Friday, November 30, 2012

Health Exchange News: Ariz. Looks To Feds, Conn. And Co. Move ...

Arizona's Gov. Jan Brewer has decided Arizona will not implement?a key part of the health law.

Reuters: Arizona Declines To Set Up State-Based Health Insurance Exchange
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said on Wednesday she was rejecting a major provision of President Barack Obama's health care reform law that calls for creating state-based health insurance markets where consumers can purchase private, federally subsidized coverage. Citing lingering questions about the plan and operating costs she said would be passed on to families and small businesses, Brewer, a Republican, said Arizona would join at least 16 other states in opting instead for a federally run health insurance exchange (Schwartz, 11/28).

Politico Pro: Arizona Nixes State-Run Exchange
"[T]hough I am a steady advocate of local control, I have come to the conclusion that the state of Arizona would wield little actual authority over its 'state' exchange," Brewer said in a statement. "The federal government would maintain oversight and control over virtually every aspect of our exchange, limiting our ability to meet the unique needs of Arizonans and the Arizona insurance market" (Millman, 11/28).

The Associated Press/MSN: Arizona's Governor Chooses Not To Form State-Run Health Care Exchange?Under Federal Law
Her announcement preceded a Dec. 14 deadline for states to declare whether they'd run their own exchanges. A decision to create an exchange would have been subject to approval by the Republican-led state Legislature.?... a Brewer push to create a state-run exchange would have faced a fight from GOP lawmakers who oppose the law. An alliance of hospitals, insurance companies and business groups wanted Arizona to have a state-run exchange, arguing that it would increase coverage while giving the state flexibility (Davenport, 11/28).

The Hill: Arizona Governor Rejects State-Based Insurance Exchange
Republican governors are under pressure from conservatives to reject state-based exchanges. They hope pushing the task to HHS will strain federal resources, a potential avenue to chip away at the Affordable Care Act without repealing it outright. But that strategy comes with practical risks. It gives the federal government more control over states' healthcare marketplaces?(Baker, 11/28).

Other states are already busy considering what the new exchange will look like and how it will pay for itself by 2015, a stipulation of the health law --

CT Mirror: What Exactly Will The New Insurance Exchange Offer?
A year from now, state residents will have a new marketplace for buying health insurance -- think of it like a virtual store for health plans. And the policymakers at work developing the rules for the market are facing a key question about how much discretion to use in determining which health plans it will sell.?Put another way: How selective should the shopkeeper be about what products stock its shelves? (Becker, 11/28).

Health Policy Solutions?(a Colo. news service): Colorado Health Exchange Must Pay For Itself By 2015
Now a reality across the country as the Affordable Care Act steams toward full implementation, health exchanges are supposed to make it easier for individuals and small business owners to choose and buy health insurance plans. ... Colorado's exchange ? which will soon have a new name ? is slated to open for enrollment in October of next year with coverage that will start on Jan. 1, 2014. By Jan. 1, 2015, Colorado's health exchange must be financially self-sustaining (Kerwin McCrimmon, 11/28).

This is part of Kaiser Health News' Daily Report - a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day's news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

Source: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2012/November/29/states-health-exchanges.aspx

Plaquemines Parish michigan football michigan football askew blue moon ann romney marco rubio

Deals site LivingSocial cuts 400 jobs worldwide

In this April 29, 2011 photo, Ross Arbes, 24, left, plays ping pong while on break at LivingSocial's offices in Washington. Online deals company LivingSocial announced Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, it is cutting 400 jobs worldwide, or about 9 percent of its work force, as the deals market continues to face challenges. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

In this April 29, 2011 photo, Ross Arbes, 24, left, plays ping pong while on break at LivingSocial's offices in Washington. Online deals company LivingSocial announced Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, it is cutting 400 jobs worldwide, or about 9 percent of its work force, as the deals market continues to face challenges. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

(AP) ? Online deals company LivingSocial is cutting 400 jobs worldwide, or about 9 percent of its work force, as the deals market continues to face challenges.

LivingSocial spokesman Andrew Weinstein said Thursday that all but a few dozen of the cuts are in the United States. The company's sales force faced the highest number of cuts, while others are in customer service and editorial, the people paid to write up the deals. LivingSocial said it is moving its customer service operations to Tucson, Ariz., from Washington, where it has its headquarters.

Weinstein said the job cuts came as part of a review of LivingSocial's global operations. He said the review was designed to make sure that the company has the resources it needs to invest in areas that are "critical to the future," such as marketing and mobile.

Over the past year or so, online deals have gone from fad to a much-copied business model that's easy to set up but difficult to sustain. LivingSocial is one of the largest of the online deals companies, behind No. 1 Groupon Inc.

The job cuts came a day after Groupon CEO Andrew Mason said "it would be weird" if his board wasn't discussing whether he was the right person for the job amid the company's poor stock performance. His possible ouster was reported by AllThingsD and elsewhere.

Groupon's stock fell 2 cents to $4.40 in afternoon trading Thursday. The Chicago-based company went public in November 2011 at $20 per share. Earlier this month, Groupon reported a small loss for its third quarter. While its revenue grew by a third, it wasn't as high as Wall Street had hoped due largely to the weak economy in Europe.

Groupon's growth rate has steadily declined: In the fourth quarter of 2011, in its first earnings report as a public company, Groupon said its revenue nearly tripled. That fell to 89 percent in the first quarter of this year, 45 percent in the second quarter and 32 percent in the third.

Amazon.com Inc. has a small stake in LivingSocial, which is a privately held company.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-11-29-LivingSocial-Layoffs/id-374dfc916be04da38fbb2391a8ce4206

Ashton Eaton London 2012 basketball London 2012 Slalom Canoe Alex Morgan Misty May Treanor Lolo Jones Aly Raisman

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini With LTE ? Meet The Samsung Galaxy Axiom (US Cellular)

At the end of October we?ve explored the possibility that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini could arrive in the US, and sure enough, a few weeks later we got word that the device might arrive in the States bearing a different moniker and with slightly different specs.

The Samsung Galaxy Axiom has been rumored before but now the gadget is official, so in case you?ve kept a close eye on this one you may want to join us after the break and find out more details about it, where to buy it and at what price.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini With LTE ? Meet The Samsung Galaxy Axiom (US Cellular)

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini With LTE ? Meet The Samsung Galaxy Axiom (US Cellular)

The Axiom has now been made available for purchase on these shores through US Cellular and if you?re interested in buying one then you might be happy to find out that the carrier is offering the gadget for free ($0.01) as long as you?re willing to sign a 2-year agreement. US Cellular claims that the on-contract price varies depending on the region, but we have yet to see the gadget being priced higher than $0.01 on-contract.

Alternatively, you can also buy the handset off-contract and if that thought is right up your alley then the Axiom will set you back $399.99.

Spec-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Axiom differs in certain aspects when compared with its S3 Mini sibling, and although they both share many similarities, such as the 4-inch 480 x 800 display, 1 GB of RAM, expandable storage and an overall similar design, the Axiom is not limited to 3G speeds, as it comes with a 4G LTE radio, and it?s powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm CPU instead of a 1 GHz NovaThor SoC.

However, but the bad news is that the Axiom arrives with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, whereas the Mini packs Jelly Bean.

But, in case you?re interested in the off-contract device then you could buy the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, in the US, via Amazon for $399.99, so you have the option of picking between a higher frequency CPU and LTE, or Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

But, I?m doubtful that many people are interested on buying the handset unlocked as it?s more expensive than an LG Nexus 4 at the Google Play Store (if you?re lucky enough to buy one?) so if you want to get it alongside a contract then visit US Cellular?s webpage and see what?s what.

Thanks Android Central for the heads-up regarding the Samsung Galaxy Axiom availability and price.

;php similar_posts(); ?>

Source: http://www.gforgames.com/gadgets/samsung-galaxy-s3-mini-lte-meet-samsung-galaxy-axiom-us-cellular-28656/

earthquake bcs rankings world war z the voice When Is Veterans Day 2012 brooke burke jennifer lawrence

Fine clothes could be made from slimy hagfish threads

6 hrs.

When threatened, ancient bottom-dwelling marine creatures known as hagfish can produce a milk-jug?s worth of gelatinous slime containing mucous and tens of thousands of protein threads. Researchers are investigating how to harvest those threads for use as petroleum-free textiles.

The protein threads secreted in the mucous of the ell-like hagfish have mechanical properties that rival those of spider silk, which is exceptionally strong for its weight and has the potential to out-perform petroleum-derived products such as Kevlar.

The problem with spiders is they ?cannot be farmed to yield high quantities of silk,? Atsuko Negishi, a research assistant in the integrative biology department at the University of Guelph, said in a news release. ?She?s leading the effort to make silky fibers from hagfish slime.

