stop making my frog Trump?’’* asked Matt Furie, the artist widely credited with creating Pepe. ‘It’s funny that this frog is in the national news right now for really negative shit.’ … But Furie says his frog is simply going through an unfortunate phase. It’s ‘super negative right now, but it comes in waves. Maybe someday he’ll be a symbol for peace and love and brotherhood,’ he said, adding that he hopes Pepe ultimately lives on as a positive symbol of youth culture.” [HuffPost]

*Like HuffPost Hill? Then pre-order Eliot’s book*, The Beltway Bible: A Totally Serious A-Z Guide To Our No-Good, Corrupt, Incompetent, Terrible, Depressing, and Sometimes Hilarious Government

Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It’s free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill

*GOP MAKES **YUGE **BREAKTHROUGH *- S.V. Date: “*Republicans have may finally hit on the one easy trick to making their presidential nominee palatable: Minimize the words emerging from Donald Trump’s mouth that aren’t written ahead of time by somebody else*. Since his most recent campaign shakeup last month, Trump has not held a news conference, has cut back on in-depth Sunday show appearances and has almost completely eliminated speeches that aren’t scripted and displayed on his teleprompter screens. “If he has the discipline to simply read a script that’s been written by someone that’s somewhat competent, he can probably avoid some unforced errors,” said Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire GOP who has refused to back Trump. ‘A change in approach doesn’t fool me.’ Nevertheless, if recent polls are accurate, the plan does seem to be working: Voters are responding better to Trump talking more like a generic Republican than they did to Trump talking like Trump.” [HuffPost]

*HILLARY EXPECTED TO NAME LADY DEFENSE SECRETARY *- That is, if her transition team fails to forcibly exfiltrate Robert Gates from whatever lake house he’s retired to. John T. Bennett: “If elected, Democratic presidential nominee *Hillary Clinton could follow through on her desire to appoint the nation’s first female defense secretary. A widening rift between congressional Republicans and Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, as well as Clinton’s own differing world view from Carter’s, makes that more likely.* Since Clinton announced her candidacy last year, defense circles have buzzed with speculation that the first female president would likely want to nominate a woman to run the Pentagon, with Michèle Flournoy, the former undersecretary of Defense for policy in the first Obama administration, at the top of the list of contenders. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, who has won praise even from some critics of that service during her nearly three-year tenure, and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have also been mentioned as possible candidates. The nomination of any of the three would likely meet little resistance from a Republican-controlled Senate, defense observers say.” [Roll

*DEMOCRACY UPDATE - *Cristian Farias: “The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away an effort by Ohio Democratic groups that sought to restore a special week that allowed voters to register and vote early on the same day. *In a brief order, the justices denied the groups’ request but did not note where they stood in the dispute*. At least five of them are needed to grant an emergency petition. Without this six-day period, known as ‘Golden Week,’ Ohio voters now have four weeks to vote early, beginning on Oct. 12 ― either in person or via absentee ballot. State lawmakers eliminated Golden Week in 2014, leading to legal challenges alleging discrimination against minority voters. An early lawsuit couldn’t stop cutbacks for the 2014 election ― and the Supreme Court at the time agreed to let Ohio officials move forward with the shorter early-voting period.” [HuffPost]

*DOJ URGED TO INVESTIGATE BONDI QUID PRO QUO* - The JAIL BOND(I) headlines will follow, one imagines. Mike McAuliff: “*Democrats in Congress want the U.S. attorney general to launch a criminal probe of **Donald Trump**’s donations to Florida’s top prosecutor, state Attorney General Pam Bondi*. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Tuesday, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee pointed to a $25,000 donation that Trump’s charitable foundation improperly paid to a pro-Bondi group while her office was examining a lawsuit against Trump University. They noted that after the donation was received, Bondi declined to pursue a case against Trump’s controversial real estate seminar program or to join other states’ litigation. They also cited other donations in support of Bondi’s bid for re-election.” [HuffPost]

*REID HAS MAJOR WTF MOMENT WITH OBAMA* - Few anecdotes more perfectly summarize the Democratic Party of the last 7 years quite as well as this one. Ryan Grim: “President Barack Obama strenuously defended the CIA’s hardball approach in its battle with Senate investigators looking into the agency’s use of torture at a pivotal moment, according to a new report. The vigor with which Obama defended the CIA prompted then-Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to offer a startled rebuttal. *‘Mr President,’ Reid said in early 2014,’ ‘I wish you could hear yourself.’* The anecdote is included in a new, deeply reported three-part series by The Guardian’s Spencer Ackerman, centered on one of the Senate staffers who led the investigation into the CIA, Daniel Jones. Jones, a lead author of the Senate’s torture report, was referred by the CIA to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution, with the CIA suggesting he effectively stole classified documents before secreting them to a secure facility in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill.” [HuffPost]

*BECAUSE YOU’VE READ THIS FAR *- Here’s a baby monkey befriending a kitten.

*ECONOMIC ANXIETY GETS DOSE OF XANAX* - Jonathan Cohn: “The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday released its annual report on income, poverty and health insurance … The percentage of people without health insurance for all of 2015 was 9.1 percent, down 1.3 percentage points from the previous year. That’s the lowest that the Census Bureau has ever measured, reflecting the impact of the Affordable Care Act. The official poverty rate in 2015 was 13.5 percent, which was 1.2 percentage points lower than in 2014. The supplemental poverty rate, which takes into account other factors such as the value of government benefits and the costs of medical expenses, fell by nearly the same amount. *But it’s the figures on median household income that will, and should, get the most attention. According to the report, median household income rose by 5.2 percent, from $53,700 to $56,500*. This is the largest increase the Census Bureau has ever recorded.” [HuffPost]

*COMFORT FOOD*

- The 1990s Cher interview that is going viral.

- The origins of dogs.

- The San Francisco rowhouse from “Full House” is pretty baller.

*TWITTERAMA*

@Elahezadi: CHECK OUT THIS THING THAT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS IGNORING*
*(links to CNN, WaPo, NYT, rips AP Photo)

@pixelatedboat: [Hillary Clinton’s office, 2012]

*Hillary sneezes violently, the force of the sneeze depresses a button labelled DO BENGHAZI*

Hillary: Oh no

@dliebelson: Today marks the first day I have ever received comment from the Trump campaign. It was about a cartoon frog.

Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@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.

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