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1. Citigroup to buy Bisys for $1.45 bln Wed May 2, 2007 7:54AM EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc. (C.N: ) said on Wednesday it agreed to buy Bisys Group Inc. (BSG.N: ) for $1.45 billion, and then sell two of the financial services processor's units to private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Co. Bisys shareholders will receive $11.85 per share in cash, 3.3 percent more than the Tuesday closing price, plus a dividend of 15 cents per share, making the total purchase price $1.47 billion. The net cost to Citigroup will be about $800 million after the J.C. Flowers transaction. Citigroup, the largest U.S. bank, will keep Bisys' investment services division, which includes fund services and alternative investment services units. It said the purchase will help it provide more services to hedge funds, mutual funds and private equity firms. At closing, Flowers affiliates will acquire Bisys' retirement and insurance services units from Citigroup. The transaction ends a nearly nine-month review of strategic alternatives by Roseland, New Jersey-based Bisys. Last year, Bisys agreed to pay $25.1 million to settle a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission probe into its payment of marketing and distribution costs for shares of some mutual fund clients. It also restated more than three years of results after uncovering accounting errors. Citigroup's investment bank advised Citigroup on the transaction. Bear Stearns & Co. and the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP advised Bisys. Merrill Lynch & Co. and the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison advised a committee of independent Bisys directors. (Additional reporting by Christian Plumb) © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 2. Hedge fund risks worst since '98 crisis, Fed says Wed May 2, 2007 1:05PM EDT By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hedge funds may now pose the biggest risk of a crisis since 1998, when the implosion of Long-Term Capital Management threatened the global financial system, the New York Federal Reserve said on Wednesday. The statement represented the bank's sternest warning to date over the possible fate of the $1.4 trillion industry. "Recent high correlations among hedge fund returns could suggest concentrations of risk comparable to those preceding the hedge fund crisis of 1998," according to a paper written by Tobias Adrian, capital markets economist at the central bank. Back in 1998, the New York Fed helped bring together Wall Street tycoons who eventually cobbled together enough funds for an unprecedented $3.6 billion bailout. The LTCM crisis was all the more shocking to investors because of the individuals involved, regarded highly for their market savvy and mathematical prowess. But with the crisis averted, the hedge fund industry bounced back with a vengeance, increasingly rapidly over the last decade in both size and scope to an estimated $1.4 trillion. Hedge funds, investment pools that are aimed primarily at wealthy investors and institutions, have been very lightly regulated, facing only vague registration requirements. Their sheer immensity has raised some red flags from policy-makers, with New York Fed President Timothy Geithner among those sounding repeated warnings about the need for cautious lending. The Fed's latest worry arose from what it described as a rising correlation between the actual returns of hedge funds, which could point to similar trading strategies that excessively concentrate risk on too few market positions. "Similar trading strategies can heighten risk when funds have to close out comparable positions in response to a common shock," the economist Adrian wrote. Still, many officials including Geithner have shied away from calling for explicit regulation, arguing instead that the large banks who lend to hedge funds should police themselves to make sure no one lender gets in too deep. Hedge funds borrow large sums of money in order to take aggressive bets on financial markets. Many operate heavily in the derivatives market, estimated at around $17 trillion, raising fears about possible future shocks.© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 3. Health care errors affect one in 10 patients: WHO Wed May 2, 2007 9:46am ET GENEVA (Reuters) - Errors in medical care affect 10 percent of patients worldwide, according to the United Nations health agency, which issued a checklist on Wednesday to help doctors and nurses avoid common mistakes. The nine key points listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) include double-checking similar-sounding medication names, ensuring patients are correctly identified, and improving hand hygiene to avoid preventable infections. "Health care errors affect one in every 10 patients around the world," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement. "Implementing these solutions is a way to improve patient safety." The WHO urged health workers to improve communication and assure medication accuracy during transitions in patient care, carefully control concentrated electrolyte solutions, avoid mis-connections in catheters and other tubing, use injecting devices only once, and ensure the correct procedure is performed at the right place on the body. Liam Donaldson, chair of the WHO's World Alliance for Patient Safety and Chief Medical Officer for Britain, said the checklist should help reduce "the unacceptably high number of medical injuries around the world." At any one time, some 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from hospital-acquired infections, according to WHO figures. One in every 136 patients in the United States becomes severely ill as a result of an infection caught in hospital. "Wrong site procedures" on the body -- including errors about the side, organ, implant or person to be operated upon -- are infrequent but not rare, the agency said, citing communication breakdowns as the cause of many of these. Unsafe medical injections, with reused and unsterilised equipment, are believed to occur most often in South Asia, the Middle East and the Western Pacific, a region including China, Japan, Vietnam and Australia. In sub-Saharan Africa, as many as 18 percent of injections are given with reused syringes or unsterilized needles, increasing the risk of hepatitis and HIV, the WHO said. © Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 4.
