New tool helps users find services that deliver prescription contraception to your door

Washington, DC (PRWEB) March 28, 2017

For many women, getting birth control isn’t as easy as it should be. In fact, millions of women live in contraceptive deserts, meaning they either don’t have access to a health care facility or a pharmacy within 60 minutes of where they live. This is especially true in the rural and remote regions of the United States or for many who are faced with health or personal issues that leave them homebound. To help facilitate better access for all women, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s Bedsider.org, the nation’s leading online birth control support network, is pleased to announce its new Delivered to Your Door service.

Bedsider’s Delivered to Your Door search tool allows users to enter their zip code, city, or state to receive a listing of service providers who can deliver birth control (usually hormonal methods like the pill, patch, ring or emergency contraception) directly to their home. In many states, these online services are making it easier than ever to get birth control delivered conveniently and discreetly.

“Millions of women don’t have ready access to contraception, either due to not having a convenient local provider that offers the full range of birth control methods or not having the time or transportation to get to a pharmacy,” said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO, The National Campaign. “Bedsider’s new service is not just a convenience, it’s an important tool that helps women more effectively access contraception.”

Most states allow contraception to be delivered to your home. However, due to differing state regulations, some users may be required to speak with a prescriber before receiving their birth control. This might entail a Skype-style video chat with a health care provider or that the patient complete a short health questionnaire before receiving her method of choice. Bedsider’s Delivered to Your Door finder lists details about services available in users’ states, allowing them to compare options.

To find out which birth control methods are available in your state via Bedsider’s Delivered to Your Door search tool, visit bedsider.org/where_to_get_it. Many of the services listed provide free shipping and accept health insurance. Some of them also provide online health care and prescriptions and some allow users to sign up for automatic refills.

About Bedsider: Bedsider.org (Bedsider) is an online birth control support network for women age 18-29 operated by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a private non-profit organization. Bedsider is not funded by pharmaceutical companies or the government. It is an independent organization providing honest and unbiased information to users seeking to learn more about birth control. Our goal is to help women find the method of birth control that’s right for them and learn how to use it consistently and effectively. For more information, visit Bedsider.org.

About The National Campaign: The National Campaign is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families by preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy. Please visit us at http://www.TheNationalCampaign.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter. Reported by PRWeb 18 hours ago.

Authored by Patrick Buchanan via Buchanan.org,

*Did the Freedom Caucus just pull the Republican Party back off the ledge*, before it jumped to its death? A case can be made for that.

Before the American Health Care Act, aka “Ryancare,” was pulled off the House floor Friday,* it enjoyed the support — of 17 percent of Americans.* Had it passed, it faced an Antietam in the GOP Senate, and probable defeat.

Had it survived there, to be signed by President Trump, it would have meant 14 million Americans losing their health insurance in 2018.

*First among the losers would have been white working-class folks *who delivered the Rust Belt states to President Trump.

*“Victory has a thousand fathers; defeat is an orphan,” said JFK.*

*So, who are the losers here?*

First and foremost, Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans who, having voted 50 times over seven years to repeal Obamacare, we learned, had no consensus plan ready to replace it.

*Moreover, they put a bill on the floor many had not read, and for which they did not have the votes.*

More than a defeat, this was a humiliation. For the foreseeable future, a Republican Congress and president will coexist with a health care regime that both loathe but cannot together repeal and replace.

Moreover, this defeat suggests that, given the ideological divide in the GOP, and the unanimous opposition of congressional Democrats, the most impressive GOP majorities since the 1920s may be impotent to enact any major complicated or complex legislation.

*Friday’s failure appears to be another milestone in the decline and fall of Congress, which the Constitution, in Article I, fairly anoints as our first branch of government.*

Through the last century, Congress has steadily surrendered its powers, with feeble resistance, to presidents, the Supreme Court, the Federal Reserve, the regulatory agencies, even the bureaucracy.

*The long retreat goes on.*

Another truth was reconfirmed Friday. Once an entitlement program has been created with millions of beneficiaries, it becomes almost impossible to repeal. As Ronald Reagan said, “A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”

*Nor did President Trump escape unscathed.*

Among the reasons he was elected was the popular belief, which carried him through scrapes that would have sunk other candidates, that, whatever his faults or failings, he was a doer, a man of action — “He gets things done!”

To have failed on his first big presidential project has thus been *an occasion of merriment for the boo-birds in the Beltway bleachers.*

Yet, still, Trump’s Saturday tweet — “Obamacare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan … Do not worry!” — may prove prophetic.

Now that “Trumpcare” or “Ryancare” is gone, the nation must live with Obamacare. A Democratic program from birth, it is visibly failing. And Democrats now own it again, as not one Democrat was there to help reform it. In the off-year election of 2018, they may be begging for Republican help in reforming the health care system.

*After what he sees as a wonderful win, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer now intends to block a Senate vote on Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, and thus force Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to muster 60 votes to halt a Democratic filibuster.*

Should Schumer persist, Senate Republicans will exercise the “nuclear option,” i.e., change the rules to allow debate to be cut off with 51 votes, and then elevate Gorsuch with their own slim majority.

Why would Schumer squander his political capital by denying a quality candidate like Judge Gorsuch a vote? Does he also think that a collapsing Obamacare — even its backers believe is in need of corrective surgery — will be an asset for his imperiled colleagues in 2018? The last time Democrats headed down that Radical Road and nominated George McGovern, they lost 49 states.

While the Republicans have sustained a defeat, this is not the end of the world. And there was an implied warning in the president’s Sunday tweet:



*“Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare.”*



What Trump is explaining here is that, if Republican majorities in the House and Senate cannot or will not unite with his White House behind solutions on health care, taxes, infrastructure, border security, he will seek out moderate Democrats to get the work done.

This humiliation of Obamacare reform may prove a watershed for the Trump presidency. What he is saying is simple and direct:



*I am a Republican president who wants to work with Republicans. But if they cannot or will not work with me, I will find another partner with whom to form coalitions to write the laws and enact the reforms America needs, because, in the last analysis, while party unity is desirable, the agenda I was elected to enact is critical.*



The health care defeat yet may prove to be another example of winning by losing. Reported by Zero Hedge 17 hours ago.

On a Monday night this winter, at a gala in a Beaux-Arts former bank downtown, the young playwright Rachel Bonds, whose luminous “Sundown, Yellow Moon” is currently onstage uptown, made a showstopper of a speech, on a night not lacking in potential showstoppers. The event was a fund-raiser for the nonprofit Off Broadway theatre and artist incubator Ars Nova. It had a Russia-in-winter theme—bear-shaped ice sculpture, stilt walkers, faux-fur hats—in honor of the company’s first Broadway transfer, Dave Malloy’s “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.” It featured songs from the show, performed by Malloy, Josh Groban, Denée Benton, and others. But when Bonds spoke people made sounds of amazement: as Ars Nova’s playwright-in-residence, she said, she was paid a salary and given benefits. Good benefits. “I actually went to the dentist,” she said, to “ooh”s. “I also had my first child.” Prenatal care, delivery, everything, was covered by her Ars Nova health insurance. “He’s eight weeks old, and it’s my first night away from him,” she said. “So that tells you how much Ars Nova means to me.” After her speech, she went out to the street and got a car home. Inside, the party raged on, with vodka and accordions. Reported by The New Yorker 14 hours ago.

Free lunches, scholarships for employees' children, office car for personal use may all become a thing of the past with the Goods and Services Tax Bill coming into effect from July 1, 2017. 

According to a report by The Times of India, any benefits extended to an employee over and above his Cost-To-Company (CTC) and beyond the Rs 50,000 threshold may attract a tax under the GST regime. This could included free subsidised food provided to employees, beverages, group and life insurance, gym or fitness club memberships, scholarships, taxi services, etc.  

This is because of a provision in the GST Bill called ''supply made without consideration" which is taxable.

According to the report, the supply of goods and services is taxable under GST and "supply of goods or services to a related party (a term that includes employees) without consideration, when made in the due course of furtherance of business, is taxable under GST. 

Apart from this, the report also notes that input tax credit would not be available for the employer on the supply of various benefits provided to the employee, This includes life or health insurance. 

The use of company assets used by an employee are taxable under the ambit of GST. According to the report, the Bill says, "where goods held for the purpose of the business are put to any private use, whether or not for a consideration, such usage would result in a supply of services and a GST levy." Going by this definition, a car provided to an employee for his official and private use would be taxable. 

In such a case, the employer should be given the benefit of input tax credit which is not currently available.

 

 

 

ReportMoneyDNA Web TeamDNA webdeskMumbai

· Goods and Services Tax bill
· GST
· GST Bill
· Health Insurance
· Life Insurance
· CTC
· Gifts
· Taxi services

Wed, 29 Mar 2017-09:30am
Date updated: 
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From Print Edition:  Reported by DNA 8 hours ago.

You can thank House Speaker Ryan and President Trump for pushing their cruel health insurance boondoggle. This debacle has created a  big opening to put Single Payer or full Medicare for all prominently front and center. Single Payer means everybody in, nobody out, with free choice of physician and hospital.

The Single Payer system that has been in place in Canada for Decades comes in at half the cost per capita, compared to what the U.S. spends now. All Canadians are covered at a cost of about $4500 per capita while in the U.S. the cost is over $9000 per capita, with nearly 30 million people without coverage and many millions more underinsured.

Seventy-three members of the House of Representatives have co-signed Congressman Conyers’s bill, HR 676, which is similar to the Canadian system. These lawmakers like HR 676 because it has no copays, nasty deductibles or massive inscrutable computerized billing fraud, while giving people free choice and far lower administrative costs.

