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Western Sky taps a New Mexico health care leader as CEO

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Tony Hernandez of Las Cruces will lead the Western Sky Community Care team as plan president and CEO, according to a company news release. In his new role at Western Sky Community Care, Hernandez will oversee the managed care organization that provides health insurance to New Mexico residents, leading the organization’s strategic vision for growth. “As an organization committed to community health, it was important we secure a leader connected to New Mexico who had an understanding of the… Reported by bizjournals 5 days ago.

If You Own These Stocks, You'll Probably Hate Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All Plan

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Hint: They're not big pharma stocks. They're not health insurance stocks, either. Reported by Motley Fool 4 days ago.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is entering a $1 trillion market in India

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Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is entering a $1 trillion market in India· *Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway confirmed it is investing in the parent company of Paytm. *
· *The transaction is among the first of the company's investments in India.*
· *Buffett said last year India is a "huge, enormous" market with "incredible" potential.*

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Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is putting some of its massive cash pile to work in India.

Berkshire confirmed Monday it has invested in One97 Communications Ltd., the parent company of Paytm, which is the largest mobile-payment company in India.

Berkshire had been considering an investment of between $286 million to $357 million and a 3-4% stake in the company, the Economic Times reported earlier Monday. That would bring the value of Paytm, which is not profitable, to more than $10 billion. 

The transaction could mark one of Berkshire Hathaway's first direct investments in India, the Economic Times added, but Buffett wasn't directly involved in it. 

Buffett has been eager to boost Berkshire Hathaway's business outside of health insurance, writing in a company letter this year he wanted to do so through one or more "huge" acquisitions. Berkshire had a record $111 billion of cash on its balance sheet last quarter.

In an interview with local news channel ET Now last year, Buffett said the potential for the country is "incredible," calling it a "huge, enormous market."

"If you tell me a wonderful company in India that might be available for sale, I'll be there tomorrow," he added.

Other major Paytm investors include Chinese tech giant Alibaba and Japan's Softbank. 

*SEE ALSO: Why Warren Buffett's record-breaking cash stockpile should have investors very worried*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What's going on with Elon Musk Reported by Business Insider 2 days ago.

FlexJobs’ Survey Finds Working Parents Rank Work-Life Balance Ahead of Salary When Evaluating Job Prospects

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FlexJobs identifies 12 higher-paying remote jobs that support work-life balance

BOULDER, Colo. (PRWEB) August 28, 2018

According to an August 2018 FlexJobs survey of 1,100 parents with children 18 and younger living at home, working parents rank work-life balance (84%) ahead of salary (75%) when considering whether or not to take a job. About 41% of all families in the U.S. include children under age 18. The labor force participation rate for all women with children under age 18 was 71% in 2017, up slightly from the prior year.

Flexible work options (75%) and work schedule (72%) rounded out the top four considerations, well ahead of other factors, such as health insurance (38%), retirement benefits (36%), and paid maternity leave (10%). Work-life balance was also named the top reason working parents seek flexible work (81%), followed by family (78%), time savings (40%), and commuting stress (40%). To help working parents in their quest for flexible jobs that offer work-life balance, FlexJobs has identified 12 higher-paying remote jobs for work-life balance.

“Flexible employment gives people more control over how, when, and where they get things done, which is vitally important for groups of people like working parents who have many responsibilities,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “Whether it’s working remotely, having a flexible schedule, working part-time, or freelancing, people with flexible work options are better able to structure their work so that they can preempt many of the clashes that typically happen between work and life. Too often, flexibility is seen as a nice-to-have perk, but for many people, perhaps the majority of people who use flexible work options, flexibility is a necessity, and without it they might not be able to participate in the workforce at all.”

FlexJobs culled through Glassdoor’s list of top jobs for work-life balance, as well as Business Insider’s list of low-stress professions, to identify which jobs also had remote options. From there, we used PayScale data to determine the median pay for each. Below are 12 higher-paying remote jobs that can offer great work-life balance:

1. Creative Director: Median pay: $86,000
2. Data Scientist: Median pay: $91,000
3. DevOps Engineer: Median pay: $91,000
4. Document Management Specialist: Median pay: $74,000
5. iOS Developer: Median pay: $81,000
6. Recruiting Manager: Median pay: $71,000
7. Research Engineer: Median pay: $80,000
8. Scrum Master: Median pay: $86,000
9. Social Media Director: Median pay: $72,000
10. Strategy Manager: Median pay: $99,000
11. Technical Account Manager: Median pay: $81,000
12. UX Designer: Median pay: $73,000

Additional survey findings: The working parents who responded to FlexJobs’ survey were highly educated, with 40% having a bachelor’s degree and 32% having a graduate degree.

Career paths and challenges:· Forty percent of working parents who took a break in their career after having kids wanted to keep working, but their job was too inflexible to stay in the workforce.
· Sixty-five percent who took a break in their career after having kids said it was difficult to restart their career.
· Fifty-seven percent who took a break were out of the workforce for two years or less; 14% were out of the workforce for more than eight years.
· Eighty-five percent said having kids living at home has affected their interest in a flexible job.
· Ninety-eight percent say flexible working is something they want for the long-term.
· Only 5% are worried flexible work arrangements will hurt their career progression.

Employer relationships:· Sixty-nine percent of working parents have left or considered leaving a job because it lacked flexibility.
· Only 17% of working parents said they didn’t believe the gender pay gap and gender inequality were problems in the workplace.
· Among working moms, 29% said they had felt discriminated against in the workplace because of their gender, and 15% said they had felt somewhat discriminated against in the workplace because of their gender.
· Thirty-one percent of working parents would consider taking a pay cut in exchange for the option to telecommute as much as they wanted. Forty-one percent feel they shouldn't have to give up anything for the option.
· Eighty-one percent would be more loyal to their employers if they had a flexible work arrangement.

On the job:· Sixty-two percent of working parents think they are more productive working from home than in a traditional workplace.
· Working parents are much more interested in telecommuting (82%) and flexible schedules (74%) than in freelancing (48%).

Parents are confident in their dual parent/employee roles:· The majority of working parents report “needing” to work, but 63%—nearly two out of three parents—also report “wanting” to work.
· Eighty-seven percent of working parents are entirely sure that they can simultaneously be both great employees and great parents.
· Eighty-nine percent also indicated that flexible work arrangements would increase their volunteerism at their children’s schools or organized activities.

*Demographic breakdown of the respondents, all with children under 18 living at home: Gender: women (79%), men (21%); Ages: 20-39 (37%), 40-59 (61%), 60+ (2%); Education: high school degree or equivalent (4%), some college but no degree (16%), associate or bachelor’s degree (48%), graduate degree (32%); Career level: entry-level (11%), experienced (56%), manager (20%), senior level or higher (13%). 30% work at companies with more than 1,000 employees. 22% make more than $75,000, with 26% making less than $25,000.

For more information please visit https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/higher-paying-remote-jobs-offer-parents-work-life-balance/ or contact Kathy Gardner at kgardner(at)flexjobs(dot)com.

About FlexJobs
FlexJobs is committed to helping people find a better way to work. As the leading online service for professionals seeking remote, flexible schedule, part-time, and freelance jobs, FlexJobs offers opportunities in over 50 career categories, ranging from entry-level and executive to freelance and full-time. FlexJobs also sets itself apart by providing job seekers with a better, safer, and more efficient way to find professional and legitimate flexible jobs. Having helped over 3 million people in their job searches, FlexJobs has appeared in CNN, CNBC, Time, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and hundreds of other trusted media outlets. To further assist people in bettering their lives through flexible and remote work, FlexJobs' founder and CEO, Sara Sutton, has also launched two additional partner sites, Remote.co and 1 Million for Work Flexibility, to help provide education and awareness about the viability and benefits of remote working and work flexibility. Sutton is also the creator of The TRaD* Works Forum (*Telecommuting, Remote, & Distributed), dedicated to helping companies leverage the benefits of telecommuting, remote, and distributed teams.

Kathy Gardner
Director of PR & Media of FlexJobs
Virtual Office | Newtown, Connecticut
kgardner(at)flexjobs(dot)com | 1.866.991.9222 x 704
@flexjobs | @remote_co | @workflexibility | @kathgard
FlexJobs--Find A Better Way To Work Reported by PRWeb 2 days ago.

Umergency ‘Gives Back’ to Colleges, Organizations and Associations to Promote Campus Safety

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The all-in-one safety app that prepares college families for any crisis, health or safety situation is donating portions of its proceeds to participating partners as part of Umergency’s “give back” program.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (PRWEB) August 28, 2018

Umergency™ is giving back. The all-in-one safety app that prepares college families for any crisis, health or safety situation is donating portions of its proceeds to participating partners as part of Umergency’s “give back” program.

