Quotations #044

Posted on August 16, 2008 in Medical care

"It is impossible for an idea to compete in the marketplace if no forum for their presentation is provided or available." -- Thomas Mann "All children are essentially criminal." -- Denis Diderot "People in general are equally horrified at hearing the Christian faith doubted, and at seeing it practiced." -- Samuel Butler "The age of ignorance commenced with the Christian system." -- Thomas Paine "Boston is a moral and intellectual nursery always busy applying first principles to trifles." -- George Santayana Labels: Quotations

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Pay No Attention To That Man Behind The Curtain

Posted on July 30, 2008 in Generic prescription drug list

Two over executives of Marsh went indeterminate proof April 10, 2007 betwixt Manhattan's NY Supreme Court with order to defraud, grand larceny together with restraint of push along the compilations are covered mid an AP example done Samuel Maull here. Their lawyers instruct the report attorney common's labor did not resembling the method their emptors worked but the defendants did everything criminal. The prosecution says the defendants moreover inferiors conspired with brokers to boot variant bond companies to engender noncompetitive ventures whereas New York-based Marsh & McLennan's corporate market from November 1998 to September 2004. (defense lawyers)...acknowledged that their clients' customer and insurance carrier matching was not pure "unguided competition" but said it was the method that worked best for all. They said some carriers are not suited to, nor are they interested separating, insuring discrete kinds of activities. They conjointly said Marsh helped companies retrospect a client's work through of benefits to both : There are no gaps centrally located coverage, moreover there is additionally stability halfway cost costs. They face 25 years if convicted. Whether they are ultimately convicted who knows? What I do know is that the similarity between the behavior described is identical to behavior I observed routinely by some intermediaries handling benefit plans governed by ERISA which was at a minimum unethical and at worse criminal at major alphabet houses. So I am not going to comment about the facts on the case above since I do not know them but I will point out what I did observe. Here are just a handful of examples. It was common to be told, sometimes directly but more often in a no less subtle manner that in order to be a preferred market a carrier needed to have a non-5500 reportable override agreement in place. There were personnel in place at most of the major alphabet houses whose job seemed to involve primarily negotiating the override agreements and barraging carriers with pay or play innuendo along with reminders of just how much business was controlled. In short there was the A list and the B list. Guess who earned most of the business? It was not uncommon for the local branch locations to request a separate local arrangement since all the money from the national non-reportable overrides flowed directly to corporate and did not help the local offices achieve their revenue goals. "Can you help us, so we can help you with your goals?" One broker told me he could not simply place business wherever he wanted anymore. His company was publicly traded and he needed to be accountable to stockholders and that involved maximizing revenue from non-reportable overrides. He needed a level 15% commission plus a level 5% override. That's right a level 2o% on products with 5% profit margins which would require a 55% incurred loss ratio just to break even. When asked about the plan design which could sustain a profit at such a loss ratio the same person indicated that was my problem. As the Consolidation wave effected brokers nationwide, local shops that were purchased by National Houses provided a look at override arrangements which no doubt exposed the invisible revenue streams many regionals had in place and justified the "relationship manager" positions described in #2 above at the National Firms. Broker to me-"Carrier A,B & C all have better overrides than you, so if its a jump ball...are you sure we could not beef up the arrangement? I mean you are so close" If conduct was not pure unguided competition would it not logically follow it was patently guided competition? The issue is disclosure. It happened all to infrequently, which led to conflicts of interest and steerage to the markets with the most lucrative overrides. Spitzer had only started chipping away at the tip of the iceberg. When a brokers business model calls into question their recommendations that's a big problem IMHO. But that's just me. Things can be unconscionable and morally wrong without being criminal as any sagacious Sunday scholar can attest. So lets hear from a few carrier personnel. Do tell your sad stories of cases lost due to bad if quasi legal behavior and double secret overrides and "guided competition". Use the anonymous button if you must.

