Typhoon hits central Japan as winds whip Pacific islands

TOKYO - A powerful typhoon made landfall in central Japan Monday morning after washing three American airmen in Okinawa out to sea the previous day, killing at least one.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, a separate typhoon whipped the Mariana Islands, including Guam, with high winds and heavy rain.

In Japan, bullet train service was suspended between Tokyo and Osaka because of heavy rain, and more than 600 flights were canceled at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

Typhoon Phanfone came ashore near the city of Hamamatsu shortly after 8 a.m. Authorities issued evacuation advisories for more than 400,000 people in the storm's path.

One of the three airmen was found dead. The other two were missing, according to the Air Force and the Japanese coast guard.

They had been on Okinawa island's northern coast when they were overcome by the waves, according to Tsuguyoshi Miyagi of the coast guard's Okinawa branch.

The Air Force said the search for the missing airmen had been interrupted by rough seas. Their names were being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Okinawa is home to about half of the roughly 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan.

Several people on Kyushu island were injured in the typhoon. The storm also grounded more than 100 flights Sunday and knocked out power to more than 9,500 Kyushu homes.

In Suzuka, in central Japan, a French driver was severely injured following an accident in the Japanese Grand Prix that had to be shortened because the heavy rain made conditions too dangerous. Formula One driver Jules Bianchi of the Marussia team went off the track at a turn and hit a recovery vehicle that was removing a car that had crashed earlier.

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Typhoon hits central Japan as winds whip Pacific islands

Rains, winds with typhoon hits Mariana Islands

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A person walks through a flooded area near the beach in Tumon Guam, Monday, Oct. 6, 2014. A typhoon whipped the Mariana Islands, including Guam, with high winds and heavy rain. As conditions improved, Guam officials shut down the island's storm center, the airport resumed full operations, and government agencies and many businesses began reopening.

HAGATNA, Guam A typhoon carrying strong winds and heavy rains passed over the Mariana Islands Monday, with the eye of the storm skirting the small island of Rota.

Power outages and minor flooding were reported in some areas, but there was no immediate word of injuries or major damage.

The storm began moving through Guam and the other islands stretched across a swath of the western Pacific before dawn Monday and left the region several hours later.

Tanya King, who was in Sinapalo, one of the population centres on Rota, said via Facebook messenger that there were no reports of any injuries or serious damage on her island.

We reconned all villages, said King, who described herself as a representative to the islands Public School System Board of Education. There is no damage to any homes, the power is back on, the greatest damage was the uprooting of large trees, which is being cleared by the mayors crew.

King, 60, said in an earlier message a few hours after the eye had passed, that she was still without electricity, it remained very windy, and there was minor flooding.

It appeared the eye of Typhoon Vongfong had passed about 5 miles north of Rota, National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Ziobro said. The eye wall, which packs the strongest winds, probably passed over the island, he said.

Rota, which is about 10.5 miles long and 3 miles wide, has about 2,500 residents, according to the last census. Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo asked for prayers for residents there.

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Rains, winds with typhoon hits Mariana Islands

Scientists are closer to understanding human height, new study reports

Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Scientists believe they now have a better understanding of what determines height in humans. An international group of researchers came together and studied a group of over 250,000 people from different regions of the world. They located over 400 genome regions that appear to be related to determining height, and they found almost 700 genetic variants.

The research, published in Nature Genetics, claims that around 80 percent of human height is based on genes, while the remaining 20 percent is based on external factors like diet. The researchers involved believe these findings could help treat diseases that can be related to height, like osteoporosis. The study further supports the concept that height is largely based on genetics, as is seen by tall parents bearing taller children. The found genes might help scientists study rare syndromes that cause children to grow unusually tall or unusually little.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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Scientists are closer to understanding human height, new study reports

Why I Hate the U.S. Health Care System-N.J. GOP Scumbag Scott Garret-Parasite Mitch McConnell – Video


Why I Hate the U.S. Health Care System-N.J. GOP Scumbag Scott Garret-Parasite Mitch McConnell
Plus Chiseler #39;s Hall of Shame-Voice Artist William H. Morrow III-Tea Time With James-Comedian Tracy Morgan Update-Republicans Voter Suppression of Mainstream Democrats and the Poor. ...