California’s Agricultural Self-Insured
Groups Call on State of California to Find Answers to Unexplained Bee
Deaths Ontario, CA (May 1, 2007):
California-based Self Insured Solutions, which manages four successful
agricultural self insured workers’ comp groups in the highly-competitive
California workers’ comp marketplace and represents 228 companies across
the state, has called on the State of California to quickly find answers
to the sudden and unexplained mass-bee deaths that are threatening $6
billion dollars worth of grown-in-California agriculture, according to
Self Insured Solutions Vice-President Joe Wheeler. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 5. NAIC SVO Delivers Special Reports To Address Transparency Issue NEW YORK (May 1, 2007) — The Securities Valuation Office (SVO) of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) today will begin publication of a series of five articles that discuss how state insurance regulators classify securities for statutory purposes and how the methodology is applied to hybrid securities. The articles, each of which will focus on a different aspect of the issue, will be published weekly and made available on the NAIC Web site. The introductory paragraphs of the first article will highlight the topics to be discussed in the series. www.naic.org Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 6. INSURANCE NEWSLINK Articles Recent articles added to INSURANCE NEWSLINK, the worldwide, strategic concise intelligence database of over 27,000 articles including interviews, uniquely analysed by company, market, research, regulatory, and IT topics. Please click here for a content overview and a 15-day free review. THE TIME EFFECTIVE WAY TO STAY AHEAD
Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 7. NEW EXPERT COMMENTARY FROM IRMI.COM There are now over 900 risk management and insurance articles on IRMI.com. Below you'll find summaries of some recent additions with links to the articles. CREATING A CULTURE HOSTILE TO FRAUD - Good systems make good business sense, and establishing a strong system starts at the top with executives who can affect widespread change. Scott Langlinais explains. http://www.irmi.com/Expert/Articles/2007/Langlinais04.aspx SUBCONTRACTOR EXCEPTION TO THE YOUR WORK EXCLUSION - Steve Rawls explains why the issue of whether the general contractor's CGL policy covers faulty completed subcontractor work is far from settled. http://www.irmi.com/Expert/Articles/2007/Rawls04.aspx ENSUING LOSS CLAUSES IN HOMEOWNERS POLICIES - Recent court decisions make clear that ensuing loss clauses do not broaden or create coverage. Brent Cooper and Dana Harbin describe. http://www.irmi.com/Expert/Articles/2007/Cooper04.aspx WINDSTORM CAPTIVES - Mike Mead says Alabama is offering a private, commercial market solution for windstorm—but there are no takers yet. http://www.irmi.com/Expert/Articles/2007/Mead04.aspx HEALTHCARE DEBATE AT BENEFITS SELLING EXPO PROVES PROVOCATIVE - Rob Olson describes the pros and cons of consumer-driven health care (CDHC) as presented during a recent conference. http://www.irmi.com/Expert/Articles/2007/Olson04.aspx Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 8. Hub International Obtains Interim Order in Connection With Proposed Acquisition CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hub International Limited (NYSE:HBG) (TSX:HBG) announced today that it has obtained an Interim Order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice approving the mailing of materials and the holding of a special meeting in connection with Hub’s proposed acquisition by funds advised by Apax Partners together with Morgan Stanley Principal Investments. www.HubInternational.com Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 9. Comit, a Swisscom Company, Has Acquired International Financial Business Solutions (IFBS AG), a Leading Securities Finance and Collateral Management Software Application Provider ZURICH, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comit, a wholly owned subsidiary of Swisscom, the USD 8 billion telecom and technology giant, has agreed to acquire International Financial Business Solutions (IFBS AG) and its leading Securities Lending, Repo and OTC Derivatives Collateral Management suite of solutions, FINACE®. Swisscom has over 17,000 staff worldwide with 500 consultants in the Comit subsidiary dedicated to banking and securities industry clients in Europe and Asia, with offices in many European Capitals and in Singapore. www.ifbs.com www.comit.com Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 10. Society of Actuaries Study Finds DxCG Predictive Models Best in Class BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An independent study sponsored by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) has found that the DxCG predictive models—Diagnostic Cost Group (DCG) models, underwriting models, and