security Archives - Mediarabe

Repealing the ACA During the Coronavirus Pandemic Would Be Devastating for Women’s Health and Economic Security

October 14, 2020

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been one of the most significant advancements for women’s health and economic security in a generation. The law expanded coverage to millions of uninsured people through financial assistance and public insurance and also improved the quality of existing coverage, including by expanding access to reproductive and maternal health services and by prohibiting discrimination against women and people with preexisting conditions. Yet its fate remains uncertain. On November 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in California v. Texas, a case that will determine the constitutionality of the ACA. Specifically, the high court will determine whether the individual mandate is unconstitutional and whether the remainder of the law is inseverable from that provision. Especially with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent passing, the benefits and consumer protections that women have gained and come to rely on could swiftly be eliminated. In short, if

Federal retirement and Social Security benefits to increase by 1.3 percent in January

October 13, 2020

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The increase applies only to annuity benefits for retirees, not to the salaries of current federal employees. Retiree COLAs are set automatically by an inflation index whose annual count concluded with the announcement Tuesday of figures through September.

In contrast, current employees receive pay raises set through the annual government budget process. No decision has been reached regarding a January 2021 raise.

President Trump has recommended a 1 percent pay raise while Congress so far has taken no position. If no figure is enacted into law by the end of the year, that amount will take effect automatically. Some members of Congress continue to advocate for increasing the figure to 3 percent to match the planned raise for military personnel.

For retirees, some COLA policies vary depending on which of the two main federal retirement systems applies to them.

All of those retired under the Civil Service Retirement System, applying

UHS Health System Ransomware Attack, Security Probed by Senator

October 13, 2020

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By Jessica Davis

October 13, 2020 – Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, sent a letter to Universal Health Services CEO Alan Miller, demanding answers into the health system’s cybersecurity policies in light of the September ransomware attack that drove all 400 UHS sites in the US into EHR downtime procedures for three weeks.

Warner is one of the strongest cybersecurity proponents in Congress, co-founding and co-chairing the bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus.

On September 28, UHS staff from around the country took to Reddit to determine if other sites were experiencing IT troubles. UHS workforce described a massive system outage, with no access to computers, phones, the internet, or data center. Some hospitals diverted ambulances directly after the attack and lab test results were also delayed.

As it was described, the cyberattack began around 2AM that Sunday morning, shutting down systems in the emergency department and quickly propagating across the

ZIPHOMECHEF Delivers Food Security, Home Security and Jobs in California During COVID-19

October 13, 2020

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Making Money Cooking from Home Can Help You Stay Safe and Pay Your Bills

In one day, as summer temperatures in California hit a record peak of 125-degrees, ZIPHOMECHEF rose from one employee to 17 new hires. Without fanfare, the high- tech social enterprise moved into Riverside County and began to prepare and deliver fresh, healthy meals made with local produce to more than 350 individuals. Their clients? People who had found shelter from the intense summer heat through a countywide multi-agency program called Project Roomkey. Over the past two months, the company has prepared and delivered over 50,000 meals. Their goal: 100,000 meals delivered by the end of the year.

To get there, ZIPHOMECHEF.com plans to grow from one to 100 kitchens in Riverside over the next few months by training people who have a home kitchen and love to cook how to create a licensed microenterprise home kitchen

TAL Global Releases White Paper on Corporate Security Issues in a COVID World

October 12, 2020

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CAMPBELL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct 12, 2020–

TAL Global, a leading corporate security and risk management firm, has just released a new White Paper advising businesses, building owners, and property managers on ways to reopen their doors – and stay open – during the pandemic, ensuring building users remain healthy and all tangible and intangible assets are safe.

The White Paper, available here, https://bit.ly/2SwLCB4 includes a series of proactive steps administrators can take, such as:

Implementing cybersecurity measures to ensure corporate data is not compromised, as many workers continue to work remotely

Reassuring employees that all steps have been taken, and will continue to be taken, to safeguard their health and well-being

Minimizing virus transmission throughout the workplace

Initiating physical security programs, primarily involving protection for an organization’s executive staff, on- and off-site, as well as when traveling

Crafting business continuity strategies to help organizations predict, prepare for, and prevent future emergencies.

Here’s Exactly When to Apply for Social Security if You Want Benefits for Your 62nd Birthday

October 10, 2020

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Have you done the math and decided you want to take Social Security benefits as early as possible?

You’re in good company. Although every month you wait to take Social Security translates to a higher monthly benefit, 62 remains the most popular age to start Social Security.

But don’t expect your first check to arrive right on your 62nd birthday.

You can file an advance application for Social Security once you’re 61 years and eight months old. And you also have some flexibility as far as when you apply, though don’t wait too long. Applications can take up to three months for Social Security to process, so if you want your benefits to begin in January, make sure you apply in October.

While giving Social Security sufficient time to process your application helps you get your payments faster, the exact timing of your first check — and all the ones

Gilbert says marijuana poses a threat to health, safety, security of community

October 10, 2020

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GILBERT, AZ — Gilbert is set to discuss marijuana posing a ‘threat to the health, safety, and security of the community’ at a council meeting next week.

The agenda indicates that the council will discuss an ordinance that would be put in place if Prop 207 passes in November.

The ordinance reads, “The Town finds that proposition 207 authorizes marijuana establishments and testing facilities to use chemical extraction or chemical synthesis, including butane and other flammable gases, to extract marijuana concentrate, which poses a threat to the health, safety, and security of the community and increases the responsibilities of law enforcement and other Town departments to respond to violations of state and local laws, including building, electrical, plumbing and fire codes.”

If the proposition passes, medical marijuana dispensaries will be the first in the state to start selling cannabis to those over the age of 21, until the state’s health

Ioway tribesmen may be solution to what ails U.S. food security

October 9, 2020

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ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Washington Times columnist Cheryl K. Chumley is biking the battleground states as part of an ongoing series, visiting 14 states in 14 days to hear what real Americans think of the 2020 election. All of her interviews may be found HERE.

WHITE CLOUD, KANSAS — One of President Donald Trump’s signature messages in recent COVID-19 times has been to assure the American people that food — access, supply and ability to buy — would not be a problem, i.e., that food security would not be compromised.

Well and good. That’s the Washington Way for reacting to a problem.

But when it comes to prevention — when it comes to food security, organic farming and healthy eating mixed with a decent dose of environmental compatibility, and for the long-term — the eyes of the nation should really be trained on the 350-400 members of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and

Q&A: Andrea Daugherty of UT Health Austin on Security in the Pandemic

October 9, 2020

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As countless facets of healthcare delivery continue to change, so have the basics of cybersecurity education.

The shift requires a deep review of internal safety protocols as well as educational outreach so staff and patients can spot (and avoid) new signs of trouble that could suggest a damaging breach.

On the business side, “it’s about making sure that we have a very resilient, robust infrastructure for our providers to use and leverage” as teams work from different locations, says Andrea Daugherty, director of enterprise IT security and resiliency for the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School and UT Health Austin.

“You also had overnight adoption of all of these different technologies that providers were a little bit more apprehensive to use pre-COVID.”

On top of that, the challenges of remote work and scores of patients now accessing virtual care from their own devices are revealing new data privacy

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