DGAP-News: SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement / Key word(s): Investment/Private Equity

2016-11-14 / 11:16
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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*Tübingen/Balingen, November 14^th, 2016 - SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement mbH has acquired medigroba GmbH. The transaction was achieved together with two experienced industry experts who will be the future management team. medigroba is a home care company situated in Balingen, Germany. The health care investor from Tübingen is planning to develop the company into one of the leading German suppliers of medical aid and care products. This will include promoting the company's organic growth and making targeted acquisitions.* *SHS is financing this transaction from its fourth fund.*
 

medigroba supplies patients in hospitals, nursing facilities and at home with medical aid and care products. It focuses on high-quality services as well as supplying medical technology products for home respiration, wound and stoma treatment, liquid, probe and intravenous nutrition, pain therapy and children's intensive care. The company provides in-house training and further qualification to its employees as well as external specialists. It currently has one main location in Balingen and employs 70 people. A total of over 3000 patients are serviced by medigroba. The company has a high single-digit million euro turnover."For many years now, medigroba has stood for patient-friendly and high-quality service. The company is well positioned in a dynamically growing market. We intend to promote continued growth in the next few years, which will include the acquisition of other home care providers in Germany", says Uwe Steinbacher, Managing Partner at SHS."We are very pleased to have the experienced healthcare investor SHS as medigroba's new majority shareholder. SHS will support the company's further growth, ensure stability and continuity and therefore also provide our customers and employees with an excellent perspective", explains Frank Franzen, Managing Director of medigroba GmbH."We look forward to the tasks that lie ahead. Together with our motivated employees, we plan to establish medigroba as a reliable partner for hospitals, nursing homes and health insurance companies beyond the borders of the State of Baden-Württemberg", says Bodo Weinitschke, who is also Managing Director of medigroba GmbH.The previous Managing Partner, Stefan Allgayer, will be actively accompanying the transition in the months to come.With the acquisition of medigroba, SHS is continuing to focus investments from its current fund with a volume of 125 million euro on expansion financing, changes in shareholder structures and succession situations. The Tübingen based investor is planning further acquisitions and investments in the fast-growing medical technology and healthcare industries in the months ahead. Since launching the fund in 2014, SHS has already invested in 11 companies.
*About SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement mbH*

SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement is based in Tübingen, Germany and invests in medical technology and life science companies with a focus on expansion financing, changes in shareholder structures and successor situations. SHS holds minority as well as majority interests. SHS was founded in 1993 and has since gained extensive experience as industry investor, which supports the growth of its portfolio companies through a network of partnerships regarding the introduction of new products, regulatory issues or entering new markets. The SHS fund's German and international investors include the European Investment Fund, professional pension insurers, retirement funds, funds of funds, family offices, entrepreneurs and the SHS management team. The AIFM-registered company is currently investing from its fourth generation of funds, for which investors have provided 125 million euro. Equity of up to 20 million euro is invested. Transactions can be carried out in the mid double-digit million range together with a network of co-investors. Reinhilde Spatscheck, Dr. Bernhard Schirmers, Hubertus Leonhardt and Uwe Steinbacher are the Managing Partners at SHS.

Further information: http://www.shs-capital.eu*About medigroba:*

The home care provider medigroba is situated in the German city of Balingen in Baden- Württemberg and is specialized in the care of patients in hospitals, nursing facilities and at home. Distinguishing characteristics include its 24-hour availability, its proximity to the patients and its highly qualified patient services. Speed, capacity and reliability round off medigroba's profile. The company is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 13485.

Further information: http://www.medigroba.de*Further information:*

Dr. Reinhard Saller
Ira Wülfing Kommunikation GmbH
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 2000 3038
Fax: +49 (0) 89 2000 3040
reinhard.saller@wuelfing-kommunikation.de
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2016-11-14 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Archive at www.dgap.de -------------------- Reported by EQS Group 2 hours ago.

Health industry experts weigh in on several health policy issues the next president is likely to face during “How Will President Trump Change the Health Care System?” a recent webinar sponsored by Atlantic Information Services.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 14, 2016

In the wake of Donald Trump’s stunning presidential campaign win, the only certainty for health plans, hospitals and other providers, purchasers, pharma companies and others in the health care chain is that change is coming. During a recent Atlantic Information Services, Inc., (AIS) webinar, experts weighed in on what a Trump presidency will mean for the health care industry.

Trump’s election will cause “total panic” in the health care world as the new president and Republican lawmakers push for an immediate and full repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), predicted Thomas Scully, who served as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator under President George W. Bush, and is now a general partner with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a private equity firm in New York. A vote to repeal the law could come weeks or even days after the inauguration. And it will pass, he told webinar attendees. “That will send a shiver through everybody.” But without a plan to replace the ACA, nothing will happen until at least 2019 as lawmakers spend the next two years debating alternatives. After that, the delays will continue with few, if any, changes, he predicted. “Republicans agree that they hate the ACA and that it needs to be repealed. But they can’t agree on how to replace it, and will kick the can down the road again and again,” he added.

Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, is dubious that Republican lawmakers would repeal the full law or provisions of it, and predicted gridlock. Scully acknowledged that a full repeal of the law might be difficult. While Republicans would push to eliminate mandates and federal subsidies, they won’t be able to get rid of the guaranteed-issue provision. And that would leave “an absolutely impossible situation” for the insurance companies, he said.

Visit https://aishealth.com/marketplace/c6m22_trump for information on purchasing a recording of the webinar, which also included predictions from Laszewski, Scully and Tom Miller, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, on several other health policy issues the next president is likely to face.

About AIS
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for nearly 30 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals and health systems, health insurance companies, medical group practices, purchasers of health insurance, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, databases, websites, looseleafs, strategic reports, directories, webinars, virtual conferences and training programs. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 38 minutes ago.

2016 is a pivotal point in the history of cable/internet/telephone providers. Decision-making in the cable market has taken on many new faces in the last several years, creating a market that has fewer large providers, yet many more options, than ever. Much of this, of course, is due to the proliferation of cord-cutting.

For those living in multi-unit residences, however, choices are limited just to what a residential board decides. This has caused much consternation with condominium owners and renters, who are largely dissatisfied with their lack of options.

This is a problem, because more people than ever are choosing to rent or own condos. Unfortunately, though, for all these people eschewing the suburbs in favor of a more urban, communal lifestyle, their choices in cable providers are extremely limited--in all actuality, if they even have a choice at all, it will be less than three. That's because of exclusive relationships cut between developments and providers. Indeed, "Network operators like Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T, in cahoots with developers and landlords, routinely use a breathtaking array of kickbacks, lawyerly games of Twister, blunt threats, and downright illegal activities to lock up buildings in exclusive arrangements." It's safe to say that individual owners are looking for something different, something better.

It might make sense to compare cable/internet options to something like healthcare options--nobody likes spending much time thinking about it until they have to. But when they do have to, they often find that they like thinking about it even less. This is for a number of reasons, and it presents a major opportunity area for cable providers of the right size and mindset to fill a much-needed niche: that of a customer-oriented business, ready to meet residents on their own terms.*Making Lifelong Customers*
Apple is the largest, most powerful and most popular technology company in the world today. Its origins--legendary and widely known--are quite humble. One thing that separates Apple from its competitors is that the great majority of Apple users have their very own origin stories with Apple products.

People tend to love Apple products because they used them in their schools growing up, where they were ubiquitous, and free. That brand affinity, created at a young, impressionable age, carries over into adulthood. This is why Apple puts such an emphasis on education. Outreach in schools, exclusive relationships on campuses and even substantial discounts for student buyers are all key tenets of the Apple relationship to students.

And there are certainly examples of cable providers making deals to be the exclusive presence on campuses. In 2014, Time Warner Cable negotiated a contract with Ohio University to be the school's sole cable provider. The lucrative deal, which runs through 2021, pays Time Warner Cable $39,000 per month, or nearly $470,000 per year. Most importantly, however, might be TWC's potential for future earnings because of this contract. There are a total 4,681 cable outlets in student dorm rooms and another 237 in common lounge areas on campus. In total, the University of Ohio boasts just under 20,000 undergraduates. With exemplary service, TWC has literally tens of thousands of potential future customers in a small corner of Athens, Ohio, alone. (There is an inherent risk to this strategy, though, as poor service can create the same number of customers who will bray about the shortcomings of TWC to their various social circles.) But by cornering this market, TWC has garnered a high-paying contract and is actively influencing the property managers of the future.
Apple has a long history of student outreach.

*The Healthcare Connection*
We can look to one of contemporary America's most hotly debated topics to find a parallel for choosing a cable provider--healthcare. Like cable users (cord-cutters aside), healthcare customers choose a healthcare option simply because they have to. As such, they'll nearly always choose the option that offers the path of least resistance--sometimes even if that's a more expensive option. The entire cable/healthcare process is spoken of in terms akin to a trip to the dentist or DMV.

A number of startups are looking to change the game, largely by smoothing out the selection process, making it easier, quicker and, quite simply, more visually appealing. Oscar Health Insurance, a New York-based startup, is focusing on design and user experience to attract customers fed up with the same old plain, confusing interfaces. In a word, Oscar looks to make healthcare fun. This spring, Oscar reported having 145,000 customers across several states, and received a $2.7 billion valuation, after just three years of business.
An example of the Oscar website.

