Pandemic Will Cost Insurer More Than $600M: Blue Cross CEO

As the COVID-19 pandemic deepens, the World Health Organization said it acknowledges the emerging evidence that the deadly and infectious coronavirus may be transmitted through the air. During a news briefing on Tuesday, WHO health experts responded to an open letter signed by 239 scientists the day prior urging the U.N. body to recognize the potential for…

Derek Angus, critical care chief at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.“ We made traditional clinical research look so slow and cumbersome.”. Researchers in the United Kingdom managed to enroll one of every six hospitalized COVID-19 patients into a large study that found a cheap steroid called dexamethasone helps and that a widely used malaria drug…

—At least a dozen lawmakers have ties to organizations that received federal coronavirus aid, according to newly released government data, highlighting how Washington insiders were both author and beneficiary of one of the biggest government programs in U.S. history. Under pressure from Congress and outside groups, the Trump administration this week…

Rutgers University will offer remote instruction and limited in-person classes this fall. The president of operations for the Washington Nationals baseball team said that without accurate, fast testing, the team's 2020 season is at risk. Pennsylvania has paid out almost $24 billion in unemployment benefits since the pandemic began.

Democrats and Republicans are reacting differently to the ongoing pandemic and economic reopening here in New Hampshire, a divide that could make responding to the crisis more difficult, researchers say. “Rehabilitating the state economy while continuing to deal with COVID-19 is a delicate balancing act, and the vast differences between Democrats and…

–Given this year’s tax deadline is extended to July 15, now is an ideal time for consumers to reevaluate their retirement plans, assess how COVID-19 has impacted their financial goals and develop a strategy to optimize taxes in retirement. According to the 2019 Tax-Efficient Retirement Income survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of The…

Hospitals in the states hardest hit by the virus in March and April– New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania– got the least amount of federal support per patient, according to a 17- page report released Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Jun. 23– As COVID-19 cases in Dallas continue to rise, two coronavirus testing sites in the city are set to lose their federal funding on June 30, Dallas officials said Tuesday. The sites are located at American Airlines Center and Ellis Davis Field House, WFAA-TV reported. Rocky Vaz, director of emergency management for Dallas, told Allison Harris of Fox 4 News that…

—The number of global coronavirus cases continued to surge Tuesday in many large countries that have been lifting lockdowns, including the U.S., even as new infections stabilized or dropped in parts of Western Europe. New cases have also been rising steeply in Mexico, Colombia and Indonesia. Brazil, with more than 1.1 million cases and 51,000 deaths, has been…

Trump told supporters at his campaign rally that the U.S. has tested 25 million people, far more than any other country. The outbreak has killed about 120,000 people in the U.S., and nearly a half-million worldwide, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, though the real numbers are believed to be higher. The number of newly confirmed cases per day has risen…

Verily Life Sciences, a sister company of Google, scrambled to introduce a free coronavirus-screening site for the public and set up testing locations in March after President Donald Trump made an off-the-cuff announcement about the program. It had a rocky start but has since helped more than 220,000 people get tested in 13 states.

Florida added another 3,207 coronavirus cases Thursday, shattering the previous daily record as the state emerges as an alarming hot spot among places grappling with a resurgence of the disease. But with Florida among 10 states that saw their highest seven day average for new COVID-19 cases this week, a disease model by scientists at Children's Hospital of…

—Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic is“ a cause for celebration,” but a new poll finds more than half of Americans calling it fair or poor. The Gallup and West Health survey out Thursday found that 57% of U.S. adults rated the national response to COVID-19 as fair or poor, particularly in light of the fact that America has the…

The economic shutdowns to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, spurring the deepest recession in decades, has had the unintended consequence of halting the flow of coins through households, businesses and banks, the head of the Federal Reserve confirmed Wednesday. As the economy ground to a halt earlier this year,“ the flow of coins through the economy has…

In May 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic passed its first peak in Europe, over 5,000 researchers at more than 700 universities worldwide put their name to the opinion-piece printed below. It was written by three scholars: Isabelle Ferreras, Dominique Méda, and Julie Battilana and published on 16 May in 41 newspapers in 36 countries, translated into 27 languages.

