| Organic Food Healthier
Researchers from the University of California-Davis found that organically grown kiwis had substantially higher amounts of vitamin c and other ingredients known polyphenols. Those help cut cholesterol and the risk of cancer. They also improve circulation. The researchers speculate that conventional pesticides could disrupt the development of the healthy ingredients in fruits. Organic fruits and vegetables should taste similar to the regular fruit or vegetable, but many times, organics taste better. A manager for Kroger Supermarket's organic fruits and vegetables section said that many of his repeat customers come from those who "accidentally" buy the organic variety -- and then find the taste is superior to the regular produce. Sources: CBN News, Associated Press, Kroger Supermarkets .
UnitedHealth to Buy Sierra Health for $2.6 Billion (Update7)
March 12 (Bloomberg) -- UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurance company, agreed to buy Sierra Health Services Inc. for $2.6 billion, adding customers in the American Southwest. Sierra shares gained the most in almost four years. Stockholders of Sierra Health, a Las Vegas-based provider of health benefits and services, will receive $43.50 a share, the companies said today in a statement. The all-cash bid exceeds Sierra's closing price on March 9 by 21 percent. The stock had lost 12 percent in the past month after the company said a Medicare drug plan will lose money this year. The transaction extends the growth strategy of former UnitedHealth Chief Executive Officer William McGuire, ousted in October after an independent probe found he may have manipulated the dating of stock options.
Small-firm health care at issue
Lawmakers unveiled legislation Monday that aims to protect small businesses and their workers from drastic health insurance rate hikes. The proposal is one of several pending this session to increase health coverage in Colorado while a commission studying comprehensive reform completes its work. The newest bill, by Reps. Anne McGihon, a Denver Democrat, and Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, would prohibit health insurance companies from using the health history of workers in setting rates for businesses with 50 employees or fewer. "It's not often in the arena of health reform that we see a clear problem with a clear solution, but this is one of those rarities," said McGihon. "This proposal will prevent insurance companies from increasing that burden just because of an individual employee's health issues," Massey said.
Health plans would benefit state's uninsured
Almost all the low-income uninsured in Colorado would get basic or comprehensive health coverage under two plans presented Thursday to the state's Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Reform. Whether those proposals become reality depends greatly on whether the state can afford the costs, whether the feds deem the plans legal and whether employers and insurers back the plans or fight them. About one in six Coloradans - some 770,000 people - don't have health insurance, and that number seems to be growing. Kaiser-Permanente, one of the largest health insurers in metro Denver, proposes a gradual phase-in of coverage, starting with children and moving toward covering most uninsured adults. Highlights of the K-P plan: • The federal government grants a waiver to allow Colorado to use Medicaid dollars to cover more children from low- and modest-income families.
Pet health insurer expanding to Denver
You know you live in a prosperous nation when you're handed a press release about the expansion plans of a health insurance provider - for dogs and cats. Not that I'm surprised. I've seen friends equip their dogs with sunglasses secured with an elastic strap, stick little baseball caps on their dogs' heads to shield them from the sun, feed their dogs beef-flavored bagels from Einstein Bros. on Saturday mornings and Frosty Paws ice cream-like treats for dessert. Whatever. It's their money. And really, it's kind of cute. Given this level of anthropomorphism and the vast number of dog owners in Denver, it shouldn't have been a surprise when Veterinary Pet Insurance, which bills itself as "the nation's oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance," announced March 19 that it is opening a claims processing center in Denver.
Online Health Insurance Quotes for Ohio Residents
View Health Insurance, a full service Ohio health insurance broker, is proud to announce its online quoting application, which provides Ohio health insurance quotes to the public. Ohio residents can now get free online quotes from multiple carriers including United Healthcare, Nationwide, Celtic and Humana. (PRWEB) February 15, 2007 -- View Health Insurance, a full service Ohio health insurance broker, is proud to announce its online quoting application, which provides Ohio health insurance quotes to the public. Ohio residents can now get free online quotes from multiple carriers including United Healthcare, Nationwide, Celtic and Humana. The Ohio health insurance quotes are up to date, and provide visitors with a quick and easy way to compare multiple plans from multiple vendors in one spot.
