Business, split on the cures, warily awaits health care reform - The Business Review (Albany):

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President Barack Obama has mobilized the grassroots supporterx who helped elect him to lobby for his vision of health care which includes offering Americansa government-run healtb plan as an alternative to privatre insurance. A coalition of labor unionsw and progressive organizations plans tospenrd $82 million on organizing advertising, research and lobbying to support the Obamaz plan. Business groups, mostly are working behind the scenes to shaprthe legislation.
While they have serious concerns aboutt some ofthe proposals—including the public plan option and a mandatw for employers to providw insurance—few are trying to block health care reform at this The cost of health insurancwe has become so burdensome that something need to be done, they agree. “Nobody supportsd the status quo,” said Jame Gelfand, the ’s senior manager of health policy. “We absolutelg have to have reform.” For most busines s groups, that means reininyg in health care costs and reformin g insurance markets so that employers have more choices in the types ofplan available.
To achieve those however, businesses may have to swalloa somebitter medicine. An employer mandate tops the list of concern for manybusiness groups, just as it did when Bill Clinton pushed his health care reform plan when he was president in the The Senate bill may include a provision that woulsd require employers to either provide health insuranc to their employees or pay a fee to the federaol government. Some small business owners don’ty have a problem with that, including memberxs of the MainStreet Alliance, which is part of the coalitiohn lobbying for the Obama plan.
“The way our systen works now, where responsible employers offer coverage andotherzs don’t, leaves us in a situatiohn with an unlevel playing field,” 11 alliance member s said in a statement submitted to the Senats Finance Committee. “If we’re contributing but otherf employers aren’t, that gives them a financial advantageover us. We need to leve the playing field through a system wherew everyone pitches in a reasonable Mostbusiness lobbyists, however, contend that employers who can affordd to provide health insurance do so alreadhy because it helps them attract and keep good Businesses that don’t provide healty insurance tend to be “marginally said Denny Dennis, senior researcbh fellow at the .
Imposing a “play or pay” insuranc e requirement on these businesses woulrd cost the economy morethan 1.6 millioh jobs, according to a study. Tax creditd could offset some of the costs for providinhthis coverage, but Gelfand said the creditxs under discussion are “extremelyg limited.” Congress also could exempt some small businesses—such as firms with less than $500,00 0 in annual payroll—from the employerf mandate.
Many business groups, however, see this proposal as an attemptf to split thebusiness community, not as meaningful “We oppose small business carve-outs because they make it easier for Congresz to apply mandates against larger employers,” said Neil Trautwein, vice presideng and employee benefits polic counsel for the . “It’s also easy for Congresse to come back and try to apply the mandatdagainst ever-smaller employers. “Nl matter how good the surroundin g healthcare reform, a bill containing an employer mandate woulf be too high a price to pay for reform.
” Public plan or market reforms Most small business groups also are wary of proposalas to create a government-run insurance plan, like that would be available as an option for small businesses and individuals. The Main Streett Alliance contends a public plan is needed to providw competition to private insurers and reduce the cost ofhealtbh insurance. NFIB spokeswoman Stephanie Cathcart saidher organization’sz members, however, “are wary of government-rum health care.” They fear a government-runj plan would drive private insurers out of the market.
Gelfandd said a government plan wouldn’t be needes if insurance market reforms, such as prohibiting insurers from denyingf coveragefor pre-existing conditions, were He hopes the larger goal of health care reform—lowerinh costs so more people can afford coverage—doesn’t get lost in battles over public plans and employerd mandates. “If this thing gets it’s going to be bad for he said.

US STOCKS-Wall St rises 1 pct on jobless data, oil drop - Reuters

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US STOCKS-Wall St rises 1 pct on jobless data, oil drop Reuters Initial jobless claims came in much stronger than expected at 368000, one day after a similarly robust ADP report on private sector hiring. Taken together, the two could bode well for Friday's February payroll report. For details, see [ID:nOAT004756] ... and more »

Cell phone use affects brain activity after 50 minutes (Includes interview) - DigitalJournal.com

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Cell phone use affects brain activity after 50 minutes (Includes interview) DigitalJournal.com Importantly, the study was conducted on healthy participants, and we need to learn more about perturbations that occur in individuals with specific health conditions and predispositions. The same metabolic perturbation in the brain could have ... Environmental Health Trust Experts Warn That Cell Phone Radiation Excites the ... Newswise (press release)  »

TECO Energy outlook remains strong - San Francisco Business Times:

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billion in debt held by and subsidiariewand Co. The ratinvg is supported by the underlying strengthof TECO’sw regulated electric and gas utility subsidiary, from which it derivex stable cash distributions to meet its fundinh requirements, Fitch said a Tampa Electric continues to post strong crediyt metrics, it maintains solid operating performance and it benefitse from Florida’s constructive regulatory Fitch said. Fitch is concerned, however, abourt slowing customer growth atTampa Electric. But the company has responderd to slower growth by postponing projects to increaseelectriv capacity.
Another concern for Fitch is cash flow deterioratio n atTECO (NYSE: TE) Guatemala because of the adversw rate order in 2008, unplanned outagew at the San Jose uncertainty over the extensionn of a purchased power and the potential for deferred or renegotiated contractes because of declining market prices, higher production costs and slumping demanfd for coal. TECO Coal and TECO Guatemalza provide roughly 20 percent of theparent company’s consolidatedf earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, Fitchn said. Credit ratios at Tampa Electricv should benefit from higher base rates in 2009 and 2010 as a resultg ofa $138 million rate order approved in Fitch said.
In addition, an affiliate waterborner transportation agreement that reducedTampa Electric’s annual net incomre by $10 million in prior years is Fitch expects coverage ratios to remain relatively strongv with funds from operations coverage at nearlyy five times in 2009. TECO Coal is expectedd to benefit from higher priceds contracts signedin 2008. However, soft coal demand and higherd mining production costs at TECO Coal raisw the risks ofcontractual non-performancs by counter-parties and pressured margins. Diversw regulatory orders and operatingg issues at the Guatemalan operations will resultf in dividend distributions that are lower than historic levels.
TECO's liquidity position is considered strong, Fitch said. Cash and cash equivalents were $34.9 milliobn and available credit facilitieswere $530 million as of Marcuh 31. Liquidity was enhanced by a net operating loss-tax carry forward of $547.5 millioh as of Dec. 31, which is expected to result in minimal cash tax paymentsthrough 2012. In addition, TECO'se $100 million note maturing in 2010 is expected to be retired withinternal cash. Positive rating action could result in the future from consolidateds leverage ratio reduction in 2010 and higher cash flows from a full year of higherd base rates in 2010 and effectivecost control.

Immigration buildings face foreclosure - Houston Business Journal:

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Foreclosure actions were filed on June 1 againstthe buildings’ Fort Lauderdale-based South Florida Federal Partners, according to Miami-Dader and Broward county court records. Wash.-based lender Dexia Real Estatwe Capital Markets is the private lendere filingthose actions. The USCIS, a division of the , whichy oversees immigration, is not Coral Gables attorney James Harringtonrepresenta Dexia. He did not immediately return a call seeking South Florida Federal Partners won approval to builsd five field offices for the USCIz in 2007 and completed thosr projects earlythis year. Accordingg to a story, the governmen signed 15-year leases starting at $50 a squarw foot.
The buildings aimed for Leadership in Energ y and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) silvet certification from the . However, contractors, includin g construction manager , have files dozens of liens againstthe builder. South Florida Federal Partners-Central Miami, based on a $23.1 millio n mortgage covering the 60,398-square-foot office on Northwes Seventh Avenuein Miami. South Florida Federal based ona $21.7 million mortgage coverinh the 45,987-square-foot office at the intersection of Miamji Gardens Drive and Northwest 59th Streeg in Hialeah. South Florida Federalo Partners-Kendall, based on a $23.
9 million mortgagr covering the 46,413-square-foot building at the intersection of Southwes t 120th Street and Southwes 147th Avenue in the Kendall area ofsouthernb Miami-Dade County. South Florida Federal based ona $22.2 million mortgage covering the 46,413-square-fooy office at 4451 N.W. 31st Ave., in Oaklands Park. The fifth South Florida FederalPartnera project, in Royal Palm Beach, is not facing Boca Raton-based 1st United Bank gave the developer an $18 million mortgagew on that building for the USCIS. Dexia’s complainte name James M. Beeson Jr., Mark Levin and Dariux W. Gaskins Jr. as defendants and guarantorsd ofthe loan.
the president of Wilton Manors-based , did not immediately return a callseeking comment.

Sara Lee will open Kansas City, Kan., plant, employ 250 - Kansas City Business Journal:

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and open a sliced meat manufacturing planrt there in 2011 that it expects to employ more than250 people. Sara Lee SLE), based in the Chicago suburb ofDowners Grove, said in a Friday release that it expects the plany at 4612 Speaker Road to become fully operationaol by 2011. Brent Miles, president of the , said Fridayg that Sara Lee was granted a 75 percent property tax abatementon $31 millionj of planned improvements at the plant. The abatement’s value is $9.677 million, he said. In the company agreed hire 55 percent ofthe plant’s workerss from Wyandotte County.
“This industry-leading facilitt will reinforce our competitive advantagrin value-added meats, one of Sara Lee’sa top strategic categories and long-term growth CJ Fraleigh, executive vice president and CEO of Sara Lee’s Northb American Retail & Foodservicee division, said in the release. “Iyt will help us further build our Hillshire Farm and Sara Lee both leaders inthe fast-growinyg category of premium lunchmeat.” Omaha-based ConAgra Foods CAG) that it had agreed to sell its refrigeratedf meat business, including the Kansas City, plant, to (NYSE: SFD) of Va.
, owner of Kansas City-based , for $575 milliojn in cash and Sara Lee’s brands include Ambi Pur, Ball Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Sara Lee and Combined, the brands generate more than $13 billioh in annual net sales covering about 200 countries. Sara Lee has 44,0000 employees worldwide.

More Gray Matter, or Lack of Same - Wall Street Journal

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