All 50 states are relaxing some of the coronavirus-related restrictions, but numbers have started creeping back up in states such as Arizona, Texas and North Carolina. In New York, which is suddenly on a better track than much of the rest of the country, Gov. Leaders in Oregon, Utah and Nashville, Tennessee, have halted their reopenings for a time, and Harris County,…

The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Construction Limited, Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele, in an interview with Daily Trust, said as part of measures to survive the constrictions in the property market caused by the COVID-19 crisis, players in the sector needed to think creatively and offer customers irresistible products. He said his firm had offered investors the…

Homes that followed federal infection control guidelines were largely able to contain the virus, asserts Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, which sets standards and pays the bills.“ Trying to finger-point and blame the federal government is absolutely ridiculous,” she says. A White House directive to test all residents…

Jun. 14– The coronavirus has devastated business for Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney, who own five restaurants around South 13th Street that were catalysts in the revival of Midtown Center City. The partners tapped out their accounts to refund more than $75,000 in deposits for canceled private events at Barbuzzo restaurant. In addition to Barbuzzo, she and…

Through a barrage of negative news, intensified fears and an uncertain future, the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened people’s emotions. This can often affect the personal side of financial planning and overshadow the technical perspective.

Jun. 9– The easing of rules for how and when small business owners must spend billions in forgivable federal loans is good news, but there are still some hurdles to clear when it comes to earning that forgiveness, lending experts said. Even with the changes in the Paycheck Protection Program signed into law by President Trump on Friday, the forms business owners…

The historic marches after George Floyd's tragic death happened during a still unfolding pandemic. COVID-19 is still circulating in Minnesota and elsewhere even as mitigation measures ease. Unfortunately, these risk factors have been widespread as thousands came together after Floyd's May 25 death to call for police reform or mop up the aftermath when…

That’ s the harsh truth facing workers laid off around the U.S. and the world, from restaurants in Thailand to car factories in France, whose livelihoods fell victim to a virus-driven recession that’ s accelerating decline in struggling industries and upheaval across the global workforce. New U.S. jobless figures to be released Friday are expected to show…

Panelists at a recent Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers' Mandatory Continuous Professional Development webinar, titled “Opportunities for Stockbrokers: Post COVID-19 Pandemic,” made the call. For instance, the lead speaker and Divisional Head, Trading Business, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Jude Chiemeka, said the operating environment has changed very…

Jun. 4– California hospitals lost at least $3.2 billion a month during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as they made preparations for a potential flood of patients, bought new equipment and canceled non-emergency medical procedures, according to a report from the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation. The report, released Wednesday, highlights…

The hopes for a sharp and immediate rebound from the COVID-19 shutdown in Massachusetts are no longer realistic, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, which is now predicting a long and slow climb that will strain state resources. The impacts of the economic downturn could be mitigated by tapping into the state's $3.5 billion reserve fund or…

The University College London issued the following news:. The study found that stricter lockdowns imposed earlier- such as the two-month lockdown imposed in China- are economically preferable to more moderate lockdowns imposed for four or six months, as duration of lockdown matters more to economies than their severity. Particularly at risk are open or…

NEW YORK- With the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, the coming hurricane and wildfire season is likely not on many Americans' radars right now. That's according to an American Institute of CPAs survey of 2,050 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll in the fall of 2019.. “In the face of a natural disaster, protecting your family from harm should be your primary concern,”…

Bernie Sanders is no longer running for president, but one of his ideas, Medicare for All, is more critical than ever. The United States, with the world's largest economy, needs to civilize itself by extending this right to all, instead of prioritizing the financial health of Big Pharma and Wall Street. Bernie Sanders popularized Medicare for All, a policy he has been…

