Day: January 14, 2017

Lack of reform is the poison at the heart of HK politics

Mike Rowse says reflexive opposition to projects such as the Palace Museum again shows that the local political arena will remain adversarial until the people get to vote for their leader I remember the early hours of November 1, 1999, when we reached a final agreement with the Walt Disney Company after nine months of gruelling negotiations. There had been no public consultation on whether Hong Kong should have such a theme park before the deal was done, nor was there an open competitive tender.

Bird flu breaks out in Uganda

… are carriers of the virus. I’ve checked the website of the ministry of agriculture, as well as that of ministry of health and the major media, without finding another word about this outbreak. Is this H5N1, or H5N8? No idea. Maybe we’ll learn more …

Back briefs

If you haven’t signed up for health insurance, you may soon be getting a not-too-subtle nudge from the taxman. The IRS is sending personalized letters to millions of taxpayers who might be uninsured, reminding them that they could be on the hook for hundreds of dollars in fines under the federal health care law if they don’t sign up soon through HealthCare.gov .

a This experiment has faileda : House charts course to repeal health law

The House cleared the way Friday for speedy action to repeal the Affordable Care Act, putting Congress on track to undo the most significant health care law in a half-century. With a near party-line vote of 227-198, the House overcame the opposition of Democrats and the anxieties of some Republicans to approve a budget blueprint that allows Republicans to end major provisions of President Barack Obama’s health care law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.

Make North Carolina great again

… of residents. They tried to strip valuable assets away from local governments. They also thumbed their noses at health care reform. They prevented the state from setting up insurance exchanges to attract competition in the health insurance market …

UConn pitcher, 6-year-old linked by cancer fights

In this April 20, 2015 photo released by the University of Connecticut, leukemia patient Grayson Hand, center, bumps fists with UConn baseball coach Jim Penders, left, at a ceremony where he signed an honorary national letter of intent to become part of the UConn baseball team in Storrs, Conn.

3 Facts About Mortgages Every Retiree Should Know

Many of those nearing retirement hope that they’ll be able to have their mortgage paid off by the time they retire. Yet nearly one in three of those who are age 65 or older have mortgage debt outstanding, according to figures from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

UConn pitcher, 6-year-old linked by cancer fights

In this Oct. 31, 2016 photo provided by the Hand family, Grayson Hand, left, poses during a Halloween gathering with UConn pitcher Ryan Radue outside Hand’s home in Sturbridge, Mass. Hand, a leukemia patient, became an honorary member of the University of Connecticut baseball team in 2015, months before Radue also was diagnosed with cancer.

Donors help 108-year-old woman stay in home

Carrie Lou Rausch, 108, has been in an assisted living facility for almost three years, but her funds to remain there were running dry. Since her home in Columbus, Ohio, doesn’t accept Medicaid, Rausch faced a problem unless she came up with some more money.

Questions surround proposal to consolidate school health benefits

Little information is available on the potential effects for tens of thousands of teachers of consolidating their health insurance into a single statewide system. Gov. Sam Brownback included the health insurance proposal in his budget this week, in hopes of saving the state $40 million in fiscal 2018 and twice as much in years after that.

New dialysis unit planned for Digby

… dialysis unit at Kentville’s Valley Regional Hospital. It will replace a smaller unit at the Western Kings Memorial Health Centre in Berwick and can provide treatment to higher-risk patients who often must travel to Halifax. “With a new dialysis …

Waiting on a miracle

Sandra Sonnier, 56, of Jennings, ate well, took her daily vitamin supplements, never smoked or drank and led a healthy homeopathic lifestyle. She never imagined she’d ever need two liver transplants within four days, only to have her kidneys fail shortly after the procedures.

As the NHS crisis deepens, could you afford to go private instead?

With the price of health care rising at around eight per cent annually, it is increasingly difficult for many people to opt for private medical treatment rather than leave themselves at the mercy of the crisis- ridden National Health Service. But there are ways to access private medical care without breaking the bank which will comfort those who could be faced with waiting an age for a raft of treatments now being held up by the chronic shortage of beds at NHS hospitals over the winter months.

House votes to begin repealing Obamacare

U.S. House Republicans on Friday won passage of a measure starting the process of dismantling Obamacare, despite concerns about not having a ready replacement and the potential financial cost of repealing Democratic President Barack Obama’s landmark health insurance law. A bill repealing Obamacare sits on a desk after being signed by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 7, 2016.