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How this new exec is planning to make MVP more 'nimble and flexible'

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As MVP Health Care's new chief information officer, Michael Della Villa will oversee technology infrastructure and strategy as the health insurance company strives to be more efficient. Reported by bizjournals 9 hours ago.

Peter Beilenson resigns as CEO of Evergreen Health

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Dr. Peter Beilenson, the local doctor who founded Evergreen Health as a nonprofit health insurance company in 2012, resigned as CEO of the Baltimore insurer on Aug. 1. The company’s remaining 65 employees are staying on in their roles to assist with day-to-day operations as Evergreen moves through a receivership and rehabilitation process, according to the Maryland Insurance Administration. Beilenson founded the company after the Affordable Care Act was signed by former President Barack Obama… Reported by bizjournals 8 hours ago.

Aquarium takes the lead in an emotional NAPHIA Leadership Forum

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Two of Aquarium Software’s Top Dogs, Ed Shropshire and Andrew Sherwin, made an emotional return to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) leadership Forum recently. Having now released its assessment of the similarities and dichotomy between the US and UK pet insurance markets, Aquarium concludes that emotion is the key to unlocking pet insurance market potential both sides of the pond, and beyond.

(PRWEB) August 07, 2017

Ed’s presentation led with the emotional connection between pet and pet parent, backed up by Aquarium’s latest YouGov research conducted in both the US and UK. Ed revealed that NAPHIA delegates working under any assumption that the US and UK markets are very different - couldn’t be more wrong. Confusingly, they couldn’t be more right, either.

“There is something of a special relationship between pet insurance markets in the UK and US markets that people have been slow to realise,” said Ed Shropshire, Aquarium Software’s MD. “The exciting thing is, if these similarities and differences hold true worldwide, they represent a roadmap for successful globalisation and commercialisation of the pet insurance market. It would seem emotional attachment could be the globally unifying theme that binds pet parents to pets and insurer, unlike any other insurance product.”

The same questions were asked in the UK and the US and showed less than five per cent variance on average between the opinions of US and UK pet owners overall, with many uncanny similarities - particularly in how pet parents view emotional ties with their pets. Broad agreement came in agreeing pets are just as important to the family as humans (US 72 per cent agree; UK 69 per cent agree) and a majority in both nations would save their pet first over a stranger, if both the pet and the person fell in a river.

“Focusing on the emotional connection between pet and pet parent and its impact on the customer journey, are themes of critical importance to UK-US pet insurance sectors, but also further afield,” added Mark Colonnese. “Asia and the Far East are pet projects for Aquarium and we are seeing there how emotion with regard to pets, coupled with respect for trusted brands is capable of delivering significant gains in market share.”

While the broad emotional wellspring is consistent, interesting variants come in attitudes to health insurance, both human and animal. You would think the established health insurance market in the US would see Americans recognise the value of policies for pets, but while 71 per cent of Americans have private health insurance (compared to just 11 per cent of the UK); a staggering 74 per cent have never had pet insurance, compared to 42 per cent of the UK – a 32 per cent difference.

“74 per cent of Americans who have never had pet insurance represents a massive market opportunity and while cash is king, buying insurance for pets is a decision made on experience and emotion,” explained Ed. “It is not a purely financial transaction like car or house insurance and should not be treated as such. A marketing approach based on our emotional responses as pet parents is much more likely to be effective.

Once persuaded to purchase the policy, pet parents need the right customer journey to see the advantages of continuing to renew and intuitive technology and software can help insurers improve their pet proposition while at the same time delivering a profitable pet insurance business model with long term viability.”

Aquarium’s findings were supported by NAPHIA’s own research, which also strongly indicated that pet insurance is an emotional decision and not simply a rational one.

