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ThinAir to Participate in Grand Rounds at National Health ISAC 2017 Fall Summit

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ThinAir will be demoing its latest conversational UI and impact assessment solution for healthcare security professionals

SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) November 28, 2017

ThinAir, the world’s first insider threat detection and investigation platform, will be participating in the upcoming National Health-ISAC (NH-ISAC) 2017 Fall Summit at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona from November 28-30. The conference brings together IT and Security leaders from private and public hospitals, healthcare providers, health insurance payers, pharmaceutical and information organizations to discuss the latest trends in cybersecurity, threat intelligence and risk assessment.

On November 30, ThinAir (booth #29) will be participating in the NH-ISAC Grand Rounds to be held in the Hospitality Suite, where attendees will be given an opportunity to learn how ThinAir can help achieve HIPAA compliance, drive down the risk and impact of a data breach and keep their patients’ ePHI information safe. After the presentation, attendees will be given the chance to participate in a Q&A with ThinAir, to learn how healthcare providers can quickly enable real time assessment, investigation and monitoring without impacting their end user information flow and productivity.

“Insider threats and cyberattacks are a major issue for the Healthcare industry. Healthcare faces a huge challenge keeping patient information secure as it adopts new technology and continues to modernize,” said Tony Gauda, CEO of ThinAir. “It is critical for healthcare organizations to not only gain complete and continuous visibility into their sensitive data, but implement a plan and tools for identifying, analyzing and responding quickly and mitigating the damage, when a data leak or breach occurs.”

ThinAir continuously tracks user- and application-data interactions and instantly answers sophisticated questions about information creation, consumption and communication through easy to use search and analytics, alerting and reporting. It addresses the risk posed by negligent or malicious insiders and gives you an information chain of custody, empowering healthcare providers and business associate IT and IS teams with unprecedented simplicity of data-loss search, investigation and tracking.

To learn more about ThinAir, drop by booth #29 at NH-ISAC 2017 Fall Summit, or visit: http://www.thinair.com.

About ThinAir
ThinAir simplifies information visibility and security, and enables insider threat and information leak investigation in 90 seconds. ThinAir has built the world’s first insider detection and investigation platform that answers sophisticated questions about information creation, consumption and communication, empowering security and IT professional to have instant data-element level visibility in real time and historically. To learn more visit http://www.thinair.com. Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Reported by PRWeb 17 hours ago.

Obamacare Set To Drive New Wave Of Hospital Bankruptcies

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Obamacare Set To Drive New Wave Of Hospital Bankruptcies Back in 2008, one of the biggest arguments in favor of Obamacare was that the legislation would help alleviate bad debt at hospitals created by people who required emergency care but didn't have health insurance or the financial means to cover their treatment.  Of course, like most promises made about Obamacare, the exact opposite of the Left's original theories has played out in reality as *restructuring lawyers are now warning that the healthcare industry is about to experience a massive wave of hospital bankruptcies.*  Per Bloomberg:



*A wave of hospitals and other medical companies are likely to restructure their debt or file for bankruptcy in the coming year,* following the recent spate of failing retailers and energy drillers, according to restructuring professionals. Regulatory changes, technological advances and the rise of urgent-care centers have created a "perfect storm" for health-care companies, said David Neier, a partner in the New York office of law firm Winston & Strawn LLC.

 

Some signs are already there: *Health-care bankruptcy filings have more than tripled this year according to data compiled by Bloomberg,* and an index of Chapter 11 filings by companies with more than $1 million of assets has reached record highs in four of the last six quarters, according to law firm Polsinelli PC. *Junk bonds from companies in the industry have dropped 1.4 percent this month*, a steeper decline than the broader high-yield market, according to Bloomberg Barclays index data.

 

Since 1997, health-care cases have made up only 5.25 percent of all U.S. bankruptcy filings, according to Bloomberg data. Year to date, they already comprise 7.25 percent of all filings. *Emergency-room operator Adeptus Health, cancer-care provider 21st Century Oncology, and cancer treatment specialist California Proton Treatment are the largest filings. *Those statistics exclude pharmaceutical company Concordia, which is restructuring in Canada, and Preferred Care Inc., one of the U.S.’s largest nursing home groups, operating 108 assisted living facilities.



So what has caused the sudden onset of hospital failures?  Well, because Obamacare's architects were so certain their legislation would completely eliminate uninsured citizens in the U.S., they decided to offset the costs of the "Affordable Care Act" by eliminating subsidy payments to hospitals that had previously been used to cover losses from treating uninsured patients...



Hospitals, including private rural ones, may be among the hardest hit, Winston & Strawn’s Neier said. *The Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, reduced payments to hospitals that serve a large number of poor and uninsured patients, known as "disproportionate share hospitals," on the theory that more patients would be insured under the law.* Congress delayed those cuts several times, but didn’t do so for the current fiscal year, which may "single-handedly throw hospitals into immediate financial distress -- many operate on less than one day’s cash,” he said in an interview.

 

"Smaller hospitals have already been struggling for years,” said Kristin Going, a partner in the New York office of Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP. Both lawyers declined to discuss specific companies. *Since 2010, a growing number of patients have enrolled in high-deductible health plans that force them to shoulder more of costs when they get treatment, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That has translated into more bad debt from customers for hospitals and other providers.*

 

Some publicly traded hospital companies that were already under pressure from high debt loads have been further buffeted by this year’s hurricanes. Community Health Systems Inc., with $1.9 billion in debt maturing in 2019, has suffered doctor revolts over crumbling, cash-strapped facilities, as well as losses linked to the storms in Texas and Florida earlier this year. A representative for Community Health didn’t return a call seeking comment.



...of course, here in reality, things didn't quite play out so perfectly as surging Obamacare premiums have pushed more and more people into  high deductible plans or have forced them to forego insurance altogether and opt instead to simply pay the tax penalties levied by the legislation.  Shocking that folks could simply absorb a doubling of their healthcare premiums in 4 years.