A cable company making the selection process similarly appealing could be a comparable game changer, and ultimately pay great dividends. Cable websites are often difficult to navigate (on Comcast's, for example, simply paying a bill is a complex process, in which the necessary functions are hidden in footers), and visually of an overcrowded, staid stock.

An example of the TWC site.

*A New Angle*
There are many industries where brand affinity is essential to growing a customer base. Cable/Internet is not necessarily one of them, however. Entering the field as an entirely new entity, from the ashes of previous brands, has a number of potential benefits.

A lack of name recognition here is by no means a limitation to new business. In fact, it has the potential to be just the opposite. The name-brand cable companies are almost always spoken of in terms of frustration, disillusionment and even outright anger. Positioning yourself as the "good guy," the admirable alternative, can have untold benefits in an industry as fraught as this.

Additionally, positioning yourself as a smaller, more nimble brand can place you in a good light when set next to the colossal behemoths. Many providers probably know full well that they cannot compete with the Comcasts and Time Warners on size alone, so they should look for ways to use their agility to their advantage. It's far easier for smaller companies to allocate resources and quickly turn around tasks than it would be for the big ones. Also, you an consciously target industries in which you know the behemoths do not have a strong foothold.

There are examples of brands that have risen from the ashes of other brands and become wildly successful. After Lucky-GoldStar merged and rebranded as LG, the company's fortunes skyrocketed. "When the company rebooted itself, relaunched in North America, and retconned its name," one writer says, "it succeeded in pulling off an extraordinary transformation."
The rebrand from Lucky-GoldStar to LG has been lucrative for the company.

*Conclusion*
This market is rapidly changing, and smaller providers have to do whatever they can to stay competitive, and relevant. They can change the game by changing how the game is played, work to make lifelong consumers at a younger age than cable companies normally attempt to do and, perhaps most importantly, use their agility to offer customers what's best for them in a number of different ways and places.

-- 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 23 hours ago.

Photo: soundofsummer.org

A week after the shocking election that brought Donald J. Trump to the White House and the pinnacle of world power, I am still getting messages from colleagues and friends asking when they will feel better. Or saying how surprised they are that they still feel this rotten. Many of my international friends are telling me how sorry they are for us Americans, and how worried. I too still feel that awful pit in my stomach.

For the first time in its history, America is on the wrong side of it. Instead of moving forward and growing as a nation, we are moving backwards and becoming smaller. Constitutional rights that were extended to women, such as the right to make their own reproductive decisions, will be in jeopardy when Trump begins appointing judges, and the NRA's narrow and retrograde interpretation of the Second Amendment will be etched in stone. America's greatness rested on its hospitality to immigrants, its diversity and openness to new people and new ideas. Trump's promise to build a wall around our borders turns back the clock 200 years.

Thanks to the nearly 50% of Americans who decided not to exercise their vote, the 1/4 of Americans who voted for Trump will now rein over the 75% of American's who didn't. I understand that those voters were mad at the "establishment"; I understand that many of them had had it with watching the 1% take home Christmas bonuses that were bigger than all that they'd earned in a lifetime of hard work, but in accepting Trump's rhetoric of resentment, they have shot themselves in the foot. Backwards-looking countries don't prosper. Misogyny and xenophobia and racism tamp down possibility; inclusion and openness invites growth.

Yes, both candidates were flawed. Rightly or wrongly, Hillary seemed like an entitled elitist to one set of voters; Trump like an intolerant, corrupt, prevaricating bigot. Some might say we got what we deserved.

But here's why those of us who didn't vote for Trump are still sick over it.

1. *Wrong has become the new right*. Americans have chosen a leader who openly express sexist, racist, and Islamophobic views. Children now think it's acceptable to spread that hate--just look at all the swastikas that have been painted on public walls, and the spate of attacks on hijab-wearing women. If the new first lady really does want to make the fight against bullying her cause, she needs to start by convincing her husband to apologize for his own many lapses.

2. *Women*. He calls them fat and nasty, he calls them "pieces of ass," says you have to "treat them like shit" and brags that his celebrity entitles him to "grab them by the pussy." How is this okay for the 52% of white women who voted for him? How is this okay for the 63% of white men who voted for him, 100% of whom had mothers, and most of whom have wives, daughters, sisters, and female friends. Ivanka, who is striving so hard to get a seat in the administration, claims her go-to issues are equal pay for equal work for women and paid maternity leave for working moms, both of which are great if she can make any progress. Perhaps she should start by protecting the most basic rights that women have already won, such as the right to make her own reproductive decisions, instead of leaving them up to a government and a court that is dominated by white men.

3. *Immigration*. America was and still is a land of immigrants. 43 percent of Silicon Valley companies founded in the last seven years had at least one immigrant founder. The C-suites of technology companies are full of them: Google's Sundar Pichai and Sergey Brin, Oracle's Safra Catz, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, to name just a few. Now our leadership threatens to deport 3 million immigrants immediately. International talent will still flow, but it will flow to other countries.

4. *Health care*. President Obama, was the first president to make affordable health insurance available to everyone. Trump vowed to repeal Obamacare and replace it, without any disruptions and while lowering prices for everyone. He hasn't explained how he proposes to do that, which makes everyone skeptical. In the meantime, Paul Ryan promises to abolish Medicare, by as early as 2017.

5. *Right wing appointees.* Trump promised to "drain the swamp" of Washington, but his core team is full of lobbyists, Wall Street insiders, fringe military types, and even the publisher of a notorious white nationalist publication. Stephen Bannon's Breitbart Report features a column by an avowed ethno-nationalist and a page chronicling "black crimes." The Supreme Court justices he has vowed to appoint, all of them pre-vetted by the right wing Heritage Foundation - will be appointed for life.

6. *Duped on Taxes*. A system which allowed Trump to forego paying millions of dollars in taxes desperately needs to be changed, but the working class voters that expected him to change it for their benefit were duped. The tax relief he promised will all go to the investment class, not wage earners like them.

7. *Guns*. The biggest threat to American safety isn't immigrants or ISIS, it's our easy access to guns. Trump has vowed to make it easier for anyone to own and carry military grade weapons.

No wonder my friends and I have been feeling so sick. The world's great beacon of liberty, tolerance, and discovery, has been dimmed. *America is truly on a downward trajectory. *

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 21 hours ago.

Receiving 4.5 out of 5 Stars, Optima Medicare HMO ranks among the top 2017 CMS-rated plans in U.S. Optima Medicare listed in U.S. News Best Medicare Advantage Plans 2017.

Virginia Beach, VA (PRWEB) November 14, 2016

Ranking among the top Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans in the United States, Virginia-based Optima Health received an overall Star Rating of 4.5 out of 5 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for its 2017 plan, Optima Medicare. Optima Medicare was also listed in the U.S. News Best Medicare Advantage Plans 2017, which is based on the government’s Star Ratings, as well as an independent rating methodology. 2017 is the first year Optima Medicare has been eligible to be awarded an overall CMS quality rating, due to its being new in the market.

“A first time Star Rating of 4.5 is very rare, and a very significant result,” said Michael Dudley, CEO of Optima Health. “We see this incredible success as a result of the integrated clinical and pharmacy partnerships we are forging to help us exceed the quality measures set forth by CMS, and to achieve the healthiest outcomes for our members.”

The current CMS Star Rating strategy is designed to support three all-encompassing goals: better care, healthier people and communities, and lower-cost care. Particularly, the ratings provide a measurement of quality across nine domains of member outcomes and experience with a Medicare plan’s Parts C and D.

In the Part C domain “Staying Healthy: Screening, Tests and Vaccines,” Optima Medicare achieved 5 Stars, the highest possible rating, for all quality measures that contribute to its overall Star Rating. These measures encompass whether members received an annual flu vaccine and appropriate screenings for certain cancers, monitored their physical activity and assessed adult BMI. Five-Star Ratings were also achieved for measures within “Managing Chronic Conditions,” including control of blood sugar and blood pressure, and lowered hospital readmission rates.

To help achieve good outcomes and consistent good health for members, Optima Health has established clinical and pharmacy partnerships. "We have worked closely with Optima Health and our providers at Sentara Medical Group and Eastern Virginia Medical School to create a remarkably successful model of care for our patients, and the Star Ratings demonstrate that,” said Dr. Daniel Dickinson, Medical Director for Clinical Integration, and Clinical Chief Internal Medicine for Sentara Medical Group. “We are proud of our success, and we are continuously striving to achieve even better results.”

One tool used by CMS to capture Star Ratings is the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS). Optima Medicare CAHPS scores for “Member Experience with Health Plan” also contributed to 5-Star Ratings for members’ opinions of how easy it is to get needed care and how quickly they could get it; as well as their rating of health care quality, and how well the plan coordinates care.

For the Part D domain “Member Experience with the Drug Plan,” Optima Medicare achieved 5 Stars for members’ rating of the drug plan. The company also achieved 5 Stars for measures within “Drug Safety and Accuracy of Drug Pricing,” for providing accurate prescription drug pricing information and ensuring members with hypertension regularly fill their blood pressure medication.

