Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

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Title processing software aims to save oil and gas companies cash
 Venture backed Houston startup modernizes title for oil & gas companies, cuts time and costs

Tracts announces the launch of its title software to accelerate the mineral ownership reporting required by oil & gas companies. Designed for land departments, the new product automates much of the title process using patent pending technology, which significantly reduces legal preparation time. In an industry that spends billions annually on title, Tracts' new product is poised to reduce costs for oil & gas companies by 50% or more. The software developer is venture backed by Chip Davis of Houston Ventures and is strategically headquartered near Houston's energy corridor.

Oil & gas companies must determine legal ownership of land and minerals before it can be leased for exploration and production. Unlike a real estate title search, oil & gas title research often involves hundreds of parties who own surface land and subsurface mineral rights. Moreover, a chain of title must be documented linking current owners with the first, sovereign, landowner, which can span hundreds of years. The resulting process is labor intensive and time consuming, costing companies in the United States billions of dollars every year in title costs.

Tracts' founders realized that much of the traditional mineral title process was redundant, lacked standards and could be largely automated. Using a patent pending math engine and data visualization process, Tracts designed a modern solution to the historically complex problem of running title. The company's title software guides users through the process of entering data from legally executed ownership records, or instruments, which are obtained from physical or digital courthouses. As instruments are added, the software dynamically creates chain of title, runsheet, ownership flowcharts, and other reports.

"Tracts has the immediate upshot of saving oil & gas companies time, which translates to 50% or more cost savings on title projects that can run into millions of dollars," said Ashley Gilmore, CEO and co-founder of Tracts. "But even more importantly, Tracts enables companies to lower title risks and capitalize on opportunities faster than ever, such as acquiring a hotly contested tract in the Permian Basin, and in today's fast-paced and competitive leasing arena, that's a real edge," Gilmore added.

Gilmore co-founded Tracts with David Dewey and Robert Anderson. Dewey, Tracts' CTO, is an experienced computer scientist who, together with Gilmore, pioneered the company's patent pending data visualization process and math engine. As an attorney, Anderson brings extensive knowledge of the oil & gas title process to the company where he serves as Vice President of Product Development. Passionate about replacing antiquated title processes with a modern approach, the co-founders set out to disrupt the status quo in the oil & gas title industry with cutting-edge technology.

The company's Houston headquarters has grown rapidly in the last year, adding four new employees, including Matt Chamberlain, a marketing and sales executive with extensive experience growing technology startups.

Given the continued need for cost-efficiency after the industry downturn and with rig counts and prospecting on the rise, Tracts expects high demand for its new title processing software. The developer worked with several oil & gas companies to build and successfully field-test its product.

About Tracts

Tracts is a venture funded software startup focused on modernizing the way oil and gas land departments determine mineral ownership. The company uses a patent pending math engine and data visualization to simplify the highly complex, manual process of establishing legal ownership, which exploration and production companies require in order to acquire, or lease land, and drill. As a result, E&P companies reduce the time needed to establish title by up to and exceeding 50%, providing much needed cost and operational efficiencies in the United States energy market. Based in Houston, Texas, Tracts was founded in 2014 by legal professionals and computer scientists with extensive experience in the oil & gas title process. Visit http://www.Tracts.co for more information.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/07/prweb14503811.htm

Output: Houston-start-up Tracts has developed title software for the oil and gas exploration sector that could reduce costs to businesses by more than 50%. The system uses a patent-pending maths engine and data-visualisation process that guides users through the process of entering data from legally executed ownership records, before creating a chain of title, runsheet and ownership flowcharts. "Tracts enables companies to lower title risks and capitalise on opportunities faster than ever… and in today's fast-paced and competitive leasing arena, that's a real edge," said CEO Ashley Gilmore.


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Regus [2]: Connecticut Legal Services joins Regus in Bridgeport location
 Connecticut Legal Services is the latest law firm to lease space at 1000 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. According to commercial real estate broker Avison Young and property owner Shelbourne Global Solutions LLC, the Class A office building is now home to more than a half dozen law firms and other law-related tenants.

Connecticut Legal Services, the largest legal aid agency in the state, signed a long-term lease for 4,800 square feet on the ninth floor of 1000 Lafayette Blvd. DH White Real Estate Services represented the tenant in the deal.

Avison Young’s Fairfield/Westchester office was named exclusive agent at the property last summer. The broker’s Principal and Managing Director Sean Cahill and Vice President Lori Baker were tasked with marketing the 11-story, 215,000-square-foot building in the heart of Bridgeport’s central business district.

Other legal tenants include the Offices of the United States Attorneys; AHC Law; and Ryan, Ryan Deluca, which signed a new long-term lease for 12,351 square feet on the eighth floor of 1000 Lafayette in the spring. Zeldes Needle Cooper PC, a 30-year tenant, relocated within the building to nearly 16,000 square feet of a newly built space on the seventh floor.

Among the building’s other tenants are Citizens Bank, TD Bank and Regus, an executive office solutions firm.

The property, built in 1989 and renovated in 2012, is GSA-approved and features onsite property management.

Output: Connecticut Legal Services, the largest legal aid agency in the state, is the latest law firm to join Regus as a tenant at 1000 Lafayette Boulevard, Bridgeport. Half a dozen legal tenants are now said to reside in the office building as well as other legal tenants.The firm signed a long-term lease for 4,800 sq ft on the ninth floor.


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Drayson to develop and commercialise NHS technology
 The University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have signed a strategic research agreement with Drayson Technologies which will see digital health products commercialised by the start-up.

Having only been established in 2015, Drayson Technologies, founded by Paul Drayson, a former Labour government science minister, closed £15 million in its latest funding round (Series C funding).

A Drayson Technologies spokesman said the deal is ground-breaking as royalties will be fed back into the NHS from the products commercialised; bringing benefits back to patients in the NHS.

The university and the trust, which is a global digital exemplar, will receive in aggregate £5 million worth of equity in Drayson Technologies as part of the Series C funding round.

Both organisations developed and trialled the technologies in the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre funded by the National Institute for Health Research.

Underpinned by the university’s academic research excellence, engineering expertise and the trust’s clinical validation, the agreement will create a pathway for the production of world-class digital health products, commercialised globally by Drayson Technologies, the spokesman said.

Oxford University trust’s chief information officer, Peter Knight said working with Drayson Technologies “will allow us to bring technologies that we invent and develop together to our patients faster.”

