Monthly Archives: June 2012

Health care law saves Arkansas consumers $7.8 million

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(KATV, Source: WhiteHouse.gov) Thursday, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that 115,000 Arkansas residents will benefit from $7.8 million in rebates from insurance companies this summer, because of the Affordable Care Act's 80/20 rule. These rebates will average $114 for the 68,300 Arkansas families covered by a policy.

The health care law generally requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of consumers' premium dollars on medical care and quality improvement. Insurers can spend the remaining 20 percent on administrative costs, such as salaries, sales and advertising. Beginning this year, insurers must notify customers how much of their premiums have been spent on medical care and quality improvement.

Insurance companies that do not meet the 80/20 standard are required to provide their customers a rebate for the difference no later than August 1, 2012. The 80/20 rule is also known as the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) standard.

"The 80/20 rule helps ensure consumers get fair value for their health care dollar," Secretary Sebelius said.

Arkansans owed a rebate will see their value reflected in one of the following ways:

Insurance companies that do not meet the 80/20 standard will send their policyholders a rebate for the difference no later than August 1, 2012. Consumers will also receive a notice from their insurance company informing them of the 80/20 rule, whether their company met the standard, and, if not, how much of a difference between what the insurer did or did not spend on medical care and quality improvement will be returned to them.

For the first time, all of this information will be publicly posted on HealthCare.gov this summer, allowing consumers to learn what value they're getting for their premium dollars in their health plan.

For many consumers, the 80/20 rule motivated their plans to lower prices or improve their coverage to meet the standard. This is one of the ways the 80/20 rule is bringing value to consumers for their health care dollars.

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Health care law saves Arkansas consumers $7.8 million

Health Care Job Fair set for July 24-25 in Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties

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KALAMAZOO, MI If youre interested in working in the health care industry, contact Michigan Works and mark July 24 and 25 on your calendar.

The Michigan Works agencies in Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties will host job-search training and a Health Care Job Fair on those days.

Saying it recognizes the immediate need to fill jobs in the health care industry, the workforce development agency said in a press release that the Health Care Job Fair will be a unique, invitation-only, two-day event for job seekers interested in a career in the health care industry."

It stated that, "Participating employers from area hospitals, nursing homes, in-home care agencies and other health care related businesses will be seeking to fill open positions such as CNAs (certified nursing assistants), RNs (registered nurses), housekeeping and food service, as well as other positions related to health care.

The first days activities will include training on skills health care employers are looking for, job preview, resume critique and mock interviews, according to information provided by the agency. That is intended to prepare participants for the job fair on the second day.

Individuals planning to participate, as well as businesses interested in reserving a booth, should pre-register by the close on business on July 18.

There is no cost or employers to participate but they must have job openings available. Those interested may call any of the Michigan Works Service Centers in the five-county area and ask to speak to a Business Services representative (269-383-2536 or 269-660-1438) or email miworks@upjohn.org or dmn@summitpointe.org.

Job seekers wishing to register must bring their resume to any Michigan Works Service Center. They are at: 101 N. Albion St. in Albion; 135 Hamblin Ave. in Battle Creek; 210 Vista Drive in Coldwater; 535 W. Woodlawn in Hastings; 1601 S. Burdick St. in Kalamazoo; and 16587 Enterprise Drive in Three Rivers.

Individuals will be required to attend and complete all of the first days sessions and activities to receive an invitation to attend the Job Fair on the second day.

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Health Care Job Fair set for July 24-25 in Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties

Health Care Law Brings $1 Million to NEW Community Clinic: Updated

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The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision next week on the constitutionality of President Obama's Affordable Care Act.

A health care clinic in Green Bay received nearly a million dollars from the president's health care reform law.

It's the single largest grant the NEW Community Clinic has ever received, and officials say it is desperately needed to boost their staff.

The Midwest regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services presented the money Thursday morning.

"Really we're talking about being able to expand the capacity to serve more people, I think we've just discussed double the capacity to serve people in this community," Kenneth Munson said.

