California Boy Scouts Chapter Challenges National Organization’s Anti-Gay Ban

Though 18-year-old Ryan Andresen had completed all of the necessary requirements for his Eagle Scout badge, but his Scoutmaster refused to sign his application for the award because he was gay in violation of the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) policies. Andresen and his family took his story to the media, garnering over 460,000 signatures on a Change.org petition and an honorary recognition from the California State Assembly. The Andresens circumvented the hierarchy, and now the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council is set to challenge the national policy on Ryan’s behalf.

Bonnie Hazarabedian chaired the review board that signed off on Ryan’s application and forwarded its recommendation to national headquarters last week. She believes he deserves the award because the anti-gay policy is “something out of the Dark Ages”:

HAZARABEDIAN: I don’t think sexual orientation should enter into why a Scout is a Scout, or whether they are Eagle material. We felt without a doubt he deserved that rank.

Though the BSA has not replied to questions about his application, spokesman Deron Smith said in October that Andresen’s membership with the organization had been revoked. The Andresens are celebrating the recognition of his accomplishments, but it’s still up to the BSA to determine Ryan’s fate.

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Neocons Promote Iranian Propaganda In Anti-Hagel Campaign

The neocon smear machine failed to prevent Chuck Hagel’s nomination as the next Secretary of Defense as President Obama announced on Monday that the former GOP senator is his choice to succeed Leon Panetta at the Pentagon. Fresh off their defeat, it seems like the neocons are getting desperate in their efforts to derail Hagel’s bid.

The Iranians today responded to the Hagel nomination and used it to take a backhanded slap at the United States: “We hope there will be practical changes in American foreign policy and that Washington becomes respectful of the rights of nations,” the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said.

“Hagel nomination cheers Iran, worries Israel” a CBS headline to the story read, and with that, the neocons gleefully promoted Iran’s participation:

CBS: ‘Hagel Nomination Cheers Iran, Worries Israel’: CBS reports: bit.ly/WsZLIn

— weeklystandard (@weeklystandard) January 8, 2013

Hagel nomination cheers Iran, worries Israel cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-5… via @cbsnews

— Keep America Safe (@KeepAmericaSafe) January 8, 2013

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who was previously Hagel’s best friend in the Senate but now has concerns about his nomination, tweeted out the the story as well, which AEI’s Danielle Pletka retweeted.

And if that CBS headline sounds a bit misleading, it is. The one worried Israeli the story quoted was a right-wing Likud Party member. In another piece on what Israelis think of the Hagel pick, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said of the Nebraska Republican: “I have met him many times, and he certainly regards Israel as a true and natural U.S. ally.”

The first question we have is: who cares what Iran thinks about Chuck Hagel? But it’s sad the neocons have become so desperate in their anti-Hagel smear campaign that they’re now promoting anti-American propaganda from Iran’s foreign ministry to make their case.

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Great Recession Forced All Americans To Cut Back On Their Health Care

Although the Great Recession has taken an outsized toll on African-Americans and Hispanics, new research suggests that the economic downturn has forced Americans across all racial groups to equally cut back on their medical services.

After researchers at the University of Maryland analyzed more than 54,000 U.S. adults’ health care use, they found that — despite their assumptions that the demographic groups struggling the most as the result of the Great Recession would also struggle the most to access health care — the declining economy impacted all Americans’ ability to get the care they need. During the recession, the average number of doctor visits and prescription drug refills dropped about the same amount for whites, African-Americans, and Latinos. Visits to the emergency room were also essentially unchanged across all groups.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Americans across all racial and economic groups have equal access to health services. There were significant racial disparities in medical care before the Great Recession hit — for example, while whites visited the doctor an average of about 7 times a year around 2005, the average rate was closer to 5.75 for blacks and 4.5 for Latinos during that time period. African-Americans were, and still remain, more likely to be hospitalized than other groups. Earlier reports from the Census Bureau have found that 40 percent of the Americans living in poverty did not visit a doctor in 2010, and confirmed that Hispanics were the least likely group to make a trip to the doctor’s office that year.

But, as the lead researchers for the new study point out, at least the growing economic inequality between whites and racial minorities during the recent recession hasn’t widened the gulf when it comes to health care. “Although minorities bore the brunt of the recession in terms of losses in employment, income and insurance, our findings suggest that trends in [medical] use patterns were similar across race and ethnicity,” the study concludes.

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Study Predicts Health Law Will Raise Premiums On Young Adults

The study says a provision linking prices for older and younger patients could raise costs on the young.

Young adults will see higher health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) because of a provision that links prices for older and younger patients, according to a new study.

Actuaries at management consulting firm Oliver Wyman predicted the law's age rating restrictions could mean a 42 percent hike in premium costs for people aged 21 to 29 when they buy individual coverage.

"This means that close to 4 million uninsured individuals … can expect to pay more out of pocket for single coverage than they otherwise would, even given the availability of premium assistance," study authors wrote.