RxGroups® models, have best-in-class predictive accuracy among commercially available risk adjuster tools in predicting health care costs. The findings are in a study released in April 2007 titled “A Comparative Analysis of Claims-based Tools for Health Risk Assessment,” which updates an earlier study published in 2002. The previous study that the SOA had released in 2002 found that the DxCG DCG and RxGroups models outperformed other widely used diagnosis and pharmacy-based models in predicting health care costs. Five years later, based on improved methodologies, DxCG models continue to demonstrate best in class predictive performance, the SOA study found. A DxCG authored white paper is also available that discusses the 2007 Risk Adjustment Study in greater detail. For a copy of the DxCG/Urix white paper, please contact DxCG at info@dxcg.com. www.dxcg.com www.urix.com Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article
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11. National Survey Reveals That Americans Want to Go Digital When it Comes to Their Health Care By nearly a 3 to 1 margin, American adults believe the benefits of electronic medical records outweigh any potential risks WASHINGTON, May 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Though their direct experience with electronic medical records is limited, U.S. health care consumers show strong interest in utilizing them further, according to anew national survey about Americans' awareness of, and acceptance towards, health information technology released today at the Health IT: Unlocking the Potential summit in Washington, D.C. The survey, which was conducted by StrategyOne, an independent public opinion research company, on behalf of Kaiser Permanente, found that American adults favor providers (51% over 17%) and insurance carriers (68% over 16%) who use electronic medical records over those who do not.For a complete overview of the survey's findings, visit http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 12. It's About Access to Health Care, Not Universal Coverage ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Policymakers at both the state and federal levels are increasingly focusing on the uninsured and proposals that promise to achieve "universal coverage," in which everyone has comprehensive health insurance coverage. In this rush to provide everyone with coverage, they have forgotten the underlying goal -- providing everyone with access to health care. Today, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance released its new Issues & Answers "It's About Access to Health Care, Not Universal Coverage." Full text is available at http://www.cahi.org/cahi_contents/resources/pdf/n140UniversalAccessPDF.pdf. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 13. New Study Sheds Light on Americans' Real Risk of Disability Tuesday May 1, 12:16 pm ET LIFE Foundation-Sponsored Study Explores Disability Trends by Gender, Age and Occupation to Coincide with Disability Insurance Awareness Month WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans are slightly less likely to suffer a long-term disability than they were in the 1970s and 1980s, yet those who do will likely experience it for a longer period of time. This is one of the main findings from a study released today by the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) entitled, "The Real Risk of Disability in the United States." Conducted by the global consulting firm Milliman, Inc., the study offers insights into disability risks based on gender, age, occupation and disability type by contrasting U.S. individual, long-term disability claim incidence between the decades of the 1970s/early 1980s and the 1990s. The Milliman analysis found that today the probability of a white-collar worker becoming disabled for 90 days or longer between the ages of 35 and 65 is 27% for men and 31% for women, compared to 29% for men and 34% for women in the 1970s and 1980s. While the chances of becoming disabled have only changed slightly, the duration of disabilities has increased substantially. A 35 year- old, white-collar male who suffers a disability lasting 90 days or longer will be out of work for an average of about six years. In the 1970s and 1980s, that same male worker would have been out of work for slightly less than four years. The study found that disabilities are lasting longer for female workers too, but the increases have not been as pronounced when compared with the male population. "Advances in medicine and health care may be a factor influencing the extended duration of long-term disabilities. Where in the past, certain conditions like cancer may have resulted in death, better treatments and earlier diagnoses mean that today people are in need of care for longer periods of time," Mr. Woods said. To view the "The Real Risk of Disability in the United States" in its entirety or to receive