The following is a rundown of the day’s news drawn from other media sources with topics curated just for Money and Markets readers: Obamacare, personal security and freedom, and business and finance.
Obamacare
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Frustrated Patients Walk out of Hospitals Without Treatment
“I had chest pains last night, and they took me in the emergency room. They told me they were going to admit me, but when I told them I hadn’t heard from my insurance company since I signed up, they changed their tune.”
So It Begins: Hospital Workers Go Unpaid
The hospital is strapped for cash not because it’s not making money, but because a new Medicare payment facilitator named Novitas Solutions is taking too long to pay Medicare claims to the hospital.
Obamacare Rings in New Year with More Mayhem
People signing up at the last minute shared frustrations online. Comments came in from people claiming to have been on hold for more than three hours and then hung up on. Others complained the website was still not working.
More People Report Positive Experience With Obamacare
Thirty-nine percent reported a positive experience, a rise of 6 percent from October and November, according to the Gallup survey released Thursday. Only 7 percent reported a “very positive” experience, while 29 percent had a “very negative” experience.
More New Taxes and Fees: How You’ll Pay for Obamacare in 2014
Obamacare contains 18 specific tax hikes, mandates or penalties that cost money, and three new ones take effect in 2014. This is only the beginning — watch how two of those taxes get worse in the years to come.
Personal security and freedom
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State of Emergency Declared for New York City
The National Weather Service (NWS) in New York issued winter storm warnings for the tristate area through Friday at 1 p.m. A blizzard warning is in effect for Long Island because blowing snow could cause white-out conditions.
Beloved Northern California Priest Found Slain in Rectory
Eureka Police Chief Mills says the killing occurred sometime after parishioners left evening services Tuesday. Parishioner Winette Treder says that when the Rev. Eric Freed didn’t show up Wednesday morning, a deacon went to look for him and found the body.
Customers Walk Over Dead Body After Michigan Man Killed in Store
The shocking clip — which was released during the trial of Clarence Ross, who was convicted last week of Wright’s murder — also shows the clerk continuing to deal with customers even after he glances down at Jheryl Wright’s body.
He Stole Brains From Museum and Sold Them for Cash
The details sound like the plot of a bad horror movie: Desperate for cash, a young man breaks into a warehouse to steal the brains of dead mental patients, and the body parts are later sold on eBay. This story line, however, is real.
Military Drones Set to Get Chemical Weapons and Make Their Own Decisions
Drones that can choose to deviate from a set mission and hunt in ‘swarms’ could be patrolling skies within the next 25 years, according to a new roadmap. Unmanned aircraft carrying stronger chemical weapons could also be on the horizon.
Business and finance
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Pork Prices Are Expected to Rise in 2014
Steve Meyer, the founder and president of Paragon Economics, said in a recent interview that producers can expect to see some changes in pork figures next quarter as a result of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, which hit first in June and July.
Europe Holds Ground after Risk Aversion Roils Asia; Yen Rallies
Global manufacturing ended 2013 on a strong note as the U.S., Japan and Germany all saw demand pick up. The problem was China, where a measure of activity in the services sector slipped in December.
IMF Warns of ‘Savings Tax’ and Mass Write-offs as Debt Hits 200-Year High
The paper says the Western debt burden is now so big that rich states will need so-called debt haircuts, higher inflation and financial repression — defined as an “opaque tax on savers” — as used in countless IMF rescues for emerging markets.
Hyundai Motor Says U.S. Sales Rose 6 Percent in December
Hyundai, which recently replaced its U.S. chief, plans to launch revamped versions of the Genesis and Sonata sedans this year to spur sales momentum in the U.S. market.
Best wishes,
The Money and Markets Team
