One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from “significant widespread misinformation” about the policy. “To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services,” the statement said. “The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines.” Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would have used "physician work time values," which is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the metric for anesthesia limits; maternity patients and patients under the age of 22 were exempt. But Dr. Jonathan Gal, economics committee chair of the American Society for Anesthesiologists, said it's unclear how CMS derives those values. In mid-November, the American Society for Anesthesiologists called on Anthem to “reverse the proposal immediately,” saying in a news release that the policy would have taken effect in February in New York, Connecticut and Missouri. It's not clear how many states in total would have been affected, as notices also were posted in Virginia and Colorado . People across the country registered their concerns and complaints on social media, and encouraged people in affected states to call their legislators. Some people noted that the policy could prevent patients from getting overcharged. Gal said the policy change would have been unprecedented, ignored the “nuanced, unpredictable human element” of surgery and was a clear “money grab.” “It’s incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care,” he said. "If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we’re delighted that they came to their senses.” Prior to Anthem's announcement Thursday, Connecticut comptroller Sean Scanlon said the “concerning” policy wouldn't affect the state after conversations with the insurance company. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an emailed statement Thursday that her office had also successfully intervened. The insurance giant’s policy change came one day after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare , another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.Furthermore, the railway authorities have stepped up efforts to improve the comfort and convenience of the travel facilities. Trains are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized regularly to maintain a hygienic environment for passengers. Additionally, onboard amenities such as dining cars and restrooms are well-maintained to ensure a pleasant journey for all passengers.In conclusion, Huang Yaqiong's words "Just charge ahead!" serve as a powerful reminder for us all to embrace challenges with courage, gratitude, and a hopeful outlook on the future. Her journey is a testament to the transformative power of positivity and perseverance, showing us that with the right mindset, anything is possible. As we navigate our own paths in life, let us remember her inspiring words and approach each day with the same fearless determination that has made her a beloved figure in the entertainment industry.LOS ANGELES — In announcing that he was pardoning his son Hunter in two federal cases, President Joe Biden said the criminal charges “came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.” The president’s claim that the cases were politically motivated — which his son’s camp has long asserted — has been met with skepticism from some corners. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Pioneering Change: SCC leads in innovative technology that will help “rebuild” America
The View remains an integral part of the 2024 TV schedule , even after more than 25 years on the air . Its discussions about current events, politics, celebrities and more — led by moderator Whoopi Goldberg , mainstay Joy Behar and several others — have resulted in dozens of Daytime Emmy Awards. One can see how choosing the right co-hosts would be important to ABC, and apparently, when the network wants you, they get you. Former co-host Candace Cameron Bure revealed that she turned down The View “multiple times” before her one-season stint and explained how they eventually won her over. Candace Cameron Bure — best known for Full House and Great American Family’s TV rom-coms (she’s got three on the 2024 Christmas movie schedule ) — joined The View in 2015, but she stayed for just one season. The co-hosts are typically of varying ages, races, economic backgrounds and political leanings, but at the time Bure was the only panelist with a conservative view. She opened up recently to Allie Schnacky on a clip from The JWLKRS Podcast , revealing just how hard they fought to get her on the show, despite her objections. The actress said: I tried to turn that job down multiple times. I know they talk so much politics on the show, and I’m not comfortable with that, so no. And then they came back and they were like, ‘We’re actually switching it. We’re not really gonna talk about politics that much.’ Well I live in L.A. and I’m not moving to New York, so no. And they said, ‘We’ll fly you back and forth every week.’ They just kept upping the ante. Like everything I tried to say no to, they had a solution for it. It sounds like ABC really wanted Candace Cameron Bure’s contribution, and the powers that be were willing to make any and all arrangements for it to happen. In the end, she agreed, saying she felt God was calling her to do the show, but that certainly didn’t make it easy. For one thing, the co-hosts did not back away from the subject of politics as she’d been promised, which she’s said resulted in her doing hours of homework each night to be able to contribute to the conversation. The network did keep its promise regarding travel, but flying back and forth from Los Angeles to New York every week proved to be too much, and she said The View was the “ most difficult job I’ve had .” CCB blamed that constant travel when she left the daytime talk show in 2016, but she has since opened up about the other aspects that she said gave her PTSD . She’s voiced her opinion that the show needs more than one conservative co-host , because she often had to fight to speak her mind, which was especially difficult knowing she was the only one at the table to have her opinions. Needless to say, Candace Cameron Bure has no interest in returning to The View full-time , but she maintains that she’s grateful she accepted the opportunity because of how much she learned and grew. I guess ABC’s persistence was worth it then? CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER Your Daily Blend of Entertainment NewsIn conclusion, the tragic loss of a passenger on the China Eastern Airlines flight serves as a stark reminder of the challenges of providing emergency medical care in flight. While the efforts of the crew and medical team were valiant, the limitations of in-flight resources highlight the need for continued vigilance and preparedness in ensuring the safety and well-being of airline passengers. May the memory of the passenger serve as a reminder to cherish each moment of life, for it is precious and fragile, regardless of where we may find ourselves.