Shannon Archambo is the clinic's only nurse practitioner.

"There's a really great need in this community right now. As a sole provider, I am seeing a full day's worth of patients every day. Some days I even have to turn away patients because there's not enough time, unfortunately," says Archambo.

NEW Community Clinic plans to use the more than $900,000 grant to add four new positions, including a nurse practitioner at the medical clinic and a dentist for the dental clinic.

"We'll have twice as many appointments available each day," medical clinic coordinator Mary Rahr said.

The grant is paid for by taxpayer dollars as part of the Affordable Health Care Act, which includes provisions to expand access to community clinics as a way to reduce health care costs.

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Health Care Law Brings $1 Million to NEW Community Clinic: Updated

Polls: Wisconsin, Nation Split on Health Care Reform Law

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The United States Supreme Court is expected to announce its ruling on the Affordable Health Care Act within the next week.

The law aims to extend health insurance to more than 30 million Americans who now don't have coverage.

Most of the law's major changes have yet to take effect, including a strongly opposed provision that requires most people to have health insurance by 2014 or face a penalty.

While the nation waits for the Supreme Court's decision, a national Associated Press/GFK poll suggests both supporters and opponents hope the court doesn't have the final say.

While the public debate continues, US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius gave an update on how much Wisconsin residents will benefit from a provision of the Affordable Health Care Act later this summer.

The act's 80/20 rule requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of consumers' premiums on medical care and quality improvement.

Insurers can spend up to 20 percent on administrative costs, such as salaries, sales, and advertising.

Insurance companies that don't meet the 80/20 rule are required to give customers a rebate for the difference no later than August 1st.

Sebelius says 283,000 in Wisconsin will receive a total $10.4 million in rebates.

She says the average rebate is about $76 per qualifying family.

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Polls: Wisconsin, Nation Split on Health Care Reform Law

One-time Mass. health official heads Conn. agency

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HARTFORD, Conn.A California health care expert who played an early role in Massachusetts' revamped health care system has been appointed by Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy as chief executive of a new state health care agency.

The appointment of Kevin J. Counihan to lead the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange was announced Thursday.

Health exchanges, which essentially are marketplaces where consumers can comparison shop for insurance plans, are intended to bring down prices and get more people insured.

Counihan said his priorities will be to get the exchange running in 2014 and have a user-friendly website ready by October 2013.

He was vice president of CIGNA and president of Choice Administrators Exchange Solutions, an Orange, Calif., private health insurance exchange that administers health care programs for employers.

From 2006 to 2011, Counihan was chief marketing officer for the Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector Authority, which administers that state's health insurance exchange.

The Connecticut health exchange was enacted by the legislature and signed into law by Malloy last year. Its job is to certify, recertify and decertify health benefit plans, provide enrollment periods, maintain a website offering standardized comparative information on health plans and screen applications to determine eligibility for Medicaid, the state Children's Health Insurance Program or other state public insurance programs and enroll eligible applicants.

State Healthcare Advocate Victoria Veltri says the health exchange is seeking nearly $109 million from Washington, D.C., to operate through 2014.

Also on Thursday, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee appointed a former Massachusetts health official to lead Rhode Island's new health benefits exchange. He tapped Christine Ferguson, who was Rhode Island's human services director from 1995 to 2001 and Massachusetts' public health commissioner under former Gov. Mitt Romney.

Because Massachusetts was the first state to enact a public health insurance system, it was a marker for the federal Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, Counihan said.

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One-time Mass. health official heads Conn. agency

Health care insurers to dole out $1B in rebates to consumers

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Health insurers will dole out a total of $1 billion in rebates to 12.8 million Americans this summer -- an average of $151 per family --as a result of the 2010 health care reform law, the government said Thursday.

The rebates announced by the Department of Health and Human Services come from a provision of the law that punishes insurers who spend too much of policyholders' premiums for boosting company profits instead of paying for their medical care.