How people manage their money in the post-pandemic economy depends as much on people's psyche as it does on the COVID-19 contagion itself, according to a local banker, insurer, accountant and money manager. As it was during a stay-at-home economy, expect online interaction to continue as a primary way of conducting business like banking, said Rick Wallis,…

The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic for Gulf states has done far more than play havoc with their revenue base and fiscal household. Leave aside whether Gulf states can continue to focus on high-profile, attention-grabbing projects like Neom, Saudi Arabia “s $500 billion USD 21st century futuristic city on the Red Sea. Most governments acted early…

—Rabbi Shalom Rubanowitz looks forward to reopening his synagogue doors— if his congregation can balance the laws of God and California during the coronavirus pandemic. The Orthodox congregation of Shul on the Beach in Los Angeles County's Venice Beach will follow the guidelines, consulting with rabbinical authorities who place a high importance on…

—South Korea reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections in weeks on Wednesday and India reported another record single-day jump of more than 6,000 cases, as the pandemic expanded its grip across much of the globe. Still, optimism over reopening economies from business shutdowns to fight the virus spurred a rally on Wall Street, even as the…

That's because Congress mandated there would be no copays and no out-of-pocket costs for patients. When testing kits were still scarce, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, fired up its clinical labs. In late March, Congress passed two laws, the.

After the disastrous mishandling of its COVID-19 battle, the Trump White House blames China for the virus, at the cost of American lives and worst contraction since the 1930 s. Blaming China for Trump’ s COVID-19 mishandling. On January 30, right after the‘ Phase 1’ trade deal and the national virus emergency in China, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross declared the…

Exact numbers won't be known for a few years, but based on the last recession it's likely that thousands of people who will earn at least $1 million this year but find themselves between work will hold out their hand asking Uncle Sam for an unemployment check. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, said Wednesday she wants to have Congress cut them off, calling it an affront to…

DES MOINES, Iowa- Strong concern about a second wave of coronavirus infections is reinforcing widespread opposition among Americans to reopening public places, a new poll finds, even as many state leaders step up efforts to return to life before the pandemic. It has been eroded over the past month by a widening partisan divide, with Democrats more cautious and…

–States, countries, and cruise lines are beginning to open for summer travel, but travel insurance consumer trends show COVID-19 concerns remain top of mind. Travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth.com, reveals how COVID-19 has changed travel this summer. Domestic trips account for 48% of all planned summer travel, up from just 15% in 2019. Travelers…

Mr. Trump relayed his optimism as transmission appears to be slowing, with the U.S. recording about 20,000-25,000 infections per day, compared to about 30,000-35,000 in late April. Mr. Trump said he talked about “everything you can discuss” with the Senate GOP, which will defend its majority this November in the face of polls that suggest they'll have a fight on…

—Japan’ s economy plunged into recession in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic squelched business activity, while leaders in the U.S. and Europe are weighing the risks and rewards of lifting COVID-19 restrictions knowing that a vaccine could take years to develop. Two of the new cases were in Jilin and residents were being required to show…

May 15– Tax incentives are increasingly used by cities, and sometimes states, to lure businesses to the area. Most involve some sort of tax break for the incoming business in return for negotiated levels of capital investment, quality jobs or new revenues generated. Tony Mastin, a tax attorney with McAfee& Taft and former executive director of the Oklahoma Tax…

They spoke anecdotally about a month into Indiana's stay-at-home order and travel restrictions. “Usually in the medical situations, it's important to have an advocate– somebody who's willing to be proactive, contacting doctors and nurses and whoever they can, and to find out what the situation is and what the options are,” said attorney Loraine Troyer.

May 14– JEFFERSON CITY– A plan to use federal funding to offset the cost of COVID-19 tests for Missouri residents advanced in the Senate on Thursday. During the debate on the measure, some Republicans objected to the potential costs of such a program. Dan Hegeman, R- Cosby, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, amended the plan to add the $150 limit.