Report: Leadership needed to address quantum threat mitigationNoneAnne-Mette Elkjær Andersen Joins Tannenbaum Helpern as Partner in the Firm's Corporate Practice Group
Teenage West Ham goalkeeper dies aged 15 after cancer battle
In a series of archived posts from a now-deleted Reddit account, Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , wrote extensively about a chronic back condition that he said caused him immense pain. The New York Police Department is now looking into whether a denied insurance claim related to that injury played a role in the shooting, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told Fox News on Tuesday . “He was posting an X ray on his social media showing numerous screws being inserted into his spine. Some of the writings that he had, he was discussing the difficulty of sustaining that injury,” Kenny said. ”So we’re looking into whether or not the insurance industry either denied a claim from him, or didn’t help him out to the fullest extent.” Health insurers refusing to pay for cancer care, a surgical procedure or other life-saving treatment is a common frustration for many people in the U.S., and a potentially devastating problem for some, experts say. Roughly 6 in 10 insured adults experience problems when they use their insurance, including insurers refusing to pay for care, according to a 2023 survey published by KFF , a nonprofit group that researches health policy issues. Refusals to pay for care are more common for people with employer-based health insurance or private insurance compared to people with public insurance, such as Medicare and Medicaid. About 1 in 5 insured adults who use emergency services had a denied claim. It’s impossible to know the full scope of the problem, Dr. Adam Gaffney, a critical care physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, said. In the U.S., he said, private insurers are generally not required to publicly disclose data on denied claims, although the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has some transparency rules. Another KFF report published last year found nearly 17% of in-network claims were denied in 2021 among people with Obamacare coverage. People and their doctors are often left to navigate numerous insurance plans — each has their own requirements and their own list of what’s covered — to determine whether they’ll be able to get the care they need, Gaffney said. “There’s a huge lack of clarity for patients and for doctors about what’s covered, what medicine can be started and what care will be approved and what will be blocked,” Gaffney said. “And there’s also a huge amount of administration burden that falls on medical practices to show that care is needed to get approved.” ”You can see how that kind of creates a degree of anarchy,” he added. Almost 3 of 5 adults who experience a coverage denial said their care was delayed as a result, according to a report from the CommonWealth Fund . When patients get denied, Gaffney said, they may not think to appeal, leaving them with medical debt . People don’t appeal because they may not realize it’s an option that can make a difference, or that they have the right to do it, surveys show . It’s more common for people with lower incomes to not appeal: A study published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law in August found those who were less affluent were significantly less likely than their wealthier counterparts to appeal denials of coverage. Arthur Caplan, the head of the medical ethics division at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said denied claims is an issue many in the public have been furious with for a long time. He noted that it’s not just adults who experience it; children, particularly those in need of expensive treatments such as gene therapy, are routinely turned down by insurance companies. “Our health care is not seen as a right. It’s something you earn,” Caplan said. “This is a boiling cauldron that the shooting exposed.”