Just more proof that Obamacare is working perfectly and should be left just as it is... Reported by Zero Hedge 15 hours ago.

Earning a little more than threshold could boost cost of health insurance

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Lowering your modified adjusted gross income can allow you to qualify for Affordable Care Act federal subsidies if you're close to cutoff.

 
 
 
 
 
 
  Reported by USATODAY.com 13 hours ago.

Domino's is launching a baby registry, just like you always asked for

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Congratulations, it's a big cheesy pizza pie! 

Domino's is launching their very own baby registry. They partnered with Gugu Guru, a registry consulting company, to provide a platform for parents to create a wishlist. 

The website coincides with the wedding registry they created earlier in the year which basically means they want pizza to rule over your life. What's next real estate? Health insurance?  

SEE ALSO: Why choose between pizza or a burger when you can have this glorious combination?

Instead of all the predictable baby items like a stroller, bottles and diapers, the pizza chain is offering food packages perfect for new parents, annoyed parents, or someone that's not even a parent and wants a good deal. Read more...

More about Parenting, Culture, Web Culture, Domino S Pizza, and Domino S Reported by Mashable 13 hours ago.

The GOP tax bill now looks like it will pass — but it could still get tripped up by the details

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The GOP tax bill now looks like it will pass — but it could still get tripped up by the details· *Senate Republicans cleared a significant hurdle toward passing their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.*
· *I now think it's more likely than not that it will pass.*
· *Significant hurdles remain with key senators.*

--------------------By passing the tax bill through the Senate Budget Committee — and more importantly, by getting Sens. Bob Corker, Ron Johnson and Susan Collins to express optimism that their objections to the bill are being addressed — Republicans have passed a major hurdle.

I have been skeptical that this bill would get done. I now think it will probably pass.

But I would note, not as much has been achieved today as it looks like, and the bill still faces significant hazards.

Essentially, Republicans were able to get the bill out of committee by convincing many Republican senators their concerns would be addressed later in the legislative process. "Later" still has to come someday.

Probably the biggest breakthrough is with Collins, who seems prepared to support the bill as long as a deduction for property taxes is added, and as long as Trump supports two pieces of legislation designed to stabilize the health insurance market — though those bills would move later.

Mike DeBonis of The Washington Post cites Sen. Lindsay Graham as saying at least one of the insurance bills (the Alexander-Murray proposal to fund some cost-sharing subsidies and give new market flexibility to states) would be attached to a must-pass government funding bill. That means Collins would be going on more than just the president’s word that the issue would be taken up after tax reform.

But for Corker's and Johnson’s demands, there are a lot more blanks to be filled in.

*The devil is still in the details*

Corker said he had reached an agreement for some sort of "trigger" mechanism that would unwind tax cuts if economic or tax revenue projections aren’t met. The idea is to ensure the bill doesn’t grow the deficit by more than is projected.

We have yet to see how this trigger would work, and how acceptable it will be to senators once its details are known. And a trigger mechanism could damp the economic growth effects of the tax bill. 

Corporate tax cuts are supposed to encourage investment by promising investors lower taxes on the returns from new investments. If a trigger might cause those tax rates to go back up, the incentive to make those investments is reduced.

What Johnson has gotten is even vaguer. He agreed to move the bill forward with his vote in the Budget Committee with the expectation that some assistance for owners of pass-through businesses would be added later in the legislative process.

But satisfying Johnson’s request would likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade. Meeting that request would require taking tax cuts away from someone else, because the bill is under a hard cap that it can’t increase projected deficits by more than $1.5 trillion. Similarly, it's not clear how they’ll pay for the property tax concession to Collins.

It remains to be seen how those details will be filled in, and what constituencies the pay-for mechanisms might alienate.

There were a lot of moments like this during the healthcare repeal process, where bills moved through committee on the expectation that something would be fixed later with a manager’s amendment. It never quite worked out in the end.

That said, Republicans are very motivated to cut taxes, and it ought to be possible to find a way to dole out $1.5 trillion in tax breaks while pleasing enough Republican constituencies to pass a bill. 

That’s why I think they’ll get it done eventually. But they’re not quite as close as they look.

*Thinking about a world after the Obamacare individual mandate*

If this tax bill passes, the Affordable Care Act's individual insurance mandate will likely go away. This would lead to millions fewer people buying health insurance. It may also lead to higher health insurance premiums, though a reinsurance plan backed by Collins could contain those premium rises.

With the mandate under serious threat, I think it would behoove liberals to think a little about whether it is politically sustainable as policy.

The mandate remains unpopular, even as the Affordable Care Act as a whole has reached record levels of popularity. More problematically, I don’t think there is likely ever to be public buy-in to the philosophy behind the mandate.

The health insurance mandate was supposed to become a social expectation like auto insurance: Responsible citizens carry insurance because it would be unfair for them to become burdensome to others if they got sick.

But this hasn’t happened. People view the mandate itself as unfair, since it requires them to buy a product with their own money — a product that often does not seem to provide good value for money.

For unsubsidized purchasers (those who make more than four times the poverty level), buying an Obamacare health plan means paying thousands of dollars in premiums only to face a deductible that is often itself thousands of dollars. This feels unfair to a lot of people.

This not only undermines the mandate politically. It also undermines its effectiveness as an insurance market mechanism, since the creation of a social expectation to buy insurance was supposed to be one of the mechanisms by which the mandate increased coverage.

*People don't want mandatory insurance or the freedom to go uninsured — they want insurance they like*

High insurance prices are not, as Republicans would have it, a consequence of Obamacare’s deficiencies. They are a consequence of the high overall cost of American healthcare. 

But Americans get sticker shock from the plans because they are not used to seeing the real price of American healthcare.

Most American adults are used to insurance plans where an employer pays most of the premium, sight-unseen; or to Medicaid plans, which are paid entirely by taxpayers; or to medically underwritten individual market plans that predated Obamacare, which offered low costs only to people with below-average healthcare needs.