Often Canadians never even see a bill for major operations or procedures. Dr. Stephanie Wohlander, who has taught at Harvard Medical School, estimated recently that a Single Payer system in the U.S. would potentially save as much as $500 billion, just in administrative costs, out of the nearly $3.5 trillion in health care expenditures this year.

Already federal, state and local governments pay for about half of this gigantic sum through Medicare, Medicaid, the Pentagon, VA, and insuring their public employees. But the system is complexly corrupted by the greed, oft-documented waste, and over-selling of the immensely-profitable, bureaucratic insurance and drug industry.

To those self-described conservatives out there, consider that major conservative philosophers such as Friedrich Hayek, a leader of the Austrian School of Economics, so revered by Ron Paul, supported “a comprehensive system of social insurance” to protect the people from “the common hazards of life,” including illness. He wanted a publically funded system for everyone, not just Medicare and Medicaid patients, with a private delivery of medical/health services. That is what HR 676 would establish (ask your member of Congress for a copy or find the full text here. (Conservatives may wish to read for greater elaboration of this conservative basis, my book, Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State.)

Maybe some of this conservative tradition is beginning to seep into the minds of the corporatist editorial writers of the Wall Street Journal. Seeing the writing on the wall, so to speak, a recent editorial, before the Ryan/Trump crash, concluded with these remarkable words:

“The Healthcare Market is at a crossroads. Either it heads in a more market-based direction step by step or it moves toward single payer step by step. If Republicans blow this chance and default to Democrats, they might as well endorse single-payer because that is where the politics will end up.”

Hooray!

Maybe such commentary, repeated by another of the Journal’s columnists, will prod more Democrats to come out of the closet and openly push for a Single Payer system. At a recent lively town meeting in San Francisco, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi blurted at her younger protesters: “I’ve been for single-payer before you were born.”

Presumably retired President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will do the same, since they too were for “Full Medicare for All” before they became politically subservient to corporate politics.

Even without any media, and any major party calling for it, a Pew poll had 59% of the public for Full Medicare for All, including 30% of Republicans, 60% of independents and 80% of Democrats. Ever since President Harry S. Truman proposed to Congress universal health insurance legislation in the nineteen forties, public opinion, left and right, has been supportive.

We’ve compiled twenty-one ways in which life is better in Canada than in the U.S. because of the Single Payer health insurance system. Canadians, for example, don’t have to worry about pay or die prices, don’t take or decline jobs based on health insurance considerations, nor are they driven into bankruptcy or deep debt, they experience no anxiety over being denied payment or struck with reams of confusing, trap-door computerized bills and fine print.

People in Canada do not die (estimated at 35,000 fatalities a year in the U.S.) because they cannot go for diagnoses  or treatment in time.

Canadians can choose their doctors and hospitals without being trapped, like many in the U.S., into small, narrow service networks.

In Canada the administration of the system is simple. You get a health care card when you are born. You swipe it when you visit a physician or hospital.

All universal health insurance systems in all western countries have their problems; but Americans are extraordinarily jammed with worry, anxiety and fear over how or if their care is going to be covered or paid, not to mention all the perverse incentives for waste, gouging and profiteering.

Time to call your Senators and Representatives. There are only 535 of them and you count in the tens of millions!

For the full 21 Ways, see the article here.

For more information on health care in the U.S., what’s being done to combat vicious commercial assaults on our country’s most vulnerable people, and to find out how you can help fight back, visit http://www.singlepayeraction.org/. Reported by Eurasia Review 7 hours ago.

Filers Scramble to Find IRS-Authorized E-filing Agents as the Deadline Approaches. ACAwise answers the call.

Rock Hill, SC (PRWEB) March 29, 2017

Applicable Large Employers (ALEs), insurance providers, and certain other entities who provided health insurance coverage to individuals during the 2016 tax year have until March 31, 2017, to e-file Affordable Care Act (ACA) Reporting Forms 1094 and 1095. These Forms 1094 and 1095 report details of the coverage offered to taxpayers during the 2016 tax year to ensure the coverage offered met minimum ACA requirements.

Those who are required to file these forms must e-file Forms 1094 and 1095-A, B, or C through the IRS AIR System for ACA e-filing or through an IRS-authorized e-filing agent. Recipient copies of these forms should have been mailed out by March 2, 2017, for taxpayers to use when reporting their own income taxes to the IRS. Additionally, no paper copies of the ACA Forms may be filed at this time; the paper filing deadline was February 28, 2017, and any paper copies submitted will be considered late.

A leader in the IRS return electronic filing industry, SPAN Enterprises, is providing full-service Affordable Care Act Form e-filing in one of their newest products, ACAwise. Users of ACAwise can opt for a basic full-service experience or full-service plus Cross Walk. The Cross Walk feature allows ACAwise programming to calculate the necessary ACA codes to complete 1095 Forms based on the employee and insurance coverage data provided.

ACAwise also comes complete with a series of error checks that are performed to ensure any basic errors are absolved before the forms are transmitted to the IRS. And if users have any questions during the ACA Form e-filing process, they have access to ACAwise’s US-based expert ACA support through phone, live chat, or email.

ACA Form filers who anticipate they’ll need more time to get things together and filed for the ACA e-filing deadline can apply for an automatic 30-day e-filing extension with Form 8809, which can be e-filed with ExpressIRSForms, another program found in SPAN Enterprise’s line of e-filing software known as ExpressTaxZone. Those who are required to e-file ACA Forms and do not - and also do not file Form 8809 - for the 2016 tax year by March 31, 2017, may be subject to IRS reporting penalties.

IRS reporting penalties for the ACA Forms can be avoided by e-filing Forms 1094 and 1095 by March 31, 2017.

Founded and based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, SPAN Enterprises continues to lead the market in software solutions and mobile applications specific to IRS tax e-filing. The products produced by SPAN Enterprises offer tax e-filing solutions for various information returns such as Form 1099/W2 at ExpressTaxFilings.com, Heavy Vehicle Use Tax Form 2290 for transportation professionals at ExpressTruckTax.com, and tax extension applications at ExpressExtension.com. SPAN Enterprises offers 100%, US-based customer service via phone, live chat, and 24/7 email support. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.

TOKYO, Mar 29, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Eisai Co., Ltd. announced today that the German Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has confirmed the additional benefit of in-house developed anticancer agent Kisplyx (lenvatinib mesylate) in combination with everolimus for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) compared to everolimus alone in its assessment for insurance reimbursement. Based on this additional benefit assessment, price negotiations with the Head Association of German Sick Funds (GKV-SV) will be conducted, and a reimbursement price has to be agreed.

The G-BA's assessment was based on a Phase II clinical study (Study 205)(1) that evaluated the safety and efficacy of Kisplyx in combination with everolimus in patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic RCC following one prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeted therapy. From the results of the study, the Kisplyx plus everolimus group demonstrated a significant extension in the study's primary endpoint of progression free survival (PFS) compared to the everolimus alone group. Furthermore, the Kisplyx plus everolimus group demonstrated an extension in median overall survival (OS) compared to the everolimus alone group.(2)

The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) reported in the Kisplyx plus everolimus group were diarrhea, decreased appetite and fatigue. The most common TEAEs of Grade 3 or higher (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) were diarrhea, hypertension and fatigue.

The number of patients with renal cancer is estimated to be approximately 115,000 in Europe in 2012.(3) Renal cell carcinoma comprises more than 90% of all malignancies of the kidney,(4) and originates from malignant cells in the lining of the tubules of the kidney. The incidence of renal cell carcinoma in people over 55 years of age is rising, and it is more likely to affect men than women. For advanced or metastatic RCC that is difficult to treat with surgery, the standard treatment is molecular targeted drug therapy. However, with low 5-year survival rates, RCC remains a disease with a significant unmet medical need.

In Europe, lenvatinib mesylate has been designated as an orphan drug for thyroid cancer and is marketed as Lenvima for this indication.

Eisai positions oncology as a key therapeutic area, and is aiming to discover revolutionary new medicines with the potential to cure cancer. Eisai remains committed to expanding access to Kisplyx and maximizing value of the drug as it seeks to contribute further to addressing the diverse needs of, and increasing the benefits provided to, patients with cancer, their families, and healthcare providers.

German Federal Joint Committee (G-BA)

The German Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G-BA) is the highest decision-making body of the joint self-government of physicians, dentists, hospitals and health insurance funds in Germany. It issues directives for the benefit catalog of statutory health insurance funds (GKV) and thus specifies which drugs and medical services are reimbursed by the GKV.

About additional benefit assessment conducted by the G-BA

In Germany, the enactment of the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medical Products (Arzneimittelmarkt-Neuordnungsgesetz, AMNOG) came into effect on January 2011. Under this amendment, all eligible new drugs launched on the German market must undergo an additional benefit assessment conducted by the G-BA, with later price negotiations to be based on this assessment, and a reimbursement price to be agreed upon within one year from the drug's launch.

Furthermore, when a new drug is launched, the pharmaceutical company must submit to the G-BA a benefit dossier demonstrating the drug's additional benefit over a comparator. The G-BA then usually commissions the country's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (Institut fur Qualitat und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen: IQWiG) to evaluate the dossier to decide whether any additional benefit exists over the comparator. The pharmaceutical company is next given an opportunity to comment on the IQWiG's evaluation, after which the G-BA carries out its final decision regarding any additional benefit of the drug.

If an additional benefit is recognized by the G-BA, the drug proceeds to the price negotiation stage with the lead association of the German sick funds (GKV-Spitzenverbandes: GKV-SV), and a reimbursement price has to be agreed upon based on the level of additional benefit as decided by the G-BA. On the other hand, if a drug is deemed to offer no recognized additional benefit or if the additional benefit cannot be proven, the drug is designated a reference price group as well as a reimbursement price based on the price of the comparator used during the benefit assessment.