Just in time for back-to-school, Umergency will contribute 10 percent of sales it receives from app downloads to colleges, organizations and associations enrolled in the program to help support their cause-related initiatives.

Participating partners receive a customizable promo code, as well as a communications tool kit for marketing the Umergency app to their respective constituencies. Proceeds generated from app downloads using the special promo code will be returned to the participating partner organization.

“Whether you’re a college or university looking to support a scholarship, or fundraising for an organization, our give back program is a fantastic way to promote campus safety among college students and their parents, while helping our partners achieve their goals,” said Gail Schenbaum, Umergency’s co-founder.

Click here or visit http://bit.ly/GailSchenbaum to view a video of Gail Schenbaum discuss her harrowing experience as the impetus for co-founding Umergency.

Available for download in the App Store and Google Play, Umergency provides a variety of accessible on- and off-campus resources, including an:· Urgent Alert beacon with the student’s GPS location that notifies parents and trusted contacts when immediate help is needed;
· “I am safe” function that alerts contacts when a student is okay;
· Digital medical consent form, granting families the ability to speak with medical professionals; and
· Insurance card upload and share function.

Additional features the Umergency app provide:

· Pre-populated local and on-campus emergency resource contacts customized to each college or university, including police, fire, ER, and urgent care personnel, health centers, psychological and other after-hours services hotlines;
· Built-in access to three of the most used national crisis hotlines, including suicide, sexual assault and poison control;
· Access to data by both students and parents;
· Ability for students to decide what to share and with whom; and
· Privacy protected data and information.

Umergency is free for college students in the U.S. Parents, family members and other non-student users can subscribe for only $9.99/year or $19.99 for lifetime access.

About Umergency™
Umergency is an emergency, health and safety app designed for college students and their families. The local and on-campus information comes pre-populated and is specific to each student’s campus, while the user-entered data is unique to each student and allows them to decide what to share and with whom. An Urgent Alert beacon notifies trusted contacts when immediate help is needed, along with the student’s GPS location. Additional features include the ability to upload and share a secure copy of the student’s health insurance card, and a digital medical consent form which can allow the student’s trusted friends and family to speak with medical personnel.

Learn more about the app by visiting http://www.umergencyapp.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.

Oscar Health CEO on using tech to change the health care industry

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Oscar Health CEO Mario Schlosser joins Dr. David Agus in the “CBS This Morning” Toyota Green Room to discuss how his company is working to change the health insurance industry with technology-driven, consumer-focused services. Founded in 2012 and based in New York City, Oscar Health has approximately 250,000 enrollees and over 800 employees. Reported by CBS News 1 day ago.

Florida Health Insurers Want Lowest Obamacare Premiums Ever

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Florida insurers selling health insurance under the Affordable Care Act requested the lowest premium hikes Reported by cbs4.com 21 hours ago.

Continuing to Achieve Strategic Goals and Steady Growth of Overall Value, Legend Holdings' Net Profit Attributable to Equity Holders of the Company Increased by 5% to RMB2.830 Billion Year-On-Year in First Half of 2018

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HONG KONG, Aug 29, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Legend Holdings Corporation Limited ("Legend Holdings" or the "Company"; stock code: 3396.HK) today announced the unaudited condensed consolidated interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2018 (the "Reporting Period"). During the Reporting Period, the revenue of Legend Holdings was RMB156.549 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 10%. The net profit attributable to equity holders of the Company was RMB2.830 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 5%. The basic earnings per share came in at RMB1.21, a year-on-year growth of 5%.

As the first pilot company of H-share Full Circulation Project, Legend Holdings completed its listing in Hong Kong Stock Exchange on June 7, 2018. As a result, the Company recorded a marked increase in its circulating H-shares and circulation market value, gaining a more dynamic shareholder base and strengthening its brand image and reputation. At the same time, the mutual interests between the Company's shareholders and the investors from Hong Kong became stronger, which in turn inspired and motivated the Company's management team and employees to further enhance the Company's growth and development.

"For the first half of 2018, China's economy was still pressing ahead with structural adjustments in this current era of uncertainty brought on by economic globalization. These six months were marked by a juxtaposition of challenges and opportunities. Based on the established strategy, Legend Holdings achieved impressive growth under strategic investments and optimized its investment portfolios as well as achieving a major breakthrough in the acquisition of pillar assets and the allocation of overseas resources. We will continue to strengthen our investment management system as well as portfolio management in order to enhance the overall value of our invested companies and portfolios," said Mr. Zhu Linan, President of Legend Holdings. "In the future, we will continue to keep a keen eye on changes in the global market. By taking full advantage of our 'two-wheel-drive' business model, we will be able to pursue emerging opportunities in the strategic investments segments. Also, through the diversified means of "management + service", Legend Holdings is posed to optimize its asset management while fully anticipating a marked increase in the value of its invested companies and portfolios. We look forward to a favorable long-term return yield for our shareholders."

Continuous Growth in Strategic Investments

During the Reporting Period, the existing business of Legend Holdings' strategic investment saw steady growth. Financial services segment, innovative consumption and services segment, and agriculture and food segment all recorded remarkable increase in revenue and net profit attributable to the parent company.

Revenue from the financial services segment increased steadily by 17% to RMB1,980 million year-on-year, with the net profit attributable to the parent company increasing by 78% to RMB1,101 million year-on-year.

Zhengqi Financial continued to explore the needs and value of its clients through implementing a long-term strategy of investment-loan linkage and providing comprehensive financing solutions for SMEs, which helped contribute to the development of the real economy, while gaining an advantage over its competitors and achieving stable growth in business scale and profits. JC Finance & Leasing achieved sound and rapid growth by optimizing its business mix and pursuing market expansion, and by earning growing recognition in the capital market. Kaola Technology strengthened its leading position in the financial technology sector with cutting-edge internet and big data technologies, and continued to deliver models and experiences to accredited financial institutions.

Revenues from the innovative consumption and services segment increased by 17% year-on-year to RMB886 million with net profits attributable to the parent company coming in at RMB1,139 million, a welcome turnaround from last year's losses.

With the positive prospect of the pre-school education industry, Better Education continuously invest in the construction of new core business area to acquire kindergartens and nurseries on a scale that is among the largest in the country. To develop a long-term core competency, Better Education placed greater emphasis on the promotion of education and teacher quality and continued to strengthen its chain operations and acquisition prowess. CAR maintained its leading position in the market by launching self- service car rental and car sharing businesses, and succeeded in moving its business processes and management systems from offline to online. Shanghai Neuromedical Center continued to optimize its operating management, nurture its own corporate culture, improve its medical services and introduce an impressive number of talents. As a result, the Company's healthcare and medical business statistics increased substantially.

Revenue from the agriculture and food segment increased by 218% year-on-year to RMB6,387 million with net profit attributable to the parent company surging to RMB379 million by 203% year-on-year.

The Joyvio Group focused on two major supply chains: fruit and high-end animal protein. During the Reporting Period, Golden Wing Mau recorded rapid growth due to the growing demand from high-end fruit consumers and was changed to Joyvio Group's controlling subsidiary. Regarding the high-end animal proteins business, Joyvio Group endeavors to build the new business model featuring "global resources + consumption in China" by means of domestic and overseas interaction and coordination, while Joyvio Agriculture accelerated its business expansion in purchasing, processing and distribution. KB Food actively implemented its upstream resource integration strategy and further consolidated its competitive advantages in Australia. KB Food also planned to export more high-quality seafood globally, particularly to the Chinese market.

Revenue from the information technology segment increased by 7% year-on-year with net profits attributable to the parent company coming in at RMB231 million. Lenovo's PC and smart device business and data center business continues to grow while the losses from their mobile business have narrowed. According to the research firm Gartner, Lenovo is the world's No. 1 in global PC market. Meanwhile, revenue from the advanced manufacturing and professional services segment increased by 2% to RMB3,124 million year-on-year with a net profit attributable to the parent company of RMB148 million. Legend Holdings is committed to developing China's leading manufacturing and related professional services businesses and has completed staged layout in areas of advanced materials and high-end logistics, and to supporting its existing business and expanding the cutting-edge layout. During the Reporting Period, profits from Levima Group rose and EAL experienced rapid growth.

Successful Financial Investment and Fundraising Continued to Generate Steady Returns

During the Reporting Period, the Company's Financial Investments business recorded a net profit attributable to the parent company of RMB470 million, contributing over RMB1 billion cash return, and fundraising for the three fund platforms under the Company's umbrella proceeded smoothly, which further expanded the Company's scale of portfolio management.

Legend Star closed its third RMB fund with capital in exceed of RMB700 million. During the Reporting Period, Legend Star invested in nearly 20 onshore or offshore projects, over 40 projects have finished another round of financing; while the exit of nearly 10 projects have been carried out. As of June 30, 2018, Legend Star amassed over 220 onshore or offshore projects.