Aquarium Software’s specialist pet insurance solution spanning premiums rating, policy admin, billing and claims has been implemented by a number of insurers around the globe. For further information contact Aquarium Software on +44 (0)161 927 5620 or visit http://www.aquarium-software.com Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

Caretaker for Obamacare? Trump's health care role may shift

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WASHINGTON (AP) — With Republicans unable to advance a health care bill in Congress, President Donald Trump's administration may find itself in an awkward role as caretaker of the Affordable Care Act, which he still promises to repeal and replace. Consumer organizations, state officials, Democrats, insurers, and groups representing various health care interests will keep close tabs on the actions of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and his deputy, Seema Verma, who runs the federal agency that administers health insurance programs. Former Obama administration officials intimately familiar with the program will be looking over the shoulders of the Trump team — Twitter accounts at the ready. About 10 million people are signed up for private insurance in subsidized markets, and 11 million more have coverage through expanded Medicaid. Few people managed to sign up that first day, and it took weeks for a technological rescue team to sort through layers of problems, restoring acceptable functionality. [...] chastening experience, Obama administration officials constantly kept tinkering with the website, trying to improve its technical capacity and usability for consumers. The "cost-sharing" subsidies are called for in the health law, but they are under a legal cloud because of a lawsuit brought earlier by House Republicans, questioning whether the law included a specific instruction for the government to pay the money. After the Senate's GOP health bill failed, the president sent out a series of tweets in which he seemed to threaten to stop the payments. Without a subsidy guarantee from Trump, some insurers have been seeking double-digit premium increases, on top of raises that reflect underlying medical costs. Reported by SeattlePI.com 5 hours ago.

Facing Trump Subsidy Cuts, Health Insurance Officials Seek a Backup Plan

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State commissioners are debating what to do if President Trump stops subsidies paid to insurance companies on behalf of millions of low-income people. Reported by NYTimes.com 21 hours ago.

THE INSURANCE AND THE IoT REPORT: How insurers are using connected devices to cut costs and more accurately price policies

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THE INSURANCE AND THE IoT REPORT: How insurers are using connected devices to cut costs and more accurately price policies This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

Insurance companies have long based their pricing models and strategies on assumptions about the demographics of their customers. Auto insurers, for example, have traditionally charged higher premiums for parents of teenage drivers based on the assumption that members of this demographic are more likely to get into an accident.

But those assumptions are inherently flawed, since they often aren't based on the actual behaviors and characteristics of individual customers. As new IoT technologies increasingly move into the mainstream, insurers are able to collect and analyze data to more accurately price premiums, helping them to protect the assets they insure and enabling more efficient assessment of damages to conserve resources.

A new report from BI Intelligence explains how companies in the auto, health, and home insurance markets are using the data produced by IoT solutions to augment their existing policy pricing models and grow their customer bases. In addition, it examines areas where IoT devices have the potential to open up new insurance segments.

 Here are some of the key takeaways:

· The world's largest auto insurers now offer usage-based policies, which price premiums based on vehicle usage data collected directly from the car.
· Large home and commercial property insurers are using drones to inspect damaged properties, which can improve workflow efficiency and reduce their reliance on human labor.
· Health and life insurance firms are offering customers fitness trackers to encourage healthy behavior, and discounts for meeting certain goals.
· Home insurers are offering discounts on smart home devices to current customers, and in some cases, free devices to entice new customers.

In full, the report:

· Forecasts the number of Americans who will have tried usage-based auto insurance by 2021.
· Explains why narrowly tailored wearables could be what's next for the health insurance industry.
· Analyzes the market for potential future insurance products on IoT devices.
· Discusses and analyzes the barriers to consumers opting in to policies that collect their data.

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

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> *START A MEMBERSHIP*
2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> *BUY THE REPORT*

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of insurance and the IoT.

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

MDxHealth Announces Service Agreement with Kaiser Southern California Permanente Medical Group

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*COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT / REGULATED INFORMATION /* * * *INSIDE INFORMATION      *

*IRVINE, CA, and HERSTAL, BELGIUM* - 07:00 CEST, August 8, 2017 - MDxHealth SA (Euronext: MDXH.BR) today announced it has signed a health care services agreement with Southern California Permanente Medical Group to assess the performance of the ConfirmMDx ^®  for Prostate Cancer test.