CMS Star Ratings provide information for Medicare beneficiaries on the quality of plans to assist them in choosing their health and drug services during the annual fall open enrollment period. The ratings also have the effect of improving the quality of care and health status for Medicare beneficiaries.

Optima Medicare is an HMO with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Optima Medicare HMO is dependent upon contract renewal.

Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-Star Rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next.

About Optima Health Optima Health, based in Virginia, provides health insurance coverage to approximately 450,000 members. With 30 years of experience in the health insurance arena, Optima Health offers a suite of commercial products including consumer-directed, employee-owned and employer-sponsored plans, individual health plans, employee assistance programs and plans serving Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. Our provider network features 26,000 providers including specialists, primary care physicians and hospitals across Virginia. Optima Health offers programs to support members with chronic illnesses, customized wellness programs and integrated clinical and behavioral health services, as well as pharmacy management – all to help our members improve their health. Our goal is to provide better health, to be easy to use and offer services that are a great value. To learn more about Optima Health, visit http://www.optimahealth.com. (1)

(1) The membership figure includes total membership in all group and individual insured products, Medicare Managed Care Plans, Medicaid and Famis Plans, and self-funded health plans issued or administered by Optima Health. Total Medical Membership based on Membership History Report, June 2016. Includes members from all Optima Health Licenses, products, Medicare and Medicaid products. Optima Health is the trade name of Optima Health Plan, Optima Health Insurance Company, and Sentara Health Plans, Inc. Optima PPO plans, and Medicare Managed Care Plans are underwritten or administered by Optima Health Insurance Company. Optima Vantage HMO plans, Medicaid, and Famis products are underwritten or administered by Optima Health Plan. Sentara Health Plans provides administrative services to self-funded plans but does not underwrite benefits. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are administered by Optima Behavioral Health Services, Inc. Wellness programs are administered by Sentara Health Plans. Source for provider network is Optima Health, Provider Status Report, February 2016. Reported by PRWeb 21 hours ago.

Nothing proves that quite like research on millionaires by wealth management firm UBS. The majority - two-thirds of those polled - said the whole point of building wealth was achieving financial security, where a single setback isn't likely to plunge them into the ranks of the not-rich. Half of those worth $1 million to $5 million believed that one bad break, such as a market crash or a job loss, would have a major impact on their lifestyle. Credit card debt is expensive. If you can't see how to pay off your high-rate debt within five years, consult a credit counselor and a bankruptcy attorney about your options. Keep your must-have expenses — shelter, utilities, food, transportation, insurance, minimum loan payments — to 50 percent or less of your after-tax income. Take full advantage of any company match you're offered in a workplace retirement plan — and do so even if you're paying off toxic debt, because matches are free money. Health insurance can prevent bankrupting medical bills. Once you've paid off bad debt and gotten on track with retirement, focus on boosting your emergency fund. If Social Security isn't enough to cover your basics, consider buying an immediate annuity, where you give an insurance company a chunk of money in return for a lifetime stream of monthly checks. Reported by SeattlePI.com 21 hours ago.

WASHINGTON ― House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has already begun the long Washington slog of twisting President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda into something less Trump, with the California Republican insisting on Monday that Trump’s border wall just meant border security and mass deportations just meant deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

Asked about Trump’s proposed wall during a Monday pen-and-pad with reporters, McCarthy quickly pivoted to a different subject. “If you talk about the security of the border, I think that’s a common place where Republicans and Democrats can all get to,” McCarthy said.

Pressed that there was clearly a difference between border security and the physical construction of a wall ― one* *that Mexico would supposedly* *pay for ― McCarthy asked, “How is securing the border different?”

He then suggested a border security bill would be a priority, and that there would be a wall along some parts of the border* *and other parts would be dealt with differently “from a technology standpoint.”

In other words, the House majority leader does not foresee the construction of a 1,900-mile wall along the U.S.-Mexico border ― a key component of Trump’s platform.

McCarthy also suggested that Trump didn’t really mean what he said about another cornerstone of his campaign: mass deportations.

The majority leader pointed to Trump’s “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday night, during which Trump said he would immediately deport immigrants with a criminal record, 2 million to 3 million people in Trump’s estimation. Trump did not say he would stop there, and he has repeatedly said throughout his campaign that anyone who came to the United States illegally would have to go back. But McCarthy suggested that Trump would end deportations with those immigrants who have a criminal record.

“That’s not new law,” McCarthy said. “That is just one law that is in the books, but it hasn’t been in effect.”

The dueling realities of Trump and congressional Republicans promise to be a point of tension between the incoming president and a GOP Congress. Those different realities were also displayed during the “60 Minutes” interview when it came to Obamacare.

Trump said during the interview that a repeal of Obamacare would take place “simultaneously” with a replacement bill so that millions of Americans would not lose their health insurance.

The obvious problem with such a promise is that congressional Republicans plan to take on Obamacare through budget reconciliation, a process that would only require 50 votes in the Senate but would not allow a full repeal of the 2010 health care law. What Republicans in Congress could do is dismantle a few key parts of the law, perhaps through the elimination of state subsidies and the halting of a Medicaid expansion.

That would functionally make Obamacare unworkable and force Congress to pass something to replace the law, though Democrats could play hardball and not go along with that sort of Republican plan.

Asked about the difficulties of repealing and replacing Obamacare simultaneously, McCarthy said Republicans would be meeting to discuss how and when they deal with the health care law. “And I think we need to clarify with what he meant,” McCarthy said.

“I think he meant that we’re not going to have everything shut right down,” he continued, suggesting that there could be a future date of an enactment of an Obamacare repeal so that Congress could come up with something.

Again, though, Republican congressional leaders are already trying to twist what Trump says into something more achievable, confronted by the reality that passing an actual replacement bill is a huge task, and immediately* *deporting millions of people and constructing a 1,900-mile wall aren’t likely proposals either.

-- 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.

Dear Carrie,

My son joined the Army right out of high school with the idea of a military career. After 12 years and two tours of duty, he's decided to return to civilian life. I've been reading that vets have a lot of financial problems once they're on their own, especially with debt. How can I help him? --A Reader

Dear Reader,

Making any type of career change has its financial challenges, but the obstacles--financial and otherwise--that many veterans face as they re-enter civilian life go beyond the ordinary. After years of serving their country and not having to deal with the everyday financial concerns of civilians, vets are faced with not only adjusting to day-to-day financial obligations, but also planning for the long-term. And it can be a difficult transition.

A recent survey of participants in the National Foundation for Credit Counseling's (NFCC) Sharpen Your Financial Focus® program found that military veterans held higher auto, credit card and mortgage debt than other participants. But debt is only one aspect of a veteran's new financial reality. According to military.com, financial literacy in general is an ongoing concern for vets.

On the positive side, it's very heartening to me--and should be to you as well--that there are a number of financial literacy services available specifically tailored to veterans' needs. I've included a few of them at the end of this article. However, rather than just point your son to an outside resource, you can also play a part in helping him become aware of the financial steps he can take to get on the right track.

*Financial basics for veterans--and everyone*

The basics of setting up a secure financial foundation are the same for everyone. Some things are obvious, others not. So to help your son get started, I suggest having an open and honest conversation about certain financial fundamentals, including:· *The importance of health insurance*--One of the most important first steps is to make sure your son has adequate health insurance. As soon as he leaves active service he should contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to apply for enrollment in health benefits.· *Building a good credit score*--Establishing good credit and a good credit rating is a necessity. Encourage your son to stick to one or two credit cards, ideally with low interest and no fees, and to charge only what he can pay off each month. Talk to him about the importance of limiting the amount of credit he uses and paying bills on time. This will help him build a good credit score, which can in turn help him get a lower interest rate on a car loan or a mortgage. In certain circumstances a credit score can also sway a potential landlord's choice of tenant.· *Having an emergency fund*--Having enough cash to cover three-to-six months' living expenses is essential for everyone. This money should be held in an accessible savings account; he won't earn much interest, but it will be there if and when he needs it.· *Creating a budget*--Sticking to a budget can be a challenge for everyone, but particularly for someone who hasn't had to deal with the details before. Help your son list his essential expenses, such as housing, food, clothes, utilities, insurance phone, Internet and transportation. Then have him make a separate list for nonessentials such as entertainment and travel. You may take these things for granted, but he may be surprised at all the different expenses he'll now have to cover--and the choices he may need to make.· *Avoiding scams and deceptive financial practices*--The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received more than 60,000 complaints in the last five years from service members, veterans and their families for being the target of scams and illegal and deceptive financial practices. The majority of these complaints include high-interest payday loans, excessive credit card rates, and illegal debt collection methods. Your son can learn how to protect himself by visiting the CFPB website.· *Saving for the future*--Now that he's a civilian, your son's future is in his own hands. Talk to him about this goals, both short- and long-term. If you can get him to make saving--and eventually investing--a regular part of his financial life, you'll be helping him not only avoid future pitfalls, but achieve future dreams.
*Financial literacy resources especially for veterans*

As I mentioned, there's a keen awareness of the financial pitfalls that veterans face and, fortunately, there are a number of services specifically designed to help veterans handle their new financial responsibilities. Here are just a few:
· Military.com has a whole range of information for vets, from benefits to jobs to personal finance. Here your son can access information about banking and saving, credit and debt, taxes and more.
· Veterans Financial Coalition brings together a diverse group of organizations with the shared goal of serving the financial education and consumer protection needs of veterans.
· Veterans Plus offers financial literacy programs designed and delivered by veterans, including one-on-one personalized phone coaching, and military and veterans' family outreach.
· The National Financial Educators Council provides complimentary military financial literacy resources, training and support to organizations that serve veterans and active duty military personnel.
These are just some of the programs available. You may find others by researching veterans' services organizations in your own area of residence. Best of luck to your son. As we celebrate Veterans Day, I want to thank and honor him--and all military vets--for their service to our country.