Legend Capital finished raising a total of RMB1.26 billion for the 2nd RMB medical fund and 2nd culture and sports fund with the 2nd RMB medical fund managing up to RMB1.01 billion. During the Reporting Period, Legend Capital accumulatively completed 37 new project investments, fully or partially exited from 12 projects, and 4 enterprises completed their IPOs. Meanwhile, Legend Capital contributed cash inflow to Legend Holdings of over RMB450 million. As of June 30, 2018, 51 of Legend Capital's portfolio companies were successfully listed.

The Haidian Technology Industry Space Optimization Fund, the strategic cooperation between Hony Capital and a SOE of Beijing Haidian district, raised RMB2.01 billion in a new round of delivery. During the Reporting Period, Hony Capital completed additional investment in 12 existing projects, fully or partially exited from 12 projects, and one of its portfolio companies was listed. Hony Capital contributed a cash inflow to Legend Holdings of over RMB600 million in total. As of June 30, 2018, 42 of Hony's portfolio companies were successfully listed onshore or offshore and another 3 were listed on NEEQS.

Pillar Asset Led to Breakthrough & Investment Portfolio Continued to Optimize

During the Reporting Period, the Company pressed ahead with its acquisition of Banque Internationale a Luxembourg S.A with all the regulatory approvals including those of the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) and the European Central Bank (ECB). Following recordation with the National Development and Reform Commission, the transaction was officially completed on July 2, 2018. It was the first time a Chinese non-financial enterprise acquired a systematically important bank supervised by the European Central Bank. The acquisition was widely considered a key strategy implementation of the Company to build pillar asset and allocate overseas assets, and was also considered a solid foundation for long-term growth and superiority in resources, which in turn will enhance the Company's overall value and financial stability. In the future, the Company will take full advantage of its own superiority in resources, and prepare Banque Internationale a Luxembourg S.A to become a more international bank in the new era of smart banking.

During the Reporting Period, the Company and its existing shareholders strategically introduced Taikang Life Insurance to Bybo Dental to support the dental institution's endogenous growth and help it achieve future objectives. Widely touted as an ideal corporate synergy, Taikang Life Insurance was expected to bring funding support and customer resources support, assist in marketing and promotion, improve insurance payment procedures, and cooperate on the development of oral health insurance products. Meanwhile, the Company was also working hard to increase its investments to further support the development of Bybo Dental.

Funglian Group has restructured with Hebei Hengshui Laobaigan, a Chinese company listed on the main board of Shanghai Stock Exchange. During the Reporting Period, the transaction was approved unconditionally by the Merger and Reorganization Vetting Committee of China Securities Regulatory Commission. As of June 2018, Joyvio Group became the second largest shareholder of Laobaigan.

In the second half of 2018, Legend Holdings will continue to keep a keen eye on the changes in the global market. By taking full advantage of its "two-wheel-drive" business model, the Company is capable of pursuing emerging opportunities in all strategic investments segments. It will continue to achieve stronger execution, create more post-investment value, optimize existing businesses, and assist its invested companies with resources for development through various ways like refinancing, spin-off, listing and introduction of strategic investors. Also, the Company will adhere to its dominant values and create sustainable medium- and long-term returns. The financial services segment will make good use of the Company's industry resources and technological advantages, strengthen the existing businesses and pay ample attention to other related new segments; the innovative consumption and services segment will focus on the creation of consumer platforms for education and healthcare, nurture leading enterprises in niche industry segments, and be committed to service branding and service upgrades. The agriculture and food segment will provide safer and better products and services for China's consumers through the industrial integration and the global presence, and enhance the segment's efficiency to achieve the corporate and professional investment in the operation of the business.

Mr. Liu Chuanzhi, Chairman of Legend Holdings stated, "Legend Holdings will not miss opportunities arising from the rapid growth of China's economy that pays more attention of the quality instead of speed, and support the development of the real economy by direct investments. Under the uncertain economic environment, what we can be sure is that consumption and services will create enormous demands for education, medical services and high-quality agricultural products. As these businesses have tremendous growth potentials, they will continue to be our focus and strategic direction. Meanwhile, we will keep close tabs on opportunities emerging from new technologies and business models and therefore be able to better prepare ourselves for the future. Our unique business model, extensive resources and rich experience will allow us to continuously enhance the Company's mechanism for stronger execution, to continue the optimization of Legend Holdings' investment portfolios and the achievement of its strategic targets. I believe all this will stand the Company in good stead and generate more value to employees, shareholders and society alike."

Attachment: Review of Segment Performance

Strategic investments

Revenue from the IT segment reached RMB143,878 million, up 7% year-on-year; net profit attributable to the parent company hit RMB231 million, up 1,344% year-on-year. Lenovo's PC and smart device business and data center business continues to grow while the losses from their mobile business have narrowed. According to Gartner, Lenovo ranked first in the global PC market. Lenovo's transformation efforts have started to bear fruit., their revenues hit a new high in the second quarter of 2018 and have increased for four consecutive quarters. During the Reporting Period, Lenovo placed a priority on profitability, driving revenue growth of the PCSD to well above market levels in order to refine its product mix. Their mobile business repositioned its business focus on growing core markets such as Latin and North America. In China, Lenovo continued to refine its strategy to improve the user experience, launching several new models in search of healthier future growth. The DCG continued to serve a sustainable growth and profit engine for Lenovo, and transformation efforts have been making good progress, guiding the Group toward becoming a world-class next-generation IT solution provider. To this end, Lenovo will continue to drive software and services revenues as well as bolster customer engagement and accelerate "Device + Cloud" and "Infrastructure + Cloud" expansion with sizable investments in AI, IoT, Big Data and VR/AR in order to capture growth potential in the smart IoT era.

Revenue from the financial services segment reached RMB1,980 million, up about 17% year-on-year. Net profits attributable to the parent company hit RMB1,101 million, up 78% year-on-year. Legend Holdings successfully completed the acquisition of Banque Internationale a Luxembourg S.A. on July 2, 2018. It was the first time a Chinese non-financial enterprise acquired a systematically important bank supervised by the European Central Bank. Approved by the European Central Bank and regulatory authorities of other countries, this acquisition is a testament to Legend Holdings' strengths and will help further the cooperation between China and the European Union. Zhengqi Financial continued to achieve significant growth in both income and profits. During the Reporting Period, it recorded operating income of RMB637 million, a year-on-year increase of about 8%, and net profit of RMB396 million, a year-on-year increase of around 25%. After four years in operation, the investment-loan linkage business of Zhengqi Financial has become another profit growth focus of the Company. During the Reporting Period, Zhengqi Financial adopted the strategic investment-loan linkage thinking. As a result, the financial leasing business balance at the end of the period grew 24.62% to RMB5,310 million. Moving forward, Zhengqi Financial will integrate diversified strategic resources to build up its differentiated core competitive advantages and become a model enterprise in today's new financial industry. JC Finance & Leasing continued to reinforce its business presence and market expansion. While maintaining growth in existing business segments, business expansion plans for its transportation and logistics operations in 4 provinces got off to a great start. Moreover, JC Finance & Leasing made breakthroughs in diversifying financing channels. During the Reporting Period, JC Finance & Leasing successfully issued asset-backed securities (ABS) amounting to RMB941 million and asset-backed notes (ABN) amounting to RMB1,512 million, further burnishing its reputation in capital markets. Taking full advantage of advanced internet technology and big data exploring, Kaola Technology serviced over ten million loan applicants. Its credit balance was maintained at nearly RMB6.4 billion at the end of June 2018 with peak monthly loans granted to individuals exceeding RMB1.2 billion. With the development of new technology-driven credit business, Kaola Technology will continue to generate profits, leveraging its own advantages and pushing ahead along with the development of the entire industry by delivering to financial institutions customer acquisition technology based on data analysis and risk control technology. The transaction amount of Lakala Payment exceeded RMB1,700 billion, a year-on-year increase of over 100%. Lakala Payment operations branched out to over 330 cities across China, covering more than 15 million merchants and over 10 million individual users. On March 3, 2017, Lakala Payment submitted to CSRC the application for the initial public offering on the ChiNext Board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Revenue from innovative consumption and services segment reached RMB886 million, up 17% year-on-year. Net profit attributable to the parent company was RMB1,139 million, a welcome turnaround from last year's losses. As of the end of the Reporting Period, Better Education operated 110 directly-managed kindergartens in Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, Changsha, Guangzhou and other cities, representing an increase of 21% compared with the end of June 2017, with over 32,000 enrolled students and over 4,800 staff members, leading the country in terms of scale. In the future, Legend Holdings will continue to promote business development and value the growth of Better Education by integrating its brand resources, financial support capabilities and professional operation capabilities of Hony Capital with the aim of developing it into a leading pre-school education group in China. Shanghai Neuromedical Center's operations and management enhancement efforts, culture cultivation, improvement of healthcare services, and introduction of new talent have all taken a positive initial effect. The medical technology standards of the Shanghai Neuromedical Center were further enhanced with the participation of a cohort of renowned doctors from China, leading to a substantial increase in medical business indicators such as outpatient visits and discharged patients. In addition, the increased number of hospital beds available has also created opportunities for business growth. Through its strategic partner, UCAR, CAR provides on-demand chauffeured car services based on mobile Internet technology and the powerful brand - "UCAR". As of the end of July 2018, 53% of car rental fleets have achieved intelligent interconnection for self-service car rental. Car aims to achieve intelligent interconnection for all its fleets by the end of the year. Moreover, Car launched a car-sharing service which has garnered encouraging market response. Its service outlets as well have expanded to 36 cities. As of June 30, 2018, the number of CAR operating fleets reached 114,894 units, representing an increase of 30.1% compared with the corresponding period last year. The number of cars in the fleets reached 123,879, an increase of 23.8% compared with the corresponding period last year. During the Reporting Period, Legend Holdings reached an agreement with Taikang Life Insurance for the strategic introduction of Taikang Life Insurance to be the controlling shareholder of Bybo Dental. In addition to funding support, Taikang Life Insurance will also create a strong business synergy for Bybo Dental based on collaborations in customer resources support, marketing and promotion, insurance payment procedures, and insurance products for oral health, in order to promote the long-term development of Bybo Dental.