About lenvatinib mesylate (brand names: Lenvima, Kisplyx, "lenvatinib")

Discovered and developed in-house, lenvatinib is an orally administered multiple receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor with a novel binding mode that selectively inhibits the kinase activities of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors (VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors (FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3 and FGFR4) in addition to other proangiogenic and oncogenic pathway-related RTKs (including the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor PDGFRα; KIT; and RET) involved in tumor proliferation.

Currently, Eisai has obtained approval for lenvatinib as a treatment for refractory thyroid cancer in over 50 countries including in the United States, Japan, in Europe, Korea, Mexico, and Brazil. Specifically, Eisai has obtained approval for the agent indicated in the United States for the treatment of locally recurrent or metastatic, progressive, radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer, in Japan for the treatment of unresectable thyroid cancer, and in Europe for the treatment of adult patients with progressive, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated (papillary, follicular, Hurthle cell) thyroid carcinoma (DTC), refractory to radioactive iodine, respectively.

Lenvatinib was also approved in the United States in May 2016 for an additional indication in combination with everolimus for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following one prior anti-angiogenic therapy. Furthermore, lenvatinib was approved in combination with everolimus for the treatment of adult patients with advanced RCC following one prior VEGF-targeted therapy in Europe in August 2016.

In Europe, lenvatinib has been designated as an orphan drug for thyroid cancer and is marketed as Lenvima for this indication. In Europe, renal cell carcinoma does not meet the criteria for orphan drug designation. Accordingly, under European regulations, any licensed medicine that previously received orphan drug designation for an indication and subsequently receives license for a non-orphan indication must be marketed under a different trade name. As such, lenvatinib will be marketed as Kisplyx in the European Union for the indication covering renal cell carcinoma.

Furthermore, Eisai is currently preparing global submissions for lenvatinib in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, Eisai is currently conducting several clinical trials, including a Phase III clinical study of lenvatinib in combinations with both pembrolizumab and everolimus in RCC (first-line therapy), a Phase II clinical study in biliary tract cancer, and in combination with pembrolizumab for various types of cancer (Phase Ib/II).

About the Phase II Clinical Study (Study 205)1

Study 205 was a multicenter, randomized, open-label study of the combination of lenvatinib (18 mg) plus everolimus (5 mg), lenvatinib alone (24 mg), and everolimus alone (10 mg) in patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma following one prior VEGF-targeted therapy, and was conducted in Europe and the United States. 153 patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to one of three treatment arms to compare the efficacy and safety of these three regimens.

From the results of the study, the combination of lenvatinib plus everolimus group demonstrated a significant extension in the study's primary endpoint of progression free survival (PFS) compared to the everolimus alone group (median PFS for the lenvatinib plus everolimus group: 14.6 months vs median PFS for the everolimus alone group: 5.5 months; Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.40 [95% CI: 0.24-0.68], p=0.0005). Additionally, median PFS for the lenvatinib alone group was 7.4 months, demonstrating an extension in PFS compared to the everolimus alone group (HR: 0.61 [95% CI: 0.38-0.98]).

The study also assessed objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) as secondary endpoints. Regarding ORR, both the lenvatinib plus everolimus group and the lenvatinib alone group showed an improvement in ORR compared to the everolimus alone group (lenvatinib plus everolimus: 43%, lenvatinib alone: 27%, everolimus alone: 6%). Additionally, regarding OS, an updated analysis carried out in December 2014 suggested that lenvatinib plus everolimus extends OS compared to everolimus alone (HR 0.51 [95% CI=0.30-0.88]).

Furthermore, regarding OS, updated median overall survival in the study population was 25.5 months in the lenvatinib plus everolimus group compared with 15.4 months in the everolimus group (HR 0.59 [ 95% CI 0.36 - 0.97]).(2)

The most common any-grade treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) reported in the lenvatinib plus everolimus group were diarrhea, decreased appetite and fatigue. The most common TEAEs of Grade 3 or higher (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) were diarrhea, hypertension and fatigue.

(1) Robert Motzer, et al, "Lenvatinib, everolimus, and the combination in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a randomised, phase 2, open-label, multicentre trial." The Lancet Oncology, 2015; 16, 1473-1482
(2) Kisplyx Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC), September 2016
(3) Globocan 2012: Estimated Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide in 2012, http://globocan.iarc.fr/
(4) Eble J.N, ed. Pathology and Genetics of Tumours of the Urinary System and Male Genital Organs. 3rd ed. World Health Organization Classification of Tumours, vol.7 (IARC, 2004)

About Eisai

Eisai Co., Ltd. (TSE:4523; ADR:ESALY) is a research-based human health care (hhc) company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the world. Eisai focuses its efforts in three therapeutic areas: integrative neuroscience, including neurology and psychiatric medicines; integrative oncology, which encompasses oncotherapy and supportive-care treatments; and vascular/immunological reaction. Through a global network of research facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, Eisai actively participates in all aspects of the worldwide healthcare system. For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit www.eisai.com.
Contact:
Public Relations Department
Eisai Co., Ltd.
+81-(0)3-3817-5120Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com Reported by ACN Newswire 5 hours ago.

BSG study finds health insurance more important than the Internet or pay raises to millennials

Denver, Colo. (PRWEB) March 29, 2017

Even as millennials withdraw from some of the habits and behaviors associated with their parents, such as home ownership, cable TV and physical banking, there is one area where the generation follows traditional expectations: healthcare.

Millennials highly value healthcare and are surprisingly traditional in the way they consume it, according to a new study by the Benenson Strategy Group (BSG). Over 1,000 millennials were polled for the study, which shows 86% carry health insurance and the majority considers it a critical employee benefit.

Health Insurance More Essential Than Internet
BSG found that, of the 86% of millennials with health insurance, more than half get it through avenues expanded by Obamacare, such as individual plans, their parent’s plan or Medicaid. [See Chart 1]. For those without, cost is the main deterrent, followed by good health. This generation also views insurance as indispensable – 85% said it’s absolutely essential or very important to have health insurance, ranking it ahead of home Internet, mobile phone data, TV and entertainment. [See Chart 2].

Ranks as No. 1 Employee Benefit
Millennials, who recently overtook baby boomers as the largest segment of the workforce, want traditional job benefits, and health insurance tops the list. When asked if they’d rather have better insurance or a 10% pay raise, 51% opted for the insurance while 49% chose the money. Millennials also ranked health insurance first out of nine possible employee benefits, followed by retirement account contributions and vacation. Parking and gym memberships ranked lowest. [See Chart 3].

“Prioritizing security-oriented benefits suggests millennials take a more thoughtful and cautious view of the future than they are often credited for in the media,” said BSG Managing Partner Danny Franklin. “Understanding how this generation gathers information and uses medical services can help both employers and healthcare providers better communicate with millennials and serve them, particularly as their needs shift.”

Experience with System Breeds Distrust
Though millennials are happy with their insurance and 60% are favorable toward Obamacare, they’re concerned about the system. Forty-nine percent believes the U.S. healthcare system is broken, and that number rises with age, with 54% of older millennials believing as much versus 40% of younger millennials. As far as trust goes, healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses and hospitals are on the top of the list, while health insurance and pharmaceutical companies are on the bottom. [See Chart 4].

Pessimism Abounds with Trump
The millennial generation neither trusts President Donald Trump on healthcare nor expects him to improve it. BSG found that only 22% of millennials trust Trump on healthcare policy, including just 45% of Republicans, 15% of Democrats and 13% of independents studied.

Most also expect their health insurance options to deteriorate under Trump – 47% of millennials believe they’ll get worse, 31% believe they’ll improve and 22% believe they’ll remain the same. [See Chart 5]. Similarly, 44% of millennials expect Trump’s eventual plan to repeal and replace Obamacare will undermine healthcare quality, compared to 35% who said it will improve and 21% who said it will stay the same. [See Chart 6].

“Even though most millennials do not expect healthcare improvements from the Trump administration, they still place a high value on health insurance and care about what happens to the system,” said Franklin. “Policymakers who jeopardize millennials’ insurance options risk alienating this younger set of voters and that could carry long-term political consequences.”

Traditional Approach to Healthcare for Untraditional Generation
In spite of being the most connected generation, the Internet is not a healthcare cure-all for millennials. While the vast majority use online healthcare sources to gather information, just 11% of millennials use online research to avoid traditional doctors. It serves as more of a back-up source for them. When they have serious medical issues or questions, 76% reach out to a healthcare provider. What’s more, less than one-third said they trust medical content they find online.

The full report can be accessed at: http://www.bsgco.com/insights/millennials-sound-off-on-healthcare

Methodology
The 2017 Millennials and Healthcare Study was conducted online by Benenson Strategy Group between Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, 2017. The survey results are based upon 1,002 random online interviews conducted nationally among adults aged 18-34 using an online panel sample from Precision Sample. This random has a worst-case 95% confidence interval of ±3.1% about any one reported percentage. Additional interviews were fielded March 11 and 12, 2017.

Survey Demographics
Among the 1,002 respondents, 49% percent were male and 51% were female. Forty three percent consider themselves independents, 35% Democrats and 22% Republicans.

About Benenson Strategy Group
Benenson Strategy Group (BSG) is a strategic research consultancy that marries language expertise with innovative research to frame choices that help clients win in the most challenging competitive situations. Advising global corporations, political leaders and institutions in dynamic, competitive scenarios, Benenson Strategy Group has earned a reputation for expertise in the rhythm and nuances of language and words, and the underlying dynamics of consumer and political choices. Founded in 2000, BSG's headquarters are in New York. The firm also has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Denver. For more information, please visit http://www.bsgco.com

### Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.