However, it's unclear if insurers will have to issue rebates at all if the Supreme Court strikes down all of the health care law.

The court, which is reviewing the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, is expected to issue its ruling later this month. The court could uphold the law, overturn it partially or completely strike it down.

HHS spokesman Keith Maley said the agency was confident that the law is constitutional.

"We are focused on ensuring the benefits of the law are applied to Americans across the country, including ensuring consumers get value for their premium dollar," he said.

The rule mandated that, beginning in 2011, insurance companies would have to spend 80% to 85% of the premiums they collect on medical care instead of toward their own profits and overhead costs.

See average health insurance rebates by state

"The rule helps ensure consumers get fair value for their health care dollar," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, said in a statement.

Insurers that didn't increase that allotment to the new federal standard would have to give customers a rebate for the difference beginning in 2012.

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Health care insurers to dole out $1B in rebates to consumers

Obama health care law favored by a third, poll says

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Written by Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Just a third of Americans back President Barack Obama's health care overhaul on which the Supreme Court is about to pass judgment, a new poll finds. But there is overwhelming support among both supporters and opponents for Congress and the president to begin work on a new bill if the high court strikes down the two-year-old law.

The overall level of support for the law is relatively unchanged in recent months, with 47 percent opposing it. But an Associated Press-GfK poll shows that only 21 percent of independents approve of the law, a new low in AP-GfK polling.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the 2010 law in the next week or so. Most of the law's major changes aimed at extending health insurance to more than 30 million Americans who now lack coverage have yet to take effect, including the requirement that most people have health insurance or pay a penalty. The insurance mandate has been among the least popular aspects of the law. Provisions that have gone into effect include extended coverage for young adults on their parents' insurance and relief for seniors with high prescription drug costs.

But whatever people think of the law, they don't want a Supreme Court ruling against it to be the last word on health care reform. More than three-fourths of Americans want their political leaders to undertake a new effort, rather than leave the health care system alone if the court rules against the law, according to the poll.

Large majorities of both opponents and backers of the law share the view that Congress and the president should start anew. The lowest level of support for new health care legislation comes from people who identify themselves as strong supporters of the tea party. Even in that group, though, nearly 60 percent favor work on a new bill. Gary Hess, a Republican from Discovery Bay, Calif., wants the high court to throw out the entire law. But Hess, 77, said he favors the provision requiring insurance companies to cover people regardless of their medical condition. "There needs to be compromise on both sides," the retired school administrator said.

Garrett Chase, 51, said he hopes the court leaves the law in place but agreed with Hess that the politicians should get back to work if it is struck down. "I live in the ghetto, and I see people dying every day," said Chase, an unemployed car salesman from Baltimore. "They can't get help because they can't afford it." A new health care bill doesn't seem to be in either party's plans. Republicans say they will try to repeal whatever's left of the law after the high court rules and then wait at least until after the November elections to push replacement measures. Democrats say Obama will push to put in place whatever survives.

A narrow majority say the outcome of this year's presidential contest between Obama and his presumed challenger, Republican Mitt Romney, will have a big effect on the nation's health care system. Republicans, at 58 percent, are most likely to see a link between the election and health care. Forty-eight percent of Democrats and 42 percent of independents believe the election will have a great deal of impact on the health care system. Obama's approval rating on handling health care was unchanged compared with polls in May and February. Forty-eight percent approve and 50 percent disapprove of his handling of the issue. Independents' disapproval of Obama on health care topped 50 percent for the first time since October.

The Associated Press-GfK Poll was conducted June 14-18 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,007 adults nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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Study explains functional links between autism and genes

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Public release date: 21-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press

A pioneering report of genome-wide gene expression in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) finds genetic changes that help explain why one person has an ASD and another does not. The study, published by Cell Press on June 21 in The American Journal of Human Genetics, pinpoints ASD risk factors by comparing changes in gene expression with DNA mutation data in the same individuals. This innovative approach is likely to pave the way for future personalized medicine, not just for ASD but also for any disease with a genetic component.

