Search Results for “https:” – Page 974

Government sale of personal gene data condemned as ‘unethical and dangerous’

“The government is keen for Britain to be at the forefront of the genetic revolution, a potential multibillion-pound industry. Last year David Cameron launched a £100m scheme to map the genomes of up to 100,000 people, saying it would help to save lives by delivering new treatments. Under the scheme, firms would be able to access the information at a cost, but ministers insist that all data will be strictly anonymous. However, material released under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that firms can invoke an appeal process to demand ‘patient-identifiable data’, such as age and postcode.” Continue reading →

IRS facing class action suit for medical records theft

“A HIPAA-covered entity of the Southern District of California announced today that it is suing 15 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents for ‘an unlawful search and seizure conducted on March 11, 2011.’ Courthousenews.com reports that IRS agents have been accused of improperly accessing and taking 10 million medical records, such as the personal health records of all California state judges. The covered entity, called John Doe Company, states that the IRS agents stole more than 60,000,000 medical records of more than 10,000,000 Americans, including at least 1,000,000 Californians.” Continue reading →

IRS facing class action suit for medical records theft

CVS requires employees to report weight or pay a fine under new health care rules

“CVS pharmacy company is requiring all employees to submit detailed health profiles to their insurance company or pay a monthly fine to continue receiving health coverage. According to ABC News, all employees must submit their weight, body fat levels, blood glucose levels and other vital statistics before May 1, 2014, or face a monthly $50 fine — $600 per year. Employees who comply with the testing, the company said, will see no change in their monthly insurance rate. Those who do not will pay the fine or risk being dropped from their health plan.” Continue reading →

Companies cut hours of full-time employees to avoid providing health care under new rules

“Three years after the passage of Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, labor advocates are warning that it could have the unforeseen consequence of harming some of the very low-wage employees it seeks to aid. The legislation’s incentive scheme, they say, could cause a shift toward part-time work that extends beyond companies like Papa John’s and Darden Restaurants, which last year publicized their plans to cut employee hours to avoid costs under the new law. Such worries are reflected in California, where the state union federation is exploring legislation to lay over the Affordable Care Act to fix the potential problem.” Continue reading →

NATO airstrike kills two Afghan children

“A NATO helicopter strike killed two children in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, in the latest civilian casualties to beset the coalition’s war against Taliban militants. The operation close to Ghazni city was conducted after local people complained of a Taliban post targeting traffic convoys in the area, Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Ghazni province, said. ‘It was a joint (Afghan and coalition) operation conducted this morning that killed nine Taliban. Unfortunately, two school children were also killed and seven other civilians were wounded,’ he said.” Continue reading →

Missouri man facing charges for using fake penis to pass drug test

“A 34-year-old St. Louis man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly attempted to use a prosthetic penis to pass a drug test. According to FoxNews.com, Sydney Levin was arrested and charged with ‘possession of a forging instrument.’ He was caught attempting to use the Whizzinator Touch, a device designed to fool drug tests by creating body-temperature synthetic urine that will test negative for drugs. Police arrested Levin and released him when he posted $25,000 bond. In 2010, Gerald Willis of Los Angeles was sentenced to six months in federal prison for running the company that sold the Whizzinator. Willis’ company no longer exists.” Continue reading →

Idaho teacher investigated for saying ‘vagina’ during biology lesson

“A high school science teacher in Idaho is under investigation by the state’s professional standards commission because he reportedly used the word ‘vagina’ during a biology lesson. Tim McDaniel, who teaches 10th grade science at Dietrich School, told the Twin Falls Times-News that four parents were upset when they learned that his lesson included the word ‘vagina’ and information about the biology behind female orgasm.” Continue reading →