HONG KONG, March 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fosun International Limited issued a letter to all shareholders of Fosun, the full letter is as follows:

To all shareholders of Fosun:

Fosun will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2017. Every Fosuner and I would like to express our thanks to you all for your trust and being here all these years to share every precious moment with us.

In the past year, Fosun maintained its strong growth momentum of development and made significant breakthroughs in its business performance. As of 31 December 2016, the Group's consolidated assets grew by 19.5% to RMB 486.78 billion and the equity attributable to the owners of the parent increased by 21.9% to RMB 92.37 billion in 2016 compared with that in 2015. The compound annual growth rate ("*CAGR*") of net assets was 23.7% for the recent five years. Profit attributable to the owners of the parent reached RMB 10.27 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 27.7% or a CAGR of 24.7% in the past five years. Fosun's net profit hit a record high above RMB 10 billion, signifying Fosun has embarked on a new chapter in its business endeavours and development. The Board resolved to recommend payment of a final dividend of HKD0.21 per ordinary share for the year ended 31 December 2016.

The financial figures highlight our effective implementation of business strategy, yet we always resist complacency that has made us continue to excel our ultimate objective. To draw an analogy between a company's evolution and human growth, I would say after 25 years of development, we have grown from children into charismatic adolescents and now blossoming youths. We have been increasingly aware that the most important aspect of a company's development is its capability to bring long-term growth in shareholders' value. We have attached great importance to our customers' needs, and we regard customers as the foundation for a long-term growth in enterprise value. Fosun's mission is "Creating a happiness ecosystem for success, bringing a healthy, happy, and wealthy life to families around the world".

*Surmounting the ups and downs in the economic cycle and creating value for shareholders consistently *

In the past five years, our business mix has shown the characteristics of "high growth, light asset and capability to withstand cyclical risks". For instance, we have quickly put in place Fosun's medical and senior care businesses. This has resulted in the consistent increase of the proportion of the "health, happiness and wealth" business in Fosun's total assets and profit. As of 31 December 2016, the total assets of "health, happiness and wealth" business were increased by 28.8%^[1] compared with that in 2015, accounting for more than 80.0% of the Fosun Group's total assets. In addition, the "health, happiness and wealth" business has become the most important source of Fosun's profit, contributing more than 76.0%.

**Developing business while effectively controlling financial risks, optimizing the balance sheet consistently **

While maintaining organic and external growth, Fosun has paid more attention to risk control, especially effective control of financial risks through proactive management. Specifically, the overall maturity period of liabilities has increased. Debts with duration of three years and longer periods accounted for more than 38.7% of the total liabilities. The financing cost kept on decreasing, with the average financing cost continuously decreasing from 5.7% per annum in 2013 to 4.5% per annum in 2016 (5.0% per annum in 2015). The proportion of assets with high liquidity kept on increasing. Both the net gearing ratio and the capital debt ratio continued to decrease.

*Great potential for appreciation in the value of assets *

I am very proud to learn, work and grow together with many intelligent and diligent colleagues at Fosun. Thanks to everyone's efforts, we have been able to live through the ups and downs of the economic cycle and fostered the development of many high-quality projects. As a result, we have built up huge potential for appreciation in the value of assets and can expect a harvest season. This can best be illustrated by successful investments and operations such as Focus Media, Cainiao, YUNDA Holding Co., Ltd. and Atlantis Sanya.

At this moment, I can sum up Fosun's development in the past 25 years in the following words: *to achieve long-term growth in shareholders' value and bring a happier life to customers, we have been working conscientiously and earnestly everyday as if we were skating on thin ice and standing on the brink of an abyss. *These are the values we have been insisting since the first day that Fosun was founded, and Fosun will continue to practise what it believes in.

*Believing in learning, progress, and development, creating a global happiness ecosystem for success *

New achievements were made one after another in 2016, but this gives me a deep sense of unease. Why? Because a fast-changing world poses many challenges and people are prone to lose direction in such a fast-changing world. For instance, internet and mobile internet are changing the world, at an even faster pace, and they make their presence increasingly felt in manufacturing industry and the supply chain. Breakthroughs in technological innovations are also happening more rapidly. Notably, the impact of artificial intelligence may surpass those of all other technologies such as mobile internet. Globalized investment, trade, and exchange of ideas about technologies are becoming more frequent, but the voice of anti-globalization movement is growing stronger. As globalization and anti-globalization movement are interwoven, surprises or the so-called "black swan incidents" will become more frequent to such an extent that they will become part of the norm.

Faced with these changes and challenges, *we will assume more responsibilities for the well-being of the world, that is, Fosun will help the world change for the better. Therefore, Fosun has to create a happiness ecosystem for families all over the world. The question is how Fosun can attain this goal. I think the key to this undertaking is C2M business model. *

*C2M - the present and future of Fosun*

C2M, or Customer-to-Maker, is a business model that induces the restructuring of the value chains of all the industries in the whole society. C2M enables complete linkage between individual consumers and manufacturer for the first time in the industrial age through mobile internet, high-efficiency logistics management and devices, Fin-Tech and especially such technologies as big data and artificial intelligence. Of course, C2M is not intended to be a means of eliminating all the intermediaries, but only those of no value. For intermediaries of value, C2M can transform itself into C2B2M (Customer-to-Business-to-Maker).

Fosun is one of the first companies to discern the opportunities of C2M in the restructuring of industries. Fosun has also promptly put in place a number of investments and operations, which feature C2M. All such investments and operations have enabled us to gain thorough understanding of C2M.

To begin with, we need to reach the customers with coordinated online and offline efforts so as to fully tap the potential.

We have made the following predictions: the market will become increasingly fragmented and the means of reaching customers will become increasingly diverse in the future. The offline means of reaching customers have become popular again as businesses recognize its value. In the future, any company that only relies on one channel or a third-party channel to reach customers, or only buys access to online traffic, or even does so at a high price in order to stay in business, will be constrained by lack of control over its own business and is doomed to fail.

How can Fosun reach customers directly in such situation? On one hand, we have made investments to strengthen our online channels for reaching customers such as investing in the Weiyi, a leading online portal in the healthcare industry of China, Qinbaobao, a leading online portal in the maternal and nursery healthcare industry of the country and Fosun-Pay, a channel for reaching customers through their online payments and for collecting both cash and data from such customers. On the other hand, Fosun's offline channels for reaching customers are also gradually showing their value. For example, the value of the Group's core properties at prime locations are increasing gradually again; and Club Med has used its brand influence and services such as those of Mini Club to switch tourist products that are not frequently purchased into frequently purchased products.

Therefore, Fosun has to combine online and offline channels in the future and reach customers by diverse means. This will enable it to tap the full potential value of the channels. Of course, we are fully aware that it is a very difficult task to build up the capability to reach customers. However, Fosun never evades undertaking challenging task. We will endeavour to persevere.

Secondly, we need to strengthen our capability as a maker of goods or provider of services who are geared towards adaptable and sophisticated production with the spirit of the craftsman and by restructuring the supply chain.

In "C2M", the letter "M" refers to "Maker" -- a manufacturer who is geared towards adaptable and sophisticated production by adopting artificial intelligence, robots and sophisticated supply chain management. I think the concept of "Maker" can be extended to areas beyond manufacturing, for example, the performances of Cirque du Soleil, the film and television productions of Studio 8 and the new business models for commerce and retailing in Hive City. Fosun, as a manufacturer or a producer who is geared towards adaptable and sophisticated production can use the C2M business model to understand and process a massive amount of data about the customers. We will then be well-positioned to conduct research and development and to establish an adaptable work flow and arrange for a more flexible supply of raw materials. All these will enable us to respond swiftly to customers' personalized needs.

There is always a push-and-pull relationship between a supplier and a customer and whoever is stronger has the upper hand. In other words, if you can produce an amazing product, you need not worry about the customer's monopoly. At the same time, a customer is always looking for a trustworthy company which can produce good content and strong products.

Therefore, any company which can become a target of investment by Fosun has to meet certain criteria -- it must have the spirit of a craftsman, produce competitive products and have the ability to meet customers' new requirements. For example, we have invested in AHAVA, which is regarded as a national treasure of Israel and is the only skin care brand that has been permitted by the Israeli government to tap the resources of the Dead Sea and Sanyuan Foods, which is one of China's best dairy product companies in terms of quality and quality control. These are the kind of companies that Fosun has always been seeking to invest in.

*All of the companies that Fosun has invested in have to restructure and improve according to the standards and requirements of the C2M business model. *This means that they have to be able to enhance the use of data, increase investment in product development, improve manufacturing processes and be geared towards adaptable production with the advent of mobile internet. The supply chain should be more scientific, more efficient, and geared towards the adaptable and sophisticated production.

*C2M enables the integration of flows of capital, information and materials, and thus the formation of a closed-loop system for customer service in creation of a happiness ecosystem for success *

When Fosun and all of its subsidiaries have adopted the C2M business model, the flows of capital, information and materials will be integrated into one. The integration of the three flows need not to happen in a single business entity. It is more important that the integration takes place in one ecosystem of businesses and enables the formation of a closed-loop system for customer service. In the future, the closed-loop system has to be established in each of Fosun's businesses. The closed-loop system will enable the businesses to provide one-stop customer services and to cooperate with external parties. These closed-loop systems will feature prominently in the happiness ecosystem that Fosun has built intelligently. For example:

Fosun has preliminarily built a closed-loop system for its healthcare business, which covers health insurance, medical care and health management, and is supplemented by retail pharmacies and development of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In addition, we will have to make two breakthroughs in 2017. Firstly, having put Fosun United Health Insurance and Star Healthcare into operation, we must form a closed-loop system to include health insurance, health management, and medical care. In that closed-loop system, Fosun's health insurance and health management will prevent its customers from illnesses. Secondly, we should take advantage of the Star Castle Living's and Star eHealth's capabilities to provide senior care and combine them with Fosun's senior care facilities and senior insurance to establish an advantageous closed-loop system for "senior community and happy old age". Meanwhile, Fosun will also invest more in the innovation and research and development in the healthcare industry, including the move to step up the research and development of drugs and the innovation in medical devices so as to provide technological support to the establishment of closed-loop system for its healthcare business.

