About Us – The Libertarian

Posted on by

is a happily married father-of-two health-care professional who had always considered himself a conservative. It took him the better half of two decades and the experience of living in four different welfare states to realize his libertarian leanings: the midwifes of this moral and philosophical rebirth were the likes of Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, John Locke and Frederic Bastiat.

Lamenting the epidemic lack of self-ownership and self-responsibility in the West, he began to write this blog in 2011. For years, his family, as well as his colleagues and employees had bravely shouldered the burdens of his sometimes incoherent ranting and rambling about political and social issues from a libertarian perspective. Now it was the time to make others suffer too.

Almost a year later, he has amassed both encouragement from fellow-libertarians, as well as death-threats and malediction from statists, to continue spreading the idea of liberty ever so much more vigorously.

Some of the ideas and opinions expressed in this blog might not resonate with other libertarians. And so, it just might spark a lively debate. However, whenever you find yourself in disagreement, remember the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson: If it neither picks (your) pocket, nor breaks (your) leg , dont let it bother you ! Its an exercise of Freedom of Expression and Opinion, and therefore an exercise in libertarianism itself.

See the rest here:

About Us - The Libertarian

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Adrian Wyllie tries to get noticed

Posted on by

TALLAHASSEE If the race for governor were a popularity contest, Adrian Wyllie would feel good about his odds.

Wyllie, 44, a former radio host and IT consultant from Palm Harbor, is taking the longest of long shots by running on the Libertarian Party ticket. But by virtue of a Florida's scorched-earth gubernatorial contest, he may just have a chance to swing the outcome.

The two major-party candidates current Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist are beating themselves silly with a barrage of negative commercials. Surveys have shown voters don't really care for either.

"People are so disgusted by the Republican-Democrat duopoly right now. People don't like either of these guys," Wyllie said.

Florida witnessed a historically close gubernatorial election in 2010 when Scott inched out a victory over Democrat Alex Sink by 1.2 percent of the vote. This year, the electorate remains divided and disgruntled.

"Anybody that can pull 1 or 2 percent in either direction can affect the outcome," said University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus.

Wyllie gregarious, confident and quick to crack jokes decided to skip the business and school photo ops to barnstorm through three dozen microbreweries last month.

Inspired by breweries standing up to legislative efforts to increase regulations last spring, Wyllie drew stout crowds and hearty applause with his pledge to "get government out of your wallet, out of your bedroom and out of your business."

But Florida politics isn't a beer-hall popularity contest. It's a mega-money-fueled, statistically modeled, head-butting, art-of-war affair between major political institutions and interests.

It is doctors and insurers vs. trial lawyers. It is Big Sugar vs. environmentalist million- and billionaires. It is a media orgy of attack ads burning through millions of dollars a week in Florida's 10 television markets.

Read more:

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Adrian Wyllie tries to get noticed

Brownley Offers Amendment Prohibiting Discrimination Against Women in Health Care Coverage – Video

Posted on by


Brownley Offers Amendment Prohibiting Discrimination Against Women in Health Care Coverage
Congresswoman Julia Brownley offered an amendment to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against women. Brownley #39;s amendment would stop insurance companies from charging small...

By: Julia Brownley

Read more:

Brownley Offers Amendment Prohibiting Discrimination Against Women in Health Care Coverage - Video

Health-care cost may change in Sunrise

Posted on by

The city of Sunrise is looking to lower the cost of health care for itself and city employees. One of the first steps would be a self-funded model of health care.

City commissioners voted in a new policy effective Jan. 1 that they hope will drastically cut down on the overall cost of health care the city has to pay to insurance companies and reduce the premiums city employees have to pay.

"We are taking steps to move to a self-funded model," City Manager Alan Cohen said. "The difference between where we are right now and where we are going is, we will continue to pay for direct health costs, [and] we'll continue to pay for administrative costs. We will not be paying for profit on our health-care costs, and also we will have the ability to garner significant cost savings over time."

According to Cohen, in the last 10 years, approximately $6.6 million went straight into the pockets of the various health insurance companies the city has had during that time period money that could have gone into reserves instead.

"One of the great frustrations we've all sensed here is that every year the insurance companies come in for a 10-percent raise," Mayor Mike Ryan said. "We seem to accept that the insurance companies get 10 percent year after year. This is an opportunity for all of us to work together to try and keep those premiums down. When they are kept down through wellness or otherwise, that everyone benefits from it and it's not just the insurance companies harvesting that profit for themselves."

The city will be using health insurance group AvMed to the tune of $14,926,000 per year to facilitate the administrative side of the health care.

The money saved from not paying health-insurance profits will now go into city reserves that can only be used for health-care costs as per state law.

The contract with AvMed includes their network of doctors, physicians, and specialists. The good news for city employees, according to Cohen, is that 96 percent of the providers are the same as the old health-care insurance, Humana.

"Some individual employees might have an individual physician not in the network, and there might be some displacement there," Cohen said. "But what is important to note in many of those cases is that if any of our employees are in the middle of receiving ongoing treatment, there is a transition-of-care program, which is applicable to things like pregnancy, substance abuse, cancer treatment, and the like."

