US states, cities fight religious freedom rule vs abortions

NEW YORK - Two dozen U.S. states and municipalities sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to stop it from enforcing a rule that would make it easier for doctors and nurses to avoid performing abortions on religious or moral grounds.

A lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James said the expanded "conscience" protections could undermine the ability of states and cities to provide effective healthcare without jeopardizing billions of dollars a year in federal aid.

It also said the rule would upset legislative efforts to accommodate workers' beliefs while ensuring that hospitals, other businesses and staff treat patients effectively.

Sterilizations and assisted suicide are other procedures that might be impeded, according to a complaint filed by New York and 22 other states and municipalities in federal court in Manhattan. California filed a similar lawsuit in San Francisco.

"The federal government is giving health care providers free license to openly discriminate and refuse care to patients," James said in a statement.

The rule is scheduled to take effect on July 22. It will be enforced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Roger Severino, director of HHS' Office for Civil Rights, said in a statement: "The rule gives life and enforcement tools to conscience protection laws that have been on the books for decades. HHS finalized the conscience rule after more than a year of careful consideration and after analyzing over 242,000 public comments. We will defend the rule vigorously."

President Donald Trump, a Republican, has made expanding religious liberty a priority, and the proposed rule drew support from anti-abortion activists.

Critics, including some civil rights medical groups, have said the rule could deprive some patients, including gay and transgender people, of needed healthcare because they might be deemed less worthy of treatment.

The Manhattan lawsuit said the rule could even prevent hospitals from asking applicants for nursing jobs whether they opposed giving measles vaccinations, even during an outbreak.

So far in 2019, the worst U.S. measles outbreak in a quarter century has sickened 880 people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.

The plaintiffs in Tuesday's lawsuits are led by Democrats or often lean Democratic.

They also include New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C.; the states of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin; and Cook County, Illinois.

Hundreds of lawsuits by Democratic-leaning states and municipalities have targeted White House policies under Trump.

The cases are New York et al v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 19-04676; and California v. Azar et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 19-02769. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Protecting your income: How much life insurance do you need?

MANILA, Philippines - At one point or another, you've probably been approached by an insurance specialist offering products designed to protect you and your family.

Before making a choice, a good question to ask would be if you actually need one. Life insurance is something that is usually paid out upon your demise to answer for the needs of your dependents, as well as cover debts you have left behind and even funeral expenses.

Following this logic, those without any dependents and those without any debts may not have a need for it. Remember, though, that your needs change over time. You may not have dependents or you may have no debt now, but how sure are you about how things will be ten years down the road?

If you have dependents, then there is no question about it: you definitely need life insurance.

Note that there are two kinds of products offered by insurance companies: whole and term insurance. Whole life insurance is in force for the lifetime of the insured and needs to be paid yearly. In the Philippines, arrangements are often made for the policy to be paid up in a number of years.

Term insurance, on the other hand, covers you for a specific period — from a year to up to 5 or 10 years. Think of it as something like car insurance. Once it lapses, you will need to get a new one or your coverage expires. Since its coverage is much shorter and is defined, it is much cheaper than whole life insurance.

One thing to remember about insurance is that it is much cheaper to get when you are much younger. If you’re 25 years old, you will be paying far less insurance premium for the same coverage than a 45-year old. For this reason, you may consider purchasing insurance even if you are still without any dependents.

If you have decided that it is time to get insurance, your initial question would most likely be how much insurance you should get and which of the variants out in the market will be best for you.

The amount of insurance that each person needs is an individual matter — what person A needs is different from that of person B. You will have to do an honest assessment of your current needs and project your future requirements to come up with an estimate of how much insurance cover you should get.

A simple way to do this is to look at your monthly expenses. List down everything that you have to pay for — food, utility expenses, household expenses, children’s tuition expenses, transportation, entertainment expenses, dues, rent, and amortizations. Assume that your monthly expenses come out to, let’s say, P30,000. That is the amount that your insurance will have to cover on a monthly basis. In other words, your family will need at least P360,000 a year in the event of your demise.

Most experts say that you will need insurance coverage of at least 10-12 times your annual earnings. This should provide for all your liabilities and represents your future earning potential.

If, in the above example, your expenses equals your earnings, then you will need insurance coverage of at least P3.6 million. Theoretically, this amount should, if invested, fetch a regular income for the surviving members of your family so that they are able to maintain their current lifestyle. More specifically, if the P3.6 million is invested, then it should fetch an amount that can tide your family, until the time comes when they are financially self-sufficient. Assume that this amount will earn 10% per annum, or P360,000 a year. This should be sufficient protection for your family.

Note, however, that your lifestyle will change as years pass. In all likelihood, your cost of living will go up as your family grows and as your income increases. This means that you should revisit your insurance coverage regularly to know if it is still realistically enough to cover your needs. Do this every time there is a life change — when you marry, when a new kid is born, when you have acquired property. In fact, do this every year as a matter of habit.

Remember to consult with financial experts in determining your insurance needs as well as in assessing your financial status. By constantly evaluating your financial status, you will be more enlightened on your needs as they change throughout your life.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Hepatitis: the sleeper virus that changes lives

MANILA, Philippines - Aldrich Talledo and his family were all set to migrate to New Zealand last year. A nurse by profession, Talledo, like others who seek greener pastures abroad, felt this was the best way he could provide for his wife and children. Until he was diagnosed with hepatitis B and everything changed.

Hepatitis B, an endemic disease but mostly undiagnosed in the Philippines, affects one in eight adult Filipinos, according to the Hepatology Society of the Philippines. This means that an estimated 14 million adult Filipinos are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus, said Dr. Diana Payawal, HSP president, at a press briefing for World Hepatitis Day which will be marked on July 28.

Of the number of chronically infected Filipinos, between 1.1 million and 1.9 million are expected to die prematurely of liver cancer.

Around the world, between 350 million and 400 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B, with Asia accounting for most, or an estimated 300 million of the cases, according to Payawal.

Hepatitis B is an asymptomatic disease with patients normally not knowing they have it until it develops to liver cirrhosis that causes liver cancer.

“Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer in the Philippines,” said Payawal adding that diagnosis for hepatitis B is low due to little awareness and because carriers do not feel symptoms.

Hepatitis B and C are called “silent” viruses and a person could infect someone without knowing it. If left untreated, both could lead to liver scarring and life-threatening complications and death.

There are no national data on the prevalence of hepatitis C in the Philippines, but a study done among prisoners and drug users shows that 35 percent of drug users and 50 percent of inmates in the country are suffering from the disease. The virus is transferred through infected blood.

Dr. Eternity Labio, HPS secretary, said 90 percent of hepatitis B cases come from perinatal transmission or from mother to child. Ten percent come from high risk behaviors such as those who have themselves tattooed or those using illegal drugs.

She clarified that the study on the prevalence of hepatitis B only involves adult Filipinos and may actually go up if children are included. It is a lifetime ailment although the virus could be “suppressed” through medication, Labio told InterAksyon.com.

Doctors urge the public to have themselves tested for hepatitis B and C and go for vaccination. It was only in 2006 when the Philippines made a commitment to provide 100-percent funding for hepatitis B immunization--allowing vaccination within 24 hours of birth rather than at six weeks of age of an infant, according to the website of the World Health Organization.

source: interaksyon.com