*For more updates, follow Carrie on LinkedIn and Twitter.*

Looking for answers to your retirement questions? Check out Carrie's book, "The Charles Schwab Guide to Finances After Fifty: Answers to Your Most Important Money Questions."

This article originally appeared on Schwab.com. You can e-mail Carrie at askcarrie@schwab.com, or click here for additional Ask Carrie columns. This column is no substitute for an individualized recommendation, tax, legal or personalized investment advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, consult with a qualified tax advisor, CPA, financial planner or investment manager.

COPYRIGHT 2016 CHARLES SCHWAB & CO., INC. (MEMBER SIPC.) (#1116-3656)

-- 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.

While the presidential campaign was a noisy one, there was little-to-no discussion about retirement’s Triple Crown: Social Security, Medicare, and retirement savings plans. The fourth leg of the aging stool ― the plight of the nation’s unpaid family caregivers ― also went ignored.

So how will President-elect address these issues? Since he hasn’t actually said, here’s what we do know ― and it’s hardly encouraging.

*1. He ties Social Security to the economic growth of the country.*

The more jobs, the more people paying into the Social Security fund ― that’s been his answer about how he plans to bolster the program that is the primary source of support for millions of people and is projected to face a shortfall in 18 years when the baby boom generation is fully retired. Among elderly Social Security beneficiaries, 48 percent of married couples and 71 percent of unmarried persons derive 50 percent or more of their income from Social Security. For about 43 percent of those single elderly beneficiaries, Social Security is 90 percent of their income ― 90 percent! That means it is everything and they need it for their basic survival.

Trump has said he doesn’t plan to cut Social Security benefits, but he also has promised large tax cuts. Analysts have predicted those tax cuts could put long-term financial pressure on the Social Security program.

“We’re not going to hurt the people who have been paying into Social Security their whole life,” Trump said, likening the payment of promised benefits to being akin to “honoring a deal.”

Problem is, there’s a wide gap between Candidate Trump’s populist economic platform and the people that President-elect put in charge to carry it out. The man who is heading Trump’s transition team for Social Security is Michael Korbey, a former lobbyist who has spent much of his career advocating for cutting and privatizing the program.

“It’s a failed system, broken and bankrupt,” Korbey said as a lobbyist in the mid-1990s. Korbey, at the time, allowed as to how some of the reforms he and his group backed would hurt retirees, but “our constituents aren’t just senior citizens,” he was quoted as saying in 1996. A decade later, as a senior adviser to the Social Security Administration, Korbey was a public advocate for the George W. Bush administration’s failed attempt to privatize Social Security.

2. Candidate Trump said little, but the GOP has been eager to get its hands on Medicare ― not in a good way.

Candidate Trump said he would tackle what he saw as widespread fraud in Medicare. “The top estimates are $2,340,000,000 in Medicare fraud over a decade―or 16 percent of America’s entire national debt!” And he added, “Then there’s the disability racket. Did you know that one out of every 20 people in America now claims disability? That adds up to $170 billion a year in disability checks. Between 2005 and 2009, it is estimated that $25 billion were eaten up in fraudulent Social Security Disability Insurance filings. On and on, scam after scam it goes; as always, taxpayers are the ones getting stiffed.”

Candidate Trump also stunned the GOP when he said he would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices with Big Pharma ― something that is currently not permitted and the GOP, which enjoys being on the receiving end of drug companies’ largess, was not pleased with.

Paul Ryan and other House Republicans have been trying for years to cap the government’s share of Medicare ― something that would result in big premium hikes for seniors. Candidate Trump said he’d oppose those changes.

Now, we have something of a switch-a-roo. President-elect Trump’s website says this about his plans for Medicare: 

“Modernize Medicare, so that it will be ready for the challenges with the coming retirement of the Baby Boom generation – and beyond. Maximize flexibility for States in administering Medicaid, to enable States to experiment with innovative methods to deliver healthcare to our low-income citizens.” 

Modernize? Experiment? Low-income? What happened to beating back fraud and bringing Big Pharma to its knees?

If the ACA is indeed repealed or significantly changed ― as Trump has pledged he will ― some pain will most certainly be felt by older people who are not yet eligible for Medicare (65). Their cost of health insurance will certainly go up, and that’s assuming they don’t have pre-existing conditions that preclude them from getting insurance at all. Another likely result is that baby boomers won’t retire early because they will want to hang on to their employer-sponsored health insurance.  

3. Retirement savings are still blowing in the wind.

Consumer advocates have long complained that not all financial advisers are created equal. The first group are known as “fiduciaries,” and they are required to put their clients’ interests first. The second group are basically just salespeople, often selling complicated financial products with high fees.

President Obama’s Department of Labor proposed a rule that will require all financial advisers handling retirement accounts to put their clients’ interests first. We bet you thought they were doing that all along, right? Not hardly. The White House said the rule will prevent conflicts of interest that cost Americans about $17 billion a year.

Trump hasn’t shared his thoughts on keeping the rule, which won’t be fully implemented until 2018. But Republicans have already tried to put the brakes on it. More to the point, Trump’s economic adviser Anthony Scaramucci compared it to the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision supporting slavery. Scaramucci, who is also founder of the SkyBridge Capital financial firm, told InvestmentNews, “We’re going to repeal it,” calling it, “the dumbest decision to come out of the U.S. government in the last 50 to 60 years.”

Given how vehemently financial firms dislike the rule and want it dropped is a pretty good indicator of how much money they are making without it.

And then there is the basic problem that people simply aren’t saving for retirement. In some cases, they don’t have an easy way to do it. Less than 60 percent of U.S. private-sector workers have access to a retirement plan through their employers. Obama supported ways to sign up employees automatically for 401(k)s or other retirement accounts, but Congress never acted on his proposals.

One bipartisan bill would allow small businesses to band together to offer retirement-savings plans. So-called multiple-employer plans are allowed now, but only for businesses in the same industry.

Nothing on the board now is likely to have a dramatic effect on Americans’ savings habits, but there are a few measures that would make it less of a hassle to save in a retirement plan. 

4. Family caregivers will continue to be screwed.

America’s largest unpaid labor force ― about 50 million strong and growing every day ― are the family members who are caring for aging parents and spouses. They work they do ― unpaid ― saves the nation more than $520 billion a year. That work used to be delivered by trained, skilled nursing staff. Now, patients are sent home from hospitals to be cared for by their relatives ― whether the relative is capable of the task or not.

Neither Candidate Trump nor President-elect Trump has said a peep about this group’s needs. Caregivers are often forced to step out of the workplace and in doing so, reduce their own retirement and Social Security benefits. They care for their loved ones unpaid and also shell out thousands of dollars a year on their behalf ― unreimbursed.

While future first daughter Ivanka Trump has promised to keep child care on her father’s radar, no one has mentioned elder care.
 

-- 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 17 hours ago.

Just call him Joe Bi-DAMN!

Due to the popularity of Joe Biden memes the past few days, a picture of a young Biden has resurfaced and it’s getting people in a state of unprecedented lust for our vice president.


I would text young Joe Biden at 1:27am pic.twitter.com/17tHDuad3f

— candace (@caaandxce) November 11, 2016

Biden originally shared the photo of himself at age 26 on his personal Instagram in 2014. Biden posted the photo in conjunction with the Affordable Care Act, which allows young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance until the age of 26.


youg joe biden. bitch. look at those forearms. https://t.co/kl4EWSl880

— Tracy Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty) November 14, 2016


Young biden had the sauce pic.twitter.com/AfSTfU3qNN

— not pinkett smith (@whytruy) November 11, 2016


i can't tell if i've had too much wine or if this is the truthiest truth to ever truth pic.twitter.com/HAEqHjOWbI

— emma lord (@dilemmalord) November 13, 2016


young Joe Biden look like he had hoes in different area codes pic.twitter.com/2Fxv32mby9

— la loba (@vickto_willy) November 11, 2016


A young Joe Biden lookin' like he'd steal your girl from you with ease pic.twitter.com/dA64S0yZb1

— R. Saddler (@Politics_PR) November 12, 2016


tfw young Joe Biden is ur home screen pic.twitter.com/TeHanpYdXj

— SAURON (@notaura) November 9, 2016

Biden isn’t the only political figure who polled high on the sexiness scale this year, though.

People also enjoyed a little young Tim Kaine eye candy thanks to a throwback photo of him in June:


FYI tim kaine used to be hot pic.twitter.com/ZnQHiPRYkH

— Marisa Kabas (@MarisaKabas) July 28, 2016

It’s just enough hotness to help soothe a tiny bit of the chilling post-election news.