ASDs are a heterogeneous group of developmental conditions characterized by social deficits, difficulty communicating, and repetitive behaviors. ASDs are thought to be highly heritable, meaning that they run in families. However, the genetics of autism are complex.

Researchers have found rare changes in the number of copies of defined genetic regions that associate with ASD. Although there are some hot-spot regions containing these alterations, very few genetic changes are exactly alike. Similarly, no two autistic people share the exact same symptoms. To discover how these genetic changes might affect gene transcription and, thus, the presentation of the disorder, Rui Luo, a graduate student in the Geschwind lab at UCLA, studied 244 families in which one child (the proband) was affected with an ASD and one was not.

In addition to identifying several potential new regions where copy-number variants (CNVs) are associated with ASDs, Geschwind's team found genes within these regions to be significantly misregulated in ASD children compared with their unaffected siblings. "Strikingly, we observed a higher incidence of haploinsufficient genes in the rare CNVs in probands than in those of siblings, strongly indicating a functional impact of these CNVs on expression," says Geschwind. Haploinsuffiency occurs when only one copy of a gene is functional; the result is that the body cannot produce a normal amount of protein. The researchers also found a significant enrichment of misexpressed genes in neural-related pathways in ASD children. Previous research has found that these pathways include other genetic variants associated with autism, which Geschwind explains further legitimizes the present findings.

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Luo et al.: "Genome-wide Transcriptome Profiling Reveals the Functional Impact of Rare De Novo and Recurrent CNVs in Autism Spectrum Disorders."

ABOUT THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS

The American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG) is ASHG's official scientific journal, published by Cell Press. AJHG is the most highly regarded peer-reviewed journal dedicated to studies in human genetics and earned an impact factor of 11.680 in 2011. AJHG provides cutting-edge research and review articles related to genetics and genomics and the application of genetic principles in health, disease, medicine, population studies, evolution, and societal impacts. For more information about AJHG, visit: http://www.ajhg.org.

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Study explains functional links between autism and genes

Toby Bradshaw, Target of Famous Arson, Hunts Elk, Praises Vegetarianism, and Defends Genetic Engineering

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This week's cover story delves into the infamous University of Washington arson and the underground environmental movement it blew up. The 2001 arson, intended as a protest against genetic engineering, targeted a plant biologist named Toby Bradshaw--an interesting character in his own right.

He's a blunt, motorcycle-riding, 55-year-old contrarian who dismisses his attackers as "idiots" and, unlike some of his colleagues, seemed to emerge from the arson with his psyche in tact.

As if to thumb his nose at the enviro/animal rights crowd, he has outside his office a picture of a jokey billboard for a South Carolina restaurant. "There's plenty of room for all God's creatures," the billboard reads. "Right next to the mashed potatoes." Inside his office, the walls are decorated with the skulls of animals he's hunted in locations ranging from Idaho and Wyoming to Zimbabwe.

"That's where I get my meat," he says, pointing to the skull of an elk that weighed 600 or 700 pounds and kept him going for most of 2008. "I shoot it." He keeps 10 hawks at his house for his hunting trips, which have him disappearing into the Rocky Mountain wilderness for a week or two every fall and coming back with the makings of elk Teriyaki and antelope chili.

Yet, if you think that makes him the archetypal opposite of the vegan types who attacked him, think again. While far from vegan, he says that a vegetarian diet is, generally, better for the planet. He shoots much of the meat he eats precisely because he believes it's the only real responsible way to get the stuff. Like many vegetarians, he holds that commercial meat production is a waste of natural resources because animals are fed food that would be far more productively used feeding people.

On the topic of genetic engineering, though, Bradshaw couldn't be further apart from environmental activists.