Southern California Permanente Medical Group* is a physician-led organization that serves the 4.4 million members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

* About ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer *

ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer is the first epigenetic, and only tissue-based test in the 2016 NCCN Guidelines for early detection of prostate cancer which addresses false negative biopsy concerns. It is the only molecular diagnostic test that provides a very high negative predictive value (NPV) of 96% for clinically significant prostate cancers, and 90% NPV for all prostate cancers, as well as prostate mapping of the test results to help guide repeat biopsies. Each year, more than 1 million American men undergo an invasive prostate biopsy with a negative result, however approximately 30% of those men have prostate cancer. The current standard of care for prostate biopsy procedures samples less than 1% of the prostate, leaving men at risk for undetected cancer and leading to a high rate of repeat biopsies, even on cancer-free men. ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer helps urologists identify low-risk men who may forego an unnecessary repeat biopsy and high-risk men who may benefit from intervention. ConfirmMDx has qualified for Medicare reimbursement and covered by numerous private health insurance plans.

* About MDxHealth *

MDxHealth is a multinational healthcare company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The company's tests are based on proprietary genetic, epigenetic (methylation) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of urologic cancers, prognosis of recurrence risk, and prediction of response to a specific therapy. The Company's European headquarters are in Herstal, Belgium, with laboratory operations in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and US headquarters and laboratory operations based in Irvine, California. For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on social media at: twitter.com/mdxhealth , facebook.com/mdxhealth and linkedin.com/company/mdxhealth

*For more information:*

Shalon Roth, EVP Corporate Communications
MDxHealth
+44 (0)7393 906278
shalon.roth@mdxhealth.com

 

NOTE: The MDxHealth logo, MDxHealth, ConfirmMDx, SelectMDx, AssureMDx, PredictMDx and UrNCollect are trademarks or registered trademarks of MDxHealth SA. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

*This announcement is not intended to serve as an endorsement of MDxHealth or ConfirmMDx by Kaiser Permanente.

ConfirmMDx & Kaiser company announcement
--------------------This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: MDxHealth (R) via GlobeNewswire

HUG#2125378 Reported by GlobeNewswire 17 hours ago.

Visualizing How Americans Get Healthcare Coverage

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Visualizing How Americans Get Healthcare Coverage With Obamacare firmly in the crosshairs of Republican lawmakers, *the debate around U.S. healthcare is at a fever pitch*.

While there is no shortage of opinions on the best route forward, Visual Capitalist's Jeff Desjardins points out that the timeliness of the debate also gives us an interesting chance to dive into some of the numbers around healthcare – *namely how people even get coverage in the first place*.

-HOW AMERICANS GET HEALTHCARE-

The following infographic shows a breakdown of how Americans get healthcare coverage, based on information from Census Bureau’s surveys.

Put together by Axios, it shows* the proportion of Americans getting coverage from employers, Medicaid, Medicare, non-group policies, and other public sources.* The graphic also includes the 9% of the population that is uninsured, as well.

The following definitions for each category above come from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit that uses the Census Bureau’s data to put together comprehensive estimates on healthcare in the country:



*Employer-Based: *Includes those covered by employer-sponsored coverage either through their own job or as a dependent in the same household.

 

*Medicaid*: Includes those covered by Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and those who have both Medicaid and another type of coverage, such as dual eligibles who are also covered by Medicare.

 

*Medicare*: Includes those covered by Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and those who have Medicare and another type of non-Medicaid coverage where Medicare is the primary payer. Excludes those with Medicare Part A coverage only and those covered by Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles).

 

*Other Public:* Includes those covered under the military or Veterans Administration.

 

*Non-Group:* Includes individuals and families that purchased or are covered as a dependent by non-group insurance.

 

*Uninsured*: Includes those without health insurance and those who have coverage under the Indian Health Service only.



-HEALTHCARE MIX BY STATE-

*Here’s another look at how Americans get healthcare coverage on a state-by-state basis.*

This time the graphic comes from Overflow Data and it simply shows the percent of buyers in each state that receive health coverage from public sources:

 

 

*Oddly, the state that gets the highest proportion of public health coverage (New Mexico, 46.6%) is kitty-corner to the state with the lowest proportion of public health coverage (Utah, 21.3%).*

-WHY THE DEBATE IS PARAMOUNT-

If you ask some people what is going on with U.S. healthcare, they will tell you that things are going “sideways” – that *costs are going up, but care is not improving anywhere near the same pace.*

Here’s a graphic we published last year from Max Roser that puts this sentiment in perspective:

It’s fair to say that care has been going sideways in the U.S. for some time, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

*So, what needs to be done to fix the problem?* Reported by Zero Hedge 15 hours ago.

