Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More workers are passing when it comes to their companies' health insurance benefits because they can't afford the cost, a study says. The percentage of eligible employees who enrolled in their companies' health insurance plans declined from 85.3 percent in 1998 to 80.3 percent in 2003. During that same time, insurance premiums for individuals jumped more than $1,000 nationally - from about $2,400 to about $3,400 a year. Employers bore the brunt of that increase. They continue to pay about 83 percent of the costs of their workers' health insurance. But workers are finding it harder to...

In his first interview since becoming interim president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Vladeck -- despite a calm, easygoing manner -- made it clear that more change is on the way. (snip) "The rules of the game in this place have changed, and they haven't been changed by us," he said. "Even though the state is our lifeblood, we cannot, as a matter now of law, engage in some of the kinds of behaviors that have existed in the past. Some of the kinds of things that have (been) reported -- that may have become...

Former Governor and current State Senate President Dick Codey sponsors the legislation. He says, "We would be the first in the country to build a building dedicated solely to stem cell research." He adds, "We would be using existing tobacco bond monies so, we're not spending new money." $150 million dollars would be needed leading many critics to ask, "What else could that money be used for?" Codey says, "This is about saving lives in the future." He asks, "If the cure for diabetes or something else came out of this New Jersey facility, wouldn't that be a great legacy…it...