They may also look enviously at Medicare plans, which have low premiums and therefore create the illusion of low cost, even as taxpayers bear most of the cost.

These are the baselines that people use to imagine what sort of health plan they would sign up for freely. A plan that bakes in the true, population-level cost of healthcare is obviously going to look unappealing by comparison.

The mandate has still been somewhat effective because, however people feel about its fairness, the threat of being charged a tax penalty of 2.5% of income is a motivating factor to carry insurance. But it has not been as effective as its creators might have hoped, and it’s not clear the public is ever going to get comfortable with it.

*Thinking about alternatives to the mandate*

A mandate is a useful tool for stabilizing an insurance market, but it is not the only available tool. Reinsurance can hold insurers harmless for the sickening of the insurance pool absent a mandate, as Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation has noted. This could prevent rises in pre-subsidy premiums due to mandate repeal, if administered well.

As for pushing coverage rates up, more people will buy insurance if the plans are offered at an appealing price.

One way to do that is to more effectively push down costs, for example by offering a public insurance option that pays Medicaid or Medicare rates to providers. Another way to do that is to simply subsidize premiums more.

I don’t expect Republicans to do most of these things — though they may do something on reinsurance, since Collins is not stupid and presumably is not folding for nothing.

But if Republicans repeal the mandate, Democrats will have to think about what they will propose to do if they retake power — and I don’t think reimposing the mandate is likely to be an appealing option to very many.

*SEE ALSO: People are underrating the odds of a government shutdown in December*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro Reported by Business Insider 10 hours ago.

Sponsored: Life Insurance - Why one size doesn't fit all

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Our uniqueness is one factor which differentiates us from the rest, ensuring that we stand out, even in a crowd. We all wish to be special and one-of-a-kind, pushing ourselves to be better than the rest. We see this across multiple instances in our life, yet when it comes to a few life-changing events we opt to go with the flow, forgetting that we are special and have specific needs.

One example where this happens regularly is related to the purchase of life insurance policies. Let's face it, while we value our life, we often forget to put a value on it.

India's life insurance penetration has seen a steady improvement over the years, but most of us are still unaware of the benefits of life insurance, choosing to buy it only for the sake of having a policy.

Insurance, be it life or health insurance, is customisable, and the concept of one size fits all doesn't do justice to you, the policyholder.

*Why you should customise your insurance policy*
There are two primary reasons why one should customise his/her life insurance policy.

*Specific goals -* Your goals might be different from that of your neighbour. You might have a goal to retire at a specific age, with sufficient funds to travel the world after that. Or you might have a goal to educate your child in a top university.

Whatever the goal may be, it is possible to fulfil it only if there are adequate resources. Insurance companies offer a range of products designed to meet a particular goal. For example, one can choose a retirement plan to ensure that he/she can retire without worrying about money. Or one could invest in an endowment policy to secure the future of his/her child. Alternately, one could invest in unit-linked insurance plans which offer decent returns, helping one beat inflation.
*
Family obligations -* Our family is important to us, there is no doubt about it. A number of us live for them. Imagine the plight of our loved ones if something were to happen to us. They would be devastated for sure. Now, human beings aren't immortal and death is something which each of us ought to be prepared for. While we might not be able to prevent the inevitable, we can plan for it, ensuring that even if we are not there physically, we can offer assistance to our loved ones.

Individuals with multiple dependants might have to increase the cover amount, in comparison to someone who has a single dependant. Similarly, one has to plan the future of his/her family through the purchase of the right insurance plan.

One can understand the importance of these two points through the example of three people, Jay, Ram, and Vicky.

Jay and Vicky are both 32 years old, working in the same organisation and earning the same amount of money. Ram, who is their boss, is around 55 years old, earning much more than them.

Now, would it make sense for the three of them to purchase the same insurance policy? Some might say Yes, for a life insurance policy will protect the interests of their loved ones, irrespective of what the policy entails, right?

Now, how about we go a bit deeper and try to understand each one of them. Jay is single, with only a dependant mother to take care of. Vicky has been married for the last 7 years and has two children. Additionally, he also looks after his parents. Ram has two children who are independent, with his wife being the only dependant.

Also, Jay has an extremely unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and drinking on a daily basis, with almost no exercise whatsoever. He also has a history of previous illnesses.

Vicky follows a moderate lifestyle, with no serious illnesses in the past. Ram has suffered a stroke in the past and takes medication on a regular basis.

Given these points, would it still make sense for the three of them to have the same policy? No, it wouldn't.

Each of their needs is different, requiring a policy which meets their expectations.

Jay could purchase a ULIP to meet his requirements. Additionally, he might add riders which cover health issues. Vicky might choose to invest in a whole life policy, adding riders to enhance the cover. Ram, on the other hand, might choose to buy a retirement plan which provides monthly returns, covering his spouse in it as well.

A life insurance policy might not have the power to grant immorality, but it does have the ability to be a lifesaver. Choosing wisely ensures that your love is felt even in your absence. Reported by Deccan Herald 51 minutes ago.

David Stockman Slams The GOP Tax Bill: "Fuggedaboutit!!"

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David Stockman Slams The GOP Tax Bill: Fuggedaboutit!! Authored by David Stockman via Contra Corner blog,

The GOP has become so politically desperate that they might as well enact a two-word statute and be done with it. *It would simply read: Tax Bill!*

Actually, that's not far from where they are in the great scheme of things.* The Senate Finance Committee's bill is a dog's breakfast of K-Street/Wall Street pleasing tax cuts, narrowly focused revenue raisers that will be subject to withering attack on the Senate floor, nonsensical vote-driven compromises and outrageous fiscal gimmicks*----the most blatant of which is the sun-setting of every single individual tax provision after 2025.