Digital Health Startup FareWell Announces Key Hires as it Launches its Enterprise Offering Aimed at Reversing Chronic Disease in the Workplace

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Silicon Valley Company Assembles Dream Team To Reverse Diabetes and Heart Disease With The Latest in Digital Therapeutics Technology

San Francisco, California (PRWEB) August 08, 2017

FareWell, a startup developing digital therapeutics to treat and reverse diabetes and heart disease, today announced two key additions to its executive team.

Penny Moore and Sachin Kelkar join an esteemed team of leaders and advisors in a San Francisco-based startup focused on reversing chronic disease in the workplace to improve the health of American workers and competitiveness of their employers.

Penny Moore joins FareWell as Head of Enterprise. Penny is an accomplished growth strategist who served as Chief Growth Officer at Kurbo Health, focused on childhood obesity, and ShapeUp, which delivered social wellness programs to employers and insurance companies around the world, before being acquired by Virgin Pulse in 2016. She also held leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, and Aetna. Penny received a B.S. Pharmacy degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Certified Health Insurance Executive (CHIE) accreditation from AHIP.

Sachin Kelkar joins FareWell as Head of Finance and Corporate Development. Sachin is a seasoned finance and corporate development executive, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Practice Fusion. Sachin fostered his passion to transform healthcare as Co-founder of LifeTech Capital, an advisory firm focused on bringing innovative biotech and medtech companies to market. He holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

“Penny and Sachin are excellent additions to our team. They are passionate about our mission to treat and reverse chronic disease, and they have unique experiences and key relationships to help us build and accelerate growth,” said CEO and Co-founder Kevin Appelbaum. “As we lead the second wave of innovation in digital therapeutics - focusing on disease reversal - FareWell will continue to attract and add more exceptional members to the team.”

FareWell’s Vision and Visionaries

FareWell is developing digital therapeutics to become first line treatments for type II diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions, displacing medications and improving quality of life for employee populations. FareWell’s leadership team also includes an advisory board of industry luminaries led by Chief Science Officer and Advisory Board Chair, Dr. David Katz.

“We’ve known what it takes to prevent roughly 80% of all premature death, and the chronic diseases that precede it, for well over 20 years. The focus now must be on how - and FareWell is about how,” said Chief Science Officer Dr. David Katz. “Treating and reversing chronic disease through digital therapeutics requires cutting-edge technical know-how and clinical support, coupled with expertise in lifestyle medicine, nutrition, behavioral science, health coaching, and culinary education.”

Employers need FareWell

-The total cost of healthcare in the US is $3.2 trillion with treatment of chronic disease making up almost a third of that spend according to the CDC.

-Increases in healthcare spending are not leading to a decline in chronic disease.

-Almost half of these health care costs are paid by self-insured employers and employee contributions.

-A 10% decrease in costs of treating preventable diseases could unlock $70 billion a year in value in addition to benefits that can’t be measured in dollars.

“We view ourselves as partners to our employer customers and work to align our incentives with their benefits strategy through value-based pricing. This means we are paid for delivering outcomes that result in measurable cost savings, not per-member-per-month or other similar types of participation fees,” said CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Appelbaum. “This is game-changing for employers who want to see effective results for their employees and dependents in the short term and good health in the long term as they gain health literacy that transfers into the home and ultimately benefits entire families.”

FareWell Partners Benefit from Talent and Technology

The FareWell digital therapeutics platform leverages the latest in predictive analytics and AI technology. Participant outcomes can be predicted based on current engagement patterns, which allows coaches to adjust support at the individual level. This tech-powered medical intervention can be scaled to serve large populations through artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.

“FareWell’s digital tools and proprietary curriculum have proven to drive high engagement. Together with our best-in-class coaches with deep knowledge in nutrition and behavior change, participants learn skills that last a lifetime,” said Head of Health Dr. Mark Berman. “Drugs should not be the starting point. You can reverse chronic disease through better diet and lifestyle choices.”

To join the FareWell team in reversing chronic disease through the latest innovation in digital therapeutics, please visit https://farewell.io/

About FareWell™
Founded in 2015, FareWell has raised $12.5M in funding from its Co-founder & Chairman, David Perry, and other individual investors. FareWell launched its first online lifestyle intervention program in June 2016. Today, its mission to reverse chronic disease through digital therapeutics is supported by a growing team of health experts and Advisory Board Members.