“We will also be able to reinvest royalties from the results of research and development created in the partnership of the university and NHS back into our services for the benefit of our patients.”

Drayson has raised more than £41 million to date and this most recent round of investment will enable it to continue its mission to understand the health of an individual in the context of their environment.

It will allow them to generate actionable information and discoveries that improve health and reduce healthcare costs.

Drayson said chronic disease affects the lives of millions of people as well as accounting for around 70% of NHS costs.

“Digital health technologies offer the potential to make a huge difference for these people and save money for the NHS.”

“This highly innovative partnership will ensure that there is a pathway from invention to commercialisation for digital health products created in Oxford that will deliver benefits to patients and reinvestment back into the University and the NHS trust.”

Lionel Tarassenko, head of the department of engineering science, whose research group developed the digital health products in partnership with the Oxford trust, said: “Our work with wearables, smart devices, and machine learning algorithms has enabled the delivery of real-time, personalised healthcare to patients where it is most needed, from the hospital to the home.”

He added that the partnership with Drayson Technologies gives them a unique opportunity to accelerate the development and deployment of these digital health products.

Output: Drayson Technologies has entered into a strategic research agreement with the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to develop and commercialise digital health products. The aim is to speed up the development and deployment of health-based smart devices, wearables and machine-learning algorithms, and – uniquely – plough the royalties they create back into the NHS. Drayson Technologies recently closed a £15m series C funding round. The two Oxford institutions will receive £5m of equity in Drayson.


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Redrow Redrow sponsors £750 prize for Local Champion Award in annual band contest
 MEMBERS of a Marsden brass band are blowing their own trumpets after coming first in a competition to take home £750.

The winnings, donated by housebuilder Redrow, went to the well-established Marsden Silver Band after they impressed the judges of the Local Champions Award category at the Saddleworth and Oldham Whit Friday Brass Band Contests.

Alan Widdop, musical director for the band, said: “It means everything to have won this.

“The brass band league works like football and, after the previous musical director left, we sadly lost our championship status.

“This win not only means that we regain that, but it also boosts our reputation and means that we can perhaps attract new members.

“The money will come in extremely handy and will go towards covering our expenses for the next competition.”

Currently building new homes at Meadow View, Moorside Redrow supported the annual contest which saw more than 100 bands from all over the world compete in various categories.

“We were delighted to sponsor a category at the contest as it’s such a lovely, traditional competition and brings together musical talent from all over the country and further afield,” said Lorraine Moores, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (Lancashire).

“Redrow’s contribution provided the area prize pot for the best local band overall, for which bands must be based within an eight-mile radius of Uppermill Village.

“The Marsden Silver Band were worthy winners of the Local Champions Award and we’re thrilled the win will help them to greater success.”

Lorraine and Meadow View sales consultant Michael Deagan were invited along to a special presentation evening to hand over the prize to Alan and his band.

Redrow’s own local champion, Meadow View, off Haven Lane, has three and four-bedroom homes currently for sale. For more information see www.redrow.co.uk/meadowview or call: 0161 638 7484.

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Output: Redrow sponsored the Local Champions Award category in a band contest that was won by Marsden Silver Band, which impressed at the Saddleworth and Oldham Whit Friday Brass Band Contests. The annual contest saw over 100 bands from all over the world compete in various categories. Marsden Silver Band said the £750 prize money would go towards covering expenses for the next competition.


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'DrillCos' funnel investment into US shale, boosting output
 HOUSTON: US shale producers survived an oil price crash and confounded OPEC’s efforts to drain a global glut by employing innovative drilling and production techniques. Now, some of these producers are turning to creative investments to pump more oil.

Drilling joint ventures, called “DrillCos” for short, combine cash from investors like Carlyle Group LP with drillable-but-idle land already owned by producers. Investors get a pledge of double-digit returns within a few years, while producers can raise productivity without spending more of their own money. The total raised by these ventures – at least $2 billion in the last 24 months – is a small part of overall shale financing. But they represent another way for Wall Street and shale producers to increase the flow of oil, and frustrate plans by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to prop up prices.

Private equity this year has showered more than $20 billion on US energy ventures. Driven by shale expansion, US oil production this year is forecast to increase by 570,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 9.9 million bpd, the US Energy Information Administration estimates.

Drillcos take control of drillable land and generally turn over 100 percent of the cash flow from oil and gas production to investors until they earn a 15 percent return. At that point, control reverts to the producer, with the investor’s stake shrinking to about 10 percent of remaining production. “It’s a type of surgical, temporary capital,” Mark Stoner a partner at private equity fund Bayou City Energy LP, said in an interview. Bayou City committed $256 million to an Oklahoma drillco with privately held Alta Mesa Holdings LP last year.

“We get exposure to great, prolific oil basins, but don’t have to take on balance sheet risk.”

Companies such as EOG Resources Inc, one of the financially strongest US shale producers, are turning to drillcos.

Two months ago, EOG struck a $400 million deal with Carlyle to finance wells in Oklahoma. The investment lets EOG focus its own cash on the Permian Basin, the largest US oilfield, and lifts its production without increasing its spending.

The venture also allows EOG to double or triple the value of land it held on its books, Lloyd Helms, EOG’s head of exploration and production, said an industry conference in May.

Legacy Reserves LP, Exco Resources Inc, Alta Mesa and EOG are among 34 oil producers that since 2015 have formed drillcos worth more than $2.05 billion. The money has come from investors including Blackstone Group, Carlyle, KKR & Co, and others, according to 1Derrick Ltd, which tracks oilfield land deals.

Historically, one way producers wrung more cash from financiers was to pledge future output for cash payments to finance drilling. There was no swap of land and no guaranteed return. Drillcos differ in that investors get control of land until a double-digit rate of return is met, providing insurance against a default. For producers, these ventures also help boost the total amount of oil they can eventually recover. Wall Street is rewarding those with strong production with share price gains at a time when OPEC and its allies have agreed to pull 1.8 million bpd off the global market. “This helped us drill acreage that we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to drill right away,” Mike McCabe, Alta Mesa’s chief financial officer, said in an interview.

For investors, the potentially high rates of return, compared with commercial loan rates running about 5 percent to 7 percent, have spurred interest despite crude prices CLc1 under $50 a barrel. “There’s a lot of money seeking a home, especially in this low interest rate environment,” Mingda Zhao of Vinson & Elkins LLP, a law firm that has negotiated drillco agreements, said in an interview.