more information about disability insurance, visit the LIFE Web site at http://www.life-line.org. http://www.milliman.com Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 14. Council for Disability Awareness Releases 2006 Claims Review From Leading Insurers, Social Security Data - Review Reveals Continuing and Emerging Disability Trends - PORTLAND, Maine, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A review of 2006 long- term disability claims among the U.S. workforce released today by the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) revealed that the number of American workers experiencing a long-term disability continues to grow at a rate faster than the growth of the workforce. CDA's 2006 Long-Term Disability Claims Review, an annual review of long- term disability claims among the U.S. working population, determines continuing and emerging trends in long-term disability claims, as these claims have a demonstrable impact on the health and financial livelihood of America's workforce. According to this year's review, more than 500,000 individuals received long-term disability insurance payments from CDA member companies in 2006, resulting in claims payments in excess of $7.2 billion -- a 7.5 percent increase in payments made in 2005. Coupled with these private payouts, the Social Security Disability Insurance program paid 6.8 million disabled workers a total of $79.9 billion in 2006 -- an 8.7 percent increase over payments made in 2005 and 105 percent more than the $39 billion provided in payments to SSDI program beneficiaries 10 years ago. "After reviewing both public and private claims data, it is clear that America's workers must better equip themselves to handle the possibility of a long-term disability and the financial burdens that may accompany it," explained Robert Taylor, executive director of CDA. "This is especially true considering the continuing shift in responsibility for personal financial risks away from social programs and employers to the individual." http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 15. AIG Companies® Introduce AIG PassportSM For Excess Casualty NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The AIG Companies today introduced AIG PassportSM for Excess Casualty, a service created for multinational companies to facilitate purchasing locally admitted excess casualty liability insurance to cover their international operations and subsidiaries. AIG Passport for Excess Casualty provides U.S. multinational companies the opportunity to request excess limits atop existing foreign general liability primary policies. AIG Passport for Excess Casualty policies are issued by the AIG Companies and are compliant with local laws and regulations. Claims will be handled by local AIG claims examiners supported by a New York-based management team that can liaise with the subsidiary’s parent company legal team. AIG Passport service is available at inception or renewal for AIG Excess Casualty customers. www.aigpassport.com. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 16. C.V. Starr & Company Announces the Creation of New Excess Capacity SAN FRANCISCO, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- C. V. Starr & Company and Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd. today announced that effective immediately C.V. Starr & Company will offer excess casualty insurance for public entity, residential and commercial contracting risks on behalf of Allied World Assurance Company (U.S.) Inc., (Allied World) a subsidiary of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd. The agreement gives C. V. Starr & Company the ability to augment its excess liability underwriting by providing excess facility for excess capacity of $15,000,000 above C. V. Starr & Company's current capacity of $10,000,000. http://www.awac.com. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 17. XL Capital Ltd Announces Plan to Offer Senior Notes HAMILTON, Bermuda, May 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XL Capital Ltd (NYSE: XL) ("XL" or the "Company") announced today that it currently plans to sell up to $325.0 million of senior notes due 2027 pursuant to XL's currently effective shelf registration statement. XL intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of its senior notes, together with available cash, to retire $825.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 2.53% Senior Notes due 2009 which comprise part of its 6.50% Equity Security Units which settle on May 15, 2007. http://www.xlcapital.com. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 18. A.M. Best Releases Guide to Business Insurance Products; Useful Resource for Consumers, Brokers, Companies and Educators OLDWICK, N.J., May 1, 2007—Anyone interested in or involved with commercial insurance will gain a better understanding of 21 types of business insurance coverage with The Guide to Understanding Business Insurance Products, a new book Published by A.M. Best Co. Agents and brokers can use the book to help explain to prospective clients as well as office staff the benefits of specific commerical coverages. The Guide serves as a practical training and education resource for companies, brokers and educational institutions. The Guide to Understanding Business Insurance Products costs $15.99, plus shipping and handling. For more information, or to view short videos explaining selected entries, visit http://guides.ambest.com. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 19. AIA Supports Massachusetts Auto Reform Bill BOSTON, May 2, 2007 – Proposed Massachusetts auto reform legislation (H. 1023) would provide consumers with a competitive auto insurance system offering more choices and lower costs, according to the American Insurance Assocation (AIA). “This bill addresses the core problems in the Massachusetts auto insurance system by allowing flexibility in rating and underwriting, reforming the uniquely unfair involuntary market system (CAR) and by taking steps to reduce preventable injuries and fraud,” said John Murphy, AIA vice president, Northeast Region, in testimony in support of the bill before the Joint Financial Services Committee. “Massachusetts’ unique system with government price-fixing for rates and an unfair residual market system that benefits a few insurers at the expense of others has resulted in fewer insurers and less choice for consumers. In other New England states, there are two to three times more insurance companies writing auto insurance,” added Murphy. www.aiadc.org Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 20. INSURANCE NEWSCAST "Pictures Of The Day" -- Sponsored By:
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21. Predicting the Future and Compressing Time Claimetrics Announces Innovative Forecasting for Results, Safety (New Orleans) – Claimetrics continued to create a stir at the Risk and Insurance Management Society today, as CEO Marshall Snipes criticized the traditional "delay and deny" tactics of the past, while announcing an innovative approach to resolving claims in a compressed period of time. "The traditional administrator simply manages a claims process. Our goal is the result and, quite frankly, the old 'delay and deny' tactic is in direct contradiction to our approach of measurable results," Snipes said. "The resolution of a claim can be forecasted in a more timely and efficient manner. This compression of time results in a more satisfied employee and an expedited resolution that saves the employer valuable resources." Specifically, Snipes explained the Claimetrics approach: "Through early intervention in every case, professional medical oversight, and advanced technology and analysis, the resolution of most claims can be predicted within weeks." "By intervening directly with the patient – and by treating them as a patient, rather than as a claimant, we have the ability to instill mutual trust, forecast the result and manage that result in the best interests of the employee and employer," Dr. Dillingham said. "Through creative metrics and information analysis," Dillingham added, "we can go a step further and identify and recommend strategies for employers to keep their workers and their customers safer." www.claimetrics.com Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 22. Fidelity Life Association Becomes A Stock Legal Reserve Life Insurance Company in a Mutual Holding Company Reorganization OAK BROOK, IL, May 1, 2007 Fidelity Life Association today announced it has reorganized as a stock legal reserve life insurance company, with newly formed Members Mutual Holding Company as its ultimate parent. The reorganization was approved by its member - policyholders and the Illinois Division of Insurance last week. “This reorganization provides us with more operational flexibility and access to capital,” said Richard Hemmings, Fidelity Life Association’s president and chief executive officer. “It also provides an easier means for us to affiliate with other mutual insurance companies. Most importantly, we believe this reorganization provides us more opportunity to create greater critical mass and increased efficiencies, which will allow us to provide our customers with more competitive products.” Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 23. Fincor Holdings Acquires MHA Service Corp. Insurance Services, Employee Safety and Disability Management divisions Lansing, Mich. May 1, 2007 – FinCor Holdings Inc. (www.fincorholdings.com) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of the Insurance Services and Employee Safety and Disability Management (ESDM) Divisions of the MHA Service Corporation (MHASC), a subsidiary of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA). FinCor Holdings, a Lansing-based insurance organization that provides a broad set of specialized insurance products and risk management and consulting services to health care providers, did not disclose terms. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 24. Licensing Executives Society Warns Supreme Court Decisions May Water Down U.S. Patent Laws WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The president of the Licensing Executives Society (LES) today warned that the U.S. Supreme Court rulings yesterday regarding patent laws "may end up watering down the patent system to the point where it no longer serves the function intended to appropriately award innovation." Allen Baum, the president of LES, which represents intellectual property licensing professionals, added, "Right now we have Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Patent Office all making changes to patent law in response to intense pressure from those who believe that patents have become too strong. The problem is there is no real coordination of efforts. With all of this change occurring simultaneously, we run the risk that the pendulum will swing too far and that instead of 'tweaking' the system, we will destroy the incentive for innovation." Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 25. New-Employee Orientations are usually short and often fail to measure effectiveness ST. PETERSBURG, FL (May 1, 2007) – According to a recent survey, most companies don’t spend a lot of time orienting new recruits, and their top strategy for “wowing” them is to hand out items branded with the company logo. The survey, conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp – formerly HRI), also found that although the vast majority of companies have new-employee orientation (NEO) programs, more than one-fifth of them don’t bother to track their effectiveness. For more information about this study, or to receive a full copy of the results, please contact Greg Pernula at pernula@i4cp.com or via phone at (727) 345-2226. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 26. Pittsburgh Groups to Tell Lawmakers to Fix the Broken Health Care System Pittsburgh - A coalition of national, state and Pittsburgh organizations will host a press conference urging visiting Pennsylvania lawmakers to endorse Governor Rendell's "Prescription for Pennsylvania" healthcare proposal. The event will take place before the Pennsylvania House Insurance Committee hearings on the bill, House Bill 700. The groups will release a letter to lawmakers and hear the stories of the uninsured and of small businesses that can not afford the cost of insurance. Speakers will include a small business owner struggling to pay for insurance, a health care worker paying out of pocket, and uninsured individuals from the Mon Valley. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 27. Ohio Spends $62 Billion Annually on Health Care, Lack of Insurance Costs State Billions More, Research Finds Ohioans spend $62.2 billion on non-institutional health care each year, while the Ohio economy loses between $2.1 and $5.8 billion due to lost productivity and other indirect costs of having 1.3 million Ohio residents without health insurance, according to research released today by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO). The research indicates that a six percent increase, or $3.9 billion, in annual health care spending would stem the economic loss by ensuring all Ohioans are insured. Only two percent of the health care dollars spent in Ohio goes for public health, ranking the state 32nd in the country. The national average is 5.4 percent. The Institute's report, "Mapping Health Spending and Insurance Coverage in Ohio", sifted through existing data from various sources to provide a snapshot of Ohioans' health and access to affordable health care compared to other Americans. For the full report, see http://www.healthpolicyohio.org/publications/maphealthexpend.html The Institute found that Ohio mirrors the national health care dilemma, with high costs, widespread lack of insurance, insufficient investment in primary care and chronic illness management, burgeoning technology and significant disparities in how well residents of different geographic, ethnic and racial backgrounds are able to access quality health care. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 28. Women Driven to Distraction by Men's Irritating Habits CARDIFF, Wales, May 2/PRNewswire/ -- Do you think you have any irritating driving habits? A new survey has revealed that while half of women drivers believe they don't, 90% of them don't share that feeling when it comes to male drivers and their irritating habits. Women's car insurance specialist Diamond surveyed both male and female motorists to find out what irritates them most about other road users and passengers of both genders, and women were certainly harsher about men than the other way around - although they didn't escape criticism entirely.