Please follow FareWell
https://www.facebook.com/TeamFareWell/
https://twitter.com/Team_FareWell
https://farewell.io/blog/ Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.

Health Insurance Industry Engaged in Guessing Game for 2018

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The fate of Obamacare rests in the hands of state insurance commissioners who are trying to figure out their healthcare business in the absence of guidance from Washington and, perhaps, a multi-billion dollar safety net, The New York Times reported. Reported by Newsmax 8 hours ago.

Jared Kushner owned stake in health insurance company fighting Obamacare repeal: report

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Jared Kushner held a stake in his brother’s health insurance company as its paid lobbyists fought repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The president’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser did not list holdings in Oscar Health Insurance on his financial disclosure form because his owne... Reported by Raw Story 7 hours ago.

Search Influence Announces Progressive Update to Pay And Benefits

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Overhaul of compensation strategy and work structure puts New Orleans based Search Influence at the leading edge of the growing trend toward greater work-life integration.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) August 08, 2017

With unemployment rates at record lows, the competition for talent has never been tougher and New Orleans based Search Influence, a digitally focused marketing company, is taking aggressive steps to attract and retain the best team members to serve its growing client base.

In an increasingly digital and accessible world companies are finding they must support employees with more than just a paycheck. Beyond fair pay, today's workforce expects flexibility, collaboration, and personal and professional growth opportunities.

Knowing customer success is intimately intertwined with employee satisfaction, the leadership team of New Orleans marketing firm Search Influence underwent a rigorous analysis of pay and perks in July 2017, and surprised employees by making immediate changes and debuting a new company compensation philosophy.

With a desire to be both locally competitive and to adopt progressive practices from around the country, Search Influence has overhauled its pay, perks, work structure, work schedule and paid time off - providing one of the most competitive packages available in the Southeast United States.

Angie Scott, COO and Co-Founder of Search Influence says "It was clear to us that comp is not just about salary. Compensation can and should be a total package including base pay, monetary benefits like 401k and health insurance, as well as perks and flexibility."

Flexibility and supporting work-life integration was key in the analysis and implementation of Search Influence's new pay and perks package. In addition to interviews with local and national peers, the Search Influence team looked at national data aggregators PayScale.com and Salary.com.

Now confident each position is paid competitively, the Search Influence leadership team also added additional PTO days, another paid holiday annually, a structured remote-work program, a transportation stipend, and flexible hours.

For more information on the new Search Influence pay, perks, compensation philosophy, and the process the team followed see this blog post on the Search Influence site.

“The most important thing is that as long as you’re getting your work done, you can do it on your time. Through the inclusion of flexible hours, and the remote work benefit, we are going to start living that belief. We want our team to work hard, do great work and also have a life and take advantage of all the great things New Orleans has to offer,” says CEO and Co-Founder, Will Scott. “It’s our belief that if we empower our team in this way, it will come back multiplied for our clients and their results.”

With these changes, Search Influence expects to foster a culture of excellence and engagement among employees, thereby improving client satisfaction and increasing the company’s rate of growth.

According to Angie Scott, "my favorite is the core hours. They'll allow the whole team to have more flexibility. When I think of people who are like me, our working moms, I hope this will enable them to put in a couple longer days, and then go pick up the kids early. I’m proud that we can offer them the opportunity to be more flexible so that they can be there for their team at work and their family at home."

For more information, and to learn about open Search Influence jobs, visit http://www.searchinfluence.com/.

A national digital marketing company based in New Orleans, Search Influence specializes in optimizing potential. Search Influence focuses on clients’ return on investment as a full-service, digitally focused marketing firm offering a range of services that support the customer journey from brand awareness to delight, including search engine optimization, paid digital advertising, social media management, and advanced analytics and tracking.