-- 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 17 hours ago.

Of all the healthcare reform nostrums in all the world, the most popular among Republicans in the U.S. is allowing the sale of insurance policies across state lines.

The idea has been part of every GOP proposal to “repeal and replace” Obamacare. It was written into GOP Presidential candidate John... Reported by L.A. Times 16 hours ago.

President Barack Obama on Monday laid out why the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, will be difficult for the incoming Republican leadership and the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

"The holy grail for Republicans over the last six or seven years was to kill Obamacare," Obama said during a press conference at the White House.

Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all have called for the repeal of the law since Trump's stunning electoral victory last week.

Obama said, however, that it will be a rough road for Republicans if they simply try to repeal the law, given some of its more popular benefits — the end of lifetime limits, prescription drug discounts for seniors, free mammograms, and the fact that more than 20 million now have coverage through some of the law's provisions, among others.

"Now it's one thing to characterize this thing as not working when it's an abstraction," said Obama. "Now, suddenly, you're in charge and you're going to repeal it — OK, well, what happens to those 20 million people who have health insurance? Are you just going to kick them off and suddenly, they don't have health insurance?"

Obama said he would be open to fixes to the law or a new plan that ensures many of the benefits — such as children having the ability to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26 and insurers not being able to deny coverage due to a preexisting condition — do not disappear.

"My view on these issues is that if they can come up with something better that actually works and in a year or two after they've replaced the Affordable Care Act with their own plan, and 25 million people have health insurance, and it's cheaper and better and running smoothly, I'll be the first one to say that's great. Congratulations," Obama said.

Obama did say that if their plan leads to million of people losing coverage and other issues, he and the American people will not be happy.

"We're going to have a problem," Obama said. "I don't think that's unique to me, I think the American people will feel that way."

Obamacare has come under fire from Republicans mostly due to its public exchanges, which have seen increasing premiums and high-profile insurer exits.

Currently, Trump's healthcare plan on his transition website does not have provisions to ensure that those 20 million people are still covered. Trump did say on Friday he may keep two of the law's most popular provisions after speaking with Obama.

These parts of the law, however, can not be easily repealed, given Republicans do not have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and can only repeal parts of the law that have to do with the federal budget through a budget-reconciliation process. Health policy experts told Business Insider last week that these do not include the preexisting condition and children-under-26 provisions.

Said Obama: "On a lot of issues, now comes the hard part, now comes the governance."

-Watch the full press conference below:-

*SEE ALSO: Trump says he's willing to keep 2 key parts of Obamacare that he couldn't repeal anyway*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Clinton and Trump's final ads perfectly explain how different they are Reported by Business Insider 15 hours ago.

In what was one of his last press conferences as president, Obama took questions from the press for the first time since the presidential election and delivered an hour long Q&A session with members of the press corps ahead of his final foreign tour as US president. In that time Obama covered numerous issues including:

· *Urging Democrats to reflect on their election loss*
· *Trump supporting US commitment to NATO*
· *Criticizing Trump for having fewer policy ideas than most new presidents*
· *Also criticizing Trump for having to work on his temperament*
· *Telling Trump not to kill the Paris climate agreement*
· *Predicting Trump won't scrap the Iran Nuclear Deal*
· *Urging Trump to think "long and hard" before deporting illegal immigrants.*
· *Warning the GOP against repealing Obamcare: "now comes the hard part"*

Video of the full press conference:

And the main highlights:

*Obama reflects on Hillary's election loss*

“I think it’s a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to go through some reflection,” Obama told reporters Monday afternoon, the first time he took questions from the press since Trump’s victory stunned the political world. Despite his self-professed desire not to be “big-footing that conversation,” Obama decided to weigh in on the future of his shattered party, which now faces the daunting task of rebuilding.



Pres. Obama: "Healthy" for Democratic Party "to go through some reflection" https://t.co/k7bXsPgMfo https://t.co/fuJm0O7vCh

— ABC News (@ABC) November 14, 2016



Obama said Democrats should not deviate from their “core set of values” around economic fairness, diversity and inclusiveness, but added, “how we organize politically is something we should spend some time thinking about.” Obama questioned Hillary Clinton’s decision not to aggressively campaign in Rust Belt states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that have traditionally been Democratic strongholds.  *“Good ideas don’t matter if people don’t hear them,” *Obama said. “*We have to compete everywhere. We have to show up everywhere*.”

The president cited his own active campaigning in Iowa, a state he won twice but Clinton lost to Trump, as evidence.  He also sought to reassure Democrats fretting about the prospect of spending the next two years or four years in the political wilderness.  “Things change pretty rapidly, but they don’t change inevitably,” he said. “They change because you work for it. Nobody said democracy is supposed to be easy. It’s hard.”

*On Trump's support of the US committment to NATO*

"In my conversation with the president-elect, he expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships. And so one of the messages I will be able to deliver is his commitment to NATO and the Transatlantic Alliance."  Obama said the assurance he will convey to NATO members in Europe is to "let them know there is no weakening of resolve" under the Republican president-elect.

"There is enormous continuity, beneath our day-to-day news, that makes us that indispensable nation when it comes to promoting order and prosperity around the world," Obama said, describing U.S. military and diplomatic relationships in foreign countries. "That will continue."

National Security Advisor Susan Rice said earlier Monday that allies can assume the U.S. will uphold its defense obligations. "The weight of this office, and the weight of American global leadership, and the responsibilities that it entails, and the history that we share, the interests that endure, make it reasonable for our allies and partners to expect that the United States will uphold its obligations," Rice told the news agency.

*On criticizing Trump for having fewer policy ideas than most new presidents*

Obama expressed hope Donald Trump won’t roll back his major accomplishments, calling him a “pragmatic” leader who wants to advance his own agenda.  "*I also think that he is coming to this office with fewer set, hard-and-fast policy prescriptions than a lot of other presidents might be arriving with. I don't think he is ideologica*l,” Obama told reporters at a news conference at the White House. “I think ultimately he’s pragmatic in that way, and that can serve him well as long as he’s got good people around him and he has a good sense of direction.”



Obama on Trump: "I don't think he is ideological" https://t.co/frKMiywiqx https://t.co/5kOhqxhr3y

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) November 14, 2016



The president’s glass-half-full view of Trump is a stark departure from the rhetoric he used on the campaign trail, when he described him as an erratic figure who’s unfit to serve as commander in chief. In his first extended comments since meeting with Trump for roughly 90 minutes in the Oval Office last week, Obama said that Trump might realize the difficulties of taking a hatchet to his core policies, such as ObamaCare, the Iran deal and the Paris climate accord. *"Do I have concerns? Absolutely,” Obama said. “But the federal government and our democracy is not a speed boat. It’s an ocean liner.”*

*Also criticizing Trump for having to work on his temperament*

Trump will have to recognize and work on weaknesses in his temperament, Obama told reporters, if he wants to be a successful president. "Trump has to acknowledge his weaknesses," Obama said in a news conference with reporters, his first extended comments since the election and his meeting with the president-elect last week.



Obama on Trump: Certain elements of his temperament won't serve him well unless he recognizes and corrects them https://t.co/PasNvXrneG

— CNN (@CNN) November 14, 2016



"I think what will happen with the presidential-elect — there will be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well unless he recognizes them and corrects them. Because when you're a candidate, and you say something that is inaccurate or controversial, it has less impact than it does when you're president of the United States." 

*"Everybody around the world is paying attention. Markets move. National security issues require a level of precision in order to make sure you don't make mistakes, and I think he recognizes that this is different and so do the American people.*"  Obama declined to comment on whether he thought Trump was qualified for the office.

*On urging Trump not to end Paris climate agreement*

Obama made the case for the U.S. to stay in the Paris climate deal which Trump has threatened to tear down, calling it an important way to convince other nations to work on climate change the way he has during his administration.  That work, he said, has “made our economy more efficient, it’s helped the bottom line of folks and it's cleaned up the environment.” He said the Paris agreement “says to China and India and other counties that are potentially polluting: come on board. Let’s work together so you guys can do the same thing.”

Trump has said the pact is unfair to the United States because the Obama administration intends to cut American emissions in real terms, while emerging economies like China’s continue to expand their pollution, but at a slower pace. Trump, who cannot formally end the Paris deal because it took effect earlier this month, is reportedly looking for ways out, and since the deal isn’t binding, he can effectively ignore Obama’s stated goals and pursue his own course.  Obama said that’s not the right approach and warned that, with international agreements such as Paris, or the Iran nuclear accord, “the tradition has been you carry them forward across the administrations, particularly if once you actually examine them, they’re doing good for us and binding other countries into behavior that will help us.”

*Predicting Trump won't scrap the Iran Nuclear Deal*

Obama said he doubts President-elect Donald Trump will scrap a deal with Iran to curtail the country’s nuclear weapons aspirations because the agreement is working. When the accord was struck in 2015, "the main argument against it was that Iran wouldn’t abide by the deal," Obama said Monday at a White House news conference. "We now have over a year of evidence that they have abided by the deal."