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Toby Bradshaw, Target of Famous Arson, Hunts Elk, Praises Vegetarianism, and Defends Genetic Engineering

uniQure Collaborates with UCSF on GDNF Gene Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

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AMSTERDAM, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

uniQure, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today the signing of a collaborative agreement with two leading neurology experts to develop further a gene therapy incorporating uniQure's GDNF (glial cell derived neurotrophic factor) gene for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Professor Krystof Bankiewicz at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a world expert in GDNF gene therapy, and Professor Howard Federoff of Georgetown University, a preeminent physician-neuroscientist, have developed a product approved to start clinical trials in the U.S. using uniQure's GDNF gene incorporated into an adeno-associated virus-2 (AAV-2) delivery vector. The GDNF gene contains the information to produce a protein necessary for the development and survival of nerve cells. The positive effect of GDNF on nerve cells has already been demonstrated in early research by uniQure in collaboration with the University of Lund, Sweden.

UCSF entered into a collaboration with Dr. Russell Lonser, neurosurgeon and Chief of the Neurosurgical Branch of the NINDS, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to commence a Phase I study of the gene therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patient enrollment is expected to begin mid-2012. Collaborating on the study will be Drs. Krystof Bankiewicz of UCSF, Howard Federoff of Georgetown University and NINDS co-investigator neurologists Drs. Mark Hallett and Walter Koroshetz.

"This agreement provides uniQure with access to the data from a Parkinson's disease GDNF clinical study conducted by two of the world's leading medical researchers in the field. If successful, we intend to manufacture the vector construct ourselves and with a partner progress the product into advanced clinical studies," said Jrn Aldag, CEO of uniQure. "GDNF has been shown to be involved in several other CNS disorders so if we reach the proof of concept stage in Parkinson's, we can potentially expand product development quickly and efficiently into clinical trials for other indications, such as Huntington's and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)."

"The development of AAV2-GDNF, sponsored by both NIH and by Parkinson's foundations, has taken us 10 years to complete. We are very pleased that a path for clinical development of AAV2-GDNF as a possible treatment for PD is now in place," said Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, UCSF Principal Investigator.

Under the terms of uniQure's agreement with UCSF, uniQure holds the exclusive commercial rights to all UCSF preclinical data and to IND enabling Phase I clinical data provided to UCSF by NINDS. In the event that the Phase 1 study shows proof of concept, uniQure will use its proprietary manufacturing system for future production of the AAV construct and take responsibility for future development of the gene therapy product. uniQure holds the exclusive license to the GDNF gene from Amgen.

About uniQure

uniQure is a world leader in the development of human gene based therapies. uniQure has a product pipeline of gene therapy products in development for hemophilia B, acute intermittent porphyria, Parkinson's disease and SanfilippoB. Using adeno-associated viral (AAV) derived vectors as the delivery vehicle of choice for therapeutic genes, the company has been able to design and validate probably the world's first stable and scalable AAV manufacturing platform. This proprietary platform can be applied to a large number of rare (orphan) diseases caused by one faulty gene and allows uniQure to pursue its strategy of focusing on this sector of the industry. Further information can be found at http://www.uniqure.com.

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" including those that refer to management's plans and expectations for future operations, prospects and financial condition. Words such as "strategy," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "will," "continues," "estimates," "intends," "projects," "goals," "targets" and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of uniQure only. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and can be affected by factors that are beyond the control of uniQure. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations due to a number of factors and uncertainties affecting uniQure's business. uniQure expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements herein except as required by law.

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uniQure Collaborates with UCSF on GDNF Gene Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

Healthcare Futurist Jack Uldrich to AddressTwo Health-Related Associations

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Acclaimed healthcare futurist and best-selling author, Jack Uldrich has been selected to deliver two keynote presentations to health-related association's in Iowa and Maine this week. Uldrich will focus on future trends in healthcare as well as discuss the need for "unlearning."Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) June 21, 2012 Popular keynote speaker, healthcare futurist, and best-selling author, Jack ...

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Healthcare Futurist Jack Uldrich to AddressTwo Health-Related Associations

Beyond the Black Rainbow: Movie Review

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The genre of head movies those films that seem destined to be screened at midnight with an audience of people who may or may not be entirely sober has had fewer and fewer entries in our blockbuster film culture. Panos Cosmatos Beyond the Black Rainbow is one of the more recent entries, and its definitely got something.