Muncy Columbia Financial's executive chairman Robert J. Glunk buys $8,000 in stock
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26. Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI’s strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products. “We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir’s loved ones during this difficult time,” said a statement from OpenAI. Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said “appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation.” The city’s chief medical examiner’s office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide. His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a “happy, smart and brave young man” who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends. Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT. “Suchir’s contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn’t have succeeded without him,” said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what made him such an exceptional engineer and scientist was his attention to detail and ability to notice subtle bugs or logical errors. “He had a knack for finding simple solutions and writing elegant code that worked,” Schulman wrote. “He’d think through the details of things carefully and rigorously.” Balaji later shifted to organizing the huge datasets of online writings and other media used to train GPT-4, the fourth generation of OpenAI’s flagship large language model and a basis for the company’s famous chatbot. It was that work that eventually caused Balaji to question the technology he helped build, especially after newspapers, novelists began suing OpenAI and other AI companies for copyright infringement. He first raised his concerns with The New York Times, which reported them in an October . He later told The Associated Press he would “try to testify” in the strongest copyright infringement cases and considered a The New York Times last year to be the “most serious.” Times lawyers named him in a Nov. 18 court filing as someone who might have “unique and relevant documents” supporting allegations of OpenAI’s willful copyright infringement. His records were also sought by lawyers in a separate case brought by book authors including the comedian Sarah Silverman, according to a court filing. “It doesn’t feel right to be training on people’s data and then competing with them in the marketplace,” Balaji told the AP in late October. “I don’t think you should be able to do that. I don’t think you are able to do that legally.” He told the AP that he gradually grew more disillusioned with OpenAI, especially after that led its board of directors to fire and then rehire CEO Sam Altman last year. Balaji said he was broadly concerned about how its commercial products were rolling out, including their propensity for spouting false information known as hallucinations. But of the “bag of issues” he was concerned about, he said he was focusing on copyright as the one it was “actually possible to do something about.” He acknowledged that it was an unpopular opinion within the AI research community, which is accustomed to pulling data from the internet, but said “they will have to change and it’s a matter of time.” He had not been deposed and it’s unclear to what extent his revelations will be admitted as evidence in any legal cases after his death. He also published a personal blog post with his opinions about the topic. Schulman, who resigned from OpenAI in August, said he and Balaji coincidentally left on the same day and celebrated with fellow colleagues that night with dinner and drinks at a San Francisco bar. Another of Balaji’s mentors, co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, had left OpenAI , which Balaji saw as another impetus to leave. Schulman said Balaji had told him earlier this year of his plans to leave OpenAI and that Balaji didn’t think that better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence “was right around the corner, like the rest of the company seemed to believe.” The younger engineer expressed interest in getting a doctorate and exploring “some more off-the-beaten path ideas about how to build intelligence,” Schulman said. Balaji’s family said a memorial is being planned for later this month at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, not far from his hometown of Cupertino. —————- EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. —————– The Associated Press and OpenAI have a allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives. Matt O’brien, The Associated Press
The Yu Hua Ying case serves as a stark reminder of the prevalence of human trafficking and the importance of combating this form of modern slavery. It underscores the need for greater awareness, vigilance, and cooperation among law enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, and the general public to address the root causes of human trafficking and protect the rights and dignity of all individuals.