Revenues from the agriculture and food segment reached RMB6,387 million, up 218% year-on-year. Net profits attributable to the parent company reached RMB379 million, up 203% year-on-year. With respect to the fruit business, the Company achieved greater global expansions through Golden Wing Mau. Thanks to an upturn in consumption, the number of overseas imported quality fruits has grown rapidly, while domestic markets focused greater efforts on selling branded and quality fruits, resulting in a fast-paced increase in the operating revenues from supermarket channels as well as Golden Wing Mau's wholesale channels whose main products are quality fruits. During the Reporting Period, Golden Wing Mau further deepened its cooperation with the world-leading blueberry enterprise HORTIFRUT to develop new varieties and new technologies for the domestic blueberry market. This has further enhanced the advantages the company's blueberry products in terms of quality, cost and seasonal production. Golden Wing Mau also strengthened the supply chain assurance for Thai durian through its invested enterprise - Thai Crown. At the same time, Golden Wing Mau has put forth continuous efforts to market its own branded products, which has further expanded the brand influence of Joyvio blueberry and Joyvio durian and consolidated its leading position and competitive advantages in the market. In addition, Golden Wing Mau continued to introduce new categories and seek strategic cooperation with several leading domestic suppliers, thereby increasing the sales share of its new categories and optimising the overall product mix. In terms of the Company's high-end animal protein business, as a strategic industrial development platform of Joyvio, Joyvio Agriculture will seek to speed up expansion of the purchase, processing and distribution businesses of high-end animal proteins, including seafood. Joyvio Agriculture made investments in Qingdao Starfish, a leading seafood company in China. Qingdao Starfish is China's largest pandalus borealis importer and distributor, the largest pollock processor and exporter, and a retailer fully engaged in seafood importation. KB Food further expanded the categories of its imported seafoods to include lobsters from North and South America. While increasing its revenue from Australian market, KB Food also actively developed Chinese and international markets. KB Food was once again dubbed the 'Best Seafood Supplier of the Year' by Woolworths, a large supermarket chain operator in Australia, and is currently working with Woolworths to further expand cooperation. At the same time, KB Food signed a five-year contract with the Compass Group, the world's largest restaurant service provider with business operations spanning across 50 countries. This year, KB Food will participate in international food exhibitions again, including the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo to be held in Qingdao in November. Funglian Group has restructured with Hebei Hengshui Laobaigan, a Chinese company listed on the main board of Shanghai Stock Exchange. During the Reporting Period, the transaction was approved unconditionally by the Merger and Reorganisation Vetting Committee of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. As of June 2018, the Joyvio Group became the second largest shareholder of Laobaigan, holding a 6.33% stake.

Revenue of the advanced manufacturing and professional services segment reached RMB3,124 million, up about 2% year-on-year. Net profit attributable to the parent company was RMB148 million. Legend Holdings is committed to developing leading manufacturing and related professional services operations in China and has expanded into the areas of advanced materials and high-end logistics. By strengthening product development and market channel expansion, the product mix of Levima Group has been further optimised. In particular, its market share ranked first in China in terms of PP, EVA, EOD and other product segments. Moreover, earning the title as a high-tech enterprise, Levima New Materials was entitled to enjoy a 15% income tax preferential policy, which further improved its overall profitability. EAL recorded a year-on-year increase of more than 30% in revenue and net profit. EAL has opened a new cargo airline between Shanghai and Frankfurt to increase the proportion of cargo transportation between China and Europe. Moreover, EAL has established freight service agencies and long-distance freight stations in Shanghai Zhangjiang High-tech Park and Waigaoqiao Bonded Zone to improve the overall customer experience and enhance EAL's control over the value chain. EAL will also leverage on shareholders' resources, which will lay a solid foundation for EAL's future development and performance.

Financial Investments

Legend Capital (venture capital)
Legend Capital is one of the leading venture capital institutions in China. As of June 30, 2018, Legend Capital managed a total of 19 funds. In the first half of 2018, Legend Capital launched the 2nd RMB medical fund and also completed the final closing of the 2nd culture and sports fund. Total funds raised during the Reporting Period was RMB1.26 billion, with the 2nd RMB medical fund securing up to RMB1.01 billion on its initial fundraising efforts.

During the Reporting Period, Legend Capital completed up to 37 new investment projects, covering startups and growing enterprises in industries such as: TMT, innovative consumption, intelligent manufacturing, professional services, healthcare, plus culture and sports. Legend Capital fully or partially exited from 12 projects, and contributed a generous cash inflow of over RMB450 million to Legend Holdings. Four of its portfolio companies completed listings in domestic and overseas markets, namely: Bilibili, WuXi AppTec, CATL, and Uxin. As of June 30, 2018, 51 portfolio companies of Legend Capital were successfully listed.

In addition, Legend Capital will continue to carry out its exit of projects under management to ensure greater returns for investors.

Hony Capital (private equity investment)
Hony Capital is one of the leading equity investment and management institutions in China. As of June 30, 2018, Hony Capital managed 13 funds. During the Reporting Period, the Haidian Technology Industry Space Optimization Fund, a strategic cooperative venture between Hony property fund and a SOE of Beijing Haidian district, raised RMB2.01 billion in a new funding round.

During the Reporting Period, Hony Capital completed additional investments in 12 existing projects, fully or partially exited from 12 projects, and contributed a cash inflow to Legend Holdings of over RMB600 million while one of its portfolio companies was listed in China's capital market (Bank of ChengDu).

As of June 30, 2018, 42 of Hony's portfolio companies were successfully listed onshore or offshore (including PIPE investment) and another 3 were listed on the NEEQS. As of June 30, 2018, Hony Capital fully exited from 46 companies.

Legend Star (angel investment)
Legend Star is one of China's leading angel investment institutions. As the early-stage investment platform of the Company, Legend Star focuses on three major areas, namely: TMT, healthcare and intelligent technologies. As of June 30, 2018, Legend Star managed 5 funds in total, the size of which exceeded RMB2 billion with an aggregate of over 220 onshore or offshore investment projects, including iDreamsky Games, Megvii Face++, AISpeech, Loock.cn , Homework Box, Surestar, Burning Rock Dx, Kintor Pharmaceuticals, PegBio, MNCHIP, Percans Oncology and other high-quality projects.

During the Reporting Period, Legend Star had nearly 20 onshore or offshore new investment projects covering cutting-edge fields such as intelligent machinery, industrial transformation, biological technology and medical equipment. Among the current ongoing projects, more than 40 projects finished another round of financing and Legend Star exited from nearly 10 projects.

In the first half of 2018, Legend Star completed the raising of over RMB700 million for the third RMB fund.

By the end of 2015, Legend Star initiated the establishment of Comet Labs, an artificial intelligence accelerator and is aiming for a global presence in the artificial intelligence industry.

Since 2014, Legend Star has ranked in the forefront among angel/early-stage investment firms of the year chosen by professional institutions within the industry, such as Zero2IPO Group and China Venture Group.