Published in Daily Times, July 14th , 2017.

Output: The expansion of shale has boosted US oil production to the tune of $20bn this year, thanks to drilling joint ventures - also known as drillcos - providing cash from outside investors, including Blackstone and Carlyle Group, allowing oil producers to increase production without incurring extra cost. Typically, Drillcos take control of land and pay 100% of the cash flow from oil and gas production to investors until they've earned a 15% return. From then, control reverts to the producer and the investor takes 10% of the remaining production.


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Apache fracking operations use similar amount of water to a farm
 Rohan Strong snorkels in the crystal clear waters of the worlds largest spring-fed swimming pool at Balmorhea State Park Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 four miles west of Balmorhea in Toyahvale, TX. Houston-based Apache Corporation recently announced the discovery of an estimated 15 billion barrels of oil and gas in the area and plans to drill and use hydraulic fracturing on the 350,000 acres surrounding the park. Apache has leased the mineral rights under the park and town, but has promised not to drill on or under either. Even with the promises, some residents worry that the drilling could affect the 15 million gallons of water that flow through the pool every day and impact the more than 200,000 visitors the pool attracts annually.

Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle

Output: Houston firm Apache's oil drilling operations in the recently discovered reserves at Alpine High in Reeves County would consume around 27,000 barrels of water per day, around the same as some local farms, according to a white paper from Rice University. It found that if Apache develops the 350,000 site slowly, it would use the same amount of water as irrigating a 50-acre farm with about one inch of water. The findings may ease local concerns about the environmental impact of the project.


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NRG Energy to divest wind and solar assets
 The Houston power company NRG Energy said Wednesday that it plans to sell most, if not all, of its wind and solar power projects around the country as part of plan to divest $4 billion in assets in a bid to cut costs, slash debt and boost its stock price.

The plan, which includes the sale of conventional power plants, will almost certainly lead to layoffs - the company has already set aside money to cover severance costs - but the impact on Houston, where NRG employs about 2,400, and Texas, where the company operates nine power plants and owns all or part of seven wind and solar projects, remains unclear. NRG officials did not disclose which plants and projects would be sold off and how many jobs would be cut.

The move follows a campaign by two of NRG's biggest shareholders, the New York hedge fund Elliott Associates and the Dallas investment firm Bluescape Energy Partners, to shake up the company's board of directors and increase the price of its stock, which the activist investors have called undervalued. NRG's stock surged nearly 30 percent after the company unveiled its so-called transformation plan, with the share price jumping from $16.30 a share to $21.09.

But analysts were confounded by the strategy, which some described as shortsighted. The company would sell the majority of its wind and solar projects when renewable energy is profitable and energy firms - including the world's largest oil and gas companies - are increasing investments in green energy.

"We think NRG's announcement is reshuffling the deck more so than creating value for shareholders," said Travis Miller, an analyst who covers utilities for the Chicago research firm Morningstar. "We thought that the NRG renewables business was a good growth platform with some attractive returns, but management clearly decided that their investors would prefer going a different route."

As with other merchant power companies in Texas, NRG has struggled to profit amid low wholesale electricity prices and increasing competition from abundant and cheap wind power. Last year, the company's revenues plunged near 15 percent to $12.4 billion from $14.7 billion in 2015.

Sharp reversal of strategy

NRG's stock reached a five-year high at $37.24 in June 2014, but swiftly plummeted, remaining stubbornly below $20 for the past two years.

In January, Elliott Associates and Bluescape Energy Partners forced the ouster of the NRG's chairman and secured two seats on the board for its candidates, one of them Barry Smitherman, a Houston lawyer who has served as chair of both the state Public Utility Commission and Railroad Commission, the state's oil and gas regulatory agency.

NRG's transformation plan represents a sharp reversal of strategy, which analysts said is rare in the corporate world. NRG had made tentative steps away from renewable energy with the 2015 firing of then-CEO David Crane, a proponent of electric car-charging stations and residential solar panels, and the hiring of CEO Mauricio Gutierrez, who favors more traditional sources of power like natural gas.

But Gutierrez repeatedly said the company remained committed to clean energy and last year completed a $183 billion deal to purchase large-scale solar and wind projects from the bankrupt renewable energy company SunEdison.

"At a time when other utilities across the country - from Florida to New England to the Midwest - are embracing renewables, NRG's decision is baffling," said Jim Marston, a vice president who oversees clean energy issues for the Environmental Defense Fund, a national environmental advocacy group. "This move is another example of NRG's new management abandoning its clean energy leadership position, and focusing on short-term profit over the company's long-term future."

NRG plans to divest between $2.35 and $4 billion in assets in an effort to cut 70 percent of its $13 billion debt. The company expects to sell anywhere from half to all of its share in NRG Yield, a subsidiary that owns most of NRG's renewable projects, including large-scale solar and wind projects in West Texas. It also plans to sell conventional power plants with a combined 6,000 megawatts of generating capacity, about 15 percent of its fleet's capacity of more than 41,000 megawatts.

In a call with analysts, Gutierrez estimated the sale of renewable projects and power plants would generate $6.3 billion in cash, including savings in operations, maintenance and payroll. The company has set aside nearly $300 million over the next two years to cover the costs related to its divestment plan, including severance.

"With this plan we now have a clear path to success in this industry," Gutierrez said. "Our business will be simplified and able to thrive under any market structure."

Parent of Reliant Energy

Gutierrez said the company will put more emphasis on its profitable retail electricity business, particularly in Texas, where its companies, including Reliant Energy and Green Mountain Energy, are the biggest providers in the Houston area. While low electricity prices are squeezing both retail and wholesale businesses, retail has held up much better.

Last year, NRG's retail sales of $6.3 billion exceeded generation revenues, $5.7 billion in 2016, for the first time in years.

"We're always going to be focused on the markets that are the most attractive markets," he said. "Today, from our perspective, the most attractive market is Texas, with a few pockets in the Northeast. Tomorrow, that may change."

Output: Houston power company NRG Energy's shares rose to a two-year high of $21.09, after it announced it will divest between $2.35bn and $4bn of assets, including most, if not all, of its national wind and solar power projects, as well as conventional power plants, in a cost-cutting exercise some have described as "baffling". NRG CEO Mauricio Gutierrez told analysts the measures would save $6.3bn in cash, and the firm would be "able to thrive under any market structure". NRG's decision represents a rare reversal of strategy at a time when other utilities across the US are embracing renewables.