Diamond managing director, Sian Lewis, said, "The old stereotype that men are always criticising women's driving has been turned on its head by these results, as it's definitely women who get the most irritated. However, the results do show something that isn't a surprise, men think they have less irritating driving habits than women." When it comes to passengers, male passengers irritate two thirds of women. Of those, 35% of women are driven mad by men who criticise their driving and 17% can't stand it when their male passenger tries to give them directions when they already know where they're going. Less than half of the men questioned found female passengers irritating, but having their driving criticised was also what annoyed them most. www.diamond.co.uk Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 29. MassMutual Announces Bundled Plan for $1 to $5 Million Market SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- MassMutual Retirement Services has introduced MassMutual PlanSmart(SM), its new bundled small plan targeting defined contribution plans with $1 to $5 million in assets. MassMutual PlanSmart is designed to help optimize retirement plan participation and savings behavior with simplified administration on the part of the plan sponsor. http://www.massmutual.com/retire . Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 30. AARP Launches Statewide Campaign for Health Care Reform PASADENA, Calif., April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP's national CEO William (Bill) Novelli was joined by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning at the Pasadena Convention Center for the first of a series of AARP forums on California health care reform. At the event, Novelli announced the launch of a statewide campaign in California, which will last throughout the legislative session. The campaign will include television, radio, online, and print advertising as well as grass roots advocacy. To view the television spot, go to www.aarp.org/ca . Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 31. Governor Rendell to Address Major Employers, Health Plans and Providers on Advancing Value-Driven Health Care PHILADELPHIA, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Three members of the Partnership for Value Driven Health Care Initiative - The National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), The Leapfrog Group and Bridges to Excellence (BTE) - announced the addition of two keynote speakers to its incentives and rewards program being held in Philadelphia May 15-16. Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and Karen Davis, president of The Commonwealth Fund, a national philanthropy engaged in independent research on health and social policy issues, have recently been confirmed. Advancing Value-Driven Health Care: The Third Annual Incentives & Rewards Symposium is designed to raise awareness and educate purchasers, health plans, and health care providers in implementing incentives and rewards (I & R) programs. https://www.nbch.org/workshop07/index.html. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 32. Leading U.S. Pathologist Gives His Top 10 Tips for Summer Skin Protection in Time for May's National Skin Cancer Awareness Month CHARLESTON, S.C., April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- As temperatures rise and more time is spent outside, Dr. Karl Gruber, a noted pathologist and founder of LUCA Sunscreen, reminds us of the dangers of sun exposure and how to protect ourselves and our children from the risks of skin cancer. May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and in its honor Dr. Gruber wants us to understand how to protect ourselves from the sun's dangerous rays and the most common and most preventable of all cancers. Skin cancer accounts for about half of all cancer cases in the United States. Ironically, more than 80 percent of skin cancers could be prevented by protecting ourselves from the sun's rays.(1) To reduce the risk of skin cancer, Dr. Gruber recommends these top 10 tips and facts for adults and children: 1. SPF (Sun Protection Factor) only provides information about the level of UVB protection, and nothing about UVA protection. Since penetrating UVA rays remain constant all day, consumers must use a sunscreen with both good UVB and UVA protection. 2. The level of UVB protection plateaus with an SPF 30. SPF values over 30 are meaningless. 3. Use a "broad-spectrum" sunscreen with a critical wavelength over 370nm for protection against UVA/UVB rays. Your doctor or skin care specialist should know the critical wavelength of the products they recommend. 4. Don't skimp on sunscreen. The recommended amount is 1.5 ounces, but most people apply only half the necessary amount. 5. Apply sunscreen correctly -- to clean, dry skin about 30 minutes before going outside. 6. Reapply sunscreen regularly, every 2-3 hours, especially after being in the water or sweating. 7. Avoid direct sunlight between the peak sun hours of 11am and 3pm. Sun intensity increases with altitude. Amazingly, one will sunburn in 14 minutes on Miami Beach as opposed to 8 minutes in Denver. Skiers and pilots beware. 8. Use sunscreen every day -- even in cloudy weather when 80% of UV rays are still present. 9. Cover up with loose clothing, a 2-3-inch brimmed hat and sunglasses with 100% UV protection. 10. Babies and children need even greater protection from the sun as most sun damage is caused before the age of 18. "Most people don't understand the complexities of sun protection and are confused by competing assertions from manufacturers -- whether it's higher SPF levels, broad-spectrum protection, all-day protection, or other marketing claims, " said Dr. Gruber, who developed LUCA(TM) Sunscreen with his own young family in mind. "In this case, what you don't know could hurt you." www.lucasunscreen.com. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article 33. Norych and Tallis, LLP, I Is Now The Norych Law Group Coral Springs, FL, Norych and Tallis, LLP, a nationally recognized subrogation and collection law firm handling all lines of insurance, is pleased to announce that effective May 1st, it has become THE NORYCH LAW GROUP, LLP. Online access to file status is now offered to all clients. Their new e-mail address is nfl@norychlaw.com. Return to Headlines - - Print Article / Read Entire Article / E-Mail Article
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