MIAMI — The Miami Heat in its Jimmy Butler era has been consistently good enough to tease and tantalize but not good enough to turn the hope into celebration. So it is again now, just past the quarter mark of his sixth NBA season in South Florida, with a team 12-10 after three impressive straight wins. You can predict how this will play out, though, right? Coach Erik Spoelstra’s men will marshal the fierce competitiveness that defines Heat Culture to be the proverbial tough out in the first round of the playoffs. But the Heat will be nobody’s threat to raise the franchise’s fourth championship trophy in a conference with reigning champ Boston and a half dozen other teams with better title odds. Pretty good. Not good enough. It might feel like harsh judgment of where the Heat stands, and of the Butler era, but it also is fair and accurate as fresh speculation swirls around the possibility Miami might part with Butler before the league’s Feb. 7 trade deadline. The introduction of Butler before Thursday night’s home game vs. Toronto might in turn feel a bit different. A bit more like goodbye? Like thank you? Butler’s five-plus seasons in Miami have been an on-balance success if you’re a bottom-liner. Two NBA Finals and an Eastern Conference final series (though all ending in loss) have seen the Heat as legit contenders in three of five seasons. And Butler already has risen to fifth all-time in club win shares, after only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Alonzo Mourning and current teammate Bam Adebayo. Playoff Jimmy has proved able to lift his game in the postseason with epic performances ... though not able to lift the ultimate trophy. Eccentric, colorful, he has a lasting place in Heat lore, albeit with the big goal unfinished. So the Heat faces a decision right now: — Continue to believe that the Butler-Bam-Tyler Herro Big 3 core is the answer and championship-capable. — Or acknowledge it is not and that it’s time to tweak and retool with a Butler trade. Choice seems pretty clear to me. Butler has an opt-out after this season, can become a free agent and reportedly would pursue that path. So the choice is to keep him the rest of this season, then lose him and get nothing in return for him but the memories. Or trade him in the next seven weeks and get something in return to kick-start the retool. Easy answer: Trade him and get something, obviously assuming the offers are sufficient. Because, as is, Butler is an expensive veteran with an expiring contract — a time bomb. If there is a fair offer, jump on it. ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania (a.k.a. The New Woj) reported Tuesday Miami is “open” to offers for Butler and that the player cites Houston (where he’s from), Dallas and Golden State as preferred destinations. There has been speculation involving Denver and the L.A. Lakers, too. He reportedly wants a win-now team, an acknowledgment he doesn’t think Miami is one. There would be presumed interest, market value I think, even though Butler is 35 and with a somewhat onerous $48.7 million salary. A team close but needing a missing piece might have room or make room for a proven scoring option and fierce defender. What I won’t get into here (you’re welcome) is the machinations of what deals might work under the league’s new CBA trade rules. I leave that to Andy Ellisburg, the Heat’sVP/general manager who deals with the salary cap and such. Start mentioning “tax aprons” and my eyes glaze over. But I know this: Houston, Dallas and Golden State among them have a combined 10 tradeable first-round draft picks to dangle in a deal for Butler. Each has young players good enough to be a part of Heat plans moving forward. No team will give up a comparable star for Butler, but a package of players and picks, yes. High draft picks, players obtained in return and available current veterans such as Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier might be something Miami could parlay. Next summer’s free agents list also includes one Kyrie Irving, whom Pat Riley has privately had on his radar for awhile. Herro, having a great season, and Adebayo remain players to build around. Young rising star Jamie Jacquez Jr. can step into Butler’s role. The challenge is that Miami must parlay what it gets for Butler to get somebody younger and better. Or do the same in free agency. Bottom line: With Butler leaving soon, either by trade or in free agency, the Heat must confront its pressing need to replace him. Miami should strike a worthy deal and get something for Butler before he gets away for free. ©2024 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Donald Trump has announced Warren Stephens, an investment banker, . Mr Stephens, 67, is a Republican donor who previously campaigned against Mr Trump, before financially backing him at this year’s election. He will replace Jane Hartley, the current ambassador to the UK appointed by Joe Biden, after Mr Trump’s inauguration in January. Mr Stephens is a career investment banker in Arkansas, where he has long supported Mike Huckabee, the former state governor who has been appointed as Mr Trump’s ambassador to Israel. He has not served in any government role, and is currently the CEO and president of the family business, Stephens Inc. Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “I am pleased to announce that Warren A Stephens, one of the most successful businessmen in the country, has been nominated to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Court of St James’s, a role in which he will act as our representative to the United Kingdom. “Over the last 38 years, while serving as the president, chairman, and CEO of his company, Stephens Inc, Warren has built a wonderful financial services firm, while selflessly giving back to his community as a philanthropist. “Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top diplomat, representing the USA to one of America’s most cherished and beloved allies.” His appointment comes at a time for delicate relations between Mr Trump and Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister who was accused by the president-elect’s allies of interfering in the presidential election . The two men spoke after Mr Trump’s election victory last month, and have pledged to work together on the “special relationship”. Mr Trump has also pledged to impose blanket tariffs of up to 20 per cent on all foreign imports, including from the UK. British ministers have said they will attempt to persuade him to offer the UK access to American markets. Mr Stephens donated to the Stop Trump movement in 2016, when Mr Trump first ran for president. He then gave more than $3million to super PACs supporting Mr Trump in 2020, before backing the primary campaigns of Asa Hutchinson and . He has also donated to Maga Inc, another Trump-supporting Super PAC.Texas and Georgia are battling for recruiting supremacy before duking it out for a Southeastern Conference title. Alabama, which also appears to be headed to the playoffs, is right behind them. The two Atlanta-bound and presumably playoff-bound SEC powers are leading the way in recruiting league-wide and nationally during the early signing period that started Wednesday. They'll meet Saturday in the SEC championship game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They're currently No. 1 (Texas) and No. 2 (Georgia) nationally, but the SEC holds a sweep of the top three with the Crimson Tide ranked third in Kalen DeBoer's first full recruiting cycle. The league holds eight of the top 11 spots. The final rankings are pending the decision of the nation's top uncommitted prospect, defensive tackle Justus Terry, who is expected to choose among three SEC schools: Georgia, Texas and Auburn. Leader of the pack The Longhorns landed four five-star prospects, per the 247Sports composite rankings of recruiting sites. They also picked up No. 1-ranked athlete Michael Terry III on signing day when he chose Texas over Nebraska. Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns class is led by five-star safety Jonah Williams of Galveston, Texas, the nation’s No. 8 overall prospect, according to the composite rankings. They signed five-star wide receivers Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench, along with edge rusher Lance Jackson. Only Florida’s Ffrench was from out of state. Georgia had pledges from five five-star prospects entering signing day, led by No. 3 overall recruit defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, edge rusher Isaiah Gibson and linebacker Zayden Walker. Alabama got a potential successor to quarterback Jalen Milroe. Keelon Russell of Duncanville, Texas, is rated as the No. 2 quarterback and overall prospect per the composite rankings. Best of the rest Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has been touting his recruiting success frequently as building a solid foundation amid losing records in his first two seasons. The Tigers are currently at No. 6 and landed a much-needed quarterback in five-star Deuce Knight from Lucedale, Mississippi. LSU had the eighth-ranked class, a group led by five-star prospects in cornerback DJ Pickett, running back Harlem Berry and offensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Texas A&M stands at No. 9 after late flips in five-star signees in wide receiver Jerome Myles (from USC) and offensive tackle Lamont Rogers (Missouri). The Aggies are followed in order by LSU, Tennessee and Florida. The Volunteers were still awaiting the letter-of-intent from top-five prospect offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who has been committed since August but is reportedly considering Ohio State. The Gators' class was highlighted by five-star receiver Vernell Brown III. Under the radar Ole Miss wide receiver signee Caleb Cunningham is too highly rated to be truly under the radar for most programs. But Lane Kiffin has built the Rebels into an SEC contender largely with transfers, not blue-chip high school recruits. Cunningham, who de-committed from Alabama on Nov. 13, is rated as the No. 2 receiver and 18th-best player in the class. Ole Miss is looking for a replacement to star receiver Tre Harris. Star of the class Alabama's Russell was the highest-rated recruit and plays at the most prized position. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder led Duncanville High School to state championships in 2022 and 2023 and was MVP of the Elite 11 quarterback competition this year. Alabama returns Ty Simpson and Austin Mack at quarterback, so there may not be a pressing need for an immediate impact. Biggest surprises Myles was a big addition to the Aggies at a position of need. The nation's No. 5 receiver and 23rd-rated recruit had decommitted from USC after visiting College Station last weekend. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko's team is down to five scholarship receivers entering the postseason. Billy Napier and Florida flipped four-star safety Lagonza Hayward from rival Tennessee. Hayward ranks as the No. 9 safety in the country and had decommitted from the Vols on Sunday.