By: megalife21

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Why I Hate the U.S. Health Care System-N.J. GOP Scumbag Scott Garret-Parasite Mitch McConnell - Video

Health Care in Danger: practical steps can make access to health care more secure – Video


Health Care in Danger: practical steps can make access to health care more secure
In December 2013, the ICRC launched a new series of powerful images based on real-life stories, illustrating the idea that it is possible to give the wounded and the sick timely access to health...

By: Ceren Altay

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Health Care in Danger: practical steps can make access to health care more secure - Video

Health Care Eyes Power, Pitfalls of Data Mining

Imagine if your doctor could compare your physical health, diet and lifestyle to a thousand Americans with similar characteristics, and realize that you need treatment to prevent heart failure next month.

What if an analysis of your genome could help a physician give you a customized cancer treatment that saves your life?

Unleashing the modern power of computers, data crunching and artificial intelligence could revolutionize health care, improving and extending lives.

Its the kind of potential Google chief executive Larry Page hinted at when he told The New York Times earlier this year that wed probably save 100,000 lives next year, if we data mined health care data.

Imagine you had the ability to search peoples medical records in the U.S., Page said in another interview this summer. I imagine that would save 10,000 lives in the first year.

Pages numbers sound impressive, but are speculative and unfounded, according to many in the medical industry.

Interviews with more than a dozen health care professionals and data scientists found no evidence backing Pages specific claims. While they universally agree that data mining the examination and analysis of huge batches of information could invigorate health care, they caution that any sort of accurate estimate would be impossible.

Usually when I see someone put a number on it and throw around saving lives it usually means one, they arent usually a clinician or someone who provides care, or No. 2 its someone who really knows better, but is trying to grab a headline, said Nicholas Marko, the department head of data science at the Geisinger Medical Center.

A Google spokeswoman declined to offer an explanation of Pages numbers, or make him available for comment.

In one other instance where Page has used an unsubstantiated health care statistic, he told Time Magazine last year that solving cancer would only add about three years to peoples average life expectancy. Thats a figure the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute had never heard of before. A Google spokeswoman didnt have an answer when asked for an explanation.

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Health Care Eyes Power, Pitfalls of Data Mining

McHenry County health care providers emphasize end-of-life care

McHENRY Sitting in a hospital bed at Centegra Hospital McHenry, a hospital chaplain walked 84-year-old Teresa Guardi through the different life-sustaining measures the hospital can take ventilators, dialysis, CPR and feeding tubes.

At my age, why should I care about a ventilator? the Island Lake resident asked.

Mom, you could live to be 100, her daughter, Pamela Guardi, said from her seat near the door.

I dont want to live to be 100, she responded. All my friends would be gone, and young people dont want to deal with it.

What she did want was to only be treated with these methods if the gain outweighed the harm and if she was likely to come out of the treatment with a good quality of life, hospital chaplain Dena Battaglia found out as she walked Guardi through the form granting her daughter the power of attorney over her health care if shes ever unable to communicate her own decisions

I want to be independent, Guardi told Battaglia. Theres so many things in life that I still want to discover.

As a hospital chaplain for the past 11 years, Battaglia has these conversations all the time.

Every time someone over the age of 18 is admitted to one of Centegras hospitals, theyre asked if they have an advanced medical directive and if they dont, whether theyd be interested in filling one out.

Thats how Battaglia ended up in Guardis room.

Guardi had gone to the emergency room over concerns that several days worth of diarrhea was dehydrating her, she said. When she was admitted, she was asked those questions and then offered help in filling one out.

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McHenry County health care providers emphasize end-of-life care

Medicare and home health care services

There is a publication put out by the Medicare Rights Center that is an excellent source of useful information on all aspects of Medicare. Recently, it covered a topic that is of great importance to many people. If this topic does not necessarily pertain to you at the moment, I urge you to read the article anyway. Chances are really good that it will affect the lives of your parents, your spouse or you at some point.

This article is republished with permission from the Medicare Rights Center. For more information, visit http://www.medicarerights.org and http://www.medicareinteractive.org.