Court: Texas Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas on ...
Appellant, Ora Devereaux, appeals the trial court's dismissal with prejudice of her causes of action for breach of contract and negligence against appellee, Harris County Hospital District. After determining that Devereaux's claims were for health care liability as defined by the Medical Liability and Insurance Improvement Act (the Medical Liability Act), the trial court dismissed Devereaux's lawsuit due to her failure to file the required expert report. See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. 74.001(13) (Vernon 2005), 74.351 (Vernon Supp. 2006). In two issues, Devereaux contends that the trial court erred by denying her motion for continuance and by applying the Medical Liability Act to her claims. We conclude that the trial court properly dismissed the lawsuit pursuant to the Medical Liability Act because Devereaux's claims are health care liability claims that required her to file an expert report, which she did not file.
Health bills simmer, should boil
With the Colorado legislature due to adjourn May 9, a pair of well- meaning health care bills seem unlikely to suvive the traffic jam that develops in the session's final weeks. One measure, House Bill 1355 by Reps. Anne McGihon, D-Denver, and Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, would ban insurers from using the health history of workers to raise rates in businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The bill is awaiting action. Another proposal, Senate Bill 193 by Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, would have required all automobile insurance policies sold in Colorado to have included at least $25,000 in medical benefits. Tochtrop withdrew her bill last week but may re-introduce it later in the session. The McGihon-Massey bill is aimed at solving a problem faced by small businesses that provide health benefits.
Healthcare Execs Huddle with Beauprez on Price Transparency
Executives of Denver-based Financial Healthcare Systems met recently with former Congressman Bob Beauprez to discuss ways that the healthcare industry might address the ongoing lack of price transparency. Denver, Colo. (PRWeb) April 9, 2007 -- Executives of Denver-based Financial Healthcare Systems met recently with former Congressman Bob Beauprez to discuss ways that the healthcare industry might address the ongoing lack of price transparency. As a Republican member of Colorado's delegation, Beauprez was keenly aware of patients' inability to gain access to exact out-of-pocket liabilities prior to treatment, and how this informational vacuum reduces patients' ability to leverage normal buyer-seller forces. Beauprez witnessed a demonstration of Financial Healthcare Systems' ACE Logicus software that integrates data from insurance companies and healthcare providers, resulting in an estimate of charges that patients can expect to encounter in connection with specific treatments.
BCBS To Help Link Health Data Between Stakeholders
Denver - Despite some challenges, the health insurance industry continues to focus forward on initiatives that will enable patient-related data sharing in order to help eliminate errors and reduce overall costs. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado announced its participation in a voluntary data-sharing program developed by the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH), the company reports. .
State Broadens Generic Drugs Program Search
(AP) DENVER Starting next year, the state will negotiate discounts on generic drugs for Coloradans who don't have insurance but earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid.A bill signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter earlier this year directs the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to seek the discounts. The law makes Colorado one of the few states to include people who don't qualify for Medicaid in the prescription drug program.Ritter also signed an executive order that puts Colorado in a pool of states negotiating discounts on generic drugs for people who qualify for Medicaid. Former Gov. Bill Owens vetoed similar measures on grounds that it would be harder for the disabled to get brand-name drugs they need at a reasonable price.Generic drugs are marketed after the original patent has expired.
Unconventional medicine moves mainstream
Nine years ago Kellie Krasovec, a local acupuncturist, received a heartbreaking phone call: a neurologist had diagnosed her younger brother, Mark, with multiple sclerosis (MS).
"It was horrible, I've blocked out the exact date but I still remember where I was and hearing the news. It was horrible," Krasovec said. "And for a man in his 30s, it was difficult thing for him to swallow."
Mark had been having trouble walking and his vision was blurred. Krasovec, a longtime believer in alternative medicine practices, convinced Mark to change his diet and start getting acupuncture treatments. He works out almost daily now and takes herbs. For the past two years, Mark's been symptom free, and a few months ago, his MRI showed that of the original four brain lesions, there are only two left, and they've shrunk considerably in size.