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26. Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products. “We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir’s loved ones during this difficult time,” said a statement from OpenAI. Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said “appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation.” The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide. His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a “happy, smart and brave young man” who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends. Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT. “Suchir’s contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn’t have succeeded without him,” said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what made him such an exceptional engineer and scientist was his attention to detail and ability to notice subtle bugs or logical errors. “He had a knack for finding simple solutions and writing elegant code that worked,” Schulman wrote. “He’d think through the details of things carefully and rigorously.” Balaji later shifted to organizing the huge datasets of online writings and other media used to train GPT-4, the fourth generation of OpenAI's flagship large language model and a basis for the company's famous chatbot. It was that work that eventually caused Balaji to question the technology he helped build, especially after newspapers, novelists and others began suing OpenAI and other AI companies for copyright infringement. He first raised his concerns with The New York Times, which reported them in an October profile of Balaji . He later told The Associated Press he would “try to testify” in the strongest copyright infringement cases and considered a lawsuit brought by The New York Times last year to be the “most serious.” Times lawyers named him in a Nov. 18 court filing as someone who might have “unique and relevant documents” supporting allegations of OpenAI's willful copyright infringement. His records were also sought by lawyers in a separate case brought by book authors including the comedian Sarah Silverman, according to a court filing. “It doesn’t feel right to be training on people’s data and then competing with them in the marketplace,” Balaji told the AP in late October. “I don’t think you should be able to do that. I don’t think you are able to do that legally.” He told the AP that he gradually grew more disillusioned with OpenAI, especially after the internal turmoil that led its board of directors to fire and then rehire CEO Sam Altman last year. Balaji said he was broadly concerned about how its commercial products were rolling out, including their propensity for spouting false information known as hallucinations. But of the “bag of issues” he was concerned about, he said he was focusing on copyright as the one it was “actually possible to do something about.” He acknowledged that it was an unpopular opinion within the AI research community, which is accustomed to pulling data from the internet, but said “they will have to change and it’s a matter of time.” He had not been deposed and it’s unclear to what extent his revelations will be admitted as evidence in any legal cases after his death. He also published a personal blog post with his opinions about the topic. Schulman, who resigned from OpenAI in August, said he and Balaji coincidentally left on the same day and celebrated with fellow colleagues that night with dinner and drinks at a San Francisco bar. Another of Balaji’s mentors, co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, had left OpenAI several months earlier , which Balaji saw as another impetus to leave. Schulman said Balaji had told him earlier this year of his plans to leave OpenAI and that Balaji didn't think that better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence “was right around the corner, like the rest of the company seemed to believe.” The younger engineer expressed interest in getting a doctorate and exploring “some more off-the-beaten path ideas about how to build intelligence,” Schulman said. Balaji's family said a memorial is being planned for later this month at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, not far from his hometown of Cupertino. —————- EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. —————-- The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.
For movie enthusiasts, this means that they can look forward to an even more immersive and captivating cinematic experience at Shaw Studios. Whether they are watching the latest blockbusters or classic films, they can expect nothing but the best in terms of visual quality and audio fidelity. With Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, every visit to Shaw Studios promises to be a truly memorable and exhilarating experience.Meanwhile, Bayern Munich will renew acquaintances with Shakhtar Donetsk in another exciting Champions League showdown. The two teams faced off in the group stage last season, with Bayern coming out on top in both encounters. However, Shakhtar will be eager to exact revenge this time around and show that they are capable of competing with the best teams in Europe.
Similarly, in cities like London and Paris, where electric scooters have also gained popularity in recent years, there have been calls for stricter regulations on the use of windshields. Safety advocacy groups have been pushing for mandatory safety standards for electric scooter manufacturers, including the removal of windshields or the use of shatterproof materials to mitigate the risks associated with these components.
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.PayMedia, which deals in fintech innovation, won the first runner-up award in the Community and Indigenous Services category at the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2024, in Brunei Darussalam. The recognition was for its product, LankaRemit, a platform for digital remittance services in Sri Lanka. The platform simplifies and streamlines the process of sending money to Sri Lanka, ensuring that remittances are fast, secure, and cost-efficient. Traditionally, the process of sending money from abroad has been fraught with high fees, long processing times, and a lack of transparency. LankaRemit tackles these issues head-on, providing an innovative digital platform. LankaRemit’s success lies in its ability to empower underserved communities and promote financial inclusion. With remittances emerging as a significant and growing source of income for the country, LankaRemit plays a crucial role in supporting economic stability and development. PayMedia’s platform ensures that families can access funds promptly and with minimal hassle, helping them meet essential needs like education, healthcare, and housing. LankaRemit plays a vital role in encouraging digital literacy and financial awareness among communities, aligning with national efforts to promote a cashless economy. PayMedia remains on expanding the reach and capabilities of LankaRemit. By enhancing partnerships, incorporating emerging technologies, and addressing evolving community needs, PayMedia aims to further solidify its role as a leader in fintech solutions that drive inclusivity and empowerment. The recognition at the APICTA Awards marks a significant milestone, underscoring the potential of technology to transform lives and communities. PayMedia’s success with LankaRemit serves as an inspiration for other innovators in the region to harness technology for social good.As the authorities continue their investigation into the incident, they have expressed their commitment to keeping the public informed of any developments and actions taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. They have also extended their thoughts and well wishes to those affected and their families during this challenging time.