"To unravel a deal that's working & preventing Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon would be hard to explain"—@POTUS https://t.co/jqZ9hatp4K

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 14, 2016



Trump said during his campaign that the Iran agreement was a bad deal and that he would force the Islamic Republic to renegotiate it. He has not addressed the agreement since winning the Nov. 8 election. He and Obama met on Thursday for about 90 minutes to discuss the transition from Obama’s administration to Trump’s, including current policies Obama hopes will continue after the Jan. 20 inauguration.

*"My suspicion is that when the president-elect comes in and is consulting with his fellow Republicans on the Hill, that they will look at the facts," *Obama said. "*To unravel a deal that’s working and preventing Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon would be hard to explain," *particularly if it leaves Iran free to reconstitute its weapons programs, he said.

*Urging Trump to think "long and hard" before deporting illegal immigrants.*



Obama said he will urge President-elect Donald Trump "to think long and hard" before making a decision on deporting young Americans who qualified for protection under his executive order. “I will urge the president-elect and the incoming administration to think long and hard before they are endangering the status of what for all practical purposes are American kids," Obama told reporters before embarking on his final trip abroad as commander in chief.

 

Obama's Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provides undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children work authorization and a temporary halt on deportation if they meet certain requirements.

 

"These are kids who were brought here by their parents. They did nothing wrong," the president said. "It is my strong belief that the majority of the American people would not want to see suddenly those kids have to start hiding again."



*Warning the GOP against repealing Obamcare: "now comes the hard part"*

Obama said he thinks Republican efforts to repeal and replace ObamaCare will get harder now that they actually have the responsibility of governing. Obama noted that while repealing his signature law has long been a “holy grail” for Republicans, the GOP will have to contend with the real world consequences such action would have for the 20 million people who gained health coverage under the law.
In addition to winning the White House, the GOP also maintained its House and Senate majorities.



Pres. Obama tells @MarthaRaddatz he advised Trump to "dig in" on ramifications of positions, including on Obamacare. https://t.co/1qXVoLJxer

— ABC News (@ABC) November 14, 2016



“It’s one thing to characterize this thing as not working when it’s just an abstraction, now suddenly you’re in charge and you’re gonna repeal it,” Obama said. “OK, well what happens to those 20 million people who have health insurance? Are you going to just kick them off and suddenly they don’t have health insurance?” He pointed to other benefits of the law, such as slowing the growth of healthcare costs.

Obama acknowledged that the law could be repealed and replaced with something else. But what that replacement would be, he said, is key.

“My view is that if they can come up with something better, that actually works and a year or two after they’ve replaced the Affordable Care Act with their own plan, that 25 million people have health insurance and it’s cheaper and better and running smoothly, I’ll be the first one to say that’s great, congratulations,” Obama said. “If, on the other hand, whatever they’re proposing results in millions of people losing coverage and results in people who already have health insurance losing protections that were contained in the legislation, then we’re gonna have a problem,” he added.

Republicans have not yet specified the details of their replacement plan. President-elect Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal last week that he wanted to keep the law’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions, a decision he said came after discussing the matter with Obama at their post-election White House meeting.

But it is unclear how Republicans would make that work if they repealed other parts of the law that interlock with that provision.

* * * Reported by Zero Hedge 14 hours ago.

Buying health insurance well in time means paying lesser premium and saves your panic at the eleventh hour when diabetes knocks at your door Reported by DNA 11 hours ago.

*Jakarta:* Over 6,000 people were displaced due to major floods that hit parts of Indonesia's West Java province, an official said on Tuesday.

The floods have submerged over 5,000 houses, 12 mosques, four school buildings and more than 100 hectares of paddy field, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster agency, told Xinhua news agency.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/15-Donald-Trump-s.jpg

*Washington:* Even as cases of hate crimes against minorities in the US after Donald Trump’s election last week have seen a sudden spike, he has asked his supporters to stand down and stop perpetuating bigotry. He also addressed the ongoing protests across the nation against his election by saying in a sitdown interview, “Don’t be afraid. We are going to bring our country back, but certainly, don’t be afraid,” adding, “If Hillary [Clinton] had won and if my people went out and protested, everybody would say, ‘oh, that’s a terrible thing,’ and it would have been a much different attitude.”

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/14trump-modi-s.jpg

*Edison (New Jersey)*: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President-elect Donald Trump will be "unparalleled" friends and under their leadership Indo-US trade could reach a whopping trillion dollars a year in less than a decade, said a prominent Indian-American industrialist and Trump supporter.

"I have no doubt that Trump Sarkaar (government) and Modi Sarkaar will be the best friends and the two leaders will be unparalleled friends in the history of world leadership," Republican Hindu Coalition founder Shalabh Kumar said at an event to felicitate him following Trump's election victory.

Kumar expressed confidence that Trump will be president for two terms and the Modi government too will get a second term, giving both leaders at least eight years to work together at the world stage.

Citing strong growth in bilateral economic cooperation, Kumar said he is confident that "under Trump Sarkaar and Modi Sarkaar, India and US trade will reach one trillion dollars per year in the next eight years."

Kumar had last month organised a rally in New Jersey attended by Trump, who had said at the event that he is a "big fan of Hindus" and of India. He described Trump's stunning election win as a "second Diwali."

"There is a lot of commonality between India and the US. Trump will be the best President for India, he will be best friend with India," Kumar said at the event attended by several members of the Indian-American community. Kumar stressed that areas such as electronic products will propel trade between the two nations to a trillion dollars in the next eight years. He said under a Trump administration, "lot of legislation that poses artificial barriers" to trade will be removed and India and the US will see greater collaboration in areas such as defence, energy and manufacturing as well as combating terrorism.

He also expressed confidence that the Trump administration will enact strong immigration laws which will benefit the hundreds of thousands of Indians legally waiting for their US Green Cards and legal residency permits.

Terming radical Islam as the "camel in the room," Kumar later told PTI that Trump is not afraid to use the words to describe the problem of terrorism confronting the world.

"There is a camel in the room. A lot of people ignore the camel in the room, Trump is not afraid to call it what it is - radical Islam, extremist Islam. Radical Islam has declared a war on the free world. You have to first recognise the enemy, if you do not recognise that camel, that war and pretend that there is no war how can you fight the war," he said. He stressed that the Trump-Modi relationship "will not be just optics". Optics is "when President Barack Obama
celebrates Diwali in the White House but then goes and gives F-16s to Pakistan," he said.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/aug/21-Trump_s.jpg

*New York*: US President-elect Donald Trump said that he will reject the presidential annual salary of $400,000 and will take only the minimum required: one dollar a year.

Trump announced his decision on Sunday in an interview for the CBS "60 Minutes" TV programme - his first television appearance after winning the November 8 elections.

"I think I have to take by law one dollar so I'll take one dollar a year," Trump said during the interview.

He further admitted that he did not know what the salary was and when told the salary was $400,000, Trump declined it, Efe news reported.

"I'm not taking it," said Trump, who amassed much of his fortune with television shows, hotels, casinos and real estate businesses.

Trump also defended his controversial decision to refuse releasing any of his tax returns during the election campaign and said he will release his tax returns "at the appropriate time".

Trump also commented about the recent violence across the country after the election when tens of thousands of people have marched against him for fibe consecutive days in some 30, in the "Not my President" anti-Trump protest.

"I am so saddened to hear that. And I say, Stop it. If it helps. I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: Stop it," the Manhattan billionaire said when asked about the incidents.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/Buildings-debris-s.jpg

*Wellington:* A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked New Zealand late yesterday, the US Geological Survey said.

The shallow tremor hit just after 11 pm local time, some 90 kms from the South Island city of Christchurch, according to the agency. Following the tremors, at midnight, New Zealand issued a tsunami warning for southern coastal areas today. “A tsunami is possible,” the national civil defence organisation, which is in charge of New Zealand’s emergency management, said.

“The first wave activity may not be the most significant,” it said, adding tsumanmi activity would continue for several hours.

The New Zealand government's GeoNet website said the quake was “felt widely” throughout the country and warned citizens to watch out for aftershocks.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/Anti-Trump-protest-s.jpg

*Washington:* Hillary Clinton has blamed FBI director James Comey for her shock defeat against Republican rival Donald Trump, claiming, “There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful. Our analysis is that Comey’s letter raising doubts that were groundless, baseless, proven to be, stopped our momentum.”*Clinton was spotted hiking a day after the stunning loss*

Clinton said her campaign was winning until Comey wrote a letter to the Congressional leadership that they have reopened the investigations into the email scandal.*James Comey*

Two days before the November 8 elections, Comey again sent a letter that it did not find anything new in the investigation that was primarily screening of 650,000 emails found in her aide Huma Abedin’s estranged husband Anthony Weiner’s laptop, and that he was standing by his original assessment — Clinton should not face criminal charges.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/nov/Jens-Stoltenberg-s.jpg

*London:* NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg yesterday warned Donald Trump that “going it alone” is not an option for Europe or America, amid concerns over the president-elect’s position on the US-led military alliance.

In an article in Britain’s Observer, days after Trump’s US election win, Stoltenberg said, “We face the greatest challenges to our security in a generation,” while conceding that Trump had a point about the need for some members to make a bigger financial contribution, as the US currently accounted for almost 70 per cent of NATO spending. But he added that American leaders had always recognised that they had a profound strategic interest in a stable and secure Europe.