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Halcon Resources divests Wilson Basin to focus on Delaware
 Halcón Resources has signed an agreement to sell its operated oil and gas assets in the Williston Basin, US, to an affiliate of Bruin E&P Partners in a deal valued at $1.4bn.

Bruin E&P Partners is a portfolio company of Arclight Capital Partners.

The transaction does not include the company’s non-operated Williston Basin assets, which it will retain. However, the company indicated that they could be sold in the future.

Halcón Resources chairman, president and CEO Floyd Wilson said: "The sale of our Williston Basin operated assets transforms Halcón into a single-basin company focused on the Delaware Basin, where we have more than 41,000 net acres in Ward and Pecos Counties representing decades of highly economic drilling inventory.

"The cash proceeds from this transaction and related debt reduction provide us with a strong balance sheet and liquidity to execute our growth plans."

“The cash proceeds from this transaction and related debt reduction provide us with a strong balance sheet and liquidity to execute our growth plans."

Representing about 104,000 net acres of oil and gas properties within McKenzie, Williams, Mountrail, and Dunn counties in North Dakota, the current Williston Basin assets, which are up for sale, produce around 29,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boed).

Pro-forma for the asset sale, the company has a current net production of about 7,500boed.

The transaction is subject to shareholder approval and the receipt of consent from more than 50% of the holders of the company's 6.75% unsecured notes, and is expected to be closed by next month.

Halcón Resources is engaged in the acquisition, production, exploration and development of onshore oil and natural gas properties in the US.

Output: US oil and gas company Halcon Resources has agreed to sell 104,000 net acres of operated oil and gas assets in the Williston Basin to Bruin E&P Partners, a portfolio company of Arclight Capital Partners, in a deal estimated to be worth $1.4bn. The sale will allow Halcon to focus on the more than 41,000 net acres in the Delaware Basin, where the Ward and Pecos Counties offer decades of highly economic drilling inventory. The deal is subject to shareholder approval and is set to close next month.


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Wellframe expands care management platform after $15m fundraising
 Boston-based Wellframe, makers of mobile patient engagement and care management software, has raised $15 million in Series B funding led by F-Prime Capital. Existing investors DFJ also contributed, and the new capital brings the company’s total funding to date to $25 million.

Wellframe teams up with health plans and providers to offer a suite of customizable care plans that are designed to keep patients engaged via direct communication channels. The company’s platform includes a web-based clinician dashboard and a patient-facing mobile app and offers two-way messaging and care plans to amplify the reach of care capabilities within a health system. Last year, Excellus BCBS tapped Wellframe to offer its mobile platform as part of its Health Care Improvement team.

“With this financing, we’re well positioned to respond to growing market demand, while further expanding the scope of what we offer as a partner,” Wellframe CEO Jacob Sattelmair said in a statement. “The learnings and success we’ve achieved with our partners has informed a broader, bolder vision to transform care management and set a new standard for how healthcare organizations provide support to patients outside of the clinical setting.”

Some of Wellframe’s clients are reporting cost savings increasing by up to 50 percent per patient, the company said. At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, the integration with Wellframe's mobile allowed the payer to get more out of resources allocated per member.

“Our telephonic care management program does reduce per member medical expense, but coupled with the mobile platform, we see additional savings that more than double the savings of traditional care management -- in the order of magnitude of thousands of dollars per person,” BCBS of Nebraska’s VP of Provider Services Susan Beaton said in a statement.

F-Prime Capital Executive Partner Carl Byers will join Wellframe’s board of directors.

“Wellframe is poised to revolutionize care management as we know it. They’ve assembled a top-tier team dedicated to executing on a new vision for the improved delivery of clinical services and patient engagement,” Byers said in a statement. “There’s an untapped market opportunity here, as most healthcare organizations strive to realize the full potential of care management. Wellframe is demonstrating significant impact on healthcare cost and quality outcomes for their clients, and we are pleased to be working with them to build on this strong foundation to set a new standard for patient support.”

Output: Mobile patient engagement platform provider Wellframe has successfully raised $15m in a series B funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to $25m. Led by F-Prime Capital, the funds will be used to expand the scope of the care management platform to meet growing demand. The company works with health plan providers to offer tailored engagement with patients through a web-based clinician dashboard and a mobile app.


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Scientists use insect's brain to improve tracking algorithm
 Figuring out where things are is an important task that many robots need to know how to do. In applications from health and emergency response to military and even entertainment, it's a pretty basic requirement.

"However, our robots are still far behind the accuracy, efficiency and adaptability of the algorithms which exist in biological systems,” says Zahra Bagheri, a PhD student at the University of Adelaide, who's working on developing new ways of seeing.

She's part of a team of engineers and neuroscientists using the way insects visualise and hunt prey to improve autonomous robotic technology.

"Our research aimed to discover if the behaviour and neuronal mechanisms that underlie an insect’s target detection and selection could provide a blueprint for a robot to perform similar tasks autonomously,” said Steven Wiederman, who's leading the project.

"Insects are capable of remarkably complex behaviour, yet have a miniature brain consuming tiny amounts of power compared with even the most efficient digital processors."

Recording neurons

As part of the research, the team used recordings from specific neurons in the brain of a dragonfly to develop a target detection and tracking algorithm. They they built that algorithm into a robot's brain.

"This is the first time that a target tracking model inspired by insect neurophysiology has been implemented on an autonomous robot and tested under real-world conditions," said Wiederman.

In tests, which included low-contrast targets, heavily cluttered environments and the presence of distractors, the robot performed well - suggesting that simple processors can be used to deliver capable results.

"We uncovered insight into how insects’ neuronal systems may handle varying challenges during target tracking and pursuit," said Bagheri.

Output: Engineers and neuroscientists from the University of Adelaide have used neuronal mechanisms in insects that visualise and hunt prey to improve robotic algorithms. By recording the activity of specific neurons in the brain of a dragonfly, the team was able to get sufficient data to develop a target detection and tracking algorithm, which they instantiated in a robot. In tests the robot performed well, despite the simplicity of the information processing used. "Insects are capable of remarkably complex behaviour, yet have a miniature brain consuming tiny amounts of power compared with even the most efficient digital processors," said project lead Steven Wiederman.