This latter trick is designed to shoe-horn the revenue loss into the $1.5 trillion 10-year allowance in the budget reconciliation instruction and also comply with the Senate's "Byrd Rule" which allows a point of order to strike down a reconciliation bill that increases the deficit after year 10. Save for these gimmicks, the actual 10-year cost of the Senate bill would be *$2.2 trillion* including interest on the added deficits.

*Nevertheless, this and other sunset gimmicks also underscore how threadbare the whole undertaking has become. *To wit, the bill provides interim, deficit-financed tax relief of* $1.38 trillion *during 2018-2025 before these budget gimmicks kick-in, which is not a big number in the scheme of things: it amounts to just *4.2%* of current law revenue collections during the eight year period, and only *0.8%* of GDP.

Since the bill doesn't even really cut marginal rates during this interim period (the top bracket drops from 39.6% to 38.5%),* its hard to see how a mere 0.8% "stimulus" to GDP is going to incite a tsunami of growth and jobs.*

As we have frequently pointed out, the Reagan tax cut of 1981---which had no measureable effect on the trend rate of economic growth--- slashed marginal rates from 70% to 50% and as a total package paled the current Senate Plan into insignificance: It reduced the Federal revenue base by* 26%,* not *4.2%;* and it amounted to *6.2%* of GDP, not *0.8%*, when fully effective in the later 1980s.

Moreover, the "fully effective" part is especially salient because the Senate bill's impact does not widen with time, as do most permanent tax cuts which require phase-in periods, but, instead, shrinks into virtual insignificance.

Thus, the bill's net tax cut amounts to *$225 billion* or* 1.1%* of GDP in 2019, but by 2022 the net cut shrinks to *$199 billion* and *0.9%* of GDP---and then to just *$145 billion* or *0.6%* of GDP in 2025 when the sunset gimmick kicks in.

Thereafter the bill becomes a small net revenue raiser ($31 billion) by 2027, but, more importantly, the single "cut" item left in the statute tells you who is really driving the show. That is, the Business Roundtable, the K-Street industry lobbies and Wall Street get to keep what they mobilized for----the 20% corporate rate cut, which stays in place permanently at a cost of *$171 billion* in 2027 revenue loss.

However, the lopsided math laid out in the Tax Policy Center's price-out of the Finance Committee reported bill underscores why this dog's breakfast will never make it close to the Donald's desk. That's because by year #10 not one of the 150 million individual filers get a tax cut; the reduction for small business "pass-thru" payers is zeroed-out; and the balance of the bill consists of  an incredible *$202 billion of tax increases in 2027 compared to current law.*

That's right. The great Republican "tax cut" slithers off the stage in 2027 raising taxes by a net of *$75 billion* on individual filers, *$123 billion* on business filers (aside from the corporate rate cut) and *$4 billion* on international companies.

*So what you have is a sharply downward sloping taper of tax cuts and revenue losses, which makes the bill a classic Keynesian deficit stimulus through the tax code, not a supply side incentive driver; and one so tangled up in the nation's fiscal strait-jacket that it ends up in political la la land.*

For instance, the only individual tax provision that is *not* subject to the 2025 sunset is the tax indexing modification which relies on a shorter ruler to adjust the brackets and standard deduction for inflation. Accordingly, by 2027 approximately 150 million filers will be paying *$32 billion* per year in higher taxes!

Another fiscal anomaly contained in the bill in order to shoe-horn it into the allotted $1.5 trillion deficit add-on is the repeal of the individual mandate under ObamaCare.

To be sure, as a matter of policy and liberty we would be the first to say, right on!

But here is how the bill reduces the deficit by *$53 billion *in 2027 and *$318 billion* over the 10 year period. To wit, it assumes that about 13 million citizens are being forced to join Medicaid or buy subsidized health insurance policies on the ObamaCare exchanges who do not want them, and don't even need the coverage, apparently.

That's completely crazy, of course, but is also par for the course in today's American Welfare State and the fiscal impact and analysis thereof.

Indeed, the intuitive notion would be that repeal of the ObamaCare fines would cause an *increase* in the deficit, and, in fact, the CBO analysis assumes a *$43 billion* revenue loss over the 10-year period from uninsured individuals no longer being forced to pay fines to Uncle Sam for exercising their right to self-insure, pay cash for care or go without.

Still, the repeal provision is projected to net *$318 billion* of "payfors" because a different set of needy people are presumed to reject* mandatory welfare*.

That's right. The CBO projects that Medicaid costs will be *$29 billion* *lower *than current law in 2027 and *$179 billion* lower over the 10-year period because millions of low income citizens---and this is hard to type with a straight face----would otherwise sign up for Medicaid, which they would be qualified for but don't want, in order to avoid paying a fine!

*Stated differently, CBO essentially assumes that millions of low income citizens are being fined into enrolling in Medicaid when they don't want Uncle Sam's free stuff; and that millions more would give up their ObamaCare tax subsidies of up to $15,000 because they no longer would have to pay a fine of about $2,000.*

You can't make this stuff up---but there is a reason for the apparent lunacy. What is going on here, in fact, is that 30 years of fiscal kick-the-can is coming home to roost.

The overhang of* $10 trillion* of additional built-in deficits over the next decade, and a prospective public debt of *$31 trillion* is tying the GOP tax-writers in knots, and well it should.

That's because a meaningful tax cut not paid for with spending cuts (preferably) or a more benign revenue raiser like VAT or a consumption levy is simply unaffordable and counter-productive.

*A deficit-financed tax cut will result in "crowding out" and higher interest rates in the years ahead----meaning headwinds to growth, not enhancements. *That's because for the first time since the 1980s the Fed and other central banks will be* selling* government debt, not *buying* it; they will be in a demonetization and QT (quantitative tightening) mode rather than one of massive monetization and QE.

Yet it was only the latter which permitted the fiscal profligacy that quadrupled the public debt since the turn of the century (from *$5 trillion* to *$21 trillion*) to roll forward year after year unchecked by visible, adverse financial and macroeconomic effects. Now comes the payback.