In 1983, Dr. Barry Nyle (Rogers), is an evil scientist who works at the Arboria Institute, where he keeps a girl (Allan) captive for research purposes. She seems to have powers that are connected to a diamond light, she doesnt talk, and his research mostly involves testing her powers from a distance. She eventually escapes, but to where?

Beautifully shot and well put together, this is the sort of first film that shows a lot of promise, but also one that doesnt necessarily deliver much more than tone. If you can, if you have interest, see it on the biggest screen possible at the maximum volume.

Beyond the Black Rainbow opens today in Los Angeles, and has been playing in New York for a while. It will be playing many of the major cities throughout the summer, see a full list here.

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Beyond the Black Rainbow: Movie Review

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes scribes tapped for Jurassic Park 4

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Following their success scripting rebellious simians, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have been asked to do the same for angry dinosaurs.

To the surprise of most people, last years Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was both a critical and financial success. Objectively speaking, it was a solid sci-fi/action movie and while most will be quick to attribute that success to James Francos hipper-than-thou charisma, a lot of the credit has to go to the people who crafted a taut, engaging script for a movie that is, in the end, all about pissed off monkeys. Those people would be Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and as of this morning the duo has been handed the script writing duties on Universal Pictures upcoming Jurassic Park 4.

Deadline reports:

While Universal Pictures has been trying all summer to generate new franchises, the studio is getting moving with the fourth installment of its biggest one,Jurassic Park. Universal is setting Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver to write the script for thefourth film, which will be produced by Steven Spielberg and Kennedy/Marshalls Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

While Spielberg will be producing this flick, Deadline points out that he will not be seated in the directors chair. So far no name has been positively identified as the future director of Jurassic Park 4, but regardless, the lack of a direct Spielbergian touch worries us. Remember the first Jurassic Park? Awesome movie, right? Spielberg directed that one. Likewise, Spielberg helmed the not-quite-as-good-but-still-pretty-solid The Lost World: Jurassic Park. However, when it came time to film Jurassic Park III, directorial duties were handed off to Joe Johnston. While we enjoyed Johnstons Captain America and still think that The Rocketeer is a modern classic, the man is no Spielberg and the third Jurassic Park movie suffered for it. Consider us fretting constantly until the production company finally announces a director for this movie (and then, most likely, consider us fretting a bit more).

All of that aside though, news that Jaffa and Silver have been hired to write the film should be seen as a positive. We have no idea what direction the script is going to head in (save for the obvious fact that it will include dinosaurs), but this writing duo seems up to the task of creating a story that seamlessly blends futurism, action and huge lizards. If nothing else, it should be far more simple to make a compelling villain out of a Tyrannosaurus than it was to do the same for a bipedal ape with delusions of grandeur.

Now lets all keep our fingers crossed that Jaffa and Silver can retain the films rumored government-fundeddinosaur super soldier black ops strike teams. Call it silly if you want, but raptors taking out terrorists with modified submachine guns sounds totally awesome. Thats what people in the business call a license to print money.

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Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes scribes tapped for Jurassic Park 4

Fourth of July Freedom

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STUART, FL--(Marketwire -06/21/12)- While America celebrates the Fourth of July as the day the country declared its independence, freedom also rings at Hutchinson Island Marriott Beach Resort & Marina, where they're pledging to free guests from high travel fees and delight them with a deal that's as sizzling as a sparkler.

Guests of the AAA Three Diamond resort, located in the heart of southeast Florida's Treasure Coast, will go "fourth" this year with Hutchinson Island Marriott's "'FREEdom" vacation package. Promising patron's liberty (one free-night stay) and happiness (additional nightly rates starting from $149), the offer includes a complimentary night stay on the eve of July 4th for guests of the Treasure Coast resort staying a minimum of four nights between the dates of July 1 and July 7.