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Working 55 hours a week damages heart health
 A long hours office culture can affect more than just your social life – long days at work can be bad for your heart as well, according to a major study.

It’s been established that too many hours in the office can increase the risk of a stroke. Now it seems that clocking up more than 55 hours a week means a 40% higher chance of developing an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation (AF), when compared to those with a better work-life balance.

AF happens because the natural electrical impulses controlling the heart’s normal regular rhythm lose their co-ordination. Sufferers may get palpitations – the sensation of a racing or irregular pulse – as well as feeling breathless and dizzy.

But some people with AF get no symptoms at all, which is why the British Heart Foundation encourages people to check whether their pulse is regular and to see a GP if they have any doubts. It’s important to diagnose AF because it increases the chance of having a stroke five-fold, and blood thinning treatments can greatly lower this risk.

The research team, led by Professor Mika Kivimaki from the department of epidemiology at University College, London, analysed data on the working patterns of 85,494 mainly middle-aged men and women drawn from the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Participants were put into groups according to their work pattern, with 35-40 hours a week regarded as the control group. No one had AF at the start of the study, published in the European Heart Journal.

After 10 years of follow-up, an average of 12.4 per 1,000 people had developed AF, but among those working 55 hours or more, this figure was higher at 17.6 per 1,000 people.

Those working the longest hours were more overweight, had higher blood pressure, smoked more and and consumed more alcohol. But the team’s conclusions about longer working hours and AF still remained after taking these factors into account.

The researchers acknowledge some limitations to their study: they only asked participants about working hours at the start, and so couldn’t account for how working patterns might have changed over 10 years. The team also could not tell whether any particular job type was more risky.

Kivimaki offered worried workers some reassurance. “For a healthy person, the risk of AF is very low, and a 1.4-fold increase in that small risk due to long working hours does not much change the situation.”

Tim Chico, a Sheffield cardiologist not involved with the study also had some helpful advice for those concerned that their job might harm their heart: “Most people who work long hours won’t have the luxury of being able to change their working patterns. We already know that obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking all increase the risk of AF and so people can reduce their risk of AF by addressing these factors without needing to find another job!”

Output: Working more than 55 hours a week can lead to a 40% higher chance of developing an irregular heartbeat, according to an international study which analysed data from 85,494 predominantly middle-aged men and women in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the UK. The condition, known as atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs when natural electrical impulses controlling the heart’s rhythm lose co-ordination. AF leads to a five-fold increase in the likelihood of stroke. This risk can be decreased through the use of blood thinning treatments.


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California still faces big cuts under revised Senate health bill
 The revised Senate health care bill released by Republicans on Thursday largely maintains the dramatic cuts in federal Medicaid spending and premium subsidies as the previous version of the proposal — changes that experts say would lead to millions of poor Californians losing some benefits or paying more for insurance.

But the newly released plan also introduces language, advanced by conservative Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, that would allow insurance companies to sell bare-bones plans with lower premiums that do not meet the consumer protection requirements put in place by the Affordable Care Act. To do so, however, the insurers must also offer some plans that do comply with the requirements, which include guaranteed access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and a prohibition on charging sick people more than healthy people.

Health policy experts say this would probably separate the individual insurance market into two pools — younger, healthier people who would buy cheaper, skimpier plans, and older, sicker people who would be paying much higher premiums for the more comprehensive plans. As a result, many sick people would no longer be able to afford insurance, experts said.

“Prior to Obamacare, many states allowed insurers to segment the market legally, and Obamacare eliminated that. So all this proposal is doing is reinstating pre-Obamacare market rules,” said Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “We know what that produces — millions of people who are priced out of the market.”

To address this, the bill would allocate $70 billion to insurance companies to help pay for the higher-cost patients.

However, in California — which has its own regulations mandating what insurance companies must cover — it appears that state law would continue to apply despite the exemptions allowed in the Cruz and Lee proposal, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Covered California, the state health insurance marketplace created under the ACA, would not allow the sale of plans that do not comply with state rules, a spokeswoman said.

States would still have authority to regulate insurance plans, so they could impose more stringent requirements and prevent the exemptions in the Senate bill from taking effect, said Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The newly revised bill also includes some additions designed to appeal to both the conservative and moderate Senate Republicans, whose votes are needed to advance the measure. It would send $5 billion a year, for nine years, to states for opioid addiction and treatment services. And it would keep two Affordable Care Act taxes on high earners that the previous version of the bill sought to repeal — a 3.8 percent tax on investment income and a 0.9 percent payroll tax for individuals who earn over $200,000 a year.

Like the previous version of the bill, the Senate measure, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act, would eliminate the requirement to buy insurance, known as the individual mandate, that was enacted by the Affordable Care Act. A similar bill, passed by the House in May, would do the same. Both measures are part of Republicans’ efforts to fulfill their campaign promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tweeted that the plan “will give Americans more tools for managing their own health care, not giving more power to the federal government.”

In California, which operates the nation’s largest Medicaid program, the Senate bill’s biggest impact would be to Medi-Cal, which covers 13.5 million residents — about a third of the state’s population. Like the previous version of the bill, the proposal would cap the amount of federal dollars that each Medicaid enrollee could receive each year, resulting in a 35 percent reduction in federal Medicaid spending in 2036, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis of the original bill.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

To make up for the drop in federal money, California would have to come up with an additional $30 billion in 2026 to maintain the program’s current benefits.

“In California, the lifeblood for our safety net of public hospitals and clinics is Medi-Cal funds,” said Andrew Bindman, a professor of medicine and health policy at UCSF and a former congressional fellow who helped draft parts of the ACA. “If this bill were to pass, our safety net would be dramatically undermined. We’d more than likely lose institutions that have become dependent on the flow of funds from Medi-Cal to sustain their work.”

The Senate proposal would keep in place the general structure of the ACA subsidies that, in California, go to about 1.5 million residents who buy insurance on Covered California. But it would change the eligibility requirements to receive this assistance, making it no longer available for tens of thousands of low-income people who earn between roughly $42,000 and $48,000 a year. And the subsidies under the Senate bill would be linked to a less generous insurance plan with a higher deductible — meaning even those who would continue to receive the assistance would probably pay higher out-of-pocket costs.