Indeed, given the nation's rapidly aging and welfare-consuming demographics, its *$66 trillion* albatross of public and private debt on a sputtering *$19 trillion* economy and Washington's *5%* of GDP structural deficit during the next decade even under CBO's nirvana of perpetual full-employment, the very idea of an unfinanced tax cut amounts to what Senate Leader Howard Baker called a "riverboat gamble" back in 1981.

*And that get's us the most absurd twist yet in the GOP's futile attempt to fit it's big fat political foot into the purported golden slipper of tax reduction and reform.* It happens that Senator Baker's legatee representing Tennessee in the US Senate, the now retiring Bob Corker, has exactly the same concern as his illustrious predecessor.

Namely, the objectively warranted fear that tax cuts do not pay for themselves----and most especially in the case of the dog's breakfast now heading toward the Senate floor. Indeed, Corker has explicitly stated that he will vote "no" on any bill that increases the Federal deficit----after any favorable impact on economic growth and the revenue feedback therefrom.

Apparently, the good Senator is not at all convinced that the sole permanent beneficiary of the Senate bill---corporate America----will use most of its *$1.35 trillion* in increased after-tax cash flow over the next decade in order to invest in domestic plant, equipment and technology. And in sufficient incremental quantities to generate meaningful  revenue reflow.

The skunk in the woodpile here, in fact, is that Corker has been a long-time member of the budget committee and reasonably consistent deficit hawk (except on defense where he is a raging war hawk and spender). Accordingly, he is actually numerate and understands the forbidding math of the corporate tax cut.

To wit, at the permanent 20% rate, the tax cuts would have to generate nearly *$7 trillion* of incremental pre-tax profits to pay for itself; and given the pre-tax profit share at *12%* of national income, the total gain in GDP would need to be in the order of *$60 trillion*!

At the same time, the corporate C-suites already face the lowest debt and equity costs in history thanks to decades of radical financial repression by the Fed, on the one hand, and are now addicted to financial engineering, on the other. So it is not unreasonable to assume that at least *65%* of the corporate rate reduction will be allocated to higher dividends and stock buybacks.

In short, to pay for itself, the 20% corporate tax rate would need to generate *$60 trillion* of incremental GDP over the next decade from perhaps *$500 billion* of incremental investment. That is to say, a *120X* yield on investment in an economy that has actually not been acutely deprived of investment dollars over the last decade.

In the alternative, of course, added investment might also generate some incremental employment and income and payroll tax revenue. But that would likely be a strictly second order effect: Hardly a single CEO at a recent meeting with Gary Cohn raised his hand when asked with the 20% rate would lead to more jobs or higher wages.

Undoubtedly, Senator Corker (and his fellow deficit hawks including Flake, Lankford and others) will lean hard toward the most favorable assumptions possible about the share of the corporate cut that will be reinvested rather than distributed to shareholders, and the yield of GDP and pre-tax corporate income which will result therefrom.

But they will not get close to a 100% "payfor" conclusion---so they have invented in new morsel to throw into the Senate dog's breakfast. Namely, a "tax cut" written in disappearing ink or what they are pleased to called a "trigger-tax" increase in the event that the dynamic reflow assumptions do not pan out.



"*Corker, the retiring Tennessee Republican has staked a hard line against letting tax legislation add to federal deficits - saying that a single penny of new deficits would lose his vote. It turns out the Senate bill would add $1.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years - at least before accounting for any economic growth - according to a Congressional Budget Office report released Sunday.*

 

*The bill’s supporters say it’ll boost economic growth enough to cover that shortfall, but Corker says he’s not satisfied. He wants a backstop mechanism - essentially a tax-increase trigger that would raise revenue in case the promised growth doesn’t result. Arizona’s Flake and Oklahoma’s Lankford also support that kind of trigger.*



Needless to say, the crafting of a trigger-tax is beyond the capacity of the US Senate to devise while in full partisan floor battle or at any other time.

The problem is, what is the baseline for measuring any revenue shortfall, and what happens if the short-fall is due to a recession or some other un-programmed economic development? Or even a multi-quarter growth hiatus that may or may not be the on-set of an officially designated "recession" by the authorities at the NBER.

You editor speaks with some authority on this point---having helped devise such a "trigger tax" back in 1983 when Ronald Reagan was looking for a way to raise taxes to stem the exploding deficit caused by the 1981 cut without admitting he was back-tracking. The long and short of it was Reagan's "trigger tax" never got off the ground because even the threat of a trigger release causes it own set of adverse but impossible to quantify economic feedbacks.

*Even then, the Senate bill has not yet begun to fix all the other "problems" that would be required to find the 51-votes.*

For instance, Senators Johnson and Daines---both former small businessmen and "pass-thru" tax payers----are holding out for a better deal for the millions of small business owners who won't benefit from the K-Street/Wall Street driven cut in the corporate rate.

As presently written, pass thru payers would face a *30%* rate on qualifying business income rather than *20%*, and that's only until 2025. After that they get *zip*---even as the corporate rate remains permanent.

The problem with the "fix" needed for these two Senate votes, of course, is that even the 30% pass-thru rate costs *$25 billion* per year and there is no room in the fiscal envelope.

Likewise, the latest distributional analysis shows that in 2025---before the sunset---the bottom 30 million tax filers would get an average "tax cut" which amounts to the grand sum of *$1.15 per week*----and, no, we did not omit any zeros.

Similarly, the next 30 million filers would only *get $7 per week; *and the middle quintile----the 30 million tax filers between $55,00 and $95,000 per year and the heart of the middle class----- would get just *$17 per week *of tax relief in 2025.

*That is, before it all disappears into the sunset!*

As we said, the GOP might better pass a two-word tax bill and be done with it.

Better still, it might consider the possibility that the great barrier to growth in America today is not the tax code, but the Fed and its massive inducements for speculation on Wall Street, rather than investment and growth on main street.