Her current research shows it is possible to make ?macroscopic? materials using proteins isolated from the slime. This isn?t enough to make the sort of fashionable bullet-proof body armor executives and celebrities wear on the streets of Bogot?, Colombia, but it?s a start.

Going forward, the team plans to study how to scale up production, as well as investigate how to use other hagfish proteins to make materials for medicine and industry.?

A paper on the research appeared earlier this fall in the journal Bio Macromolecules.

??via Clean Technica?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/fine-clothes-could-be-made-slimy-hagfish-threads-1C7330435

yahoo finance september 11 2001 september 11 2001 dr oz serena williams blake lively RG3

'Psych' star Dule Hill and wife separate

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Nicole Lyn and Dule Hill in 2011.

By Natalie Finn, E! Online

Dule Hill couldn't have seen this one coming when he got married.?The "Psych" ?star filed for a legal separation from actress wife Nicole Lyn, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for why things didn't work out.

The pair's official date of separation is listed as July 21 -- 11 days after their eighth wedding anniversary -- in court documents filed Nov. 6 and obtained by E! News.

Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee Simmons split after five years

Hill, who's perhaps most famous for playing presidential aide Charlie Young on "The West Wing" for seven years, filed his petition using his full first name, Karim Dule Hill.

Lyn had a recurring role as an intern on "The West Wing" before she married Hill, and she had a guest spot on "Psych" in 2007 in addition to appearances on "The L Word" and the short-lived "Welcome to the Captain."

Celebrity splits

Hill, 37, and Lyn, 34, did not have any children together and this was the first marriage for both.

The seventh season of "Psych" ?premieres on USA in February.

More in TODAY Entertainment:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/11/28/15509302-psych-west-wing-star-dule-hill-and-wife-separate?lite

anencephaly tesla model x lou gehrig toby mac blue ivy carter photos purple squirrel blade runner

RIM loses in arbitration with Nokia, may have to pay royalties on BlackBerrys with WiFi

Thorsten Heins of RIM and Stephen Elop of Nokia

Nokia and RIM already have a troubled history whenever they come into contact, so it's no surprise that what truces they do have are fraying at the edges. Thanks to filings, we now know that RIM has lost a Swedish arbitration proceeding where it tried to extend a 2003 patent cross-licensing deal with Nokia to include WiFi devices; the wireless technology isn't covered, the arbitrator says, and RIM now has to either pay royalties worldwide or risk seeing its devices yanked from the market. Nokia isn't wasting any time pressuring the team in Waterloo into coughing up -- it's taking steps to enforce the decision in Canada, the UK and the US. RIM has so far turned down any comment, although it's more likely that their firm will cut a deal rather than risk a sweeping ban. Consider it another of the many hurdles for RIM to jump on the road to January 30th.

Filed under: , , , ,

Comments

Source: Reuters


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/S6lt9vPf2v8/

Expendables 2 Pussy Riot National Hurricane Center Zeek Rewards elvis presley elvis presley vanessa bryant

Thursday, November 29, 2012

U.S. to honor Israel's Barak, outgoing architect of Iran policy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outgoing Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will receive the highest award he could be given by a U.S. secretary of defense when he visits the Pentagon on Thursday, three days after announcing his exit from political life next year.

The 70-year-old Barak, a leading strategist in confronting Iran over its nuclear program who has also served as Israel's prime minister and armed forces chief, has been a regular visitor to the Pentagon in recent years as tensions with Tehran simmer.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has known the Israeli leader since President Bill Clinton's administration, when Panetta was chief of staff and when Barak served in roles including foreign minister. Barak and Panetta speak regularly, with three conversations alone during the crisis in Gaza this month.

"He's been an important partner of the U.S. for a long time," one U.S. defense official told Reuters, adding he will receive the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Should Barak's resignation prove permanent, his successor could come from the ranks of right-wing Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been seen at odds with Washington over the best way to handle Iran.

Ex-Israeli general Moshe Yaalon, who has talked tough on Iran but is more circumspect among Netanyahu's advisors, is a possible candidate to succeed the more moderate Barak. He is the minister of strategic affairs and is a former chief of staff of the Israeli defense forces.

There has been speculation that Barak might even be replaced by the current foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, the Likud's more hawkish coalition partner.

"The fact is that none of us know," said Anthony Cordesman, at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Pentagon announced that Panetta and Barak will address a news conference at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (1730 GMT).

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-honor-israels-barak-outgoing-architect-iran-policy-004648864.html

chick fil a survivor bank of america iOS 6 Yunel Escobar Eye Black Cruel Summer Endeavor