Meanwhile, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced Thursday on CNN that they are working on an alternative repeal-and-replace plan that would retain most of the ACA taxes but funnel the money to states to allow governors to manage their own insurance markets. It is not a formal bill, and could be incorporated into the official Senate measure as an amendment.

The path forward for the Senate Republican bill is narrow. McConnell said Thursday that the chamber will take it up next week, but two GOP senators have already announced their opposition — and one more would prevent the repeal effort from even reaching a procedural motion to proceed.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @Cat_Ho

Output: The revised Senate health care bill released by Republicans on Thursday largely maintains the dramatic cuts in federal Medicaid spending and premium subsidies as the previous version of the proposal — changes that experts say would lead to millions of poor Californians losing some benefits or paying more for insurance.


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Revised Senate Health Care Bill Already Faces Uphill Battle
 Senate GOP leaders on Thursday unveiled the latest version of their bill to overhaul the Affordable Care Act as they seek to appease both conservative and centrist holdouts before a planned procedural vote next week.

But the changes were immediately rejected by two Republican senators, libertarian Rand Paul (Ky.) and moderate Susan Collins (Maine), casting doubt on whether the bill would even have enough support to be debated on the Senate floor next week.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) cannot afford any more than two GOP defections in order to have the bill pass in the chamber without any Democrats voting in favor.

Paul is rejecting anything less than a full repeal of Obamacare, while Collins continues to have concerns about the bill’s Medicaid provisions, which is also a sticking point for other centrists. The revised bill still rolls back Obamacare’s expansion of Medicaid by 2024 and severely limits the amount of funding for state Medicaid programs, despite concerns from moderates about their constituents losing health care.

“Still deep cuts to Medicaid in Senate bill,” Collins said in a Twitter post. “Will vote no on MTP [motion to proceed]. Ready to work w/ GOP & Dem colleagues to fix flaws in ACA.”

Other holdouts were still undecided on the new bill, but could also end up opposing it. A cost estimate expected early next week from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to be crucial to whether the latest version lives or dies. The CBO estimated that the Senate’s initial measure would leave about 22 million more Americans uninsured by 2026 compared to current law.

Senate GOP leaders urged their colleagues to vote for the procedural motion next week, arguing their concerns could be addressed through the amendment process. McConnell is facing growing pressure from President Donald Trump to move on fulfilling Republicans’ seven-year promise to repeal Obamacare.

The updated language did win over one skeptic, conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who welcomed the inclusion of a provision that’s based on his proposal to let insurers sell skimpier, cheaper coverage if they offer at least one plan that adheres to Obamacare’s consumer protections. The bill would establish a fund to help insurers afford to cover high-risk people.

Conservatives argue the proposal would lower premiums for healthy people, but health insurers and experts warn it would further destabilize the insurance markets and cause health care costs to skyrocket for people with pre-existing conditions.

Conservatives were also given a win with the inclusion of a provision that would let people use tax-exempt health savings accounts to help pay their premiums, which Cruz said is effectively a reduction in health care costs of “20 to 30 percent” for taxpayers. Another conservative proposal in the bill would allow people to use tax credits to purchase catastrophic plans, which is not possible under Obamacare.

The bill would also retain a pair of Obamacare taxes on high earners, and maintain limits on the amount that insurance company executives can deduct on taxes. Both moves are favored by moderates.

The additional revenues from those taxes would be used to add about $70 billion (on top of $112 billion already in the bill) to go to states to help make health care coverage more affordable. Roughly $45 billion would also go to efforts to curb the nation’s opioid abuse epidemic, which is a key priority for some skeptics, such as Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).

Thursday’s rollout of the new bill coincided with the unveiling of an alternative plan by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Their plan would retain all Obamacare taxes, besides the tax on medical device makers, and use those revenues to allocate block grants to states.

“These funds could be distributed by the states in the forms of tax credits, reinsurance, health savings account premiums, and other means as the individual states see fit to meet their health care needs,” an outline of the plan states.

The plan, which they intend to offer as an amendment to the leadership-backed bill, would repeal Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates, while leaving intact protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Federal funds for state Medicaid programs would grow with inflation, contrary to the open-ended nature of the program under current law.

Output: Senate GOP leaders on Thursday unveiled the latest version of their bill to overhaul the Affordable Care Act as they seek to appease both conservative and centrist holdouts before a planned procedural vote next week.


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Senate Health Bill Still Short On ‘Yays’ But Leaders Vow Vote Next Week
 Senate Republican leaders Thursday released their revised bill to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, but they acknowledged that furious days of negotiation have not yet secured the 50 votes necessary to pass the measure over unanimous Democratic objections.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) the No. 2 GOP leader, told reporters that while backers of the measure did not yet have the GOP votes needed, “we will by the time we vote.”

The revised draft was presented to Republican senators at a closed meeting Thursday morning. Among its many provisions, it would cap federal funding for the Medicaid program, which covers more than 70 million low-income Americans, and give states authority to waive insurance regulations in the ACA.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been struggling for more than two weeks to satisfy holdouts from both wings of the party. Conservatives complain that the draft bill unveiled last month did not go far enough to repeal many of the ACA’s regulations, while moderates argue that structural changes and cuts to the Medicaid program for the poor are too deep.

Use Our Content This KHN story can be republished for free ( details ).

So far, two of the 52 Republican senators have declared they will not even vote for the preliminary motion that would begin formal debate: conservative Rand Paul of Kentucky and moderate Susan Collins of Maine. “Still deep cuts to Medicaid,” Collins tweeted. “Will vote no on” motion to proceed to the bill.

Collins told reporters separately that she cannot support the bill, and criticized Senate leaders for the way they produced it. Such a fundamental change to Medicaid should have a full set of legislative hearings, she explained. Even fully repealing the ACA would not cap spending for Medicaid in the way the Senate bill is proposing. “Repealing Obamcare would not change the underlying Medicaid program,” she said.

The ACA expanded Medicaid, but the Senate changes would cut it back well beyond that expansion.

One more “no” vote would stop the bill in its tracks, even with a potential tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. Several moderate senators emerged from the closed meeting saying they were still undecided, including Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

Leaders did, however, apparently satisfy some of their more conservative members by making some changes proposed by Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Cruz touted after the meeting that the legislation includes provisions to allow people to use tax-preferred health savings accounts to pay insurance premiums (which are currently banned). It would also allow anyone to purchase a plan that covers only catastrophic health expenses (which the ACA limits to those under age 30) and permit insurers to offer plans that do not conform to many of the regulations in current law. Those rules include the ACA’s requirements for coverage of specific health benefits as well as bans on insurers charging sick people more and limiting out-of-pocket costs.