We will also establish a closed-loop system for our maternal and nursery healthcare business. We have invested in a leading portal in the industry such as Qinbaobao that can draw online traffic, and we are strengthening its operation by sourcing the best products for maternal and nursery healthcare in the world. The portal also features gynaecological and obstetric services such as United Family Healthcare. Fosun has the capabilities to establish a closed-loop system to meet the needs for maternal and nursery healthcare.

Fosun will also establish a closed-loop system for its tourism business. Although many agents are selling their products through various channels, but the products, such as the tourist services provided by Club Med and Atlantis are not frequently engaged. We need to search for more channels to reach customers directly. For example, we can leverage Thomas Cook's advantageous distribution system in Europe to connect with the customers directly. We believe that tourism products can be delivered directly to the customers. We will integrate all of the resources to establish a closed-loop system.

All these closed-loop systems are centered on products and services. In addition, Fosun has several advantageous core capabilities to establish other types of closed-loop systems such as those of "Finance +", "Properties +" and "Internet +".

What is the concept of "+"? It is about integrating Fosun's advantages and making the best out of various resources to establish a closed-loop system. To that end, we start with a single point, a single product, or a single service business and then integrate it with other industries. "Finance +", for example, is about creating opportunities to reach customers frequently through financial service. As an example, we started with health insurance, the wealth management of H&A and Fosun-Pay, then link and integrate them with other industries to establish closed-loop systems. Hive City is an important offline portal to attract traffic, so "Properties +" is about starting with the real estate business and integrate it with other industries one by one to establish a closed-loop system. All these closed-loop systems have to be enabled by the internet, but they cannot be confined to the internet; they should be profoundly integrated with other industries.

Ultimately, these closed-loop systems will all be completed in Fosun's happiness ecosystem. This is a process of allowing the businesses to empower each other, to enable each other to enhance its own products, and to work out better solutions to address customers' real needs. They will also serve as a foundation for each other's development, and their developments will become closely intertwined. Through investments and cooperation, we will add new elements to Fosun's ecosystem of businesses and make them to reinforce and complement each other. We will seek for opportunities to upgrade the ecosystem of businesses, which will also keep on empowering all the elements within such ecosystem and supporting them in their attempts to form their own closed-loop systems so as to enable them to develop faster and perform better. This is the core philosophy of how Fosun establishes its ecosystem of businesses intelligently.

*Fosun's business ecosystem is growing broader, deeper and stronger in 2017 *

We have now defined the direction of Fosun's development in the future, that is, creating a happiness ecosystem for success with the C2M business model. In 2017, we will try every means to make Fosun's business ecosystem deepen and flourish, that is, to grow broader, deeper and stronger. This will enable all the elements in Fosun's ecosystem of businesses to develop in synergy and achieve organic growth.

In terms of "growing broader", it means, on one hand, the capability of Fosun's ecosystem of businesses for "health, happiness and wealth" to enable all of its elements to integrate with each other, combine their strengths and leverage the broad range of their businesses to develop in synergy and in closed-loop systems. On the other hand, the term "growing broader" also refers to Fosun's continuing drive for globalization and its pursuit of broader geographical market coverage. While reinforcing our footholds in developed countries, we will focus on emerging markets of such countries and regions as Russia, Brazil, India, and Southeast Asia.

As regards "growing deeper", Fosun has always emphasized profound industrial accumulation. Both its investments and businesses have to be conducted according to the principle of profound industrial integration. Every closed-loop system that we have proposed must develop their businesses with depth, enhance the competitiveness of their products, which are excellent in quality. At the same time, we need to deepen our understanding of different regions across the world and seek opportunities that fit into Fosun's strategies in those regions through the local teams. Notably, Fosun, as a global company which was founded and has taken roots in China and specifically in Shanghai, will definitely develop further the local market of Shanghai and other provincial markets of China while pressing ahead with its globalization drive. We firmly believe that leaves cannot be luxuriant without deep roots. We can only conduct our globalization drive well with the profound localization of our operations.

While "growing stronger or reaching a new height", it refers to Fosun's ideas about innovation and product development that I would like to share with you.

Fosun must continue to be ahead of the curve in terms of technology and business model, and must occupy high grounds in competition in fast-changing times. It must take initiatives in such areas as research and development of medicines and medical technology, innovation in retail business models, integration of financial service into more situations and more types of industries, the upgrading of various creative products, and the upgrading of Hive City. We must fit product development into the company's development. Both Fosun and its subsidiaries have to increase investment in research and in creating innovative businesses. *For Fosun, innovation and research is not an option, but is a must and priority. Fosun's development in the future will definitely be driven by technologies.*

We propose that Fosun Pharma should be in the same position within the global healthcare industry just like how Huawei is positioned within the telecommunications equipment and service industry. It should take every effort to make faster breakthroughs in gene sequencing, innovative medicine, precision operation, artificial intelligence and other medical services. Fosun aspires to become the world's pioneer in Fin-Tech, building on the achievements of the giants in the past, through financial innovation in particular. Besides, Fosun will also have to lead the industry in the adoption of C2M business model which will drive the restructuring of traditional manufacturing industry and the supply chain.

Furthermore, we need to emphasize Fosun's immense worldwide social responsibility in the world. Fosun has preliminarily established a business layout which has a geographical market coverage all over the world. This entails corporate social responsibility on a global scale. For example, we sponsored a Protecting start up accelerating program in Portugal. We should introduce more amazing products to the society, support young people to be innovative and generate more employment opportunities for them. This will increase efficiency and productivity within the society. As a responsible global corporate citizen, Fosun will try its best to help the world change for the better.

The above-mentioned ideas about the direction of the Company's development in the future resulted from thorough discussions among all members of Fosun's management. I would like to take this opportunity to keep you posted on the details of Fosun's work plans for 2017.

*One Fosun, further enhancement of management structure, empowerment of the capacity to create value *

In order to achieve the target of its globalization drive, Fosun not only improves consistently its capabilities but also enhances both its management structure and corporate culture. Therefore, Fosun is taking efforts to build the One Fosun platform through the upgrading of the management structure. The platform, which will combine the flexible frontline and the strong middle and back offices, will enable Fosun to carry out its strategies with agility at various levels. In addition, the One Fosun platform will be an organization system that enables Fosun to adapt to the market with the advent of mobile internet and new technologies. It will empower the "combat troops" at the frontline through the lean, efficient and strong middle and back offices.

As to the management strategy, not only will Fosun aim for eliminating competition, it will even encourage a certain degree of overlapping of different teams. "Overlap" here means no strict definition of the boundaries between the business scopes of different teams and an appropriate degree of overlapping of different operations. To draw an analogy, I would say that there should be more than one player for each of the position in a football team, and those who ultimately can play in a match are certainly the best players who have proven their abilities by winning their positions through competition. Such individuals and teams are mature and trustworthy.

*Continuous improvement of Fosun's comprehensive financial capability *

Fosun's strong capability to operate various businesses with depth, comprehensive financial capability with insurance as its core operation, and global perspective are the three most dominant genes of Fosun. As Fosun has put in place its financial businesses worldwide, including those of insurance, banking, securities and asset management, we must have the capability to integrate finance with its various businesses seamlessly and continue to improve our comprehensive financial capability.

We will further improve investment capability that allows us to fully deploy the available capital generated from its insurance business, and build up our capability to make investments with fixed returns. The first life insurance package of our German Run-Off platform has started its operation. The insurance companies under Fosun will actively seek to match their operations with Fosun's resources and capabilities.

We encourage the establishment of special funds for big projects that fit into Fosun's strategies. We will press ahead with the securitization of our assets, and build up our capability to tap the capital markets.

*The "power of three": Discipline, discipline, discipline *

As a global investment group, Fosun has been adhering to value investing. The value of an investment that we pay attention to does not necessarily lie in bargaining the purchase of equity stakes at the lowest price or comparing our valuation of an investment and that done by others, or whether our valuation is lower than or the same as those done by others. We believe in "rediscovering value and rediscovering potential for growth". We must discern the value of investments and their growth drivers that others have failed to spot. This is the essence of Fosun's value investing.

At the same time, our investments have to be able to complement to empower each other to create value. They should be able to combine Fosun's capability to operate businesses with depth, financial capability and globalization capability with all of Fosun's subsidiaries. We need to give support to all those companies in their development and growth, and hope to find more companies that can empower Fosun's ecosystem of businesses. However, Fosun does not blindly follow investment fads and the opinions of the so-called "experts". We must exercise our own judgement to screen out the unsound businesses as targets of investment.

*Fosun is an elite organization, and its staff must be faster than competitors by 0.01 second*

Over the past 25 years, I appreciate that it was not easy to achieve so many goals. They could not be realized without the elite organization. Thus, *Fosun has always been building up an elite organization. The staff members of Fosun must be elites. *

I think "0.01" best serves as the standard of being an elite. In other words, we need to find those who are 0.01 second faster than the fastest. We hope to find those who are 0.01 per cent stronger than others in study. Presently, Fosun has a lot of younger talents. With professional expertise, a global perspective and entrepreneurial spirits, they have emerged in all ranks in Fosun and have taken on more responsibility at work. They are Fosun's most valuable assets and they are also the driving force behind Fosun's development.