Indeed, given the warm welcome that most GOP Senators are giving to the new Fed Chairman----that is, Janet Yellen in a tie and trousers---that avenue of inquiry is more than warranted.

*As we will argue tomorrow, US taxes are always too high and should be cut along with parallel reductions in spending and the deficit. But short of that, it is hard to say that American producers struggle under some kind of severe competitive disadvantage in the global economy.*

In fact, only Ireland, Chile and Mexico have lower tax burdens among all OECD countries, and the US rate at *26% of GDP* is actually one-fourth lower than the OECD average. Reported by Zero Hedge 6 hours ago.

City Council approves Centene employment incentive agreement

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Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday night to approve an agreement with health insurance company Centene Corp. that could bring thousands of new jobs to the city. The agreement will now go to Centene’s (NYSE: CNC) board of directors for approval. City officials announced the agreement on Nov. 17. Under the deal, Centene is eligible for an incentive package of up to $13.5 million in exchange for creating 5,000 jobs in Sacramento. “The focus of our incentive plan represents a strong commitment… Reported by bizjournals 6 hours ago.

What happens if Congress doesn't fund the health insurance used by almost 2 million kids and pregnant women in California?

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Unless Congress comes to an agreement fast, federal funding for a program that provides health insurance to 2 million California children and pregnant women will run out around the end of the year.

After that, California could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars because the state... Reported by L.A. Times 23 hours ago.

The Latest: Trump's health pick says drug prices 'too high'

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the nomination of Alex Azar to be health secretary (all times local): 9:35 a.m. President Donald Trump's pick to be the health secretary says people "pushed out or left out" by the Obama-era health law also need help. Alex Azar says in prepared remarks for the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee that government must help people who risk being priced out of the insurance market by rising premiums. Several million consumers who buy their own health insurance policies aren't eligible for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. But their premiums have gone up because of the health law. Legislation to help stabilize premiums is pending in Congress. Reported by SeattlePI.com 19 hours ago.

About 15,000 signed up for health insurance so far

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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The federal government says about 15,000 people in New Hampshire have selected insurance plans so far during the current open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act. The enrollment snapshot released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services covers signups through last Saturday. Nationally, about 504,000 people selected plans […] Reported by Seattle Times 19 hours ago.

Illinois Obamacare enrollments jump, topping 95,000 with weeks to go

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Illinois consumers are snapping up Obamacare health insurance plans much faster than they did last year, despite lingering uncertainty over the law’s future.

More than 95,000 Illinois residents selected Obamacare exchange plans during the first four weeks of open enrollment this year, compared... Reported by ChicagoTribune 17 hours ago.

Texas asks for $90M to delay CHIP end

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration is asking for $90 million more in federal funding in hopes of delaying sending health insurance cancellation notices to nearly half a million children. The Dallas Morning News reports that Texas will end its Children’s Health Insurance Program on Jan. 31 unless it gets such funding. […] Reported by Seattle Times 16 hours ago.

More Illinoisans buying insurance on exchange this year

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CHICAGO (AP) — New federal data show that Illinois consumers are purchasing health insurance plans from the public Affordable Care Act exchange faster this year than they did last year. The Chicago Tribune reports that numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released Wednesday found that more than 95,000 Illinois residents selected plans […] Reported by Seattle Times 15 hours ago.

More Illinois buying health insurance on exchange this year

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CHICAGO (AP) — New federal data show that Illinois consumers are purchasing health insurance plans from the public Affordable Care Act exchange faster this year than they did last year. The Chicago Tribune reports that numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released Wednesday found that more than 95,000 Illinois residents selected plans […] Reported by Seattle Times 14 hours ago.

Health insurance for kids, college football, bilingual education, Code Talkers, net neutrality

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Reported by DallasNews 10 hours ago.

San Antonio Surgeon Dr. Michael Seger Receives PAC Award for Leadership from American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery Foundation

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San Antonio surgeon and co-founder of BMI of Texas Dr. Michael Seger recently received the PAC Award for leadership from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Foundation at its annual LEAD Awards luncheon.

SAN ANTONIO (PRWEB) November 30, 2017

San Antonio surgeon and co-founder of the Bariatric Medical Institute (BMI) of Texas, Michael Seger, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.M.B.S., recently received the PAC Award from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Foundation at its annual LEAD Awards luncheon, held in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with Obesity Week.

The ASMBS Foundation’s annual LEAD Awards honor individuals who have shown outstanding leadership and dedication to the field of metabolic and bariatric surgery. The PAC Award is presented to recognize a physician who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to representing the needs of bariatric surgeons and their patients on Capitol Hill and within State Houses across the country.

Earlier this year, Dr. Seger worked closely with Texas Senator Jose Menendez to create and file a bill (Senate Bill 756) that would require group health insurance plans to cover obesity treatment.

“Obesity is an epidemic. There are excellent preventative and treatment options available but more than half of the insurance plans in Texas do not cover obesity treatment. Despite the undeniable evidence of the dangers of obesity and the efficacy of metabolic and bariatric surgery, coverage for treatment is minimal across the United States. I’m inspired daily by the healthier lives my patients are living, which makes it very frustrating when it’s so difficult for many people to have access to treatment,” said Dr. Seger. “Being recognized by the ASMBS Foundation with the PAC Award is a tremendous honor because I believe so strongly in the organization’s mission, and despite recent challenges in moving legislation forward, I remain optimistic that with our continued hard work we will make a difference and help people get access to the treatment they need and deserve.”

