Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (245372)	2/23/2014 10:24:32 PM
From: Sam	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542192

Wasn't it you who wanted to go on a cruise? Or maybe I have remembered that wrong.... CDC investigates another possible norovirus outbreak on cruise ship Posted on: 6:04 pm, February 23, 2014, by CNN Wire, updated on: 06:05pm, February 23, 2014 http://kdvr.com/2014/02/23/cdc-investigates-another-possible-norovirus-outbreak-on-cruise-ship/ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Federal health officials are investigating another possible norovirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship that just ended a Caribbean voyage. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 114 passengers and 10 crew members on the Holland America cruise ship ms Veendam suffered vomiting and diarrhea during a week-long voyage that ended Saturday. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer and an epidemiologist boarded the ship when it arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday, the agency said. The investigators will “conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.” The CDC is also testing stool samples from the sickened passengers and crew, the agency said. Holland America officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Veendam carried 1,273 passengers and a crew of 575, the CDC said. Hundreds of people aboard two cruise ships in the Caribbean fell ill with norovirus last month. The CDC reported that norovirus hit more than 600 passengers and crew on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas in January, making it one of the biggest such outbreaks on any cruise ship in the past two decades. The Caribbean Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, cut short its seven-day Caribbean itinerary last month after 178 passengers and 11 crew members were stricken with norovirus. CDC staffers helped sanitize that ship. The Veendam got a failing grade from CDC inspectors who found multiple sanitation violations, including brown liquid dripping on clean dishes and a fly on the buffet, in September, the CDC said. “While unacceptable for Holland America Line, the unsatisfactory score is highly unusual and an aberration,” Holland America’s Sally Andrews said last year. Inspectors don’t tell cruise lines when they’re going to show up, but they visit twice a year as part of the CDC’s vessel sanitation inspection program. The CDC grades ships on a 100-point scale. An 85 or lower is considered a failing grade. The Veendam received a grade of 77. “Since 1996, Veendam has received passing scores on 32 inspections,” Andrews said. The Veendam is a 16-year-old ship, christened by actress Debbie Reynolds, that can carry 1,930 passengers and crew, according to Holland America.

To: epicure who wrote (245372)	2/24/2014 9:22:24 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542192

California exceeds 2014 exchange enrollment goals WASHINGTON — Well before the March 31 deadline to buy insurance, California announced Tuesday it has already exceeded its 2014 enrollment goals for its health care exchange. By the end of January, 728,410 people had enrolled in private health plans through Covered California, and 100,000 more signed up in the first two weeks of February. About 26% are 34 and younger. "These enrollment numbers mean that with six weeks to go, California has already exceeded its projected base enrollment for the 2014 open-enrollment period," said Covered California executive director Peter Lee. "While this is a strong showing, our goal is not pinned to meeting projections, but to making sure every Californian gets covered." Eighty percent of enrollees have paid their first month's premium, Lee said, and another 877,000 are eligible for Medicaid in California. After a sustained campaign to enroll California's Latinos in health care, more than 45,000 signed up in January, Lee said. This comes after criticism that while 50% of the state's uninsured were Latino, only 18% of people enrolling from October to December were Latino. The new numbers bump the percentage up to 28%. "We had 45,745 Latinos enroll in a single month," Lee said. "We're glad to see increased momentum for enrollment in the Latino communities, but we still have work to do as we move into the final six weeks before the March 31 deadline." Americans who do not have health insurance through their employers or the government must buy insurance by March 31 or pay a fine. New York also reported gains in enrollment Tuesday, saying that 266,177 people had enrolled in private plans; 44,000 people signed up last week. Another 189,865 have signed up for Medicaid. STORY: More than 1M signed up for health coverage in January "We are very pleased to see that more than 456,000 New Yorkers have enrolled for quality, low-cost health insurance, and over 745,000 people have completed applications since the Oct. 1 launch of NY State of Health," said Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health. "Also, 69 percent of enrolled New Yorkers were uninsured when they applied." Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that 1.1 million people signed up for private coverage in January, bringing the total enrollment for private plans to 3.3 million as of Jan. 31. Open enrollment continues until March 31 at www.healthcare.gov. Most people who make less than 400% of the federal poverty level, or $94,250 for a family of four, are eligible for subsidies. Those who do not have insurance may face a fine when their 2014 taxes are due. usatoday.com