Meanwhile, Fosun cannot tolerate mediocre people. It will weed out those who only have impressive resumes but makes no achievements at work, those who have experience but cannot innovate, and those who fail to learn and grow continuously. The elites we are talking about are those who run faster than their peers and perform more outstandingly and creatively than others in various competences.

We need to stress two more points in the establishment of the elite organization: the first one is "Glocal" (i.e. "Global + Local"). We need to build up strong local teams. The second point is Fosun's global partnership system.

*Glocal, the formation of strong local teams. *

Over the past few years, Fosun has acquired and built up local companies in Japan, the United Kingdom, Russia, Brazil, and India. They have a wealth of experience and resources on the local markets. Along with the global capabilities of Fosun, the proven combination proves to be a strong and incredible force. For instance, Japan's IDERA team has joined Fosun for more than two years and completed a number of projects. IDERA and Mitsui jointly established J-REITs, succeeded in listing J-REITs on the Tokyo's stock market through an initial public offering, and formed a closed-loop system comprising investment, financing, management and the operation of exiting investments. The UK Resolution team has completed the acquisition of Estrella, a grade-A commercial building in Frankfurt after it finished the acquisition of a project of Thomas More Square in London. The Russian Eurasian Capital also achieved outstanding results. This arrangement will be one of the most important models of Fosun's business development.

Meanwhile, Fosun also strongly encourages teams which have good ideas and entrepreneurial spirit to set up new businesses with Fosun or to do so by itself. It does not matter whether the team members are external scientists or are our own colleagues. We encourage business ideas in the areas of technological research and development and innovation, which require patience and commitment. It is self-explanatory that such teams must consist of members with world-leading talents in the fields and can work efficiently to match Fosun's strategies and development.

*An increasingly dynamic global partnership system *

With the Fosun Group, the status as the Group's global partner^[2] is the highest recognition of the Fosun's elites. The global partnership with Fosun is not only an incentive, but also an honor and responsibility, and represents identification with Fosun's corporate culture, mission and strategy. At the beginning of this year, Fosun announced a new group of global partners. Meanwhile, the various businesses affiliated to Fosun Group are actively setting up multi-level partnership systems.

Fosun's global partners are not only our partners in business, but also owners of the enterprises and are responsible for implementing missions and strategies. The global partner team is playing an increasingly vital role in the development of Fosun. Fosun's partners must be self-motivated to strive for success diligently. They must take initiative to form closed-loop systems and learn how to leverage Fosun's resources to promote the synergistic development of both Fosun and their operations. Fosun's partners shall identify themselves with Fosun's corporate culture, think about the big picture when planning, and give priority to collective interests. Each partner shall not only have the expertise in a certain field, but also can connect and integrate internal and external resources and help to expand Fosun's ecosystem of businesses in Fosun's interests.

Fosun's partnership is not a system of life tenure. Every year, new partners join it, while some existing ones exit it. Fosun hopes to recruit two types of people as its global partners. The first type is people who can work independently and make great contributions to Fosun. The second type is people who identify themselves deeply in line with Fosun's corporate culture and strategy. They are young and vigorous with huge potential for development and they are willing to take on new challenges and do so bravely. We are eager to foster these two types of people and will give them opportunities for development.

Lastly, I would like to share two mottos with you:

the first one is "What you truly believe is the most powerful"; and

the second one is "Learning is the source of our greatest wisdom, or even the only source of it".

Therefore, let's commit ourselves to lifelong learning, and gain a deep understanding of the changes to the world in 2017. We shall care for our country, customers, and seek to enhance our products; keep up the entrepreneurial spirit, remain curious about new things, and stay aware of the developments in our society and the world; do the things which are right, difficult, far-reaching, and challenging and things which can truly create value. We should also be able to leverage science and technology so as to provide better services for our clients.

We have worked closely together for Fosun's development in the past 25 years. I believe what we have achieved today marks only one of milestones in the history of Fosun. We will scale new heights in the future!

I would like to thank all of you for your continued support. On behalf of Fosun, I would like to wish you fortune and success!

Guo Guangchang
28 March 2017

[1] The Group's investments in the steel industry were classified into the investment segment since 1 January 2016. The total assets of "health, happiness and wealth" business of 2015 included that of the steel segment to improve the comparability.  

[2] It refers to the core management of the Group, which is different from the legal concept of "partner" under partnership. Reported by PR Newswire Asia 2 hours ago.

Approximately 6.5 million taxpayers paid $3 billion in Obamacare penalties for not having health insurance in 2016, according to preliminary data from the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen. Reported by FOXNews.com 2 minutes ago.

Health-insurance death spirals—the process by which insurance plans collapse under the weight of high premiums that nobody can afford—are such rare events that only a handful of examples are available to study. One academic paper recounts the “slow-motion” collapse of an insurance product offered by Prudential (it took decades to die). In another famous example (at least among economists), two Harvard professors analyzed the failure of a particularly generous insurance plan offered to Harvard professors (and other employees). Such death spirals are rare because it is easy to identify when they’ve begun and it’s easy to fix the issue before the worst damage is done. President Donald Trump, however, seems to yearn for a death spiral for the Affordable Care Act. He tweeted that Obamacare “will explode,” and, in an interview with the Washington Post, said that “the best thing is to let Obamacare explode” so that he can then “make one beautiful deal for the people.” Reported by The New Yorker 13 hours ago.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said he does not want President Donald Trump to work with Democrats on new legislation for revamping the country’s health insurance system, commonly called Obamacare. In an interview with “CBS This Morning... Reported by Raw Story 11 hours ago.

WASHINGTON ― At a roundtable discussion on the opioid epidemic Wednesday, President Donald Trump lamented that a crisis which has claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent years has not gotten enough attention. And in an effort to turn the tide, he announced he was forming a commission led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

“It’s really one of our biggest problems our country has, and nobody really wants to talk about it,” Trump said, flanked by top administration officials and individuals with firsthand experience battling addiction to opioids. “More importantly, we have to solve the problem.”

Trump has pledged to play an active role in combating opioid abuse, and his appointment of Christie, who elevated the issue as a candidate in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries,* *shows he still is paying attention to the topic.

But for those on the front lines of the epidemic, much of what the president has done so far has been, at least, a disappointment and, at worst, likely to do more harm than good.

Trump, for starters, seems willing to unwind approaches that were working to alleviate the crisis in favor of going back to the combative “drug war” policies of the 1980s, which have long since been discredited. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reflected this antiquated mindset when he recently called for a return to former first lady Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” strategy to address drug use.

 “There’s a lot of frustration from the advocacy community,” said Daniel Raymond, the deputy director of planning and policy at Harm Reduction Coalition, which seeks to end the stigma of addiction and champions public health reforms. “Are we really going to spend six months reinventing the wheel here at a time when overdose deaths have never been higher? Nobody feels like we can take a wait-and-see approach.”

But it’s not just the framework that has advocates worried. It’s the financial commitments, too. The administration’s proposed budget calls for steep cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health as well as a reorganization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ― agencies vital to funding treatment initiatives and research to improve treatment for future generations.

Last week, in an embarrassing defeat, Trump tried to help pass a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, an effort that would have stalled the Medicaid expansion in multiple states. It also would have had severe consequences for those in recovery, advocates warned. But the harm wouldn’t stop there. The GOP replacement bill would have allowed insurance companies to stop offering mental health coverage or drug addiction treatment. If it had passed, 24 million Americans would have lost their health insurance, according to Congressional Budget Office projections.


Are we really going to spend six months reinventing the wheel here at a time when overdose deaths have never been higher?
Daniel Raymond, Harm Reduction Coalition
Setting up a symbolic commission while working to defund actual initiatives, therapies and research has reinforced public health officials’ fears that Trump hasn’t studied up on the epidemic enough and might stall the progress the Obama administration made in addressing the issue.

“This is a national crisis that demands a sustained strategy and funding and a real commitment,” said Joshua Sharfstein, an associate dean at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “That has not been evident to date.”

The opioid epidemic was fairly central to Trump’s political appeal during the campaign. In the early days of the presidential race, he brought up the issue on the stump as a way to justify his promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. And he had an audience for his message. The crisis has devastated states across the country, most notably in Rust Belt communities in West Virginia and Ohio and in early primary states, including New Hampshire.

With the spread of deadly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, communities have struggled to maintain the spread of overdose deaths. A recent CDC study showed that opioids killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, a record. Drug overdoses now kill more than the HIV/AIDS epidemic did at its height in the U.S.

The Obama administration gradually ― some argue too gradually ― coalesced around a policy that shunned the drug warrior tactics for a public health approach that helped to mainstream programs such as needle exchanges. The then head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Michael Botticelli, derided the war on drugs as a failure.

Botticelli and others in the administration, most notably officials in the Department of Health and Human Services, reduced barriers to medication-assisted treatment, which the medical establishment views as the best chance for someone with an opioid addiction to make a lasting recovery. The treatment combines medications such as Suboxone or methadone with counseling. It has been shown to dramatically lower the rate of overdose deaths.

By the end of his term, President Barack Obama, along with bipartisan allies in Congress, successfully included $1 billion in funding in the 21st Century Cures Act to enhance evidence-based treatment. The surgeon general also published a definitive report on the epidemic and how to address it.

But since taking office, Trump has rebelled against Obama’s policies. “I think there is a tremendous amount of fear that we are going to retreat from all of the science and evidence that we know to be true about addiction,” Botticelli told The Huffington Post in late January, before the end of his tenure as the nation’s drug czar.

