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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas is agreeing to pay a $10 million fine and issue refunds to consumers after a state review found billing mistakes in the insurer’s handling of out-of-network emergency claims. The Texas Department of Insurance announced the fine and restitution agreement Friday. Richardson-based Blue Cross will begin sending out notices to affected consumers by May 1. The state said its review found: Incorrect information about how to resolve bill balances on explanation of benefits forms sent to HMO members receiving out-of network emergency care. Delays in processing out-of-network claims that went through a review process Blue...

Today, March 9, is the feast day of Saint Frances of Rome. She was an Italian woman who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. A previous post about this amazing saint may be found here. It was claimed that in 40 years of marriage, Saint Frances never once quarreled with her husband. St. Frances was invoked as an intercessor by the people of Rome even centuries after her death. In AD 1656, a ship entered the harbor at Barletta carrying a deadly pathogen—very likely, the Black Plague. The town was immediately infected and the impact was dramatic....

The World Health Organization has taken the rare step of declaring the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. The fast-spreading virus that originated in China has flu-like symptoms, but 20% of the cases develop into serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as pneumonia and respiratory failure. Though the mortality rate is not high–so far, 171 people in China have died, out of some 8,000 cases–the prospect of a pandemic has shaken the stock market, shut down a great deal of international travel, and imposed severe restrictions in China and other countries. Medical professionals around the world are making plans for...

VIDEO Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks had an epic meltdown on the heels of the Super Tuesday results. However, Michael Moore also had a great meltdown at a speech in support of Bernie Sanders a month ago just before the Iowa caucus. So who had the bigger meltdown? Michael Moore or Cenk Uygur? Post your choice in the comments below.

Looks like the liberal blowhard HBO comedian Bill Maher may be getting his wish. Maher had been begging for a market crash and recession to occur in hopes it would oust President Donald Trump from the White House. In 2018, he sniped, “I feel like the bottom has to fall out at some point, and by the way, I’m hoping for it because I think one way you get rid of Trump is to crash the economy.” Maher continued: “So please, bring on the recession. Sorry if that hurts people, but it’s either root for a recession or you lose...

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Axios reports Monday that former Vice President Joe Biden’s inner circle is already discussing a list of Cabinet picks. Many of the names would return from the Obama administration, constituting an effective “third term.” Axios says that former Secretary of State John Kerry could return in that role, or be appointed to a new Cabinet-level climate change position.

Today's Quotefall Puzzle features a quote by Tucker Carlson. Click puzzle (or click here) for full size rendition, then use your browser's print command to print puzzle. Tucker Carlson recounted this story regarding Joe Biden's pursuit of the top job in the country. The quote is technically created by an unnamed source, but popularized on his show. All hints, along with the answer, are provided in the first reply comment below, using filtered font to prevent accidental spoilers. Please refrain from disclosing the full answer in comments to prevent spoilers.To solve the puzzle: Enter the letters in the top half (letter columns)...

Disturbance while waiting 7+ hours at gate (Pudong Airport – Shanghai) Filmed on board Thai Airways flight in Shanghai on Friday that had landed at the city’s Pudong International Airport but was left waiting seven hours for a gate as a result of tighter coronavirus screening. Tensions on board boiled over when a female passenger started deliberately coughing on staff to get them to open the doors and let her off. VIDEO AT LINK.....................

Joe Biden confidants are privately discussing potential leaders and Cabinet members for his White House, including the need to name a woman or African American — perhaps both — as vice president, top sources tell "Axios on HBO." Why it matters: Biden advisers describe a Return to Normal plan — a reversal of President Trump's unorthodox, improvisational style. Biden wants known, trusted people around him — many from the Obama years. Several high-profile possibilities: John Kerry would love to take a new Cabinet position devoted to climate change, or might even accept a curtain call to return as secretary of...

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided a grim reminder of the toll that the flu has taken on Americans. The CDC said that so far this season, about 20,000 people have died of the flu, including 136 children. The CDC's most recent flu report says that as of February 29, hospitalization rates among children aged 4 and under were the highest on record at this point in the season, surpassing rates reported during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The 136 children's deaths also mark the highest on record since...

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Despite multiple attempts by CNN host Jake Tapper to seemingly embarrass the Trump administration with their response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) during Sunday’s State of the Union, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams schooled him on the facts. Tapper even questioned if President Trump was even listening to the advice of medical professionals, only to be told the multiple doctors in the room were not being suppressed.

“For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, To call passengers who go right on their ways: Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Proverbs 9:14-17 KJV).

By: Hassan.mahmoudi The children in Iran, often with tired looks and pale faces, are hard at work to make an earning for their families. Their work includes carrying heavy sacks or searching for recyclable materials in garbage bins. The younger ones can be seen stationing themselves near traffic lights and offering gum to the stopped drivers. Some may have a dirty rag, trying to clean the windshields, hoping to collect some change. These children have neither masks and gloves nor disinfectants. While coronavirus is prevalent in most Iranian cities, no one thinks of working children and they seem to be...

It is almost 90 degrees in Singapore, and the humidity is almost 90 percent. There are over 130 cases of the novel coronavirus there and the country's officials are hypervigilant, on the lookout for more. People in Singapore may not realize it, but the numbers of cases may remain small, not as much because of public health measures but because the heat and humidity may present a natural barrier to the spread of a respiratory virus.

With a visibly aged Joe Biden duking it out with socialist Bernie Sanders, there are three very good reasons that President Trump's greatest opponent in November could be the Coronavirus. Long before the sun rose Thursday, British regional airline Flybe collapsed. Americans probably haven’t heard of it, but when an Englishman flew domestically there was a 40 percent chance it was with Flybe. Its final demise was swift and brutal: Passengers booked to fly as soon as that morning receiving a 2 a.m. text message informing them otherwise. The company employed 2,300 people, and its 1,300 pensioned employees are now...

There’s a moment in the new Hillary Clinton hagio-documentary on Hulu when the former presidential candidate complains that it took her an hour every day to have her hair and makeup done during the 2016 campaign. “It’s a burden, believe me,” she says in Episode 2 of ‘Hillary.’” “I calculated it, and I spent 25 days doing hair and makeup, and I knew that the men I was running against don’t have to do any of that. Get up, take a shower, shake their head, they were ready to go.” But no one forced her to endure high-maintenance grooming. She...

The coronavirus panic continues and deepens. It’s hard to see the story straight through the panic. It appears that things will get worse before they get better. We don’t know how much worse before the turn occurs. A wise man once observed it’s always darkest just before it’s entirely black. It’s been a long time since we heard from science writer Michael Fumento. Fumento’s journalism on the AIDS hysteria culminated in The Myth of Heterosexual Aids (1990). Against the tenor of the then reigning misinformation and hysteria, Fumento, I believe, had it right. Fumento’s 1997 book on diet, The Fat...

Actor Max Von Sydow, who appeared in films and TV series including The Exorcist, Flash Gordon and Game of Thrones, has died at the age of 90. His family announced "with a broken heart and infinite sadness" that the Swedish-born actor died on Sunday. Von Sydow's other film credits included Hannah and Her Sisters, The Seventh Seal and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He was nominated for two Oscars during his career - including best actor in 1988 for Pelle the Conqueror.