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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
At first glance, unlikely opponents of healthy living
By
Janet Hook
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) Who could object to rewarding people who quit smoking, lose weight or start to exercise? The American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association, for starters.
Some companies now charge lower insurance premiums to workers who meet benchmarks for healthy living. The Senate's health care overhaul legislation would expand the trend.
But instead of cheering the proposal, some patient-advocacy and health groups are worried that it would mean higher rates for less-fit Americans, possibly pricing them out of their employers' insurance plans.
"It is a way of cherry-picking," said Dick Woodruff, senior director of federal affairs for the American Cancer Society. "We are all for workplace wellness, but when you tie it to the insurance pricing system, it's a real problem."
Critics of the Senate proposal also say that giving special treatment to those who meet a company's fitness standards could undercut one of the marquee promises of the Democrats' proposed overhaul: preventing employers and insurers from discriminating against people on the basis of their health status and pre-existing medical conditions.
Under current law, companies can discount insurance premiums by 20 percent if employees meet benchmarks for weight, smoking or other aspects of their health. Earlier this year, two Senate committees, as part of the health care overhaul, voted to allow such cuts to go as high as 50 percent.
Leading the charge for the idea is Safeway, the giant grocery store chain, which already has adopted an incentive program that includes health premium reductions. Last year, the company began to offer a 20 percent premium discount to its nonunion workers who quit smoking, went on a diet, brought down their blood pressure and cut their cholesterol.
Jo Chiti, a Safeway employee who has lost about 30 pounds over the last year, said she has been swayed by Safeway Chief Executive Steve Burd's argument that health insurance should be more like car insurance. Just as good drivers should be rewarded with lower premiums than reckless drivers, Burd says, people who take responsibility for maintaining a healthy lifestyle should pay less for coverage than people who do not.
A lobbying blitz by Burd, who has traveled to Washington 11 times this year, was instrumental in the two Senate committees' decision to include the idea in their health care bills. Senate leaders are putting together the final version of a bill they will take to the Senate floor.
"We believe that personal responsibility and financial incentives are the path to a healthier America," Burd said in a newspaper column.
Nationwide, the program covers 25,000 nonunion employees who are part of the Safeway health insurance plan, most of them in California. The company says that 74 percent of them have signed up.
Once a year, participants submit to tests of four health risk factors: smoking, obesity, blood pressure and cholesterol. If they pass all four, they receive a $780 annual discount, which is 20 percent of the total cost of their insurance.
If they do not pass initially but make progress — quitting smoking or losing 10 percent of their weight — they can get a premium rebate.
After making several changes in the health policy offered to nonunion workers, Burd said, the company's health care costs have "flatlined" over the last four years, while other companies' costs have gone up nearly 40 percent on average.
But it is not clear how much credit goes to the premium discounts. Those have been available only for one year, and presumably it is too soon for lifestyle changes to effect health expenses.
There is no independent analysis of the program and whether it really changes behavior — or, as critics suggest, rewards people who would be healthy anyway.
Critics in the labor movement say the incentive scheme is a backdoor way for companies to cut their costs by driving less-healthy workers out of the insurance group. Indeed, most of Safeway's union workers, who are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers and make up some 95 percent of the company's work force, have not embraced the idea in their own health plan, which is established in a multi-employer contract.
What is more, critics worry that the program will unfairly penalize people whose health status is not solely the result of behavior they can easily control, such as a genetic predisposition to obesity or the weight gain that often accompanies smoking cessation.
Ken Schachmut, a Safeway senior vice president, says the company has a system for making exceptions if people bring a physician's note to explain why they cannot safely or wisely achieve the set goals. "We do not discriminate," he said.
Opponents hope to water down the Senate provision in the legislative maneuvering ahead. A coalition of patient-advocacy and health groups said in a letter to Congress: "We believe that provisions increasing premium variations allowed under current law can — if used unwisely — be a back door to making coverage to the sick unaffordable."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Rex Nutting is a columnist for MarketWatch.com. Comment by clicking here.
© 2009, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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