In the runup to their budget unveiling, Trump and his team have floated the idea of dismantling the drug czar’s office. And advocates are worried that the commission headed by Christie ― which includes the heads of HHS and Veterans Affairs, along with Sessions ― would replace it.

“Commissions are nice to have and they are great for generating news, but at the end of the day we have to remember the federal government already has tools in place to address this issue in a smart way,” says Rafael Lemaitre, who worked in the drug czar’s office for more than a decade. “It just needs to use them. There are literally dozens of nonpartisan experts working in the White House today that should be leaned on and supported. There’s already a commission to address the opioid crisis. It’s called the ONDCP.”

To Lemaitre’s point, there were relatively few actual experts at Trump’s event on Wednesday. Along with Cabinet secretaries, there was Pam Bondi, the attorney general of Florida, and retired New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera. One of, if not the only, treatment specialists who appeared was AJ Solomon, a 26-year-old who used to work for Christie’s advance team. He was in recovery and started his own treatment facility in New Jersey, which offers intensive therapeutic services. He was just happy to be able to meet the president.

“It was just awesome ― beyond my wildest dreams ― as someone in recovery meeting the president,” he told HuffPost. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 11 hours ago.

* Poor Oral Health Can Be A Risk Factor to Dementia *

 

* Hong Kong * * and Taiwan Dental Experts Introduce "The Ten-Minute Rule" for Perfect Clean Teeth by Chewing Sugar-Free Gums After Each Meal * * *

 

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach- 20 ^thMarch, 2017  - Maintaining oral health is much more important than most people think. Poor oral hygiene can result in tooth decay that could have significant impact on our general health including cognitive impairment. What's more, dental problems do not only impact one individual and can go as far as affecting the whole family and government dental expenditure. Multiple studies have revealed the lack of dental care awareness among Hong Kong and Taiwanese public -- almost all adults surveyed in Hong Kong have experienced tooth decay (96%)[1] while the tooth decay prevalence rate among Taiwanese adults is close to 90%[2]. Ahead of the World Oral Health Day, the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong invited two dental experts - Professor Ming-Lun Hsu, the Dean of School of Dentistry in National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan, and Professor Edward Chin-Man Lo, Chair Professor of Dental Public Health in Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong to share the concept of "The Economics of Family Oral Healthcare" and introduce international data on oral care and oral diseases prevention trend in Hong Kong.

To maximize the effectiveness or protecting teeth, one should stick with "The Ten-Minute Rule" by chewing sugar-free gums within ten minutes after each meal or after drinking which can effectively prevent acid to damage tooth surfaces.

Ahead of the World Oral Health Day, the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong invited two dental experts - Professor Ming-Lun Hsu, the Dean of School of Dentistry in National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan, and Professor Edward Chin-Man Lo, Chair Professor of Dental Public Health in Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong to share the concept of "The Economics of Family Oral Healthcare" and introduce international data on oral care and oral diseases prevention trend in Hong Kong.

* "The Economics of Family Oral Healthcare": * * *

* Dental Expenses Can Add Up to The Price of a Brand New Car *

Professor Hsu shared that although tooth decay is not a contagious disease, it is likely to affect more than one member of the family living under the same roof due to similar lifestyle and oral hygiene habits. Besides, even when a single member of the family is suffering from tooth decay or other sickness, the entire family will be affected from the care and attention required by the patient.

 

Professor Hsu further pointed out that chewing sugar-free gums is a recommendation included in the German Government's latest oral health guideline on maintaining oral hygiene and preventing tooth decay. Also, a recent research indicates that developing the habit of chewing sugar-free gums, one could reduce expenses on dental care up to €81 (about HKD$680) per year[3]. Professor Hsu said, "Dental diseases account for about 6.7% of Taiwan's National Health Insurance expense, amounting to NTD$41.8 billion (HKD$ 10.6 billion) a year. If families understand the concept of 'The Economics of Family Oral Healthcare' and incorporate oral health preventive measures into daily routines, people will be able to enjoy a healthier life, avoiding unnecessary family financial burden and even receiving more effective and quality healthcare services. Remember, the healthier the teeth one has, the fewer dental expenses one spares!"

 

Plagued with oral problems such as tooth decay, periodontal disease, tooth loss and dental implants, Ms Lau's family is known as a "toothache family" to many of her friends and relatives. "My son used to cry in the middle of the night without any obvious reasons when he was about one year old. I found out his front teeth had decayed only when I brought him to the dentist. When my child needed to attend dental check-ups, we sometimes even needed help from his grandparents. It costed my family a lot of time and energy every time we pay a visit to the dentist," said Ms Lau. Another family member, Mr Lau added, "I also suffered from severe tooth decay and tooth extraction was the only treatment option. A lot of money went into tooth implant. In addition to the three-month root canal treatment and surgery for my periodontal disease, the amount my family spent on dental treatments could have gotten us a luxury car! It has never occurred to me that our negligence in oral health could give rise to problems lasting a lifetime."

 

* Maintaining Oral Health May Help Reduce Risk of Dementia *

Professor Lo also pointed out that maintaining good oral health can prevent tooth decay and may even help reducing the risk of dementia. "In Hong Kong, the annual expenditure on dental care amounts to about HKD$5 billion[4], which is a significant burden to the city's medical expenditure," said Professor Lo. "Local and international studies have revealed an association between the number of tooth lost and cognitive impairment in the elderly. The loss of chewing ability due to tooth loss could lead to impairment of spatial memory, weakening of learning ability and degenerating of hippocampal neurons in the brain[5]. As maintaining oral hygiene is effective in preventing tooth loss due to tooth decay, subsequently, it may help reducing the risk of cognitive impairment."

 

* Consumers of All Ages to Follow "The Ten-Minutes Rule": Chewing Sugar-Free Gums After Each Meal for Perfect Clean Teeth *

Professor Hsu and Professor Lo reiterated that oral health is fundamental to overall health and wellbeing of a person. They urge people to simply follow "four dental hacks to perfect clean teeth", one can keep the dentist at bay:

1.       Go for regular dental check-ups

2.       Use fluoride toothpaste for tooth brushing in the morning and before bedtime

3.       Use dental floss or mouthwash contains fluoride daily

4.       Chew sugar-free gum after eating or drinking.

 

Professor Hsu also explained that saliva is a natural weapon to neutralize the acid in the mouth and chewing sugar-free gums will increase the secretion of saliva by 10 times (when comparing to stationary state). There are three main benefits of increasing saliva secretion, including lowering the acidity in the mouth, replenishing the lost ions on the tooth surfaces that are damaged by plaque acid and helping remove the residue sweet food on the teeth. The best way to clean the teeth is by brushing it with toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste after each meal. When it is inconvenient to brush teeth, chewing two pieces of sugar-free gums for five to ten minutes is a good alternative to stimulate the secretion of saliva and neutralize the acid in the mouth. By doing so, not only it helps curb the formation of plaque and other acidic substances, it can also clear the food residue in the gaps of the teeth and reduce stickiness on the tooth surfaces. Chewing sugar-free gums also helps remineralization of teeth to maintain oral health. To maximize the effectiveness, one should stick with "The Ten-Minute Rule" by chewing sugar-free gums within ten minutes after each meal or after drinking which can effectively prevent acid to damage tooth surfaces.

  

Chewing gums is often regarded as a fashionable behavior of young adults. In fact, consumers of all ages can also enjoy the benefits of chewing sugar-free gums. Professor Lo added, "Apart from stimulating saliva secretion to neutralize acidity in the mouth and preventing tooth decay by chewing sugar-free gums, the elderly can benefit from the chewing process as it stimulates the brain neuronal activity, which may help slow down cognitive impairment."

* About Mars, Incorporated *

Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business with more than a century of history, approximately $35 billion in sales, and six diverse business segments producing some of the world's best-loved brands: PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, IAMS®, BANFIELD® CESAR® (Petcare); M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY®, TWIX® (Chocolate); DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES® (Wrigley); UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® (Food); ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® FLAVIA® (Drinks); and COCOAVIA® (Symbioscience). Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in 424 facilities across 78 countries, where our more than 80,000 Associates --all united by the company's Five Principles of Quality, Efficiency, Responsibility, Mutuality and Freedom --strive every day to create relationships with our stakeholders and to deliver growth we are proud of.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

 

* About * * Wrigley * * *

Wrigley is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, and lollipops. Wrigley's world-famous brands -- including Extra®, Orbit®, Doublemint®, and 5™ chewing gums, as well as confectionery brands Skittles®, Starburst®, Altoids® and Life Savers® -- create simple pleasures for consumers every day. With operations in more than 50 countries and distribution in more than 180 countries, Wrigley's brands bring smiles to faces around the globe. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, employs approximately 17,000 associates globally, and operates as a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated.

 
--------------------

[1] Department of Health, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Oral Health Survey 2011. 2011. http://www.toothclub.gov.hk/en/en_pdf/Oral_Health_Survey_2011/ Oral_Health_Survey_2011_WCAG_20141112_(EN_Full).pdf

[2]  Reference from a report of Health Promotion Administration of Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan, Investigation of the Oral Health Condition in Taiwanese Adults and Elderly, with a survey conducted by Kaohsiung Medical University, showing that tooth decay prevalence of Taiwanese adults who are 18 or above rates as high as 87.99%, while the elderly aged 65 or above rates as high as 89.36%.

[3] The study was conducted by Wrigley Company Foundation which commissioned the University of Bochum and the University of Witten's specialized scientists to study the impact of oral health on the overall economy, according to the experience of Finland which is the pioneer of European oral care.