Dear Marci,

I have multiple sclerosis and my doctor recommended I receive Medicare-covered physical therapy in my home as part of the home health care benefit. I will always need physical therapy to maintain my multiple sclerosis but I heard Medicare will only cover home health services if you are expected to make a full recovery. Will Medicare pay for my home health care even if my condition is chronic?

- Howard (Decatur, GA)

Dear Howard,

Medicare should cover your home health care services from a Medicare-certified home health agency (HHA) even if you have a chronic health condition. Although you may hear otherwise, Medicare covers skilled nursing and therapy services intended to help you maintain your current ability to function or to prevent or slow your functioning from getting worse.

Remember, there are four requirements that must be met for you to be eligible for the Medicare home health care benefit. You must be homebound, you must need skilled nursing care or skilled therapy services, your doctor (or other primary care provider) must have a face-to-face meeting with you to develop a plan of care, and you must receive your home health care services from a Medicare-certified home health agency.

Medicare should not deny you coverage of home health care services if you meet these four requirements even if your health condition is chronic. You also cannot be denied care because the care will only maintain and not improve your ability to function. Restoration potential, the idea that you can improve or increase your ability to function, is not necessary for Medicare to cover home health care.

You can continue to receive home health care for as long as you qualify for the benefit. Your doctor will need to approve a new plan of care every 60 days for the benefit to continue, verifying the care is medically necessary.

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Medicare and home health care services

HR apps aid compliance with health-care law

(Editors note: Part 2 of 2)

While employees in Arizona now have universal access to health care, theres paperwork to fill out and regulations to follow for business owners, including the requirement to report the value of that coverage as part of employee W-2 forms (tinyurl.com/9pe8b5d).

Small-business owners are in charge of all human resource activities. HR software can automate tasks, saving time and money, especially as your business grows to 50 or more employees and you are required to offer employee health insurance.

Jennifer Riggins, a writer for SCORE and marketing director at getapp.com, offers insights on why complying with the Affordable Care Act now with the right software or app might be a good option for your small business.

Diane Diamond is vice president of media relations for SCORE Southern Arizona, a nonprofit group that offers free small-business counseling and mentoring by appointment at several locations. For more information, go to southernarizona.score.org, send email to mentoring@scoresouthernaz.org or call 505-3636.

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HR apps aid compliance with health-care law

Wal-Mart Plans 1-Stop Health Coverage Shopping

Wal-Mart is taking one-stop shopping to another area: health insurance.

The world's largest retailer plans to work with DirectHealth.com, an online health insurance comparison site and agency, to allow shoppers to compare coverage options and enroll in Medicare plans or the public exchange plans created under the Affordable Care Act.

The strategy is another step into insurance marketing as the retailer tries to use its mammoth size to expand beyond food and other basics at a time of sluggish traffic and sales. It also could help Wal-Mart compete with drugstore chains such as Walgreen and CVS, which are rapidly adding health care services.

Customers can enroll online, by phone or at 2,700 of Wal-Mart's more than 4,000 stores, starting Oct. 10. The stores will be staffed with independent insurance agents from DirectHealth.com.

In April, Wal-Mart teamed up with Autoinsurance.com to let shoppers quickly find and buy insurance policies online. DirectHealth.com and Autoinsurance.com are owned and operated by Tranzutary Insurance Solutions LLC, a subsidiary of Tranzact of Fort Lee, New Jersey, which set up Tranzutary specifically to work with Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart won't receive commissions on health coverage sales and hopes to benefit partly by luring customers into stores. DirectHealth is absorbing most of the costs to operate the program, Labeed Diab, senior vice president and president of Wal-Mart's health and wellness division, told The Associated Press.

Wal-Mart plans to launch a TV, radio and in-store promotions campaign this month.

Since 2005, Wal-Mart has hosted health insurance agents from individual insurers in stores to field questions and enroll customers. But Diab said that with the Affordable Care Act, shoppers found the search for coverage more complicated.

He cited outside research that shows that more than 60 percent of people have difficulty understanding their health insurance options and nearly 40 percent feel they picked the wrong plan after enrollment.

"We saw a greater need to bring more transparency and simplicity," Diab said. He noted the strategy is also part of Wal-Mart's strategy to build business in wellness and health care. But he also is counting on the program to bring more customers to the store.

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Wal-Mart Plans 1-Stop Health Coverage Shopping