Under the new model of self-funding, city employees will still have the same level of benefits, the same deductibles, and the same medical service. There will be no change in the services covered by the insurance or in the ancillary services, like drug counseling or employee-assistance programs. However, a small percentage of employees may see that certain physicians or specialists are no longer in their network, according to Cohen. Still, the network is much larger than the old one and covers more area.

More:

Health-care cost may change in Sunrise

Health care honcho says greater efficiency is on the horizon

Posted on by

For 23 years, Rod Davis headed St. Rose Dominican Hospitals Siena campus. Under his helm, Siena grew from a small, out-of-the-way medical center to one of the valleys busiest hospitals.

He is not afraid to challenge the status quo and take risks, all in the interest of improving health care quality and access, co-worker Kate Grey said. Rod has truly shaped and improved health care in Las Vegas.

In November, Davis will be honored by Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada for his efforts to provide health services to the most needy in the community. Last year, Dignity Health gave Volunteers in Medicine a $50,000 community grant and donated $50,000 worth of in-kind services.

You are being honored by Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada. Tell us about the award.

Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada is dedicated to providing the uninsured with access to comprehensive medical care, including preventive care. St. Rose Dominican has supported Volunteers in Medicine since its inception in 2008 and has worked closely with its founder, Dr. Florence Jameson. We believe the services VMSN provides are an essential cornerstone of our communitys health and are part of our mission as a faith-based, not-for-profit health provider. I am humbled to be recognized at the sixth annual Volunteers in Medicine Ball on behalf of my organization.

What do you think the nations health care system will look like in 25 years?

There will be less dependence on acute-care hospitals. They will still be needed, but focusing on keeping populations healthy and chronic disease management will intercept patients with proactive efforts to maintain their health.

Financial incentives to providers, employers and insurers will be aligned, reducing unnecessary duplication and influencing players to work together. This will result in even more efficient care delivery at a lower cost than we experience now.

Health delivery systems will be required to adapt to this changing environment in order to survive; organizations that deliver high quality at a better value will be the most successful.

What is on the horizon for Dignity Health?

Continue reading here:

Health care honcho says greater efficiency is on the horizon

Health care providers seek share of new revenue stream

Posted on by

Published: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m.

The money will come from the interest off about $200 million the Marion County Hospital District received from Community Hospital Systems in exchange for allowing that private company to lease Munroe Regional Medical Center. The money is sitting in interest-bearing accounts and investment vehicles.

With dozens of nonprofits looking for new revenue streams as state and federal funding spigots tighten, the hospital district money could be a godsend: the largest revenue stream of its kind in the county.

While the first checks wont be written for at least another year and while the hospital district trustees arent even close to deciding who should get how much the Star-Banner asked some local health care leaders how they think the money should be spent.

Among the first in line with suggestions is Heart of Florida Health Center CEO Kerrie Jones Clark.

First, continue to fund primary care for the uninsured, Clark said.

About half of Heart of Floridas 15,000 patients are uninsured. The other half mostly has Medicaid.

To fill the gap, the health center depends on local grants and corresponding federal drawdowns. For example, Heart of Florida gets $400,000 a year from Munroe Regional Medical Center and a corresponding $1.1 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

But CMS warned this year that its contribution will end next year. For Heart of Florida, which has a $9 million annual budget, thats a significant loss.

That is where the hospital district could step in, Clark said. A $1 million grant from the district would pay for about 10,000 health center visits and make up the CMS loss.

Read the original:

Health care providers seek share of new revenue stream

Dignity Health spends big at Levi's Stadium

Posted on by

If you're wondering why health care costs are going sky high, one reason may be the multimillion-dollar skyboxes that two of the Bay Area's biggest "not-for-profit" insurers have bought at the 49ers' new stadium.

Blue Shield of California and Dignity Health each own Levi's Stadium luxury suites, which go for at least $2.5 million apiece.

Dignity, the San Francisco outfit formerly known as Catholic Healthcare West, is also the Niners' exclusive health-industry sponsor. It's spending big time to advertise in and around the new Santa Clara stadium as well as on game broadcasts. There's even a "Dignity Health Plaza" at one corner of the $1.2 billion stadium.

"It's scandalous that two not-for-profit health care companies that are exempt from state taxes waste millions of dollars on luxury skyboxes rather than putting those charitable dollars toward patient care or lower premiums," said Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog, the group behind Proposition 45 on the November ballot - an initiative that would require California health care companies to get approval from the state insurance commissioner for rate increases.

Dignity officials said in a statement that they were "proud to be the official health care partner of the San Francisco 49ers." They noted that the company "is sponsoring the first-aid clinics located throughout the facility and will be hosting several special health and wellness events throughout the season."

The statement added that "in today's highly competitive health care market, the sponsorships also provide positive visibility and recognition for the Dignity Health brand and the services we provide."

In the meantime, Prop. 45 proponents - with TV cameras in tow - showed up Thursday outside Blue Shield's San Francisco headquarters with a tongue-in-cheek demand from 22,000 customers for tickets to Niners games.