[4] Food and Health Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Total health expenditure by financing source and function (at current market prices). Estimates of Health Expenditure, 1989/90 -- 2013/14. http://www.fhb.gov.hk/statistics/download/dha/en/tf6_1314.pdf

[5] Zhu J, et al. Multiple tooth loss is associated with vascular cognitive impairment in subjects with acute ischemic stroke, Journal of Periodontal Research, Res. 2015; 50: 683 -- 688. Reported by Media OutReach 11 hours ago.

U. S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said he does not want President Donald Trump to work with Democrats on new legislation for revamping the country's health insurance system, commonly called Obamacare. Reported by DNA 22 minutes ago.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said he does not want President Donald Trump to work with Democrats on new legislation for revamping the country’s health insurance system, commonly called Obamacare. In an interview with CBS This Morning that will air Thursday, Ryan said he fears the Republican Party, which failed last week to come together and agree on a health care overhaul, is pushing the president to the other side of the aisle so he can... Reported by VOA News 11 hours ago.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said he does not want President Donald Trump to work with Democrats on new legislation for revamping the country's health insurance system, commonly called Obamacare. Reported by Reuters 7 hours ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling health care, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most oppose key elements of the short-circuited GOP proposal to overhaul President Barack Obama's health care law, including Medicaid cuts and surcharges for people whose coverage lapses. [...] more oppose than favor replacing income-based subsidies with age-based subsidies for people buying insurance, 48 percent to 16 percent. — By a 48 percent to 35 percent margin, more Americans favor than oppose removing the requirement that all Americans have health insurance or pay a fine. — Among Republicans, majorities favor removing the mandate that all Americans buy insurance (66 percent) and denying funds to Planned Parenthood (54 percent). Reported by SeattlePI.com 5 hours ago.

(Thad Allton/Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, right, along with Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer participates in a humanitarian award ceremony Thursday, March 9, 2017, at the statehouse in Topeka, Kansas.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback can’t seem to take a hint. After six years of his using his state as a petri dish for trickle-down economic experiments—with deep tax cuts begetting even deeper budget cuts—he has sparked a political mutiny. 

In November, fed-up Kansans voted in a slew of moderate Republicans and Democrats to the legislature to serve as a check against the governor. The Dems and the mods have since formed a governing coalition that is rebelling against Brownback’s radical political agenda.

On Tuesday, state senators passed legislation approving an expansion of the state’s Medicaid program through the Affordable Care Act, which would cover 150,000 previously ineligible low-income Kansans. The bill had already passed the House by an 81-to-44 margin in February.

While in most states, the governor has sole power to decide whether to accept ACA funding for Medicaid expansion, the legislature enacted a law in 2014 that stripped Brownback of that authority, vesting that power instead in both the legislature and the governor.

Still, Brownback, one of the most rigid Obamacare antagonists, is expected to veto the expansion. Brownback’s spokeswoman called Medicaid a “failing entitlement program.” “To expand Obamacare when the program is in a death spiral is not responsible policy,” she said. (Nonpartisan health insurance experts have made clear that it is not in a so-called death spiral.) Since neither chamber passed the expansion with a veto-proof majority, Brownback’s veto is likely to stand.

This is merely the latest in a string of Brownback debacles. As a result of the governor’s infamous 2012 income tax cuts (which primarily benefited the wealthy) Kansas hass faced chronic budget shortfalls. Last year, the state’s estimated tax revenue came up $53 million short. All told, Kansas now faces a $350 million budget deficit that’s expected to balloon to more than $500 million in 2018.

Year after year, Brownback and the conservative legislature has addressed those shortfalls with deep cuts to social services. In 2012, he privatized the state’s Medicaid program. During his tenure, nearly 1,500 disabled Kansans have been thrown off Medicaid coverage. Rural hospitals have languished. Last year, he implemented a draconian $38 million cut to KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. 

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Kansas Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Brownback’s defunding of public schools so severely hurt black, Latino, and poor students that it was unconstitutional.

Vetoing the Medicaid expansion wouldn’t be the first time Brownback flouts the newly adversarial legislature. Earlier this year the legislature passed a dramatic bipartisan tax reform bill that, by rolling back Brownback’s trickle-down tax cuts, would have slowed the bleeding. Unwilling to sign away the cornerstone of his gubernatorial legacy, Brownback vetoed the legislation. Instead, his plan to increase revenue calls for doubling the alcohol tax and increasing the tobacco tax—both regressive sales taxes that fall most heavily on the poor.

Brownback’s tax cut experiment has turned the state into a real-life public service announcement for why supply-side economics doesn’t work. Tax cuts for business owners have not created jobs; in fact, more people are fleeing the state than nearly any other state—and the jobs are going with them. Instead, the tax cuts have only served to create budgetary crisis.

Kansans have noticed. A 2016 poll showed, Brownback to be the least popular governor in the country, sporting a dismal 23 percent approval rating. Yet Brownback has continually counseled the Trump administration to take his trickle-down travesty nationwide—and all indications so far seem to say the president wants to do so.

On top of all this—while Kansas faces a budgetary disaster—Brownback may not even see his state through to the end of his term in 2018. He is reportedly being courted for a position in the Trump administration as a United Nations ambassador on food and agriculture, based in Italy. He may soon scuttle away while he still can.

Brownback is not only steadfastly opposed to expanding healthcare coverage for poor Kansans, and to compromising on his tax cuts in order to save failing state services—he’s on track for the biggest gubernatorial cut-and-run (to Rome) in history. For all of which, Sam Brownback is our Trickle Downer of the Week. 

Tax Cuts for the rich. Deregulation for the powerful. Wage suppression for everyone else. These are the tenets of trickle-down economics, the conservatives’ age-old strategy for advantaging the interests of the rich and powerful over those of the middle class and poor. The articles in Trickle-Downers are devoted, first, to exposing and refuting these lies, but equally, to reminding Americans that these claims aren’t made because they are true. Rather, they are made because they are the most effective way elites have found to bully, confuse and intimidate middle- and working-class voters. Trickle-down claims are not real economics. They are negotiating strategies. Here at the Prospect, we hope to help you win that negotiation. Reported by The American Prospect 4 hours ago.

MAP Health Management announces a partnership with WEconnect, the most comprehensive relapse reduction mobile application in the market, to measure the risk of relapse in people with addiction who are served by MAP’s engagement and analytics ecosystem.

(PRWEB) March 30, 2017

MAP Health Management, LLC., announced today a partnership with WEconnect Recovery designed to measure the risk of relapse in people with addiction who are served by MAP’s engagement and analytics ecosystem. WEconnect is the most comprehensive relapse reduction mobile application in the market through empowering patients to stay connected with their entire support network in one place on the platform, staying accountable to all their treatment plan activities that are location-based and obtain healthy rewards as a result to boost their fitness and well-being.

The partnership will launch with a pilot program in April of this year wherein 200 individuals currently supported by MAP’s post-acute engagement solutions will begin using the WEconnect recovery app, a mobile phone application. MAP will integrate data from the mobile application into MAP’s data store to algorithmically assess the patients’ risk of relapse and recidivism. With this actionable information, MAP will leverage its growing ecosystem of treatment providers, health insurance companies, and other technology products to improve clinical and financial outcomes.

The goal of the pilot is to understand which patient demographics have high rates of adoption and utilization of recovery-oriented mobile applications. With this insight, the MAP and WEconnect partnership will be well-positioned to deliver cost-effective and clinically efficacious patient-facing mobile applications to health insurance companies, many of which are very interested in improving outcomes for addiction treatment.

“We believe there is a large demographic out there who will be very responsive to engaging a mobile application as part of their recovery. Understanding who is at risk of relapse is essential to directing resources more efficiently and ultimately improving outcomes for those with Substance Use Disorder,” said Jacob Levenson, CEO of MAP Health Management, LLC.

Currently, Substance Use Disorder is treated primarily with costly acute treatment episodes. This treatment model has rendered mostly lackluster outcomes, resulting in increasing reluctance by health insurance companies to subsidize addiction treatment. MAP, in conjunction with its partners like WEconnect, is focused on demonstrating the clinical and economic value of continued engagement with patients and supporting their recovery from SUD through using cost-effective technologies.

“We believe it is critical to early recovery that individuals stay accountable to their treatment plans and connected to their support community. Mobile devices are a point of closest contact for individuals and this is the ultimate tool to interface with, bridging the large existing gap in aftercare when individuals are transitioning from inpatient or residential to the next phase in their recovery. Pairing our comprehensive solution with MAP’s robust solutions is the ultimate package to impact recovery for the long term starting with early recovery,” said Daniela Luzi Tudor, CEO of WEconnect.

The WEconnect pilot is the third such partnership announced by MAP in recent months as MAP continues to expand its care management and outcomes driven ecosystem of patients, providers, insurance companies, and technology products, all of which are integrated into MAP’s population health platform. MAP is generally recognized as having the most robust risk identification, care coordination, data mobilization, and reporting environment related to addiction in the country.

About MAP Health Management, LLC

MAP develops technology-enabled solutions that improve clinical and financial outcomes for chronic behavioral health disorders such as Substance Use Disorder. MAP empowers treatment providers, health insurance companies, health systems, and patients with the right data at the right time to improve clinical and financial outcomes. For more information, visit https://www.thisismap.com.

About Pala-linq Social Purpose Corporation (dba WEconnect)

WEconnect is a solutions-based platform that addresses the most crucial time during someone’s recovery through technology products and services to reduce relapse, save lives, empower individuals to thrive in recovery while empowering the healthcare industry and organizations to improve outcomes. For more information visit http://www.weconnectrecovery.com. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.