About Legend Holdings Corporation Limited
Legend Holdings Corporation is a leading investment group in China. The Company has built an innovative business model of Strategic Investment + Financial Investment "two-wheel" business synergy drive. Its strategic investment business stretches over five industries: IT, financial services, innovation consumption and services, agriculture and food, and advanced manufacturing and professional services. Financial investment business operations mainly include: angel investment, venture investment and private equity investment, which cover all stages of the Company's business growth. For the past 30 years, under the leadership of Founder and Chairman Mr. LIU Chuanzhi and President Mr. ZHU Linan, the Company has seized on the key stages of China's economic development by employing flexible investment methods and applying their rich management experience. At the same time, the Company leads a group of influential and outstanding companies that promote synergies between businesses, and continues to optimize its portfolios to achieve sustainable growth in corporate value.Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com Reported by ACN Newswire 12 hours ago.

Health insurer adding 65 full-time jobs

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A Louisville-based health insurance company is looking to fill dozens of jobs in Greater Cincinnati to meet an increase in demand. Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) said it's hiring more than 65 full-time employees combined at its pharmacy call center in Springdale and at its distribution center in West Chester Township. Humana is hiring: Customer care advocates to respond to both inbound and outbound customer needs including order status questions, resolving issues and answering questions regarding the… Reported by bizjournals 13 hours ago.

Fanhua Expands Share Purchase Program

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GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fanhua Inc. (Nasdaq: FANH) (the "Company" or "Fanhua"), a leading independent financial services provider operating in China, today announced that its board of directors has approved to expand its share purchase program, pursuant to which the maximum number of shares to be purchased will be increased from an initial round of US$20 million worth of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) to 6.5 million ADSs. Purchases will be made from time to time on the open market or in block trades at prevailing market prices of no more than US$29.0 per ADS. The expiration date of the share purchase program is also extended to December 31, 2018.The purchased shares will be used as treasury shares and resold to the participants of Fanhua 521 Development Plan (“Plan Participants”) at the weighted average of the closing prices of the purchases under the share purchase program. If the total number of ADSs purchased under the share purchase program is less than 6.5 million, the shortfall will be issued by the Company to the Plan Participants at the same price.

Mr. Chunlin Wang, chairman and chief executive officer of the Company, stated, “We believe that the current stock price does not reflect the underlying value of the Company. The adjustment in the share purchase program and the 521 development plan will help minimize dilution to existing shareholders. In the meantime, it closely aligns the interests of our employees and entrepreneurial team leaders with the Company and our shareholders, which will further motivate them to achieve the goals set in the 521 Development Plan.”

*About* *Fanhua Inc.*

Fanhua Inc., formerly known as CNinsure Inc., is a leading independent online-to-offline financial services provider. Through our online platforms and offline sales and service network, we offer a wide variety of financial products and services provided by over 90 insurance companies to individuals and businesses, including property and casualty and life insurance products. We also provide insurance claims adjusting services, such as damage assessments, surveys, authentications and loss estimations, as well as value-added services, such as emergency vehicle roadside assistance.

Our online platforms include:(1) CNpad, a mobile sales support application; (2) Baoxian.com, an online entry portal for comparing and purchasing health, accident, travel and homeowner insurance products; (3) eHuzhu (www.ehuzhu.com), a non-profit online mutual aid platform in China and (4) Lan Zhanggui, an all-in-one platform which allows our agents to access and purchase a wide variety of insurance products, including life insurance, auto insurance, accident insurance, travel insurance and standard health insurance products from multiple insurance companies on their mobile devices.

As of June 30, 2018, our distribution and service network consisted of 712 sales and service outlets covering 31 provinces.

For more information about Fanhua Inc., please visit http://ir.fanhuaholdings.com/.

*Forward-looking Statements*

This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements, including the statements relating to the Company's future financial and operating results, are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will,""expects,""believes,""anticipates,""intends,""estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, management's quotations and the Business Outlook section contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about Fanhua and the industry. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Fanhua’s ability to attract and retain key personnel and productive agents, its ability to maintain existing and develop new business relationships with insurance companies, its ability to execute its growth strategy, its ability to adapt to the evolving regulatory environment in the Chinese insurance industry, its ability to compete effectively against its competitors, quarterly variations in its operating results caused by factors beyond its control and macroeconomic conditions in China and their potential impact on the sales of insurance products. All information provided in this press release is as of the date hereof, and Fanhua undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although Fanhua believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties faced by Fanhua is included in Fanhua's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F.

For more information about Fanhua Inc., please visit http://ir.fanhuaholdings.com/.

*Source:* Fanhua Inc. CONTACT: Contact: Oasis Qiu
Investor Relations Manager
Tel: (8620) 83883191
Email: qiusr@fanhuaholdings.com Reported by GlobeNewswire 12 hours ago.

Dellann Elliott Mydland, President of the EndBrainCancer Initiative, to Serve on Two National Clinical Trial Committees for NRG Oncology, an NCI-Funded Research Group

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As a member of the NRG brain tumor disease site committee, Mydland will advocate for patient perspectives and interests in assessing and recommending specific brain cancer clinical trials for funding to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), helping guide clinical trial design, implementation, recruitment, and reporting approaches, and ultimately supporting critical changes to the standard of care.

SEATTLE (PRWEB) August 29, 2018

Dellann Elliott Mydland, President and co-founder of the EndBrainCancer Initiative (EBCI), formerly known as the Chris Elliott Fund, has been invited to serve on two national committees of NRG Oncology. Mydland is now a member of the NRG Patient Advocacy (link) and Brain Tumor Disease Site (link) committees. In these capacities as a patient advocate, she will be part of a team reviewing clinical trial proposals and making approval recommendations to NRG as a whole and ultimately to the National Cancer Institute (NCI - http://www.cancer.gov), the overarching funding and regulatory agency. NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“I am honored to be asked to serve in this way,” Mydland commented. “As an organization, EBCI supports NCI's growing emphasis on including the patient voice in formulating and conducting research. I look forward to working both with other patient advocates in diverse cancer areas as well as brain cancer experts from all parts of the U.S. in advancing research and benefitting patients.”

NRG Oncology develops trials that are part of the National Clinical Trial Network (NCTN). NCTN was formed to optimize and accelerate cancer clinical trials. In 2014, NRG Oncology was formed by combining three previous legacy research groups into one. Under the auspices of NCI, NRG works collaboratively with other NCTN research groups and academic institutions to conduct multi-institutional phase II and phase III clinical trials. The purpose of the clinical trials is to help establish new standards of care (SOC), set the stage for approval of new therapies, test new treatment approaches, and validate new biomarkers. The network is designed organizationally to screen large numbers of patients to find ones whose tumors exhibit molecular features that can be matched to appropriate clinical trials.

Mydland added, ““What patients want and need is immediate access to specialists, Centers of Excellence (COE), promising treatments, and clinical trials that could have potential for their specific profile of cancer. At EBCI, we advocate for genomic profiling for all brain cancer patients and to allow for these tests and reports to inform the treatment. We are also working towards incorporating this diagnostic into Standard of Care. Every day we work with patients and families to help them get properly connected and navigate the dire challenges of brain cancer. I welcome the opportunity to share the patient viewpoint and our learnings to influence clinical trial formulation and updates to Standard of Care.”

Through the years, the EndBrainCancer Initiative has placed hundreds of brain cancer patients in clinical trials around the nation. Its "Direct Connect" Patient Services program educates and "pre-qualifies" brain cancer patients for clinical trials, and directly connects them to the Principal Investigator (PI) or Medical Center hosting this trial within the patient’s geography. Mydland’s work with EBCI as a national patient advocate was once again recognized in 2016 when she was nominated via the national “GBM Hero’s Campaign” presented by the CURE Media Group and Novocure during the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO) annual meeting.

NRG Oncology patient advocate committee members bring a patient-oriented, disease-specific perspective to the research process. They improve clinical research feasibility by providing experiential knowledge and input focused on patient priorities, benefits, and outcomes. Advocates evaluate and provide perspective on research proposals and ongoing research activities in five critical ways:

1) Provide feedback that frames trial questions important to patients and support a balanced portfolio of research.
2) Assess actual recruitment feasibility as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria for maximizing patient participation.
3) Collaborate on protocol development and informed consent and guide development of communication and patient-friendly communications.
4) Provide input on actual recruitment strategies during implementation and offer support.
5) Share study results with patient and advocacy groups through interviews, presentations, publications and social media channels.

Patient inclusion and input is becoming both increasingly recognized as valuable to research as well as actually mandated as a prerequisite by many funding organizations. In a recent article, "Models of Engagement: Patients as Partners" in Applied Clinical Trials Magazine, the authors concluded, “Once regarded as 'subjects' who had research performed on them, patients are now contributing across the spectrum of clinical development, including in the design and planning of research protocols, selection of outcomes and endpoints, development of recruitment and retention strategies, and dissemination of research results. The unique perspectives afforded by patients’ lived experiences can inform researchers’ approaches and help identify knowledge gaps. By sharing their experiences of the daily burden of disease and their perspectives regarding unmet needs and the types of research questions most important to them, patient partners can transform the clinical development process from one directed by sponsors and investigators to one driven by the needs of patients and their caregivers.”