The Prop. 45 folks also tried to buy advertising at Sunday's game on the Jumbotron at Levi's Stadium to tie Blue Shield's skybox to "excessive premiums" and tell fans that the health insurer "has a better view than you."

The Niners rejected the ad.

"We don't sell individual ad space," said team spokesman Bob Lange, telling us that it's strictly reserved for their media partners.

See the original post here:

Dignity Health spends big at Levi's Stadium

East Alabama family fights rare genetic disorder

Posted on by

When Auburn alumni Michael and Sara Heatherly discovered their son Porter had a rare genetic disorder, they didn't know at first that their alma mater was leading the fight against it.

Researchers at Auburn's College of Veterinary Medicine have been researching how to treat the same genetic disorder in cats...and are now ready to move on to the human testing phase.

"When you get a diagnosis that your child might not live to be two, you kind of lose hope and that's the way we were for a few weeks, even months afterward,," Sara said. "Then when we find out something like this is happening down the road, it turned our life around. It gave us hope and made us realize that's Porter's purpose."

Porter has gangliosidosis, otherwise known as GM1, a genetic disorder that attacks the brain and spinal cord, similar to Alzheimer's. Only one in every 360,000 children will be affected and there is no cure or treatment. Life expectancy for those born with the disorder is just two years.

"The really cruel thing about this disease is that they appear to be normal for the first six to eight months of their life, and then they begin to miss certain milestones like sitting up or rolling over or maybe they acquire those acquire those milestones and then they lose them," said Dr. Doug Martin of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Martin has been researching GM1 for nearly two decades. Porter's story has motivated him and his team in their research.

"Our group has always been really hard-working and motivated. But when we met Porter it took everything to a whole different level. The urgency we feel with the research now is just orders of magnitude above what it had been in the past because we have a great little kid right herein front of us who needs the research we're doing or needs the results of the research," Martin said.

This weekend, Porter celebrated his 2nd birthday surrounded by loved ones and those working to find a treatment for future children born with GM1. The Heatherly's find hope in the fact that Porter's life will make an impact on the lives of future generations.

"Just because he can't do all the things that you dream about when you have a little boy of everything he could do as far as playing sports or going to hunt or fish or do those kind of things, his life still can have a huge impact on people," Michael Heatherly said. "I think that's extremely important for us because of all the things he can't do, there's so many things he can do, just in a totally different way."

ON THE WEB: To donate to GM1 research, visit the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine.

See the original post:

East Alabama family fights rare genetic disorder

Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering – Buzzle

Posted on by

The science of indirectly manipulating an organism's genes using techniques like molecular cloning and transformation to alter the structure and nature of genes is called genetic engineering. Genetic engineering can bring about a great amount of transformation in the characteristics of an organism by the manipulation of DNA, which is like the code inscribed in every cell determining how it functions. Like any other science, genetic engineering also has pros and cons. Let us look at some of them.

Pros of Genetic Engineering

Better Taste, Nutrition and Growth Rate Crops like potato, tomato, soybean and rice are currently being genetically engineered to obtain new strains with better nutritional qualities and increased yield. The genetically engineered crops are expected to have the capacity to grow on lands that are presently not suitable for cultivation. The manipulation of genes in crops is expected to improve their nutritional value as also their rate of growth. Biotechnology, the science of genetically engineering foods, can be used to impart a better taste to food.

Pest-resistant Crops and Longer Shelf life Engineered seeds are resistant to pests and can survive in relatively harsh climatic conditions. The plant gene At-DBF2, when inserted in tomato and tobacco cells is seen to increase their endurance to harsh soil and climatic conditions. Biotechnology can be used to slow down the process of food spoilage. It can thus result in fruits and vegetables that have a greater shelf life.

Genetic Modification to Produce New Foods Genetic engineering in food can be used to produce totally new substances such as proteins and other food nutrients. The genetic modification of foods can be used to increase their medicinal value, thus making homegrown edible vaccines available.

Modification of Genetic Traits in Humans Genetic engineering has the potential of succeeding in case of human beings too. This specialized branch of genetic engineering, which is known as human genetic engineering is the science of modifying genotypes of human beings before birth. The process can be used to manipulate certain traits in an individual.

Boost Positive Traits, Suppress Negative Ones Positive genetic engineering deals with enhancing the positive traits in an individual like increasing longevity or human capacity while negative genetic engineering deals with the suppression of negative traits in human beings like certain genetic diseases. Genetic engineering can be used to obtain a permanent cure for dreaded diseases.

Modification of Human DNA If the genes responsible for certain exceptional qualities in individuals can be discovered, these genes can be artificially introduced into genotypes of other human beings. Genetic engineering in human beings can be used to change the DNA of individuals to bring about desirable structural and functional changes in them.

Cons of Genetic Engineering

May Hamper Nutritional Value Genetic engineering in food involves the contamination of genes in crops. Genetically engineered crops may supersede natural weeds. They may prove to be harmful for natural plants. Undesirable genetic mutations can lead to allergies in crops. Some believe that genetic engineering in foodstuffs can hamper their nutritional value while enhancing their taste and appearance.

Read more from the original source:

Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering - Buzzle