Fourth of July travelers will be further ignited with glory as they experience an old fashioned, all-American celebration in downtown Stuart, where Independence Day festivities that include live music, family activities and a fireworks show over the St. Lucie River are scheduled to take place. These events, offering free admission, start at 4 p.m. and the fireworks begin at 9 p.m.

With a sizzling holiday Stuart, FL hotel deal in a laidback, humble beach-side town, vacationers can enjoy it all, from "free" to shining sea.

For reservations visit http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pbiir-hutchinson-island-marriott-beach-resort-and-marina/ and use the rate code HL1 or call 1-800-775-5946 and mention the package. The promotional offer is valid for reservations on a minimum 4-night-stay, July 1 - July 7, 2012. Rates are per room, per night and based on availability at the time of reservations.

About Hutchinson Island Marriott Beach Resort & MarinaAs an exclusive island oasis at the heart of southeast Florida's Treasure Coast, the Hutchinson Island Marriott Beach Resort & Marina, a AAA Three Diamond hotel in Stuart, FL, is a 200-acre retreat flanked by the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal waterway. Set in a serene, coastal-chic environment, it offers unspoiled beaches and deluxe accommodations, including 70 oceanfront Sandpiper Beach Villas. Its unique amenities include an executive 18-hole golf course; a 77-slip marina; recreational activities and water sports in South Florida, such as deep-sea and river fishing, jet skiing, tennis, kayaking and biking; four dining options; three outdoor pools; and over 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting facilities.

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Fourth of July Freedom

Catholic bishops enlist parishioners in religious freedom fight that critics call partisan

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NEW YORK Roman Catholic groups on Thursday embarked on a two-week campaign of prayer vigils, rallies and other events to draw attention to what they consider government attacks on religious freedom.

Called the "Fortnight for Freedom," bishops organized the education campaign during liturgical feasts for martyred defenders of the faith. Independent advocacy groups such as CatholicVote.org and Women Speak For Themselves, have joined the effort with TV ads, videos, Facebook appeals and petition drives.

While the religious freedom campaign includes protests against state laws and policies, the bishops' immediate target is the mandate President Barack Obama announced in January that most employers provide health insurance that covers birth control. Federal officials said the rule was critical to women's health by helping them space out pregnancies.

Critics have accused the bishops of organizing the campaign as a partisan assault on Obama in an election year. But church leaders insist they have no partisan agenda and blame the timing on when federal officials approved the rule.

"In only the past few years, we've experienced rampant disregard for religious beliefs in this country," wrote New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, in an e-book released for the "Fortnight" effort. Among the examples he cites are approval for embryonic stem cell research, legal justification for torturing prisoners and support for same-sex marriage.

"We can see that there is a loss here of a sense of truth and objective moral norms_rules of conduct that apply always, to everyone, everywhere_an infringement of religious liberty and an 'eclipse of the sense of God and of man,'" wrote Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Opponents are unconvinced. "This bishops' project isn't about religious freedom it's about privilege," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "They are asking for preferential treatment from the government, and if they are successful, it would undercut the rights of millions of Americans."

The "Fortnight for Freedom" schedule kicked off Thursday night with a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption in Baltimore, celebrated by Baltimore Archbishop William Lori. Local activities are planned across the country leading up to Independence Day.

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., plans Masses and repeat screenings of the film "A Man for All Seasons," about Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century martyr whose feast day is this week. The Kansas Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state's bishops, plans a June 29 religious freedom rally at the Statehouse in Topeka. The Archdiocese of Detroit plans Masses and lectures by religious liberty experts in English and Spanish. The Archdiocese of Denver has asked Catholics to fast on the two Fridays during the initiative.

Lori leads the bishops' new religious freedom committee. The panel was formed last September in response to what church leaders viewed as inadequate religious exemptions in many state laws that authorized gay marriage and mandated contraception coverage in employers' health insurance or prescription drug plans.

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Catholic bishops enlist parishioners in religious freedom fight that critics call partisan