The general mission of the EndBrainCancer Initiative is “fueling research and clinical trial enrollment.” Recently, EBCI has assumed a larger profile in its contribution to research both representing the patient voice and extending into research directly. With the support of a board of expert advisors, EBCI has made its goal to increase clinical trial enrollment among brain cancer patients from the current 3% to 15% by 2025. EBCI recently attained CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) certification and became the first brain tumor advocacy organization to be listed as a national recruiting site on clinicaltrials.gov (“An Exploratory Study of Caregiver Burden Among Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer”—ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03069105). Currently, in addition to its recruitment for this new study, EBCI serves as the “patient voice” in development of two clinical trials around the needs of patients and caregivers in the Pacific Northwest as well as SPORE Clinical Projects at the Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. Brain Tumor Research Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center in Winston-Salem, NC.

NRG Oncology describes its ultimate goal to reduce significantly the time it takes for new approaches to move out of trials and be translated into clinical practice. At present it is estimated that the average time that “translation” takes is 20 years.

This is the focus of EBCI in catalyzing translational research. Mydland concluded, “Our goal at the EBCI has always been immediate access to advanced treatments/clinical trials and the acceleration of advanced treatments/clinical trials into translational medicine and ultimately, into FDA approved treatments that are covered by health insurance and are reimbursable treatment options to the treatment/trial sponsor and clinical trial organizations (CRO’s). In these new positions I hope to support that goal of accelerating NRG research breakthroughs into the clinical environment and into changes of standards of care. That is truly what patients want—hope and options now, and advancing the quest for cure in the future.”

About the EndBrainCancer Initiative
The EndBrainCancer Initiative (EBCI, formerly the Chris Elliott Fund) is a national brain cancer and brain tumor patient advocacy and services organization and 501(c) 3 social enterprise with offices in Redmond, Washington. Established in 2002 and now celebrating 16 years of service, EBCI is committed to finding a cure for brain cancer and bringing HOPE to the lives of patients and their families through its three programs:· Direct Connect Patient Support and Services Program Connecting Patients to Specialists and Clinical Trials
· Brain Tumor Disease Education, Awareness, and Outreach Program
· Brain Tumor Patient Advocacy and Access

Since its founding, EBCI has helped thousands of patients, caregivers, and their families and has become a credible and trusted resource at all levels in the brain cancer treatment community from patients to research institutions to pharmaceutical and regulatory entities advocating on the National and State level for the approval and reimbursement of new therapies for cancer patients. EBCI also participates as the “Patient Voice” in clinical trial design, an example can be seen in CNS Oncology (Link to Article).

EBCI supports about 900+ patients, caregivers and families, free of charge annually through its “Direct Connect” Program, and provides Education/Awareness/Outreach to over 8.7 million annually, including members of the Brain Tumor Community. EBCI is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO), American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, American Association for Cancer Research, and Life Sciences Washington, among other organizations.

EBCI Mission
Enhancing patient outcomes by expanding FDA-approved treatment modalities and fueling research in the pharma/bio/life sciences, device & diagnostic industries and by closing the existing GAP from initial diagnosis to IMMEDIATE AND EXPANDED ACCESS to specialists, researchers, advanced & innovative treatments, clinical trials and critical care with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes through updating and improving WHO & NCCN Guidelines and clinical practices related to Standard of Care for brain cancer patients.

If we can help, please contact us at WeCare@EndBrainCancer.org or 425.444.2215. To support EBCI’s efforts, programs, and services, provide a gift today at http://www.endbraincancer.org

Follow us on Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EndBrainCancer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndBrainCancer/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ChrisElliottfundOrg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chris-elliott-fund/ Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.

Axis Insurances creates global head of accident & health insurance role

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Reported by SeekingAlpha 11 hours ago.

Tanita Launches "Tanita Health Program" across the US

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Tanita Launches Tanita Health Program across the US **- Designed to enable employers to provide effective health promotion programs**

**- Leverages groundbreaking connected scale technology that was pioneered by Tanita**

TOKYO, Aug. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tanita Corporation, a comprehensive health solutions company, announced that it is launching its award-winning Tanita Health Program across the US from *August 29*. Already deployed in Japan, the Tanita Health Program is an integrated suite of hardware and software that helps employers improve the health of their employees. For employers, the program offers a proven track record in reducing employee healthcare expenditures. For employees, it offers an easy and engaging way to visualize their progress.Image of Tanita Health Program's smartphone application screen

Using the latest model of Tanita's body composition scale, along with wearable activity trackers equipped with communications functionality, blood pressure measurement devices, and the internet, this program offers everything organizations need to establish an effective and comprehensive group health promotion program. The program is already being deployed by such organizations as local governments, companies, and health insurance associations, primarily in Japan.

Available throughout the US, the program is designed to raise the motivation of participants to improve their health and enjoy tracking their progress. Program participants carry an activity monitor that counts steps and measures calories burned, measuring a wide variety of data. This data is stored in the cloud, along with data measured with Tanita devices, such as its body composition scales and blood pressure measurement devices. Using this data, participants not only gain visibility into changes in their bodies and their activity levels, they can also graph trends using their PCs or smartphones. In addition, users can change the faceplate design of the activity monitors to an original design, and the program offers features such as a step count ranking, so that participants can virtually compete through their step counts each month, and a point program that awards points to participants based on factors such as their step counts, which can then be exchanged for gifts or other incentives.

The program has attracted attention for its effectiveness in reducing healthcare costs, including being mentioned in a white paper from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and has also received an award for excellence from the ministry in its Smart Life Project Awards.

In 1992, Tanita developed the world's first body scale that measures both body weight and composition. Thereafter, Tanita released various other tools to measure things like basal metabolic rate, total weight and lean body mass. Additionally, in 2003, Tanita released its first connected scale, called the "NT-101," positioning the company as a global pioneer. Subsequently, Tanita went on to also launch its support network called "Health Planet" that connects the NT-101 with sphygmomanometers and pedometers. These, in turn, forward health data to personal computers for easy analysis. The health management services that utilize the connected scale have since been upgraded into the "Tanita Health Program."

Tanita had already developed Tanita Body Composition Element, a smartphone application that converts body composition information into 3D elements, based on visualizations of atoms, presenting them in an impactful way. This app was exhibited in 2017 and 2018 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest consumer electronics exhibition, held in Las Vegas. The launch of the Tanita Health Program is an extension of these efforts in the US, with Tanita embarking on a full-scale expansion in the US due to the significant response to its body composition measurement technology at CES. This program is a service offered through Tanita's US subsidiary, Tanita Corporation of America, Inc.

*About Tanita*

Tanita is a Japanese health measurement device manufacturer established in 1944. As a pioneer in body composition measurement, Tanita has been a leader in the worldwide health measurement device market since developing and launching the world's first body fat scale that could measure body fat just by stepping on it in 1992, followed by achievements such as launching the world's first body fat scale with the ability to measure visceral fat in 2001, and launching the world's first body composition scale that could measure body fat by location in 2004. In addition, Tanita's highly accurate body composition measurement technology has become a standard in the healthcare and research fields. Since 1991, over 200 papers using Tanita's body fat and body composition scales have been presented at various academic conferences. These various research results are even now being fed back into product development, and Tanita has collected over 14,000 points of biometric data, which forms the foundation of Tanita's analysis algorithm, with the goal of further improving accuracy. At the same time, Tanita led the world in launching activity monitors, which are currently becoming common as wearable devices, aimed at the general public in 2009. With Tanita's unique analysis algorithm, the company's devices produce highly accurate measurements of energy consumption, with a correlation coefficient of 0.907 with the results produced by human calorimeters, the gold standard in energy consumption measurement.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tanita-launches-tanita-health-program-across-the-us-300704037.html Reported by PR Newswire Asia 10 hours ago.

Global Healthy Living Foundation Launches Comprehensive Support Center to Navigate Health Insurance Decision-Making During Open-Enrollment

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Global Healthy Living Foundation Launches Comprehensive Support Center to Navigate Health Insurance Decision-Making During Open-Enrollment UPPER NYACK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#arthritis--GHLF launches A Patient's Guide to Insurance Enrollment to help people living w. chronic disease make decisions about their 2019 health insurance plan Reported by Business Wire 10 hours ago.

How many people have lost health insurance under Donald Trump?

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Democrats have deployed a staggering statistic to attack Republicans on health care. While the details might vary, the common thread is that 4 million Americans have lost their health insurance under President Donald Trump. An essay on the liberal blog Politics USA recently carried the headline, "Trump Celebrates 4 Million Americans Losing Their Health Insurance." On CNN’s State of the Union, Democratic pundit Jennifer Granholm predicted health care would drive voters to the polls in November. "Under the Trump administration, 4 million people have lost their health care," Granholm said Aug. 19. President Donald Trump and Congress have taken steps ... >>More Reported by PolitiFact 9 hours ago.