Search Influence is a national Internet marketing company based in New Orleans, Search Influence specializes in helping small businesses succeed online. Whether working directly with customers or with our publisher partners, we focus on customer return on investment. Search Influence offers Local SEO, Social Media marketing, and a full range of online marketing services, including in-house production services. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

Medicare Advantage helps profits for Humana, other insurers

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Humana Inc. and other major health insurers are seeing an earnings boost driven in no small part by government-backed insurance plans. When Humana (NYSE: HUM) announced in February that it would walk away from the individual commercial health insurance business ( and the Obamacare insurance exchanges), it also said it would focus on growing its Medicare Advantage business, specifically on providing plans to recent seniors and those with multiple chronic conditions. Medicare Advantage is a Medicare… Reported by bizjournals 4 hours ago.

Putin Meets With Abkhazia Leader – Transcript

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The Kremlin released Tuesday a transcript of the meeting between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and the President of the Republic of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba. Putin is visiting Abkhazia, a breakaway region from Georgia, on during the ninth anniversary of the five-day Russia-Georgia war.

Following is the complete transcript as released by the Kremlin.

*****

*President of the Republic of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba:* Mr Putin, we are all honoured to welcome you again in Abkhazia.

Thanks to the support of the Russian Federation, Abkhazia is making progress in socioeconomic development and infrastructure construction, and resolving defence and security issues. All the issues that you and I discussed at previous meetings are being addressed for the good of our people.

We are gradually implementing the provisions of the 2014 Agreement on Alliance and Strategic Partnership. In particular, the Abkhazian side has ratified the agreement on the joint information and coordination centre of internal affairs agencies. We believe that this body will be among the most important tools in the fight against crime. For Abkhazia it is important that we live in comfortable conditions and that our guests are not deprived of this opportunity.

Our foreign policy departments are working to coordinate foreign policy.

Work is underway on activities of the investment programme; the amount of funds this year will exceed 2.5 billion rubles. All design and estimate documents were drafted, examined and approved. I would like to especially note the issues resolved with the help of the investment agency: the volume of lending amounted to 1.2 billion rubles. This is real support for our medium-sized and large businesses.

Today, an agreement on mandatory health insurance will be signed. This is an important event for the residents of Abkhazia – citizens of the Russian Federation.

I am sure that all the issues that we will discuss today will provide even greater opportunities to develop our country. Both Abkhazia and its people are sincerely grateful to you for all the decisions that are being adopted for the benefit of our relations.

Once again, I would like to note that all the issues that will be addressed today and will be resolved would help strengthen our relations. And of course today’s date, August 8, is a memorable one for the Republic of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

On that day, the Georgian army began a large-scale operation, and the decisive actions taken by the leadership of Russia made it possible to preserve the Republic of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and, of course, provided an opportunity for the further recognition of our small states, for which we are truly grateful to you.

*President of Russia Vladimir Putin:* Mr Khadjimba, thank you for the invitation!

As we agreed, this time we are meeting here in Abkhazia, on Abkhazian land. It is a pleasure to visit you again.

You mentioned practically all areas of our cooperation. I would probably only add our joint work on ensuring the republic’s defence capability. The joint force is developing on a very good, solid foundation and we have agreements on future steps.

You have just brought up the information centre. Naturally, this is a very important component because the citizens of Abkhazia and guests, no matter from where they arrive, Russia included, should understand and feel that they are reliably protected. I am hoping this joint work will enhance the security of tourists here.

As for the economic work, you have mentioned all these areas and I do not need to list them. Today we will sign an agreement in the social area, which will allow Abkhazian citizens to use not only our medical insurance system but also and primarily Russian medical institutions.

In general, we have things to discuss but the bottom line is that we have very special relations with Abkhazia. We reliably guarantee its security and independence.

I am sure this will continue. We only have to find optimal ways of developing the economy of Abkhazia, creating new jobs and establishing its own tax base. This is what we will speak about today. Reported by Eurasia Review 3 hours ago.

Mark Cuban has been on a wild, multi-day Twitter binge on uranium, Hillary Clinton, and Trump

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Mark Cuban has been on a wild, multi-day Twitter binge on uranium, Hillary Clinton, and Trump Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and television personality, has become embroiled in days-long Twitter debates involving Hillary Clinton, Russia, uranium, President Donald Trump, net neutrality, health insurance, and more.

The most recent stream started on Saturday, when Cuban responded to a tweet from Ryan Saavedra, a writer for the alt-right site Breitbart, about a Russian company that purchased a Canadian uranium mining company with a subsidiary in the US in 2013.

