Investors to press Cardinal for change

A coalition of investors in Cardinal Health led by the Teamsters is expected to announce plans Monday morning to call for Cardinal to make changes they say would increase the company’s “accountability” for its role in the opioid crisis.

The group is using the Dublin-based company’s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday as a platform for airing its concerns.

Those concerns also are expected to be aired at a pre-meeting rally and “candlelight vigil” for victims of the opioid crisis Wednesday morning.

Among the changes sought is to require Cardinal’s chairman position, currently occupied by CEO George Barrett, to be filled by an independent director.

The move comes as

Cardinal has come under increasing pressure from lawsuits and media reports charging that it and other drug distributors stoked Americans’ addiction to painkillers by failing to police big spikes in painkiller shipments.

A Washington Post/60 Minutes segment in late October received particularly wide attention, focusing on allegations by a former Drug Enforcement Agency official who claims that Cardinal and its two major competitors, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, effectively muzzled the DEA’s ability to shut down suspicious drug shipments.

“Recent weeks have brought disturbing new details about the wholesale drug distributors’ efforts to rig the system and evade accountability, all while the opiod epidemic continues to engulf our communities,” said Ken Hall, general secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters, in a statement released ahead of a call with media scheduled for Monday morning.

“What is clear now more than ever is the need for structural, operational and cultural changes across the drug industry to address the opioid crisis.”

The Teamsters and its affiliated pension and benefits funds own more than $27 million worth of Cardinal shares.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs plans to attend Wednesday’s activities, representing more than 30 treasurers, asset managers, public and labor funds with more than $1.3 trillion in total assets.

“When we have questions or concerns about long-term reputation or legislative or legal issues in companies we invest in, we speak up,” Frerichs said on Friday.

In response to the concerns, Cardinal spokeswoman Ellen Barry referred to investment documents filed by Cardinal in recent weeks.

In its September proxy statement, Cardinal said it opposes the Teamsters proposal because it supports “an unwarranted one-sizefits-all board leadership structure” and because the company already has adequate oversight for its board.

Cardinal filed an additional proxy document two weeks ago, detailing its “highly qualified and engaged board” and its “rigorous annual board evaluation process” with an outside facilitator.

The new Oasis is designed to survive up to an hour in up to two meters (6.5 feet) of fresh water, not the higher pressure of anything deeper — such as a scuba dive.

Fresh-water protection is great, but you’re more likely to read by a swimming pool or on the beach. Amazon says you’ll still get some protection from chlorinated or salty water — just not as much as what’s promised for fresh water. Same goes for coffee spills.

As for that cover, the standard version with woven fabric ($45) is “water safe” but not “waterproof.” Amazon says that means minor spills, but not lengthy submersion. To be safe, choose a dark color to conceal any stains. The pricier leather covers ($60) won’t resist water at all, which

The main enrollment window has been sliced in half; it ends Dec. 15 in most states. Last year, enrollees had until after the holidays to sign up.

Don’t wait until the last minute to shop. The search can take a few hours without assistance, and websites that process applications can slow under a deadline rush.

“It’s a very delicate subject when you’re dealing with someone’s health,” said Dallas-based broker Tanya Boyd. “And if the plan doesn’t work, you’re stuck with it for the next year.”

Fewer helpers available

It might be harder to find someone willing to answer questions.

President Donald Trump’s defeats having a waterproof e-reader in the first place.

Reading when wet

Waterproofing is meant to protect the device from accidental splashes and spills, not underwater reading.

Common with other gadgets, the touchscreen gets errant when wet. Reading during an ice-cold bath was fine, until I submerged the device. The font size started changing, and all sorts of other settings popped up. During a hot shower, pages turned on their own.

While walking in a storm, rainwater distorted the text,

Premiums for popular “silver” level plans are climbing an average of 34 percent in the 39 state marketplaces that operate through HealthCare. gov, according to the consulting firm Avalere. That pushes the average monthly bill to $743 from $554 this year for single coverage for a 50-yearold shopper.

The average price for more expensive gold coverage is rising 16 percent. Cheaper bronze plans will climb 18 percent. like a magnifying glass, and I had to wipe many drops away. (In any case, I probably should have been paying attention instead to what’s in front of me.)

Other features

Overall, the Oasis is a great device for booklovers — though the waterproofing, with its limits, isn’t enough on its own to justify the premium model.

You can pair the new Kindle with Bluetooth headsets and enjoy integration with Amazon’s Audible audiobook service. You can switch between the text and

Income-based tax credits are calculated based on the cost of silver plans, so those credits are expected to climb and funnel more help to people, especially those with lower incomes.

In some cases, credits might climb high enough to cover the entire bill for bronze plans, which usually require customers to pay a deductible of several thousand dollars before most coverage begins.

Shoppers who make too much to qualify for tax credits could face the biggest price hikes.

Those customers should check for options outside the marketplaces, where people can still buy insurance but without tax credit help.

There, insurers in some states are expected to sell cheaper versions of the silver plans, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser audio versions of your book without losing your place. Unfortunately, you have to buy both versions to do this.

The larger 7-inch screen on the Oasis makes the other devices’ once-adequate 6-inch screens seem too small. Amazon says the Oasis fits 30 percent more words. The Oasis also has more built-in lights for greater brightness. And unlike phones and tablets, the e-reader isn’t prone to glare — or to such distractions as Facebook and text notifications. Though you can get other Kindles for that — and pay far less.

The health law still requires most Americans to buy coverage that complies with the law or face a penalty that can top $1,000, depending on income.

The IRS is paying attention, said Kelley Turek of the trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans. She noted that the federal agency is reminding income tax filers that it will reject or suspend any returns that don’t indicate whether the taxpayer had coverage.

As always, shop carefully

Don’t just shop based on price.

The premium is only one indicator of a health plan’s affordability. There also is the deductible and co-insurance, which is the percentage of the bill a patient pays after the deductible is met.

Plans also can change the doctors and medications they cover. Check on that before you renew coverage.