| Sen. Mel Martinez wants to double Medicare fraud penalties
U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez on Tuesday trumpeted his proposal to stiffen criminal and civil penalties for people who abuse the nation's health-care system, bringing his message to South Florida, the nation's worst haven for Medicare fraud. ''In Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties we probably have three of the busiest counties in fraud in the United States by a large measure,'' the Florida Republican told reporters at Miami Dade College. He said the federal government estimates about $60 billion in Medicare fraud claims a year, including about $12 billion in Florida. ''Four million Floridians and 47 million Americans that are uninsured could all be amply insured if we just took the fraud out of the Medicare system,'' he said. Martinez, who also met with U.S.
Conditions in P risons and the Treatment of Prisoners
Overcrowding remains the most serious problem in most Georgian penitentiary facilities, particularly in pre-trial facilities, and itself may lead to serious human rights violations.61 Overcrowding has been documented for many years by local NGOs, the Council of Europe, the CPT, and the United Nations Committee Against Torture.62 In 2001 the PACE monitoring committee noted, We were shocked by the dramatic overcrowding in the pre-trial detention centres, mainly in the section of adult men. It is hard to describe without emotion the circumstances under which human beings are kept. We described the situation to Georgian officials and explained that in the European Union it is not permitted to keep even pigs under such conditions.63 During its May 2006 review of Georgia, the CAT also noted the problem of overcrowding and recommended that Georgia should further reduce the period of pre-trial detention, expedite filling the vacancies in the court system and use alternative measures in cases where the accused does not pose a threat to society.64 The space allocated for prison cells in Georgiaboth in law and in practiceis significantly less than that required by regional human rights standards.
Economic Concerns Drive More Consumers Online, According to Prospectiv Survey
As a threat of recession weighs heavily on the minds of consumers, they're turning to the Web for some relief -- in search of savings on consumer products and tips for managing their lifestyles on a budget, according to a recent survey by Prospectiv. Prospectiv (http://www.prospectiv.com), a provider of online customer acquisition solutions to leading consumer brands, is the owner of the online properties Healthier.com and Eversave.com, and operates a lead generation platform used by publishers across the Web. Economic Fears Force Consumers to Adapt Of those polled, 84 percent said they have changed their shopping habits due to concerns about a possible recession. Rising fuel prices, fears about the real estate market and consumer debt topped consumer's list of concerns. What are consumers doing differently? .
UW lags on donor lungs
Lungs from UW Hospital organ donors were used in transplants just 9 percent of the time in 2006, compared to a national average of 30 percent, according to a public registry of transplant data. - Six of the 17 lungs taken from 117 organ donors that year were discarded, deemed unfit to be transplanted into any of about 70 patients on the hospital 's waiting list or patients at other centers. - The lung transplant rate among patients on UW Hospital 's list was about half the rate expected by the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the country 's transplant system. - Six patients, including four in need of high-risk second lung transplants, went to Loyola University in Chicago for their surgeries after UW Hospital doctors said they would not operate on at least some of them.
What's happenin?
Submit calendar items two weeks in advance; notices are run according to space availability. If you have a social event you would like possibly published, post it on our virtual newsroom at Beach-Bulletin.com, fax to 765-0846 or e-mail mschneider@ breezenewspapers.com.
Power squadron events
The Fort Myers Power Squadron has a series of events lined up for the remaining weeks of February into March.
On Saturday, Feb. 16, a luncheon will be held at the Channel Mark Restaurant (by car or by boat).
On Saturday, Feb. 23, a Global Positioning Class (GPS) will be held. On Saturday, March 1, a Boat Smart class will be held. On Thursday, March 6, a Squadron Dinner Meeting will be held. On Saturday, March 8, another Boat Smart class will be held.
Powerful Union Accuses Schröder of 'Failure'
The SPD's popularity has fallen to an unparalleled low in recent months, while the Greens have recorded major gains in regional elections despite the fact that, as the SPD's junior coalition partner, they are also responsible for Germany's current social and economic policies. Bsirske, as well as other union leaders, are hoping to strengthen the rebellious left-wingers within the SPD -- many of whom harbor nagging doubts about the political reorientation of their party, which has traditionally represented the interests of the underprivileged in society. Schröder: I'm not budging For his part, Schröder told the newsweekly Der Spiegel that the "unions need to abandon their abstract considerations instead ask concrete questions in their companies." Schröder said the unions should focus on what's really best for their workers.
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