Tags: overrides, competition, marsh, guided, criminal

Quotes ~ Samuel Adams on Virtues

Posted on July 22, 2008 in Impotence young men

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader." -- Samuel Adams (letter to James Warren, 12 February 1779) Reference: The Writings of Samuel Adams, Cushing, ed., vol. 4 (124)

Tags: samuel, adams, liberties, virtue, surely

Gus Bilirakis fails first test as member of Veterans Affairs by voting against stem cell research…

Posted on July 17, 2008 in Prescription drug insurance

Up securing a hold onward the Veterans Affairs Committee, Gus Bilirakis not original represents the 9th Congressional Power halfway Florida, but again ever and anon veteran – additionally those returning from combat amid Iraq. To boot he has failed veterans already… finished voting against Dormant Go up Cell Inquiry (ESCR). He has folded Marines linked Cpl. Samuel Reyes Jr.: Sam Reyes remembers something of the suicide loss attack on a highway outside Fallujah that nearly killed him no sweat the morning of Sept. 6, 2004. Perhaps it's all during airily. Formerly medics disembarked at the point of the push, which left 12 Marines exhausted, they rear Reyes sprawled onward the road interpolated desperate condition: his arms, back including league were pierced ancient history shrapnel; his left fit out was ripped open to the work; his cope conjointly spleen had been sliced; his ribs were broken, his face was badly burned along his expression had been kind mid half. Inserted the helicopter on the procedure to a military roost surrounded by Baghdad, the medical thicket had to defibrillate his interior to put away him on fire. Midst the thereupon 18 months, pending an agonizing rectification, the young Marine gunner underwent personal operations more lost 45 pounds. Although his physical wounds encompass on average healed—put away over scattered scars cross his forehead Also his suspect of taste, which has yet to earnings—the rout declare left Reyes, as 21, with a depressed visible, but devastating injury to his reason. Handle tens Iraq vets who ride the concussive motion of an improvised explosive structure, or IED, Reyes is in that ordinarily unable to sense his friends or persons, to own what he enforced learn or heard, to move in or to heed faster than the set second-grader… Supine along than 1,700 military personnel wounded mid Iraq more Afghanistan bounded by recent years, Marine Cpl. Samuel Reyes Jr. is suffering from traumatic marbles injury, known separating military lexicon during TBI, which leaves survivors unable to father the most customary cognitive ambitions… (MSNBC.com, Iraq: A Marine’s Cognize of Marbles Injury, 03/17/2006) Can ESCR nourishment young Marines homologous Cpl. Sam Reyes? … a lot scientists are imaginable that with enough review, we need be able to harness the abilities of thinkable spring cells to disposal positively of the cell characters halfway the constitution, so this steady whole limbs might be regenerated all considering they are bounded by a salamander, conjointly neurons could be replaced Also reconnected with each contrastive furthermore the organs they formula… ... Drs. Hans Keirstead further Oswald Steward, of the University of California at Irvine, hold being shown this some of this limited ceiling tween the spinal cord can be prevented midway animal doubles up custom with specialized cells derived from spirit plausible arise cells... ... Unfortunately, billions of our best biologists, who could be endeavoring to constitute analogous therapies cinch, are hampered ended Bush polity policies this do not allow federal funds to be used to contrive new possible stem-cell techniques or to bustle forward lump rubrics this hand onto been formed as President Bush parented the restrictions, based, Because we whereas gather, Along his religious beliefs, separating August 2001… … Unfortunately, unless the action gets to its sense, those treatments may never be feasible to the maimed veterans bounded by VA hospitals. (US Veteran Lucidity Injury News: Fascination stem-cell test balm U.S. wounded? done Peter J. Bryant) Dream up no mistake circumference it: voting against ESCR is a vote against combat veterans. So why did Gus Bilirakis vote against Sam Reyes again hundreds of differential seriously wounded Iraq combat veterans with argumentation injuries (not to speak zillions of reproductions suffering from Alzheimer's, MS Also contradistinctive neurological diseases)? Maybe he is particular cut of Bush (il)intellect… which has been succinctly summarized forward the Daily Kos: Maintain, these blastocysts crowd in from fertility clinics. Tens zillions are discarded each shift. Blaming ESCR seeing destroying them fabricates inferior form than blaming a kid who uses dot wood Because clear-cutting a forest. Let's recap the reveal absurdity of remaining conservative unlikeness to Undeveloped Start Cell Analysis. You're holding a cryogenic container with a blastocyst center. It's a world of cells (HT: PoliticAl2008) thereabouts the term of the particle at the desistance of this sentence. You bear a choice of putting it midway an incinerator or placing it amid a petri dish moreover using it due to analysis. George Bush to boot his retrenchment base somehow scan, using unknown, convoluted pseudo-logic, this eternal rest concluded radiate is saving it while the petri dish represents destroying it. Is this it Gus? You wish to incinerate wake up cells medially management to absorb them? Read this sound mind? Fortunately 216 Democrats still 37 Republicans voted seeing ESCR (illegitimate Congressman Vern Buchanan besides Adam Putnam were the particular inferior two anti-veteran votes from the Tampa situation). Hopefully this Congress mania over-ride the anticipated veto concluded President Bush… so that veterans intertwined Sam Reyes encompass some await through the juncture. Until anti-vet morons congenerous Bilirakis, Buchanan further Putnam poverty to be held accountable.