Higginbotham Partners with MyMedicalShopper to Empower its Clients to Reduce their Healthcare Spending

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Trusted Employee Benefits Consultant and Administrator Now Offers MyMedicalShopper's Suite of Healthcare Cost-Saving Tools

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. and FORT WORTH, Texas (PRWEB) August 29, 2018

MMS Analytics, Inc. dba MyMedicalShopper, a leading provider of healthcare price transparency solutions, and Higginbotham, the largest independent insurance and financial services firm based in Texas, are partnering to give consumers more choice and control with respect to their healthcare spending. Today the companies announced the partnership, making MyMedicalShopper’s advanced healthcare price transparency software and cost-saving employer tools available to Higginbotham clients.

Higginbotham can now deliver MyMedicalShopper’s suite of products, which bring cutting-edge price transparency technology, robust claims analytics, and streamlined administration to employers and their employees. MyMedicalShopper™, ClaimsFlow™, and their powerful employer analytics package are now available to Higginbotham’s entire client base. In addition, the MyMedicalShopper suite will be tightly integrated with Higginbotham’s administrative platform and member portals for those clients who leverage Higginbotham’s administrative services for consumer-directed health accounts.

“We are excited to be partnering with Higginbotham to bring innovative solutions to their clients to help them control their healthcare costs,” says MyMedicalShopper co-founder and CEO, Mark Galvin. “We seek out partners who work hard to find creative solutions to address their customers’ pain points. By partnering with progressive benefits advisors and administrators, we can collectively reverse the trend of rising healthcare costs for businesses and their employees alike.”

For Higginbotham, a property/casualty insurance and employee benefits broker that offers a broad range of administrative solutions to employers, this new offering is a significant step towards an improved health benefits environment for its clients. While Higginbotham is bringing MyMedicalShopper’s suite of cost-saving tools to their clients, the firm is also doubling down on technology that will streamline administrative processes and make it easier for participants to adopt and embrace a variety of consumer-directed health accounts. MyMedicalShopper’s ClaimsFlow technology will now seamlessly connect participants’ health plans and claims to the tax-advantaged accounts that Higginbotham administers, including their health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), and flexible spending accounts (FSAs).

“In our business, leadership is critical,” says Michael Parks, managing director of financial services for Higginbotham. “That’s why we spend so much time studying the industry, investigating potential solutions, and investing in the technology and partnerships that we believe can bring the most value to our clients. We think MyMedicalShopper has built the best platform for delivering information and empowering medical consumers. We’re excited to bring its solutions to our clients and help them drive down their healthcare costs.”

MyMedicalShopper provides a comprehensive platform for employers that wish to arm their employees with a tool that makes shopping for medical care as easy as a Google search.

ClaimsFlow automates much of the administrative burden and error-prone human processes involved in adjudicating employee reimbursements for consumer-directed health (CDH) accounts. Participants can leverage connections to more than 100 insurance carrier and health plan member portals to facilitate rapid adjudication of claim reimbursements and automatic substantiation of debit card transactions.

About MyMedicalShopper (http://www.MyMedicalShopper.com)
MMS Analytics, Inc. dba MyMedicalShopper™ is a big data company on a mission to revolutionize healthcare. The founders started the company out of the need to bring transparency to consumers and the companies who provide healthcare benefits to their employees—providing the leverage needed to make solid decisions on their healthcare and improve their quality of life. Consumers previously unaware of price variations in procedures and testing can utilize real-time health insurance plan pricing information that makes it possible to choose care based on price, quality, and convenience. Experts document that as much as $1 trillion could be slashed annually from the cost of healthcare in the U.S. MyMedicalShopper aims to transform the healthcare industry into a fair market for consumers.

About Higginbotham (http://www.higginbotham.net)
Higginbotham is a single source for insurance and financial services that brokers business insurance, employee benefits, retirement plans, executive benefits, life insurance and home/auto insurance from more than 250 regional and national carriers. It supplements coverage with in-house risk management and benefit plan administration services. The firm was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with 28 additional offices serving domestic and international customers. Higginbotham ranks by revenue as the nation’s 27th largest independent insurance brokerage firm, making it the largest Texas-based broker (Business Insurance, July 2018). Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.

Why do hospital bills get so expensive?

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Annual health care spending in the U.S. is estimated to be at $3.5 trillion, and hospital costs make up almost a third of that total. Kaiser Health News, in partnership with NPR, uncovers inconsistencies in its "Bill of the Month" series. This month, the series looks at Drew Calver who was hospitalized last year in Austin,Texas, for a heart attack and needed four stents in his arteries. His health insurance covered $55,000, but a month after treatment, he and his wife, Erin, got a bill for nearly $109,000. Kaiser Health News editor-in-chief Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal joins "CBS This Morning" to break down Calver's bill. She also discusses how hospital costs get so high and what people can do to reduce the cost of their medical bills. Reported by CBS News 5 hours ago.

The Peace Corps Has A Sexual Assault Problem. A New Bill Could Help.

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The Peace Corps Has A Sexual Assault Problem. A New Bill Could Help. Watch Video"My Peace Corps experience was a dream that became a nightmare," says Mary Kate Shannon, who was volunteering with women and children in Peru in 2011 when she says she was attacked and raped by a total stranger. 

"It was one of those things that kind of came out of nowhere," she said. "I got into a taxi to go home and I told him to take take me to my house. Instead, he ended up taking me to an abandoned area not far from a prison, and he ended up raping me in the back of a taxi." 

Shannon is not alone. Thirty-eight percent of female volunteers said they suffered a sexual assault in an anonymous internal survey taken in 2016.

But former volunteers, members of Congress and government watchdogs say the Peace Corps hasn't done enough to help victims of sexual assault and volunteers who suffer injuries. 

The Peace Corps declined an interview with Newsy and referred us instead to a January statement released in response to a CBS News report alleging that the agency is failing to protect volunteers. 

The Peace Corps said the report "grossly mischaracterizes the tremendous progress the Peace Corps has made to both help prevent and address sexual assaults when they occur," and it argued most respondents in the 2016 survey experienced only "non-aggravated" sexual assaults.

Shannon reported her sexual assault, and her attacker was eventually prosecuted and sent to prison. But a little over a year later, she was raped again. 

"It was with someone I knew at the time. There was a part of me that really wanted to tell the police and had really wanted to tell Peace Corps. But that is really ... it's really hard to do it when you know what you're getting yourself into. I was afraid that they might think that if it happened again, they might see it as my fault," she said. 

Shannon was ultimately sent home. Back in the U.S., no one would take her health insurance provided through the Department of Labor, leaving her to recover from her trauma alone.

"You know, surviving a rape is one thing. But it's everything after that that is hard. It's the nightmares. It's the constantly living your life in fear," she said. "When I realize what was going to happen with the taxi driver, I thought, 'Well as long as I don't die, then I'll have to live with what happened.' But I remember after getting back from the Peace Corps… there was a point in my recovery where I felt like, I kind of wish I had." 

Congress first attempted to address the issue in 2011 when former Peace Corps volunteers publicly testified about their troubles overseas. That same year, President Barack Obama signed the Kate Puzey Act, sponsored by Texas Republican Rep. Ted Poe, which included reforms to help the Peace Corps better prevent and respond to sexual assault. 

But just this year, the Office of Special Counsel warned President Donald Trump, "despite significant progress, the Peace Corps has failed to implement certain sexual assault prevention measures."

Megan Riethmiller told Newsy she was assaulted in Uganda in 2015, shortly after arriving in the country.

"It was my first day of teaching, actually. After my classes, a coworker of mine wanted to bring a gift over. And my coworker was the school priest, so he asked me to say a prayer or a blessing over my house, which I thought was very nice of him to do so, and then after a few moments of that, that's when my sexual assault occurred," she said. 

Riethmiller reported the assault and received counseling. But when she asked for more counseling later in her service, she didn't get the help she needed. 

"I was told that I had to come in because they need to see if I was fit to be a volunteer still," she recalled. 

But Riethmileer was sent home before she could have that meeting, after suffering a foot injury. Just like Shannon, Riethmiller couldn't find a provider who would accept her health insurance, and she says she got no help from the Peace Corps. 

"A lot of us are forgotten," she said. "Once you sign your papers and you step foot in the United States, you're pretty much no longer Peace Corps' problem." 

Now Congress is considering another bill from Rep. Poe requiring the Peace Corps to do even more to prevent and respond to sexual assault and to help former volunteers get medical and mental health treatment. 

"Now the Peace Corps cannot just turn their head and ignore this. They have to be involved," Poe told Newsy. 

The bill, which passed unanimously in the House, requires the Peace Corps to provide training to volunteers before they travel abroad about the crime and health risks they may face in certain countries.