Dr. Michael Seger has been a passionate advocate for patient access to obesity treatment for many years. A member of the ASMBS for 12 years, he is president of the Texas chapter of ASMBS. He is the chief of bariatric surgery at the Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital in San Antonio and has presented articles at national and international meetings on bariatric and laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Seger is also a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, Bexar County Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Obesity is a multi-factorial and complex disease, which is why BMI of Texas created a unique, comprehensive program to help patients maintain their health and weight long-term. BMI of Texas provides medical and surgical care to patients with obesity and metabolic disease in a supportive, compassionate and guilt-free environment. BMI of Texas helps patients achieve their weight loss goals and improved health through medical weight management and various surgical procedures including gastric bypass, lap band, gastric sleeve, duodenal switch and gastric balloon. Its highly experienced surgeons Dr. Terive Duperier, Dr. Mickey Seger, Dr. Richard Englehardt and the entire BMI of Texas team are dedicated to creating meaningful relationships and experiences with their patients and the community in order to overcome obesity and metabolic disease -- fostering improved health and a better quality of life. Dr. Jennifer Seger heads up BMI of Texas’s medical weight loss program, where she assists patients who want to lose weight and improve their overall health.

About BMI of Texas:
Founded in 2008, the Bariatric Medical Institute of Texas is focused on helping patients achieve their long-term weight loss goals. More information on the practice can be found online at bmioftexas.com.

-30 - Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.

Time is running out on children's health insurance program

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Every major federal health insurance program has become a political hot button in recent years, as Democrats and Republicans have tussled over the cost, reach and rationale of Obamacare, Medicaid and Medicare. Those fights, in turn, have insinuated themselves into many of the major policy battles... Reported by L.A. Times 23 hours ago.

Fear and Loathing in the Age Of QE, AI, Trump and War

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Fear and Loathing in the Age Of QE, AI, Trump and War *'Fear and Loathing In the Age of QE ... AI'* is a presentation given at *Mining Investment London* earlier this week.

*Stephen Flood, CEO of GoldCore* presentation (28 minutes) was well received at the conference which is a strategic mining and investment conference for leaders in the mining and investment sectors, bringing together attendees from 20 countries.

 

 

*Key topics in the video:*

*- A bullion dealers view on 'What will drive the markets in 2018?'*
*- QE, inflation, Fed rates, debt bomb, China, populism, EU cohesion, Brexit, digital disruption, cashless society, demographics, Trump (war), Artificial intelligence (AI)*
*- Solve global debt crisis with humongous amount of debt!?*
*- Inflation - U.S. health insurance has increased 13% per annum since
- How Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the "big one," likely be massively disruptive
- Trump: 'No respect, no capacity, no strategy'
- Brexit and EU - 'Poor outlook' for Europe and euro doomed?
- "We are getting older and getting fatter" ...  "less useful & less fair"
- "We live in uncertain times ... there is no map"
- Gold's excellent c.10% per annum performance over long term (see table)
- Low cost gold = Low "utility" gold
- Avoid "single point of failure"*

 

*'Fear and Loathing In the Age of QE ... AI' can be watched on Youtube here*

*Related Videos
**GoldNomics - Cash or Gold Bullion?
**Why Silver Bullion Is Set To Soar - GoldCore Interview
**Gold Bullion Stored In Singapore Is Safest - Marc Faber
**Russia Seen More Likely to Sell Dollar Rather Than Gold
**Talking Gold with CNN's Richard Quest*

*News and Commentary*

*Gold holds near one-week low as dollar firms (Reuters.com)*

*Tech Stock Slide Spreads to Asia; Korean Won Drops (Bloomberg.com)*

*U.S. Stocks Dragged Down by Tech Rout; Bonds Fall (Bloomberg.com)*

*Goldman Says the Bitcoin Haters Just Don’t Get It (Bloomberg.com)*

*Fidelity restores online account access after resolving technical issue (CNBC.com)*Source: Bloomberg

*Goldman Warns That Market Valuations Are at Their Highest Since 1900 (Bloomberg.com)*

*Bitcoin Tops $11,000 - Bundesbank Sees No Bubble, Stiglitz Says "Should Be Outlawed" (ZeroHedge.com)*

*Own Bitcoin - But Invest No More Than You Can Afford To Lose (StansBerryChurcHouse.com)*

*What to do if you’ve missed out on the bitcoin super-bubble (MoneyWeek.com)*

*Gold Slammed On Massive Volume To Key Technical Support On GDP Beat (ZeroHedge.com)*

*Gold Prices (LBMA AM)*

30 Nov: USD 1,282.15, GBP 952.64 & EUR 1,084.06 per ounce
29 Nov: USD 1,294.85, GBP 965.70 & EUR 1,092.46 per ounce
28 Nov: USD 1,293.90, GBP 972.75 & EUR 1,088.95 per ounce
27 Nov: USD 1,294.70, GBP 969.73 & EUR 1,084.83 per ounce
24 Nov: USD 1,289.15, GBP 967.89 & EUR 1,086.37 per ounce
23 Nov: USD 1,290.15, GBP 969.93 & EUR 1,089.40 per ounce
22 Nov: USD 1,283.95, GBP 969.25 & EUR 1,092.51 per ounce

*Silver Prices (LBMA)*

30 Nov: USD 16.57, GBP 12.32 & EUR 14.00 per ounce
29 Nov: USD 16.90, GBP 12.60 & EUR 14.26 per ounce
28 Nov: USD 17.07, GBP 12.84 & EUR 14.36 per ounce
27 Nov: USD 17.10, GBP 12.81 & EUR 14.32 per ounce
24 Nov: USD 17.05, GBP 12.80 & EUR 14.38 per ounce
23 Nov: USD 17.10, GBP 12.84 & EUR 14.43 per ounce
22 Nov: USD 16.97, GBP 12.81 & EUR 14.44 per ounce