President Obama's signature healthcare law limited the amount insurers can charge older people for their health insurance to a maximum of three times the amount younger people pay.

Supporters say age rating restrictions are necessary to ensure seniors are charged fairly for health insurance.

Critics of the law argue the requirement will raise costs for young adults and lead them to forgo health insurance, destabilizing the individual market for coverage.

The lead advocacy group for U.S. health plans recently petitioned the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department to delay its implementation of the 3:1 rule.

"Higher rates for the younger population combined with low mandate penalties during the first years of the ACA implementation will result in adverse selection because younger individuals are likely to choose not to purchase coverage," America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) wrote in comments to HHS.

"When these younger individuals do not enroll, destabilization of the individual market will occur, premiums will increase in the individual market for enrollees of all ages, and enrollment will decline."

Oliver Wyman's study predicted that people in their 30s purchasing single coverage will also see an increase in premium costs totaling 31 percent, while people aged 60 to 64 would see premiums increase by about 1 percent.

The study was published in the January/February 2013 issue of Contingencies, an actuarial publication, and distributed by AHIP.

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Largest U.S. Medical Marijuana Dispensary Beats Back Another Shutdown Attempt

Harborside Health Center founder Steve DeAngelo

Last month, a California judge rejected a landlord’s move to evict the nation’s largest medical marijuana dispensary for engaging in a business that is legal under state law. Now, a federal judge has also barred the landlord’s attempt to halt the dispensary’s operations.

In the ongoing federal-local battle over state laws that legalize medical marijuana, the court ruling is the latest victory for Harborside Health Center, a 100-plus-employee operation that Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker has praised for providing “access to safe, affordable and effective medicine.” While the Obama administration initially said it would not target medical marijuana dispensaries in compliance with state law, it has since fluctuated on this position, and pursued increasingly vigorous crackdowns. To shut down Harborside, the federal government filed a civil action to seize the Oakland and San Jose, Calif. properties Harborside leases for its dispensaries. The owners of the two properties attempted to skirt the federal case by moving to evict Harborside or cease its marijuana distribution. One county judge rejected the move, while another has allowed eviction proceedings to move forward. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James held Monday that the federal Controlled Substances act cannot be enforced by private parties like these landlords:

As Harborside points out, courts have consistently held that there is no private right of action under the CSA to force compliance. […]

Moreover, while the Court understands Claimants’ concern over the potential forfeiture of their properties, Rule G(7)(a) is not a means to sever business relationships when they suddenly prove risky or to demonstrate cooperation with the Government.

The landlords and the Department of Justice will now litigate between themselves over the move to seize the properties where Harborside is housed. The city of Oakland also filed an unprecedented, affirmative lawsuit to halt federal government crackdowns of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. The city alleges that the federal government exceeded its authority with its civil forfeiture action by acting contrary to earlier statements and actions that indicated it would not crack down on those dispensaries in compliance with state medical marijuana laws, now in 18 states.

The litigation raises the question of how the federal government will handle Washington and Colorado’s new laws to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana. In the first comment on the measures, President Obama said recreational users are not a “high priority.” He did not, however, refer to marijuana sellers and suppliers, which would be the likely subjects of any federal crackdown.

In the wake of the crackdown, landlords have been unwilling to rent to several other dispensaries that were approved for operation in Oakland.

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UPDATE 2-Shire confident on 2013 as it boosts genetic drugs unit

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - British drugmaker Shire reassured investors that it was on target to meet 2013 earnings expectations and said it was boosting its genetic drugs line with a new acquisition.

The company, which has expanded by acquiring late-stage or already marketed drugs in niche areas, had a weak third quarter, missing market expectations as it faced increased generic competition for its hyperactivity drug.

However, outgoing CEO Angus Russell will tell investors at a healthcare conference in San Francisco that the company "is now increasingly confident of meeting current consensus earnings expectations for 2013", Shire said in a statement on Tuesday.

Analysts forecast earnings per share of $2.20 in 2013, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S estimates.

The company also reiterated that it would post double-digit earnings growth in 2012.

Earlier on Tuesday Shire said it had agreed to buy Lotus Tissue Repair, a U.S. biotechnology company developing the first treatment for a rare genetic disorder that causes extremely fragile skin and recurrent blister formation.

Shire said the purchase, for an undisclosed sum, would boost the pipeline of its Human Genetic Therapies unit, which makes protein therapies for genetic conditions such as Hunter's Syndrome and Fabry and Gaucher diseases.

Lotus Tissue Repair's lead product candidate, which is in late pre-clinical development, is a protein replacement therapy for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), Shire said.

"DEB ... (impacts) the lives of patients and their families, many of whom have few or no treatment options other than palliative care," said Philip J. Vickers, head of R&D at Shire Human Genetic Therapies.

Shares in FTSE 100-listed Shire closed up 2.6 percent at 1,963 pence, their highest level since September.

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