During his election campaign, Trump described Western military alliance NATO as obsolete. He also suggested that the US would think twice about coming to the aid of any NATO ally under attack if it had not paid its dues.

“It is all too easy to take the freedoms, security and prosperity we enjoy for granted. In these uncertain times we need strong American leadership, and we need Europeans to shoulder their fair share of the burden,” the former Norwegian prime minister wrote.

“Going it alone is not an option, either for Europe or for the United States. This is no time to question the value of the partnership between Europe and the United States.”

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/aug/16-Rape-rep-pic-s.jpg

*Lahore:* A young pregnant woman set herself on fire and later died after she was raped for revenge by a man on the order of a village council in Pakistan's Punjab province.

From her death bed at a Lahore hospital, the woman, who was in her 20s, told police that she got pregnant after being raped by the man on the order of a panchayat in Gujrat district five months ago.

She set herself ablaze two weeks ago at her in-laws house as she did not want to face her husband who had returned from abroad after a couple of years.

Police said the woman's father was caught attempting to molest a minor girl in their village. When the matter was brought before the panchayat it outrageouly decided that the father of the minor would rape the woman in revenge for her father's crime.

Police said they have arrested 10 people in connection with the incident and registered a case against them.

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*Wellington:* New Zealand issued a tsunami warning for southern coastal areas today, following a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake near the South Island city of Christchurch around midnight.

"A tsunami is possible," the national civil defence organisation, which is in charge of New Zealand's emergency management, said in a bulletin.

"The first wave activity may not be the most significant," it said, adding tsumanmi activity would continue for several hours.

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*Islamabad:* At least four people (all US citizen) were killed early on Saturday in an explosion inside the largest US military base in Afghanistan, NATO said, with the Taliban claiming responsibility for the major security breach.

The explosion struck at dawn inside the heavily fortified Bagram Airfield north of Kabul, as the Taliban step up attacks on Western targets before the onset of winter, when fighting usually ebbs.

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*Islamabad:* The first trade convoy carrying Chinese goods for export through the western route of the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has arrived at the Gwadar port, a media report said on Saturday.

A Chinese ship docked at the port on Friday and another vessel was expected to arrive within 24 hours, Dawn reported, citing official sources. The paper said that the second trade convoy was scheduled to reach on Saturday.

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*New York:* US President-elect Donald Trump said he will consider an “amended” version of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law – a shift in position after repeatedly vowing on the campaign trail that he would repeal the measure.

Trump explained in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Friday that his shift came after White House talks on Thursday with Obama, who asked him to consider preserving parts of the Affordable Care Act.

“Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced,” Trump told the newspaper. “I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that.”

Trump’s repeated attacks on the law were a central focus of his campaign, during which he used it to needle rival Hillary Clinton as insurance premiums rose for some enrollees..

But, while the ACA has faced unanimous Republican opposition since its enactment in 2010, the question of they could replace it has remained unanswered. About 20 million Americans have gained health insurance under the law, reducing the share of the public without coverage to below 10 percent, the lowest recorded.*Ku Klux Klan to hold Trump victory parade*
One of the largest Ku Klux Klan (KKK) has announced a parade to honour Trump’s victory. KKK is a movement in the US that has advocated extremist ideologies such as white supremacy and nationalism, anti-immigration, etc. and expressed it through terrorism.

*Pence to head Trump’s transition*
Donald Trump shook up his White House transition team, putting VP Mike Pence in charge and naming three of his children to help nail down picks for his future cabinet.

*‘Very, very tough days’*
Speaking for the first time since her concession speech to Donald Trump, Hillary has said that the days following her shocking defeat have been “very, very tough” for her. “I am not going to sugarcoat it. These have been very, very tough days,” she said.

*'Brain drain’ likely under Trump’s regime*
Scientists fear a spurt in ‘brain drain’ as foreign-born researchers educated in American universities will be more likely to leave, according to a new survey.

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*Washington:* Another night of nationwide protests against Donald Trump’s election came to a head in Portland, where thousands marched and some smashed store windows, lit firecrackers and sparked a dumpster blaze. The police termed the protest a riot and used “less lethal munitions” help clear the streets.

Some 4,000 protesters surged into the downtown area late Thursday night shouting “we reject the president-elect!” Officers began physically pushing back against the crowd that threw objects at them as midnight approached, arresting several and using flash-bang devices and types of smoke or tear gas to force people to disperse.

After several orders to leave, the police said officers used “less lethal munitions,” such as pepper spray and rubber projectiles.

The number continued to dwindle through the night, and as the early hours wore on, the police announced to the remaining to disperse or be “subject to arrest and the use of riot-control agents”.

Around the country from New York to Chicago to California, hundreds of demonstrators marched through streets, many for the third straight night, though in somewhat smaller numbers.

Trump himself fired back late Thursday, tweeting, “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now, professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!”

In New York City, a large group of demonstrators once again gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue on Thursday night, chanting angry slogans and waving banners baring anti-Trump messages.*Snowden urges action not fear*
“If we want a better world, we can’t hope for an Obama, nor fear a Trump. We should build it ourselves,” said former NSA contractor Edward Snowden late on Thursday, addressing audience in the Netherlands in a live video chat from Russia.

*Immigration system revamp on the cards*
Trump Administration will execute a 10-point plan to “restore the integrity” of the US immigration system, including building a wall along the border with Mexico, suspension of visas from certain countries and reforming the legal immigration system, the president-elect’s transition team said yesterday.*President Barack Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Pic/AP/PTI*

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*New York:* The fliers depicting men in camouflage, wielding guns and an American flag, appeared in men’s restrooms throughout Texas State University: “Now that our man Trump is elected,” they said, “Time to organize tar and feather vigilante squads and go arrest and torture those deviant university leaders spouting off that diversity garbage.”

A year after students at campuses nationwide pushed for greater sensitivity toward cultural differences, the distribution of the Texas State fliers was just one of several episodes this week suggesting that the surprise election of Donald Trump is provoking a round of backlash on campuses.

At the same time, universities are trying to address more generalised fears about the country’s future, organising campus meetings and counselling sessions and sending messages to students urging calm.

“A lot of Muslim students are scared,” said Abdalla Husain (21), a linguistics major at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who is of Palestinian ancestry. He said some Muslim students on campus were afraid to go outside.
“They’re scared that Trump has empowered people who have hate and would be hostile to them.”

At San Jose State University in California, a Muslim woman complained that she had been grabbed by her hijab and choked. The police are investigating.

At Wellesley College in Massachusetts, alma mater of Hillary Clinton, two male students from nearby Babson College drove through campus in a pickup truck adorned with a large Trump flag, parked outside a meeting house for black students, and spat at a black female student, according to campus black student organisations.

After being ejected by the campus police, the two students bragged in a video that was widely viewed over social media.

Reports of hostility toward minorities were not limited to university campuses. In Durham, N.C., walls facing a busy intersection were painted with graffiti Tuesday night with the message, “Black lives don’t matter and neither does your votes,” according to local news reports.

Incidents were also reported at several high schools. Throughout the week, threatening messages on social media against racial and religious minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have spiked.*Trump’s Muslim ban message plays hide and seek*
One of President-elect Donald Trump’s most divisive promises — to ban Muslims from entering America — disappeared from his campaign website before reappearing. Trump’s campaign staff told the media that text of the pledge, posted in December following terror attacks in San Bernardino, California, vanished because of a technical glitch. It reappeared after journalists questioned the disappearance on Thursday. Reported by Mid-Day 10 minutes ago.

While industrial robotic machines and automatons have been used in production plants for years, recent advances in AI have led to the emergence of a new breed of 'intelligent' robots that represent the future of warehouse automation.

According to Maria Kaplan in her article titled Will Robots Take Over Ecommerce Warehouses?, the very first warehouse robots, Kiva System's automated guided vehicles, or bots, were used by Amazon in their fulfillment centers. In 2012, Amazon acquired Kiva Systems and renamed the company Amazon Robotics. Today there are almost 30,000 bots in operation spread across 10 massive Amazon warehouses.

