Articles from December 2011



Free Services Your Health Insurance Might Cover

We hear of so much bad news in health care these days: Premiums rising, not enough physicians to go around, health plans covering less and less, etc. Well, the good news from the health reform front is that many plans must now provide a number of preventive care services free of cost. This means that cancer screenings, diet counseling, or your child’s immunizations could all be covered 100%.

There are a number of rules and limitations to watch out for though, so don’t expect a free-for-all next time you’re at the doctor’s office. Here’s a crash course on what’s covered, what’s not, and how to know.

These benefits only apply to people with individual plans or plans sponsored by their employer, which were created after March 23, 2010.  When your new policy year begins (usually on January 1st), the benefits become effective. Plans that exi

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Facebook Has Scads of Cash: Leak

– Facebook is pretty much made of money, a knowledgeable source tells Gawker. The site has raw numbers as of September, which Ryan Tate calls “the Silicon Valley equivalent of hard-core pornography,” and they show that the social networking site will probably earn almost $1 billion in profit this year. That’s more than double last year’s reported profits and quadruple the year prior’s. According to the source, Facebook had the equivalent of $3.5 billion in cash as of September.

The numbers are “even more staggering than we expected,” showing Facebook’s stash of cash to be comparable to much more established companies including 3M. Companies like Apple and Google may have a lot more money than Facebook, but others should certainly be jealous. Users may have as

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FUJIFILM to acquire SonoSite

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (TSE: 4901, hereinafter: Fujifilm), a diversified technology company that operates in healthcare, highly functional materials, and document solutions, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with SonoSite, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO, hereinafter: SonoSite), a pioneer and leader in bedside and point-of-care ultrasound technology, pursuant to which Fujifilm will acquire SonoSite for approximately $995 million (which includes amounts payable in connection with its convertible debt). The transaction was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.

Fujifilm, through a U.S. subsidiary, will make an all-cash tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of SonoSite common stock for $54 per share in cash.

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Credit Card Minimum Payments will Maximize Your Financial Pain

Photo: Miguelavg

The minimum payment required on a credit card is a lot like the three Sirens of Greek mythology. Part human and part bird, the Sirens lived on a rocky island in the middle of the sea. They sang so beautifully that passing sailors couldnt resist getting closer, with disastrous results as their ships smashed into the jagged island. And so it is with making just the minimum required payment on your credit card bill.

Imagine having a whopping $10,000 in credit card debt, but only having to pay $200 a month. The $200 is the beautiful songs of the Sirens. The $10,000, and the interest youll pay by making just the required payment, represent the rocky island.

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