Senate leaders offered to spend more money on people who could be adversely affected by the insurance changes, including an additional $45 billion to combat opioid abuse, but moderates said it does not solve the problem.

“There’s money,” Collins told reporters, “but too many uses for that money.”

Democrats remained steadfastly opposed to the measure. “The meat of this bill is exactly the same as it was before, and in some ways, they’ve somehow managed to make it even worse,” said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Even if leaders round up the needed votes, there are still a number of obstacles between this draft bill and President Donald Trump’s signature. They include:

Procedural Restrictions

Republicans are trying to pass their health bill using a special budget process that lets them avoid a filibuster and the usual requirement to get 60 votes for passage. But strict rules govern what can and cannot be included in such a “budget reconciliation” bill. Democrats this week are arguing to the Senate parliamentarian that many sections of the bill should not be allowed, including those that would impose abortion restrictions and modify the private insurance regulations included in the ACA.

Cost Estimates

The Congressional Budget Office is the official scorekeeper for Congress. It said the first version of the Senate bill would result in 22 million more uninsured people by 2026.

CBO is expected to offer its score of the bill next week, but some Senate Republicans on Thursday said that rather than wait for that, they might ask the Department of Health and Human Services to do it instead. That would be likely to produce a number more favorable to Republicans.

Democrats saw that option as a partisan play by Republicans. “It’s gaming the score,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “Why don’t they just have the score written in McConnell’s office by his staff?”

House Passage

Whatever the Senate produces must be acceptable to a majority of the House, or else the two chambers could get bogged down in weeks or months of negotiations. But changes that would make the Senate bill more acceptable to moderates there would likely not be able to get through the more conservative House. Leaders are walking a thin tightrope.

On the other hand, Republicans continue to be driven by the imperative of keeping their seven-year promise to overturn the health law.

“Virtually every Republican in this body has supported the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare more or less since the day it was signed into law,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said on the floor. “This legislation, while far from perfect, would fulfill the vast majority of those promises.”

Output: Senate Republican leaders Thursday released their revised bill to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, but they acknowledged that furious days of negotiation have not yet secured the 50 votes necessary to pass the measure over unanimous Democratic objections.


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Why a Bipartisan Health Care Compromise Is Simply a Delusion
 Senate Republicans bought themselves a little more time this week to deliver on their top agenda item, repealing and replacing Obamacare. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to trim two weeks off the August recess, responding to a number of calls within his caucus to expand the legislative calendar. The big question, however, is whether it will help and whether there are any options left if it doesn’t.

McConnell has called a meeting Thursday morning with the entire GOP caucus, presumably to roll out the new version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). Sen. Pat Toomey first mentioned the new effort on Monday, predicting that it would bridge the gap between moderates and conservatives within Republican ranks. “There’s still a shot at getting to 50 [votes],” Toomey said on CNBC’s Squawk Box.

Related: Why the Republican Health Care Plan Is Destined to Fail

It got off to a bad start even before the big reveal. Sen. Rand Paul wrote a blistering op-ed at Breitbart on Wednesday to announce his rejection of the new version of the BCRA, calling it “worse than Obamacare-lite.” Paul accused Republicans of bolstering federal authority over health insurance, retaining too much of the Affordable Care Act’s taxes and regulations, and “creating a giant insurance bailout superfund.” Paul decried the lost opportunity to fulfill pledges made during the past seven years to repeal Obamacare “root and branch.”

Unfortunately, the opportunity to repeal Obamacare “root and branch” came and went five years ago when Republicans failed to beat Barack Obama’s re-election bid. Too much of Obamacare has already been implemented, which has distorted the markets considerably and recast political incentives. Donald Trump himself recognized this in his presidential campaign, promising that the repeal of Obamacare would come with a replacement program that ensured the least amount of disruption possible.

Republican Senators from rural states worry that a flat-out repeal without any transitional support would hit hard in the very areas where they won elections. A straight repeal would require 60 votes as it goes beyond merely budgetary issues, but it would be unlikely to get close to 50 even if it qualified for the reconciliation process.

Related: Why Ted Cruz's Health Care Fix Can't Save the GOP's Bill

Trump made it clear in an interview with CBN’s Pat Robertson on Wednesday that he expects the Senate to act on Obamacare. “Mitch has to pull it off,” Trump said, noting that Obamacare was “a failed experiment,” and that Congress had to act. When Pat Robertson asked what would happen if McConnell failed to deliver a repeal bill, the president replied, “I think it would be very bad. I will be very angry about it, and a lot of people will be upset.”

That may be a rare case of understatement from President Trump. A new poll from Politico and Morning Consult shows that two-thirds of Republican voters expect the GOP to honor their promises and repeal Obamacare. Forty percent of voters overall want a repeal bill passed (with 47 percent opposed, it should be noted), which makes for considerable pressure on Senate Republicans. Interestingly, though, the poll also shows that a majority of GOP voters (54 percent) want Republicans to work with Democrats on a bipartisan reform of the system.

It’s not the first time that’s been suggested. Mitch McConnell warned last week that a failure of Republicans to coalesce around a solution would force him to work with Democrats on temporary fixes for Obamacare exchanges. John McCain and Bill Cassidy both called for negotiations across the aisle last week, with McCain saying, “That’s what democracy is supposed to be all about.”

Don’t expect to find any escape hatch in that direction, though. Toomey called this option “grim” on Monday for a reason; Democrats are fighting to protect Obamacare. They could get Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to work with them “as long as nothing gets repealed, the mandates don’t go away, taxes remain in place, and Medicaid stays on a completely unsustainable fiscal train wreck,” Toomey told CNBC.

Related: Five Ways Republicans Can Regain their Mojo on Health Care

Even renegade Democratic centrists don’t offer much hope for peeling off enough for a bipartisan compromise. A handful of House Democrats issued a proposal called, “Solutions over Politics” (SoP) to redirect the debate over health-care reform. "We are proposing real, concrete solutions that will stabilize and improve the individual market,” Rep. Kurt Shrader (D-OR) declared, “making Obamacare work better for everyone, and getting us closer to universal coverage for all Americans."