These bots can pick up entire shelves of products and deliver them to packing stations in different areas of a warehouse. Sensors prevent collisions and an algorithm determines the most popular items and the closest supply.
*
Advantages of Total Warehouse Automation*

The ARC Advisory Group's report on global warehouse automation and control market in 2015 titled Warehouse Automation Market Experiencing Dramatic Growth states that, "Rapid growth in the worldwide market for warehouse automation and control systems is being driven primarily by the global boom in e-commerce, and its profound effects on fulfillment requirements."
Unlike a human labor force, robots do not require vacation time, sick days, paid leave, lunch breaks or health insurance. Since retailers are looking for new ways to reduce both operations and logistics costs and delivery time, robots offer an attractive, cost-saving alternative to traditional human labor.
*
Robots in e-commerce Warehouses*

With Amazon Robotics leading the way, there are many new entrants in the autonomous mobile robotics (AMR) market that boast improvements in the management, control and automation of warehouse operations.
While some offer the benefits of completely automated pick-and-package systems, others specialize in logistics operations for high-volume orders. Some warehouses are also experimenting with special robots for speed-sorting where parcels are sorted and packaged based on their size, weight and dimensions.
A related industry that is also on the rise includes self-driving transport vehicles that automate the delivery of materials in warehouses. They assist in performing tasks like receiving, unloading, inventory RAW, WIP, FG, shipping, loading, fulfillment, pick/pack and palletizing. A variant of these automated vehicles can be programmed for trackless navigation.
Some of the most popular and expensive warehouse automatons are the multi-robot fulfillment systems that work alongside humans to transport totes containing scanned items to the warehouse. These robots travel in a fleet and can navigate autonomously under the guidance of a server. Some can also pick up entire mobile racks and deliver them to workstations staffed by humans.
*
Disadvantages of Automations*

With the average cost of a warehouse robot around $35,000, complete automation is a dream for smaller retailers. The high cost of automation versus human employee salaries, perks and benefits is the limiting factor that prevents most retailers from completely automating their warehouse control and material handling systems.
The prospect of losing jobs to automatons also has labor unions and employee groups up in arms. While most people enjoy some assistance from robots in their jobs, a fully automated warehouse would remove the need for humans to perform basic repetitive tasks.
*
The Robotics Era*

Automation may hold the key to gaining a competitive edge in the market, which is why many big ecommerce retailers are converting to keep up with current global trends. The emergence of new 'smart' robots has reduced the time and effort required to scan and update stock inventory, pack parcels, arrange items on shelves and complete other related tasks.
Janney Capital Markets predicts that retailers in North America will reduce fulfillment costs by $450 million to $900 million in coming years. It seems that a future of total warehouse automation with increasingly sophisticated features and facilities is at hand.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 9 hours ago.

Reported by newKerala.com 7 hours ago.

IHC Specialty Benefits is well positioned to accelerate its growth in 2017 and beyond if, as many expect, the administration of President-elect Donald Trump and the new Congress move swiftly to change health insurance markets in the United States.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) November 15, 2016

In a statement today, IHC Specialty Benefits, Inc. (IHCSB), a member of The IHC Group, announced the company is confident that it is well positioned to accelerate its growth in 2017 and beyond if, as many expect, the administration of President-elect Donald Trump and the new Congress move swiftly to change health insurance markets in the United States.

David Kettig, Chief Executive Officer of IHC Specialty Benefits, commented, “While we certainly do not know all of the changes that the new administration will bring to healthcare financing, IHC Specialty Benefits today has the varied portfolio of group and individual specialty health products that consumers are seeking.

“Our indemnity, gap, and short-term medical plans are currently very popular, and we expect that our sales will accelerate as consumers and small business owners address the uncertainties surrounding reform of the Affordable Care Act. In addition, our distribution has asked The IHC Group to develop new products and to consider re-introducing major medical products if the reforms brought by the new administration create an environment in which we can do so profitably, ” he added.

The IHC Group recently enhanced its specialty benefit product mix by launching two new health insurance plans. Specifically, The IHC Group launched Care Access Plan, a hospital indemnity plan for individuals and families as well as Link, a new gap plan designed for employers who are looking to minimize employees’ financial exposure to high deductibles and out of pocket limits on health plans.

For more information about The IHC Group and its health product offerings, please contact Dave Keller at 952-746-6610 or Dave(dot)Keller(at)IHCGroup(dot)com.

About The IHC Group
Independence Holding Company (NYSE: IHC) is a holding company that is principally engaged in underwriting, administering and/or distributing group and individual disability, specialty and supplemental health, pet, and life insurance through its subsidiaries since 1980. The IHC Group owns three insurance companies (Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York, Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. and Independence American Insurance Company) and IHC Specialty Benefits, Inc., which is a technology-driven insurance sales and marketing company that creates value for insurance producers, carriers and consumers (both individuals and small businesses) through a suite of proprietary tools and products (including ACA plans and small group medical stop-loss). All products are placed with highly rated carriers.

“IHC” and “The IHC Group” are the brand names for plans, products and services provided by one or more of the subsidiaries and affiliate member companies of The IHC Group (“IHC Entities”). Plans, products and services are solely and only provided by one or more IHC Entities specified on the plan, product or service contract, not The IHC Group. Not all plans, products and services are available in each state. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.

The article, which was published in the print edition of USA Today on November 1, 2016 and is available online, urges consumers seeking a health insurance plan to heed Ms. Gross’ advice to purchase the right plan, and avoid common and costly mistakes.

(PRWEB) November 15, 2016

Adria Goldman Gross, FIPC, one of the nation’s leading medical insurance advocates, has been featured in a new USA Today article advising consumers on how to pick the right health insurance tier during the current Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) Open Enrollment period, which ends on January 31, 2017.

The article, which was published in the print edition of USA Today on November 1, 2016 and is available online, urges consumers seeking a health insurance plan to heed Ms. Gross’ advice with respect to the following:· While tiers are important, do not consider a plan that is unaffordable. If consumers cannot pay their premiums, insurers will cancel their plan.
· Carefully review the summary of benefits for any plan under consideration. This identifies what medical services the plan will pay for, and just as importantly, what it will not pay for.
· Be aware of the implications and rules for each plan type. For example, consumers who choose HMOs will need their primary care physician to make referrals for any specialists. Alternatively, a PPO offers more leeway in choosing doctors.
· If consumers want to keep their current physician, they should check each plan provider’s network directory to ensure that he or she is listed. Consumers can also call their doctor’s office and ask whether they accept a specific plan(s) under consideration.
· Examine each plan’s drug formulary (i.e. the list of covered drugs), to ensure that any medications currently prescribed will be covered.
· If the information they need is not available online, or if the information is not clear, then consumers should contact the insurer’s customer service line before they purchase a plan.

Consumers are also encouraged to read Gross’ bestselling consumer advocacy book “Solved! Curing Your Medical Insurance Problems,” which focuses on several key issues including: Obamacare appeals, how to be “fee-wise” about medical bills and insurance coverage, out-of-network protection legislation, how to challenge an incorrect or inflated medical bill, questions to ask after a suspected hospital over-charge, Medicare considerations, and more.

The book, which has generated dozens of 5-star reviews on Amazon.com, has also received critical acclaim across the country and is endorsed by consumer protection advocate Ralph Nader.

More information on Ms. Gross is available at http://adriagross.com. Read about her company MedWise Insurance Agency at http://medicalinsuranceadvocacy.com.

About Adria Goldman Gross

Adria Goldman Gross, FIPC, is the CEO and founder of MedWise Insurance Advocacy, as well as a New York State-licensed insurance broker and consultant who uncovers discrepancies in diagnostic or procedure coding, exposes dubious loopholes through which insurance companies attempt to deny claims, and helps attorneys, individuals and families resolve medical claim matters. She is also a bestselling co-author of books that are both endorsed by consumer protection advocate Ralph Nader: the recently-published Solved! Curing Your Medical Insurance Problems, and Multi-Payer Medicine Nightmare Made in the USA. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.

ACAExpress.com, a best in class ACA Enrollment Solution provider, is excited to announce their partnership with National General Accident & Health, a top short term medical, supplemental & dental plan provider.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) November 15, 2016

ACAExpress.com, a best in class ACA Enrollment Solution provider, is excited to announce their partnership with National General Accident & Health, a top short term medical, supplemental & dental plan provider.

“We are beyond excited for agents to enroll National General Accident & Health’s products through our platform,” says Don Archer, Chief Technology Officer at ACAExpress.com. “Thousands of agents rely on ACAExpress to maximize their efficiency. The addition of NGAH will extend that efficiency and allow agents to best serve their clients.”

ACAExpress.com believes consumers gain significantly by keeping licensed, knowledgeable, thoughtful agents involved in the process. Simply put, they put the power of Obamacare health insurance enrollment back into the hands of health insurance agents by providing an ACA enrollment solution that is simple for agents to use. Their turn-key enrollment solution provides agents with the tools they need to not only succeed, but the ability to thrive.

“At National General Accident & Health our goal is to deliver valuable insurance solutions that meet the varied needs of consumers, and provide agents the tools they need to make doing business with us easy. Partnering with ACAExpress allows us another way to reach the market and deliver consumers and our agent partners’ access to our portfolio of market leading Short Term Medical, Supplemental, and Dental insurance plans.” Aaron Goddard, President of Agency Sales

With a joint vision, both ACAExpress.com and National General Accident & Health continue to break the mold while providing innovative solutions to insurance agents, brokers, and consumers. Together the companies not only provide agents with the ability to quickly enroll clients but also the ability to provide consumers plans to fill the gaps that ACA health insurance plans leave.

Founded in 2014 as a certified Web-Broker Entity (WBE), ACAExpress.com has to date successfully enrolled in excess of half a million individuals for health insurance coverage through its technology. The company has quickly risen to be a leader within the health insurance technology space with current offerings to agents and health plans. In addition to its services division which allows the company to build solutions to spec, it currently provides direct enrollment, customer service, premium payment solutions, 834 reconciliation & 834 real time analytic products.

ACAExpress.com provides simple solutions to big problems while making sure the technology doesn’t get in the way. For more information contact ACAExpress.com, Inc. press relations at press(at)acaexpress(dot)com or 888-668-3909. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.