Month: February 2014

Humana Inc said on Wednesday that it received 202,000 applications for Obamacare health insurance plans, many of them from young people, but still gave a wide forecast for 2014 profit as it waits to see the demographics of future customers. President Barack Obama’s national healthcare reform law, often called Obamacare, set up state-based insurance exchanges to let individuals buy policies with income-based subsidies. Humana, which previously cut its outlook for sign-ups by at least half because of the technology failures, said it saw that more customers than usual were extending their old health plans. Still, Chief Executive Officer Bruce Broussard said that its first look at enrollees so far shows that they are “scaling a bit more to the younger side.” Young people, typically defined as adults under age 35, have fewer medical problems and are less expensive to insure, making them an important element to ensure the long-term viability of the exchanges.

By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Texas is set to execute a woman convicted of leading a plot to kidnap, torture and then beat to death a mentally disabled man to collect insurance money. The state, which executes more people than any other in the United States, plans to execute Suzanne Basso, 59, at 6:00 p.m. U.S. Central Time (2400 GMT) on Wednesday by lethal injection at its death chamber in Huntsville. If the execution goes ahead, Basso would be the 14th woman put to death in the country since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 and the 510th person executed in Texas. Lawyers for Basso have filed an application with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a stay, arguing that she is not mentally competent and should not be executed.

Merck & Co Inc's quarterly profit and sales just missed expectations as its medicines faced competition from cheaper generics, but the company announced potentially lucrative new cancer-drug partnerships with rival U.S. drugmakers. For the full year, Merck expected to earn $3.35 to $3.53 per share, excluding special items. "Overall, I view this guidance as 'good enough,' given fairly widespread Street concerns about a 'mega-miss,'" ISI Group analyst Mark Schoenebaum said, adding that investors remain more focused on prospects for the company's array of experimental drugs. Separately on Wednesday, Merck said it plans to test its closely followed immuno-oncology drug MK-3475, in combination with medicines being developed by Pfizer Inc, Amgen Inc and Incyte Corp. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Most children and adults in the U.S. are getting less than the recommended amounts of whole grains and dietary fiber, according to a recent study. Researchers found people who did eat the recommended three or more servings of whole grains each day also tended to consume the most fiber. Whole grains are present in some types of hot and cold cereal and bread. The health benefits are in part attributed to the fiber in whole grains.

Former American tennis star Billie Jean King will be unable to join the official U.S. delegation attending the Sochi Winter Olympics opening ceremonies due to a serious illness in her family, the White House said on Wednesday. King was one of three openly gay American athletes named to the U.S. delegation, along with skating champion Brian Boitano and ice hockey medalist Caitlin Cahow. "The president extends his thoughts and prayers to Ms. King and her family in this difficult time," the White House said. The White House said Cahow, originally named as a member of the delegation in the closing ceremonies, will instead serve in King's place as a member of the delegation for the opening ceremonies.

What would you do if your mother’s health insurance stopped covering her care?        

By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) – Former "American Idol" singer Clay Aiken said on Wednesday he will run for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in his home state of North Carolina, where he once worked as a special education teacher. Aiken, 35, is likely to face a tough battle in his efforts to unseat Representative Renee Ellmers, a Tea Party Republican favorite, in the state's conservative 2nd congressional district. He filmed the video in a small North Carolina home where he said he and his mother slept for months on a mattress in a friend's living room when he was young. He noted his work teaching children with autism and his international travels with aid organization UNICEF, bookends to his runner-up finish in 2003 on the "American Idol" television talent show that thrust him into the national spotlight.