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Renuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | 23andMe, tech companies disclose hundreds of Bay Area job cuts Health | Bay FC’s Beattie wins NWSL honor for breast cancer awareness advocacy Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Data engineering , as a profession and as a practice, is steadily evolving to meet the growing demands of businesses. Data engineering uses tools like SQL and Python to make data ready for data scientists and hence it is an essential part of the drive to accumulate and understand business data. By 2025, businesses can expect to see a surge in key trends that will shape the future of data management. Yet what are these trends and what should business leaders be on the look out for? Arnab Sen, VP of Data Engineering at Tredence , has outlined some of the most significant predictions for the coming year and discussed these with Digital Journal. Data Mesh Architecture Decentralization of data ownership will become more prevalent, allowing teams to manage their own data as products. This will be particularly beneficial for large organizations seeking independent, high-quality data exchange. DataOps and Automation The application of DevOps principles to data engineering will accelerate the deployment and maintenance of scalable data pipelines. Increased automation will streamline processes and reduce manual effort. Data Security and Privacy With stricter regulations in place, organizations will need to prioritize data security and privacy. Encryption, tokenization, and data masking will become essential components of data pipelines. AI/ML-Powered Data Engineering Artificial intelligence and machine learning will enhance automation in data pipelines, improving data quality and classification. This will enable faster, real-time insights and streamlined data management. Real-Time Analytics and Streaming Data The ability to process data in real-time will become increasingly important. Tools like Kafka will enable businesses to make faster decisions and deliver personalized customer experiences. Low-Code/No-Code Data Engineering The rise of low-code/no-code platforms will democratize data engineering, making it accessible to a wider range of users. This will reduce reliance on technical experts and accelerate the development of data pipelines. Sustainability and Green Data Engineering As organizations become more conscious of their environmental impact, sustainability will become a key consideration in data engineering. AI-driven frameworks can help manage costs while promoting green practices. Generative AI-Driven Data Management Generative AI will automate tasks like data cataloguing, anomaly detection, and data governance. This will improve data quality, increase accessibility, and enhance efficiency. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bullish approach towards Applied Mat AMAT , and it's something market players shouldn't ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in AMAT usually suggests something big is about to happen. We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 17 extraordinary options activities for Applied Mat. This level of activity is out of the ordinary. The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 52% leaning bullish and 41% bearish. Among these notable options, 9 are puts, totaling $508,082, and 8 are calls, amounting to $841,880. Predicted Price Range Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $115.0 to $220.0 for Applied Mat over the recent three months. Insights into Volume & Open Interest Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Applied Mat's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Applied Mat's whale trades within a strike price range from $115.0 to $220.0 in the last 30 days. Applied Mat Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days Noteworthy Options Activity: Symbol PUT/CALL Trade Type Sentiment Exp. Date Ask Bid Price Strike Price Total Trade Price Open Interest Volume AMAT CALL TRADE NEUTRAL 09/19/25 $11.3 $10.9 $11.1 $200.00 $444.0K 735 403 AMAT CALL SWEEP BULLISH 01/16/26 $18.85 $18.65 $18.8 $190.00 $110.9K 146 62 AMAT PUT SWEEP BULLISH 03/21/25 $7.3 $7.15 $7.15 $155.00 $100.8K 1.1K 153 AMAT PUT TRADE BEARISH 01/17/25 $20.0 $19.7 $20.0 $185.00 $100.0K 1.6K 50 AMAT CALL SWEEP BULLISH 04/17/25 $10.9 $10.65 $10.9 $175.00 $87.2K 888 81 About Applied Mat Applied Materials Inc is the largest semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, or WFE, manufacturer in the world. Applied Materials has a broad portfolio spanning nearly every corner of the WFE ecosystem. Specifically, Applied Materials holds a market share leadership position in deposition, which entails the layering of new materials on semiconductor wafers. It is more exposed to general-purpose logic chips made at integrated device manufacturers and foundries. It counts the largest chipmakers in the world as customers, including TSMC, Intel, and Samsung. Having examined the options trading patterns of Applied Mat, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance Applied Mat's Current Market Status With a volume of 1,007,647, the price of AMAT is down -1.41% at $165.18. RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock is currently neutral between overbought and oversold. Next earnings are expected to be released in 48 days. What Analysts Are Saying About Applied Mat A total of 3 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $194.66666666666666. Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access .* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Bernstein keeps a Outperform rating on Applied Mat with a target price of $210. * An analyst from Wells Fargo has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Applied Mat, which currently sits at a price target of $210. * An analyst from Morgan Stanley downgraded its action to Underweight with a price target of $164. Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely. If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Applied Mat, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Essential winter gadgets for your home Must-have winter gadgets for your kitchen Winter gadgets to keep your office warm Gadgets every traveler needs to survive winter The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk’s news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity. Read More Latest Mobiles Lava O3 Pro ₹6,999 Vivo X200 5G ₹65,999 Lava Yuva 4 ₹6,999 Tecno POP 9 4G ₹6,499 Itel Color Pro 5G ₹9,199 Vivo Y18T ₹9,499 Lava Blaze 3 5G ₹10,999 Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G ₹26,999 Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus 5G ₹32,999 Vivo Y300 5G ₹21,517