*
Recent Market Updates*

*- Own Gold Bullion To “Support National Security” – Russian Central Bank*
*- Bitcoin $10,000 – Huge Volatility of Cryptocurrencies and Risky Fiat Making Gold Attractive*
*- Financial Advice from Dr Wayne Dyer*
*- Buy Gold As Fed Shows Uncertainty And Concern Over Financial ‘Imbalances’*
*- Brexit Budget – Grim Outlook As UK Economy Downgraded*
*- Geopolitical Risk Highest “In Four Decades” – Gold Demand in Germany and Globally to Remain Robust*
*- Gold Versus Bitcoin: The Pro-Gold Argument Takes Shape*
*- Money and Markets Infographic Shows Silver Most Undervalued Asset*
*- Is New Fed Chief A “Swamp Critter Extraordinaire”?*
*- Deepening Crisis In Hyper-inflationary Venezuela and Zimbabwe*
*- UK Debt Crisis Is Here – Consumer Spending, Employment and Sterling Fall While Inflation Takes Off*
*- Protect Your Savings With Gold: ECB Propose End To Deposit Protection*
*- Internet Shutdowns Show Physical Gold Is Ultimate Protection*

*Important Guides*

For your perusal, below are our most popular guides in 2017:

*Essential Guide To Storing Gold In Switzerland*

*Essential Guide To Storing Gold In Singapore*

*Essential Guide to Tax Free Gold Sovereigns (UK)*

Please share our research with family, friends and colleagues who you think would benefit from being informed by it. Reported by Zero Hedge 21 hours ago.

Compensation and Benefit 2018 Trends Worth Watching

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Compensation Resources Inc. discusses the compensation and benefit trends in 2018

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J. (PRWEB) November 30, 2017

As we close out the year, the question arises what we can expect for 2018? Interestingly, the potential regulations that will likely change or go into effect, are coming from Washington, but not necessarily new regulations, but in many instances they are modifications of old rules, and many of these are “hidden” within the potential Tax Reform Regulations.

Some of the important trends affecting Human Resources and Compensation and Benefits, are as follows:

1.    Changes in the HR function: The HR function in larger companies continues to expand and has grown in importance, as its role encompasses more responsibilities, while the HR function in medium and smaller organizations has actually stayed pretty much the same or in some cases, has actually truncated. In larger organizations, HR has gotten a “seat at the management table”, and the recognition that it actually has control over the labor force, the largest expenditure within many companies. In smaller companies, the HR function is typically strapped for people and resources necessary to get the jobs done, and takes on a less defined role.

2.    Workplace Wellness Programs: Contrary to general belief, the benefit of wellness programs far outweighs the costs of those programs. In addition to the health aspects, they provide a strong sense of team unity among employees, and provide increased job satisfaction. Under the general heading of “wellness” are health and welfare programs, as well as those that provide retirement planning and other money management areas to assist employees to better understand and make appropriate decisions on financial issues.

3.    Student Loan Assistance – One of the most significant financial issues, that affects primarily the younger employees are student loans, which are currently valued at $1.3 Trillion. From the companies’ perspective, the fear is that the ex-students are repaying their debt with funds that should be put aside into 401(k) and 403(b) retirement accounts, thereby adding a huge and unwelcome level of anxiety to them, as well as their future retirement planning. Companies that adopt some form of relief, possibly tied to the employees’ length of service and performance, or company financials, may have a distinct advantage over their competitors.

4.    The Impact of Regulations on Compensation and Benefit Matters - There is considerable uncertainty with respect to executive compensation matters, tied to the recently released House and Senate tax reform bills. The House Bill threatens to eliminate deductions for performance-related compensation in public companies, place an excise tax on executive compensation in not-for-profits, and basically eliminate deferred compensation. On the other hand, a number of states and cities have recently enacted or are discussing potential increases to minimum wages; all of these issues could require significant restructuring of companies’ compensation programs. For benefits, the possible elimination or drastic modifications to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare will continue to shake up the health insurance marketplace. Our advice is the need to be aware of what’s happening both nationally and locally, so you and your company are not caught by surprise.

5.    Inclusive Perquisites – The definition of perquisites used to be inexpensive, but well-received extra benefits that were generally reserved for upper management; however, the definition has changed as companies strive to recruit and retain lower level, quality talent. Expense is always a consideration; nevertheless, creative and low cost perks with high intrinsic value can be made available to all employees, since the cost can be fairly minimal compared with the value of a content workforce. Some of the most distinct perks include transportation allowances, parking passes, training and educational programs, massage therapy, team-building exercises, health clubs, discounted child care programs, as well as extra vacation or time off.

6.    Salary Increases – As most companies have noted, salary increases have been moving upward at a lethargic pace. Specifically, salaries increased by an average of 3.0% in 2016, while 2017 appears to be on target for a 3.1% average increase. WorldatWork projects this pace will continue to grow slightly to 3.2% for 2018. The question is why salary budgets are moving so sluggishly, even though unemployment is the lowest it’s been in the last decade and there has been modest inflation. One major reason is that automation has finally caught up with many manufacturing companies which have been installing robotics to replace workers in repetitive jobs. Another reason is the huge influence of sophisticated software that cuts time and increases accuracy of many formerly labor intensive functions, such as check-in procedures at airports, complex mathematical underwriting calculations, and a host of similar service and office functions.

After next year, in 2019, it will be interesting to look back and identify which of these predictions have actually occurred. We may see larger companies embracing many of these trends, while smaller organizations will continue to be squeezed by the market costs, resulting in keeping their benefits the same or passing more of the costs onto the employees.

The predictions are based on CRI’s view of its “Crystal Ball”, based on what is occurring among our clients. Some of the issues may not come to pass, while others could rise to the top of the list. We don’t believe we have all the answers; however, we stay on top of what is happening, and will let our readers know when other topics and trends appear.

About Compensation Resources, Inc. (CRI): CRI provides compensation and human resource consulting services to mid- and small-cap public companies, private, family-owned, and closely-held firms, as well as not-for-profit organizations. CRI specializes in executive compensation, sales compensation, pay-for-performance and incentive compensation, performance management programs, and expert witness services.

Paul R. Dorf, APD    
Chairman, Managing Director
Compensation Resources, Inc.
877-934-0505 • Fax: 201-934-0737
http://www.CompensationResources.com Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.
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