Five Questions To Save You Money On Car Insurance
(NAPSI)-When it comes to car insurance, there are a number of ways to reduce your insurance premium, and an independent agent or broker can give you the inside scoop on savings. Here are a few questions to ask an independent insurance agent. Can I save by shopping around? Insurance rates can vary by hundreds of dollars among companies. Because of this, checking the rates of several companies may be the single most important thing you can do to get the best possible price. An independent agent or broker can compare rates for you quickly and easily. Am I carrying excess coverage? Depending on vehicle age, optional comprehensive and collision coverages, also called physical damage coverages, may not be worth keeping. Your independent agent or broker can give you advice on whether it makes sense to buy these coverages.
The PMI Group, Inc. Releases March 2007 Australia Residential ...
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The PMI Group, Inc. (NYSE: PMI) has released its March 2007 PMI Australia Residential Property Update. According to the quarterly update, median house price data for December quarter 2006 showed modest growth in house prices across the country. Momentum for price growth appears to be picking up in Brisbane with consistent growth in 2006 reflecting improving owner occupied and investor activity. Perth and Darwin demonstrated slowing price growth in the December quarter, a trend that is likely to continue in 2007. Little change is expected in prices in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, and Hobart, where prices seem to have reached a limit from an affordability standpoint. The report finds that first home buyers are returning to the market in many states, although price growth and higher interest rates are deterrents in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
My finished-basement horror story
DEAR BOB: My daughter and her family purchased a 1970s ranch-style home after the professional inspector she hired gave it and the finished basement a clean bill of health. The seller even signed a "no water problems" statement in the closing papers. Within days, her sister noticed her fingers could go through the drywall in the cellar. The brand-new bathroom shower was not connected to the septic system, and also flooded the floor. Mold and water remediation followed, costing more than $12,000. The lawyer who handled the closing settlement won't help. What recourse does she have against the seller and inspector? --Sara C. DEAR SARA: Obviously, your daughter bought the house from a dishonest seller who signed a fraudulent defect disclosure statement. If the bathroom shower was new, she should have inquired if a building permit was obtained and if the local building inspector approved the work.
Officers concerned, city officials looking at new applicants
At least that is what DeAnna Boling, Richmond Police Advisory Board member and program coordinator for the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, has heard from officers who have approached her regarding their pay."They just want to feel like they're appreciated," Boling said. "These people aren't going out and picking up garbage, or getting in a car and driving somebody around. They are people putting their life on the line every day they are on duty for $28,000 and no incentive from there. They need to feel special. They need to feel appreciated."For most officers, it is not just about pay. Richmond Patrolman Rob Sadler said for him, it's about growth."I enjoy where I am," Sadler said. "I like everybody I work with, but in order to grow with the department we need to be compensated. We need to be competitive with other departments.
ECGC takes on competitors on their own turf
Chennai: A favourite war-time strategy of army commanders through the ages has been to attack the enemy on a different flank even one of their own has been under attack. This is precisely what the new chairman and managing director of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited (ECGC) A V Muralidharan has embarked upon expand the turf and attack the competition. With the opening up of the insurance sector, ECGC's credit insurance monopoly has gone. Other insurers like New India Assurance Company Limited, Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited have entered this arena. For them credit insurance is an ideal 'combo' product for their corporate clients. Still commanding a 90-per cent of the credit insurance market share Muralidharan and his team are not complacent.
Q4 2006 Swiss Life Earnings Conference Call - Final
OPERATOR: Good morning. This is the Chorus Call conference operator. Welcome and thank you for joining the Swiss Life presentation of the full year result 2006 conference call. At this time, you will be joined into the conference room with Mr. Rolf Dorig, CEO of Swiss Life. Thank you. ROLF DORIG, GROUP CEO, SWISS LIFE: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to all of you. Thomas, our Group CFO, and I are pleased to present the 2006 results. Implementation of our strategy is proceeding according to plan. Figures show the progress we have made. Swiss Life again turned in an excellent performance. We not only generated a higher profit but also improved the quality of earnings. Significantly improved operating result reflects our consistent focus on profitable growth, further increases in efficiency and a good risk experience.
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