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Source: The Cap Times

The state's health care program for public employees could face changes, pending the results of a study conducted by an Atlanta-based consultant.

Gov. Scott Walker's administration has contracted with the Segal Co. to study potential cost-cutting changes to the state's health insurance plans, including moving to a self-insured coverage program, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday.

That news came the same day the conservative MacIver Institute and National Center for Policy Analysis presented a report calling for changes to the state's health care benefit program for public retirees, based on the strengths of the state's pension fund.

The think tanks offered recommendations for both the pension system and the state's post-employment health benefit program. Their health coverage recommendations included higher premiums for retirees, closing the current program to future employees and those below age 45 and shifting those employees to a pre-funded plan, particularly one with a health savings account.

Asked about the MacIver and NCPA suggestions, Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said in an email that the governor's priority is to continue to provide high-quality benefits at a good value to both current and retired state employees.

"According to PEW, Wisconsin is the only state in the nation with a fully funded pension system and the only state rated a solid performer in both pension and OPEB liabilities that include retiree health insurance," Patrick said. "Governor Walker will continue to look at ways to control costs and provide quality care."

The Segal study will explore several potential changes with the goal of saving taxpayers money on health coverage for state employees. One such change a shift away from private health maintenance organizations was floated by Walker last year, but no decision was reached.

Under the current model, state employees choose between private HMOs, which forces competition in the marketplace. Under a self-insured model, the state would pay benefits directly and assume the risk for losses rather than paying premiums to HMOs.

The study will take a broader focus than assessing the move to self-insurance, unlike two previous studies conducted by the consulting firm Deloitte.

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Viacom chieftain Philippe Dauman isnt waiting to see whats under the Christmas tree.

The media honcho has sold nearly $140 million worth of Viacom stock since just before the Thanksgiving holiday, gifting himself some $87 million in net proceeds after the cost to exercise stock options, according to The Posts calculations.

Daumans accelerating share sales are fueling speculation on Wall Street about the future of Viacom considered an eventual takeover candidate for another media rival as well as his own place atop the company.

Speculation has been in high gear since early November, when 91-year-old chairman and controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone sounded frail during a November earnings call.

The question of who will succeed Redstone and control a media empire that includes Viacom and CBS has changed depending on whos in Redstones good graces.

His daughter Shari was long seen as his successor before a falling out, at which point Dauman was believed to be the frontrunner.

Now, media watchers are wondering if Daumans rapid-fire share sales indicate his power within the Redstone firmament is waning.

The company said the sales were made for normal financial planning purposes and denied any connection to changes at the company.

Mr. Dauman sold for financial planning purposes and remains among the most invested CEOs in the media industry, said Viacom spokesman Carl Folta.

Dauman began unloading shares on Nov. 24. After exercising stock options, he turned around and disposed of 300,000 shares, raising $22.3 million.

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Viacoms CEO stock dump has Wall Street buzzing

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2015 Lincoln MKZ Quote - Lynnwood, WA - Video

Nick Keenan

Maxus has won the media account for iSelect with the GroupM media agency declaring it will close the doors of its Melbourne office to new business for six months in order to bed down the account and saying it wanted a market position of sustainable growth.

We are absolutely delighted to get the opportunity to work with such a wonderfully progressive business that iSelect represents in market, Nick Keenan managing director of Maxus, who heads its Melbourne office told Mumbrella.

In light of this fantastic news and the work ahead Maxus Melbourne will now take an industry leading position on sustainable growth and remove ourselves from any new business reviews until July 1, 2015 (6 months). We will use this time to concentrate on our staff, clients, and our product.

The freeze on new business will only impact MaxussMelbourne office with its Sydney office currently on the shortlistfor Qantas.

Multinational media agencies are rarely able to close their doors to new business with the last agencies to publicly make such a declaration was independent Match Media who closed their doors after winning drug company Pifzer in 2012.

The final shortlist on iSelect is believed to have been Maxus along with Slingshot, who weredoing their buying through Carat, and Ikon Communications.

In a statement, iSelect Marketing Director Geraldine Davys said the competition was tough, but Maxus stood out.

iSelect is a unique piece of business. We needed a media agency flexible enough to operate within our hybrid media buying model and Maxus fit that bill perfectly, she said.

Yesterday Mumbrella revealed that Slingshot has won the baking division of Goodman Fielder.

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Maxus wins iSelect media account says it will close its doors in Melbourne for six months

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

11-Dec-2014

Contact: Jim Maxwell jmaxwel2@kent.edu 330-672-8028 Kent State University @ksunews

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Kent State University a $300,000 grant for three College of Arts and Sciences faculty members to study how human dynamics across social media and social networks can be modeled. The grant is part of a $999,887 collaboration with San Diego State University and the University of Arkansas.

Professor Jay Lee and Assistant Professor Xinyue Ye of Kent State's Department of Geography and Associate Professor Ruoming Jin of Kent State's Department of Computer Science will use information diffusion, visualization and simulations to study the public responses to disaster warnings and alerts, as well as the public opinions of controversial social topics at the state or national level.

"The outcomes yielded from this research will assist in better designing and implementing disaster warnings and alerts as well as more efficient disseminating communications of political messages via social media and social networks," Ye said.

The researchers plan to collaborate with the San Diego Office of Emergency Services (OES) to create a prototype platform using social media to study how people respond and react to messages warning of inclement weather, earthquakes, wildfires, disease outbreaks and evacuation orders.

"The study may also allow government agencies to communicate more effectively to the public and be better prepared for both natural and human-made crises," Ye said.

Ye said that the government response to social issues, such as gun control, anti-vaccination movements and the threat of government shutdown, relies on the impact of online public opinion and public political debates.

The social media analytic tools developed by this group will be able to calculate how these messages are disseminated online and in social media and the outcomes of the referendum votes.

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Kent State researchers to study social media use during crises and disasters