Clinton was secretary of state at the time of the Russian acquisition. She was one of nine agency heads who had to sign off on the deal because of its potential effects on national security.

Trump has called for an investigation into the deal. Right-wing media has attempted to connect the deal to donors of the Clinton Foundation, many of whom had an interest in seeing the deal approved. However, there is no evidence anything improper occurred.

Cuban countered with another point.

"Question for you," Cuban tweeted at Saavedra. "Why does it matter that any uranium was sold to the Russians or anyone else for that matter?"

Cuban pointed to the fact that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) prohibits the export of any uranium from the US to a foreign country. So while a Russian company owns the US mines, it is not able to export uranium from the US.

"I would congratulate him because he sold them a useless asset," Cuban tweeted when asked what he would say if Trump, instead of Clinton, had been involved in signing off on the deal. "They can't export any of that uranium. It's worth less than Trump U degree."

Cuban also said he spoke to a Clinton Foundation donor connected to the uranium mine, Frank Giustra, who told Cuban he had nothing to do with the sale.

Cuban's comments, however, drew the ire of a wide array of Twitter followers who believed Clinton to be part of an improper scheme.

Cuban appeared to joke that Trump should sign an executive order to ban the sale of uranium to adversarial nations, which is already illegal.

"Why hasn't @realDonaldTrump reversed the sale of our Uranium mines and stopped all sales of Uranium to Russia/NoKo/china etc?" Cuban said.

"I know right! She screwed us all!" Cuban later tweeted about Clinton. "When is @realDonaldTrump going to issue an exec order banning the export of uranium from those mines!"

Cuban also weighed in on the current state of Trump's presidency and other issues, like net neutrality and healthcare. 

"If any republican other than maybe @tedcruz had won the republican nomination, we would be a far more united and safer country," Cuban tweeted.

Cuban also criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, tweeting that the cabinet members "have been awful."

On net neutrality, Cuban said the Federal Communication Commission is doing a good job. And on healthcare, he reiterated previous opinions that the insurance system in the US should be drastically altered.

-View some of the tweets below:-



Why hasn't @realDonaldTrump reversed the sale of our Uranium mines and stopped all sales of Uranium to Russia/NoKo/china etc ? https://t.co/VEqaXVV9ls

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 7, 2017




Then @realDonaldTrump failed to issue the executive order we are asking for ? He decided not to stop the criminal Clinton's dastardly deed? https://t.co/TXnz5jwpQA

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 8, 2017




Will all Americans join us in asking @potus to issue an exec order ending Hillary Clinton's horrific export of our uranium to the Russians? https://t.co/vYnpiyB8jA

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 8, 2017




I also seriously believe @SecPriceMD , @ScottPruittOK, @RealBenCarson and Devos have been awful. https://t.co/c31Yp3qjXi

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 7, 2017


 

*SEE ALSO: 'Single payer is not the solution': Mark Cuban goes off on early-morning tweetstorm about healthcare*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The 9 best memes from Trump's first 200 days in office Reported by Business Insider 3 hours ago.

Big Employers Say They Will Continue To Offer Health Plans To Their Workers

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Three years ago, only about a quarter of the nation's large employers were "very confident" they would offer health insurance to their workers in 10 years. That number has now risen to 65 percent. Reported by NPR 3 hours ago.

Big Employers Say They'll Continue To Offer Health Plans To Their Workers

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Three years ago, only about a quarter of the nation's large employers were "very confident" they would offer health insurance to their workers in 10 years. That number has now risen to 65 percent. Reported by NPR 3 hours ago.

Big data yields surprising connections between diseases

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Using health insurance claims data from more than 480,000 people in nearly 130,000 families, researchers at the University of Chicago have created a new classification of common diseases based on how often they occur among genetically-related individuals. Reported by Science Daily 9 hours ago.

Bill banning abortion coverage in health insurance plans moves closer to governor's desk

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Reported by DallasNews 23 hours ago.

Health insurance exchanges are on shaky ground — here is how to stabilize them

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Health insurance exchanges are on shaky ground. Here’s how to stabilize them At least for now, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. This means that the health insurance exchanges – which make it possible for people who do not get health insurance through work or government programs t... Reported by Raw Story 17 hours ago.
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