"Give them the risks, let them make up their mind if they still want to go to that particular country or if they want to do their service in some other country," Poe said. 

"I don't — I don't think it would have made an impact on my decision to go abroad," Shannon said when asked about the new training reforms. "But I think it would have made me aware of the risks, and I think I deserve to know the risks."

The bill also requires more training for host families on appropriate behavior with Peace Corps volunteers after an internal Peace Corps survey found 16 percent of reported assaults were allegedly committed by a host family member or coworker. 

The Peace Corp told Newsy in a statement that it supports Poe's bill, saying it will "codify best practices to help keep Volunteers safe and hold the agency accountable to taxpayers and Congress."

Kellie Greene, who was the first director of the Peace Corps Office of Victims Advocacy and whose 2015 whistleblower complaint prompted the letter from the Office of Special Counsel, said the training reforms in the new bill will help volunteers and shift global cultural perceptions around sexual assault. 

"You're starting to change the belief system in those countries of how you should be addressing women and girls, and, you know, talking about 'good touch bad touch,' all of those things that we teach our kids today," Green said. 

But when asked what the new bill will do to help volunteers get access to health care, she said, "not much." 

The new bill, which is expected to pass in the Senate, gives former volunteers access to health care for 120 days while they wait for the Department of Labor to approve their disability claims, something volunteers say takes months.

A spokeswoman for Poe said this is another issue in the Peace Corps that is "ripe for reform" and said Poe plans to work with other members of Congress to solve the problem in future legislation. Poe is retiring at the end of this year.

"I don't think the bill went far enough on that aspect," Riethmiller said. "That's something we're still going to work towards."  Reported by Newsy 4 hours ago.

Amazon Fires Back at Bernie Sanders’ ‘Inaccurate’ Criticism of Workers’ Wages

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Amazon Fires Back at Bernie Sanders’ ‘Inaccurate’ Criticism of Workers’ Wages Amazon is fighting back against Bernie Sanders’ criticism that the company pays its warehouse workers poor wages, calling the Vermont senator’s claims “inaccurate and misleading” in a statement on Wednesday.

Sanders has skewered the e-commerce king recently, saying Amazon shouldn’t have thousands of workers on government-funded programs like food stamps.

Sanders plans to introduce a bill next week that mandates major companies like Amazon and Walmart cover food stamps, public housing, and Medicaid, among other programs — legislation that will save taxpayers $150 billion, according to the senator.

Amazon, in a rare public response, said Sanders has declined “several opportunities” to tour its fulfillment centers.

*Also Read:* Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Reveals Prime Membership Numbers - at Long Last

“Instead, Senator Sanders continues to spread misleading statements about pay and benefits,” said Amazon in its statement.  “Amazon is proud to have created over 130,000 new jobs last year alone. In the U.S., the average hourly wage for a full-time associate in our fulfillment centers, including cash, stock, and incentive bonuses, is over $15/hour before overtime. We encourage anyone to compare our pay and benefits to other retailers.”

Sanders has railed against the work conditions at Amazon’s fulfillment centers this summer. He tweeted last month the “grossly underpaid” warehouse workers are “afraid to take bathroom breaks at work.”

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world and someone unlikely to be a “Bernie bro,” has been the target of much of Sanders’ barbs.

“Mr. Bezos continues to pay many thousands of his Amazon employees wages that are so low that they are forced to depend on taxpayer-funded programs, such as food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing in order to survive,” Sanders said in a Facebook video last week. “Frankly, I don’t believe that ordinary Americans should be subsidizing the wealthiest people in the world because they pay their employees inadequate wages.”

*Also Read:* Alex Jones Says Jeff Bezos and CIA Are Spying on Trump With Light Bulbs

In its statement Wednesday, Amazon said Sanders’ references to food stamps are “misleading because they include people who worked for Amazon for a short period of time” or part-time workers.

“In addition to highly competitive wages and a climate controlled, safe workplace, Amazon provides employees with a comprehensive benefit package including health insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings plans, and company stock,” the company added.

*Related stories from TheWrap:*

'Man in the High Castle': Nazis Invade Parallel Worlds in Season 3 Trailer for Amazon Drama (Video)

Amazon Explores Acquisition of Landmark Theatres (Report)

Amazon Studios Head of Unscripted Heather Schuster Out After Less Than a Year Reported by The Wrap 11 hours ago.

Bernie Sanders-Endorsed Florida Man Threatens America’s Freest Economy – OpEd

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By Tho Bishop*

In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum shocked Florida politics by winning the party’s nomination. Trailing third place or lower for most of the campaign, Gillum received a significant late boost thanks to an enthusiastic activist base and the endorsements of national figures such as Bernie Sanders. A look at Gillum’s agenda though offers a great illustration of what moving towards the “democratic-socialist” left would mean for an economy.

Though widely seen as a moderate “purple” state, in recent years Florida has become a leader in fiscal responsibility. Not only is Florida one of the seven states without an income tax, but it also has the lowest amount of government spending per person in the country. A contributing factor is that it has one of the lowest public-private employee ratios in the US. Even powerful special interest groups, like Visit Florida (the state’s government-funded tourism agency) and Enterprise Florida (a state organization that offers businesses relocation taxpayer subsidies with questionable results) have seen their budgets slashed and existence threatened.

The result has been Florida becoming the freest state for three consecutive years, according to the Cato Institute. As Ryan McMaken has noted, this has led to Americans voting with their feet and embracing Florida at the expense of California and New York.

Andrew Gillum’s vision for Florida would change all of that.

On the campaign trail he took the same dangerous worldview of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and condensed it into a state-wide platform. As such, Gillum’s agenda is one of redistribution, rather than opportunity.

For example, one of his top priorities is expanding Medicaid, in order to decrease the number of the population that is uninsured. While studies have questioned the actual health benefits of Medicaid coverage, the impact it would have on the Florida budget would be significant. Already the largest portion of the Florida budget, conservative estimates have placed the cost of Medicaid expansion in 2020 at $1 billion a year. This also fails to factor in future unplanned decreases in Federal subsidies, as the Federal government continues to bankroll over 90% of Medicaid expansion funding1.

This stands in stark contrast to recent policy gains made in the state. Rather than expanding government insurance, Florida has prioritized entrepreneurship and opportunity. For example, this year the direct primary care model was exempted from regulation that applies to traditional health insurance. Recent licensing reforms have also further empowered nurse practitioners and nurses, helping to significantly increase the supply side of medical care in the state.

Gillum also wants to reverse Florida’s progress in another vital area: education.

While still far away from an ideal educational environment, Florida’s legislature has made significant strides in promoting school choice. While charter schools still face some of the downsides of government schools, Florida law largely insulates them from school board politicization and offers significant flexibility in curriculums and educational philosophies. The preference of parents has been made clear. The state has seen charter schools growing far faster than traditional public schools.

Gillum has campaigned on reversing this progress. A vocal opponent of charter schools, his approach to education calls for significant funding increases to traditional public schools. Ignoring the fact that there has been no correlation in results and increased funding, Gillum’s education plan calls for increasing public school spending by a billion dollars.

Of course a billion here and a billion there adds up to a significant increase in state spending. Since Florida’s government doesn’t enjoy the same privileges as Washington when it comes to hiding the cost of their decisions, Gillum’s platform comes with a heavy bill for tax payers.

In order to pay for his spending binge, Gillum proposes increasing corporate taxes 40% to 7.75%. As Americans for Tax Reform notes, that would “give Florida the highest corporate tax rate in the region — higher than Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.”

By making Florida less competitive on taxes, Gillum’s agenda would slow Florida economic growth and stifle opportunity – and that’s without factoring in the consequences of his proposed $15 minimum wage. The result would be more Floridians dependent on government, growing the budget further still, and increasing the burden on the productive sector. The result is a socialist spiral of economic destruction.

Luckily among Florida’s assets has been that it has historically benefited from its unique relationship to Cuba and a significant population with first hand experiences in Castro’s brutal communist regime. In fact, one of Florida’s most prominent small government reformers is new Speaker of the House Jose Oliva, himself the son of Cuban immigrants (and heir of the Oliva cigar company.) Hopefully voters will recognize the true cost of the “free stuff” Andrew Gillum is campaigning on.

If not, Florida’s ranking as the freest state may soon come to an end. Under Gillum, the Sunshine State would come to look more like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s New York.

*About the author:
*Tho* is an assistant editor for the Mises Wire, and can assist with questions from the press.

*Source:*
This article was published by the MISES Institute

*Notes:*

· 1. From the beginning this portion of Obamcare was the policy equivalent of adopting a free baby elephant, an idea that may seem great in the short term – but with a future appetite that devastates your wallet down the road. Reported by Eurasia Review 19 hours ago.
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