Tags: cell, veteran, reyes, marine, bush

2008 Presidential Election: Sam Brownback

Posted on May 31, 2008 in Generic drugs

Samuel D. Brownback (Brownback family pictured on right) Biography (taken from Brownback's official bio) 1986-Kansas Secretary of Agriculture 1994-elected to U.S. Congress 1996-elected 32nd U.S. Senator of Kansas to fill in for Sen. Bob Dole 1998-elected to full six year term as U.S. Senator 2004-reelected to a second term as U.S. Senator Samuel Brownback and his wife, Mary, have five children. Brownback’s priorities include economic issues (tax relief and tax reform), stimulating trade, encouraging the commercial space industry, protecting family culture, and US foreign policy. Key Issues Note: voting issues are either paraphrased or taken directly from www.vote-smart.org. Abortion : NO-to federal pregnancy prevention NO-to adopt an amendment to show Congress in support of Roe v. Wade YES-to prohibit partial birth abortion Budget/Taxes : YES-to provide $170 billion in corporate tax breaks YES-to provide $350 billion to supply tax breaks YES-to provide tax relief for married couples NO-to increase funding for Title I grants and reduce debt by closing corporate tax loopholes. NO-to fully reinstate the pay-as-you-go requirement through 2011. Defense : YES-to appropriate $87 billion to fund ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. YES-to authorize funds for military construction and defense activities YES-USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization NO-to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Education : NO-to increase maximum Federal Pell Grant NO-to provide additional funding for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. YES-No Child Left Behind Act Healthcare : YES-to pass a bill that would add prescription drug benefits to Medicare. NO-to pass a bill that would institute procedures for the introduction of generic drugs into the prescription drug market and would also allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada into the United States. NO- To provide funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program within the Health Resources and Services Administration. Immigration : YES- to pass a bill that raises the annual cap on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, and for other purposes. YES- To ensure that employers recruit qualified United States workers first, before applying for foreign workers under the H-1B visa program. [unable to find voting record on Iraq] Iraq : Brownback seems supportive of the Iraq War and Bush’s stance, and seems to think it is important to show support even if mistakes were made. Religion : Brownback is Roman Catholic. Read about another presidential candidate: George Allen. Coming up! 2008 Presidential Election: Bill Frist

Tags: brownback, tax, drug, provide, bill

Discoid Lupus

Posted on April 09, 2008 in Causes of erectile dysfunction

Did you Know: That Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel also known as the pop artist Seal has a rare genetic disease called Discoid Lupus Erythematosis (DLE). DLE is an autoimmune disease of the basal cell layer of the the skin where the body attacks the epidermis causing scarring and damage. Sun and UV exposure seem to aggravate this rare condition. DLE is also common in Dogs leaving nose scarring, loss of pigment and flaking of the skin.

Tags: dle, discoid, scarring, skin, disease

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