The Digital Dialogue: Freedom Network convenes stakeholders for Internet governance, media sustainabilityExactly 23 years after Enron filed for bankruptcy, a group claiming to have revived the company announced its return in an apparent parody. “Enron” posted a video on social media announcing, “We’re back. Can we talk?” The video included several generic scenes and touted Enron’s return. The reestablished company also posted a press release full of generic buzzwords and hinting at a possible cryptocurrency future. “With a bold new vision, Enron will leverage cutting-edge technology, human ingenuity, and the spirit of adaptation to address the critical challenges of energy, sustainability, accessibility and affordability,” the release stated. A banner touting Enron as “The World’s Leading Company” ran across the bottom of the site and on social media platforms. However, a “terms of use” section on the Enron site revealed that the whole thing was likely a big, well-designed joke. “The information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only,” it read. Enron’s trademarked logo was registered in May to a company that is tied to the satirical conspiracy theorists at “Birds Aren’t Real,” according to the Houston Chronicle. The people at “Birds Aren’t Real” have shown significant skill and experience with leaning very far into a joke . Enron filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 2, 2001, in one of the largest and most blatant fraud cases in American history . The company’s chairman, Kenneth Lay, died in 2006 after he was convicted on 10 counts of fraud but before he could be sentenced.

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DENVER , Dec. 2, 2024 / PRNewswire / -- SM Energy Company SM today announced that Dr. Ashwin Venkatraman has been appointed to serve as an independent director and as a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors (the "Board"). Chairman of the Board Julio Quintana comments: "We are very pleased to have Ashwin join the SM Energy Board where he will bring an extensive academic background and business experience in technology, artificial intelligence and engineering specific to the oil and gas industry. The SM Energy team aggressively applies data analytics and machine learning into their optimization plans, and Ashwin's expertise will be a valuable addition. Please join me in welcoming Ashwin ." Dr. Venkatraman is President and Chief Executive Officer of Resermine , Inc., a leader in subsurface artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions with a focus on enhancing oil recovery, a company that he founded in 2017. From January 2019 to December 2020 , Dr. Venkatraman was an Associate Professor of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma . From 2015 to 2017, Dr. Venkatraman held academic appointments as a Postdoctoral Fellow in The Institute of Computational & Engineering Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin , and as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University . During the period from 2004 to 2015, Dr. Venkatraman held various positions of increasing responsibility at Shell International Exploration and Production Inc., including Senior Reservoir Engineer (2009 to 2015); Research Reservoir Engineer (2008 to 2009); Concept Engineer (2007 to 2008); and Operations Engineer, Panna-Mukta Field (2004 to 2006). Dr. Venkatraman earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Technology and Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology , Bombay, India , and his Ph.D . in Petroleum Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin . ABOUT THE COMPANY SM Energy Company is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs in the states of Texas and Utah . SM Energy routinely posts important information about the Company on its website. For more information about SM Energy, please visit its website at www.sm-energy.com . SM ENERGY INVESTOR CONTACTS Jennifer Martin Samuels , jsamuels@sm-energy.com , 303-864-2507 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sm-energy-appoints-dr-ashwin-venkatraman-to-the-companys-board-of-directors-302319922.html SOURCE SM Energy Company © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.None

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins were ready to deal veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline until Mike McDaniel stepped in. “I may or may not have thrown an adult temper tantrum,” Miami’s coach said, confirming the news first reported by NFL Network Sunday morning. The Dolphins were 2-6 and had lost three straight at that point. They’d played four uninspired games without their starting quarterback, going 1-3 after Tua Tagovailoa on Sept. 17 with a concussion. Campbell would have had a chance to rejoin the contending Ravens, and Miami would have received a 2026 fifth-round pick in return, NFL Network reported. McDaniel argued that Campbell was too valuable to lose. “I was happy that they brought me into the conversations,” Campbell said after Miami’s . “They didn’t have to say anything to me at all. We had a really good conversation about what we think about this team, where we are. We felt like we had a good shot to get back into the fight.” Added McDaniel: “I think it wasn’t like it was (GM) Chris (Grier) versus me. ... That’s the tricky thing about Chris’ job is he has to look long-term and short-term at the same time, what’s the best for the organization.” Campbell, a 17-year veteran, signed with the Dolphins after playing for Atlanta last season. Players and coaches have praised the 38-year-old’s contributions on the field and in the locker room. “There’s no one’s game I’ve come to respect more than Calais up front on the D-line,” defensive tackle Zach Sieler said, “being with him this year and just the energy, the attitude and the mindset he brings every week. It can’t be matched, and that’s the reason why he is who he is today and doing what he’s doing at 17 years.” Campbell leads the team with four sacks. With back-to-back sacks in Weeks 10 and 11, he became the eighth player 38 or older to record sacks in consecutive games since the 1970 merger. He also has nine tackles for loss, giving him at least five tackles for loss in 15 of his 17 seasons. He played for Baltimore from 2020-2022, totaling 11 sacks and 113 tackles. “I think he means a great deal to not only the defensive line room, but the entire defense as well as the entire team,” McDaniel said earlier this week. “It’s rare for a guy to get here when he did, and then be voted, with such conviction, captain. I think the way that he operates to be a pro, I think has had a substantial impact on a lot of players that hadn’t been fortunate enough to be around someone with sustained success like he’s had.” The Dolphins have won three straight games since the deadline. Miami’s defense held the Patriots scoreless until the fourth quarter on Sunday. Campbell broke down the team’s pregame huddle as he has done before most games this season. He was also seen coaching up rookie linebacker Chop Robinson, who is always seeking pointers from the six-time Pro Bowler. “My job is to speak on behalf of what’s the best thing for the 2024 Dolphins,” McDaniel said. “I’m just fortunate to work in an organization where myself and the GM can be transparent and work together. “And he didn’t want to see any more adult temper tantrums.” ___ AP NFL: