Significant Premium Hikes Expected Under Obama Health Law

Expect insurers to seek significant premium increases under President Barack Obama’s health care law, in a wave of state-level requests rippling across the country ahead of the political conventions this summer.

Insurers say the law’s coverage has been a financial drain for many of them, and they’re setting the stage for 2017 hikes that in some cases could reach well into the double digits.

For example in Virginia, a state that reports early, nine insurers returning to the HealthCare.gov marketplace are seeking average premium increases that range from 9.4 percent to 37.1 percent. Those initial estimates filed with the state may change.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2042298-significant-premium-hikes-expected-under-obama-health-law/

A sea of blue: share your bluebell photographs

 

Often found in ancient woodland, bluebells are a significant part of our springtime. These forest flowers only have a small window to bloom; between the arrival of the warmer sun and the opening of the tree canopy which casts them in shade.

This spring the Woodland Trust is mapping bluebells across the country with the launch of its Big Bluebell Watch. The idea is to determine how bluebells are being affected by climate change, and whether any action is needed to protect them.

Have you spotted any bluebells on your recent woodland hikes? We’d like to see your pictures of any you have discovered, as well as the location of where they were found. Tips on what to look out for can be found here.

We’re planning to feature the best of your bluebell photographs in the eye witness section of the paper, so please share the highest image resolution possible. The assignment will close on Monday 9 May at 10 am.

You can share your images by clicking on the blue ‘Contribute’ button on this article. You can also use the Guardian app and search for ‘Guardian Witness assignments’ – and if you add it to the homepage – you can keep up with all our assignments.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/08/a-sea-of-blue-share-your-bluebell-photographs?CMP=twt_gu

 

 

Study: Climbing Trees Significantly Improves Working Memory

4http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2015/07/30/study-climbing-trees-significantly-improves-working-memory/

STUDY: CLIMBING TREES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES WORKING MEMORY

The study found that participants experienced a 50% improvement in their working memory

http://www.infowars.com/study-climbing-trees-significantly-improves-working-memory/

http://www.infowars.com/study-climbing-trees-significantly-improves-working-memory/