Jim Burton thought he was dying after lifting a box in his garage last and feeling a large jolt in his back. When his health insurer, Anthem, refused to pay for his E.R. visit of $1,722, citing that care was not needed right away, Jim learned that Anthem denied thousands of claims last year under… Read more »
Posts Tagged: ethics
Sports Betting in All States!
According to the New York Times, The Supreme Court struck down a federal law that effectively banned commercial sports betting in most states, boosting the prospect of such gambling across the nation. Questions: 1. Who are the winners in this decision? 2. Who are the losers in this decision? 3. According to the article, what… Read more »
Growing your own mystery meat!
According to Reuters, Tyson Foods (TSN.N), the largest U.S. meat processor, has invested in an Israeli biotech company developing a way to grow affordable meat in a laboratory that takes live animals out of the equation. Questions: 1. What does the technology focus on in order to provide the same texture as meat? 2. How… Read more »
Teaming up!
According to The Week.com, Amazon plans to sell its own smart television with its Fire TV capabilities built in. To help in this endeavor, it has chosen an unlikely partner – Best Buy. Questions: 1. How many models of HDTV’s will the partners start selling this summer? 2. What brand will be sold and what… Read more »
Dog Rescue
According to the Washington Post, an effort that animal rescuers began more than a decade ago to buy dogs for $5 or $10 apiece from commercial breeders has become a nationwide shadow market that today sees some rescuers, fueled by Internet fundraising, paying breeders $5,000 or more for a single dog. Questions: 1. Why do… Read more »
Big Bad Pharma
According to the New York Times, Trump administration officials are seeking ways to lower drug costs but target pharmaceutical companies that refuse to provide samples of their products to generic drug companies, making it impossible to create inexpensive generic copies of a brand-name medicine. Questions: 1. Argue both sides of this issue as a good… Read more »
The Top Frauds of 2017
Monica Vaca, the Associate Director of the Division of Consumer Response and Operations at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just released the results from last year regarding the top frauds of 2017. Topping the list of reported frauds are the imposter scams, with nearly 350,000 reported. Questions: 1. How many people fell for someone pretending… Read more »
It’s just for my stockholders
Martin Shkreli, a former pharmaceutical executive notorious for increasing the price of Daraprim by 5,000 percent, along with mounting sneering defenses of his actions and even issuing a bounty for one of Hillary Clinton’s hairs, was sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud. Questions: What had prosecutors sought for a sentence? What had… Read more »
Stepping over a line: Legitimate collection or legal harassment on student loans?
The agency charged with monitoring such student loan bankruptcy declarations is facing concerns that its tactics have grown ruthless. Bankruptcy experts say that the group is wasting judicial resources because it brings legal challenges to those few who are desperate enough to seek bankruptcy relief. Questions: 1. What is the name of this agency? Which… Read more »
We want REAL eggs!
Panera petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to update its 40-year-old definition of the word “egg” to exclude most of the processed egg products that have become popular with fast-food chains and food-service. Questions: 1. How long has the egg product rule been on the books of the FDA? 2. Do you agree with Panera?… Read more »