Unfortunately, this agenda looks very close to the same laundry list Schumer has pushed in the Senate. Shrader wants a permanent subsidy for insurance companies to make up for the losses they incur, guaranteeing a perpetual river of red ink from Obamacare. The original reinsurance funds were time-limited because Democrats insisted that markets would stabilize after the first few years and would become self-sufficient. This “solution” concedes the Republican argument that Obamacare is unsustainable without heavy government spending, and is structurally unsound.

Even where it differs from the official Democratic Party line, the SoP proposal doesn’t stray very far. It endorses health-savings accounts (HSAs), but only for “plans compliant with the ACA,” where Republicans want to expand the use of HSAs to allow for non-compliant innovation. The SoP proposal retains all of the mandates while allowing for “catastrophic health insurance plans … for younger enrollees,” without acknowledging that Obamacare’s high-deductible plans already act in practical terms as catastrophic coverage at high premium levels. Their solution for poor enrollment figures is not to repeal the unsound structure of mandates and narrow choice of coverages that creates it, but “robust marketing around open enrollment periods.”

Related: The Biggest Winners and Losers in the Senate GOP Health Plan

Simply put, there is no basis for compromise between one side that sees Obamacare as an abject failure in need of repeal, and another that sees a lack of government funding and a better PR campaign as the only problems in need of solutions.

No, Republicans must do this on their own if it is to be done at all. That is the Hobson’s choice that faces Senate Republicans, and the sooner they realize it, the quicker they will find a way to move forward on a solution. If they don’t, Trump will almost certainly be proven prescient when voters weigh in on seven years of broken promises.

Output: Senate Republicans bought themselves a little more time this week to deliver on their top agenda item, repealing and replacing Obamacare. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to trim two weeks off the August recess, responding to a number of calls within his caucus to expand the legislative calendar.


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A Scary New Senate Health Care Bill
 Ms. Collins and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said on Thursday that they are opposed to the current version of the bill, so Mr. McConnell can’t afford to lose anyone else. The question now is, has he done enough to win over senators like Dean Heller of Nevada, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Rob Portman of Ohio? The answer is most likely no. The changes meant to appeal to them amount to crumbs. For example, the new version includes $45 billion to help states fight the opioid epidemic. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who opposed the original bill, has said that this level of federal spending on this huge problem would be “like spitting in the ocean.”

Mr. McConnell is also trying to make his legislation look less extreme by continuing some of the taxes from the A.C.A., or Obamacare, rather than jettisoning them all. But this is not a big improvement, because a majority of the taxes in the Obama-era law that helped pay for expanded health coverage would still be lost. In addition, the revised bill would expand the use of tax-free health savings accounts, which primarily benefit rich families.

The biggest losers in the new bill are the sick. A provision by Mr. Cruz would let insurers discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. And they would be allowed to sell plans that do not cover essential services, which would be cheaper and attract healthier people. They would still have to offer comprehensive plans to everyone, but those policies would cost a lot more because they would attract sicker patients. That is why the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network said the bill “would significantly weaken the ability of millions of cancer patients, survivors and those at risk for the disease to find and afford adequate, meaningful health care coverage.”

Mr. McConnell wants to hold a vote on his legislation early next week. Congressional aides say he might even proceed before the C.B.O. can analyze all the changes. Senators who vote for this bill will send a simple message to their constituents: Get sick, and you are on your own.

Output: Republican leaders in the Senate have accomplished what seemed impossible a few weeks ago: They have made their proposal to destroy the Affordable Care Act even worse.


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Revised Senate Health Bill Tries to Win Votes, but Has Fewer Winners
 The revised Senate health bill has a dwindling list of winners and a bigger pool of potential losers.

It would still make insurance much less affordable for poorer and older Americans who don’t get coverage through work or Medicare. It would make that insurance less valuable for many people with the most significant health care needs. The biggest beneficiaries of the original bill — the rich — would get less.

The new draft bill, released Thursday, is full of small tweaks and goodies throughout, but its most substantial policy change came at the behest of two Senate conservatives, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah. They wanted to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s regulations of health insurance, and largely got their wish. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, faced with objections to his original health care bill from both moderate and conservative Republicans, took a step to the right.

Mr. Cruz championed the change as a way to improve consumer choice and reduce the cost of insurance for Americans who do not have serious health care needs. It would, indeed, give some young and healthy consumers a chance to buy cheaper plans.

Output: The revised Senate health bill has a dwindling list of winners and a bigger pool of potential losers. It would still make insurance much less affordable for poorer and older Americans who don’t get coverage through work or Medicare. It would make that insurance less valuable for many people with the most significant health care needs.


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Input:
New Senate health bill still risky for older people's premiums, any pre-existing conditions
 Consumers could buy more bare-bones health insurance for less money under an amendment to the latest version Senate health plan, but insurers warn the change could cause premiums for older Americans and those with pre-existing conditions to skyrocket.

Premiums overall for those who buy their insurance on the market would rise much faster than they are now and there would be even fewer options for them, the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans said in a statement.

Insurers would be able to sell plans that don't cover nearly as much as required under the Affordable Care Act, as long as they sell at least one plan that does under an amendment sponsored by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah.

That would encourage young, healthy people to buy plans that don't meet the ACA, which AHIP says would lead to an "un-level playing field" for insurers selling to people who don't get their insurance from their employers or through government programs such as Medicare.

Read more:

Bare-bones insurance options added to health bill in bid to woo conservatives

Senators discussing backup plan in case Obamacare repeal fails

Senate Republicans aim for health care vote next week

"The individual market faces well-documented challenges to stability, including higher premiums, lower-than-expected enrollment, fewer plan choices" and a shortage of healthy people to offset the cost of covering the sick in some states and areas, said AHIP.

But there are ways to do this that don't threaten the overall stability of the state and federal exchanges, said AHIP.

Despite an additional $70 billion to help cover the costs of high-risk patients, the bill was still roundly criticized as hitting people who as insurers offer non-compliant plans.

"This broken bill can't be fixed," said Joe Baker, president of the non-profit group Medicare Rights Center.

Even with the changes, the Better Care Reconciliation Act "still ends Medicaid as we know it, and it still yanks health coverage out from under millions of Americans, including older adults, people with disabilities, and those with pre-existing conditions," Baker said in a statement.

People living with cancer and other chronic illnesses have been particularly concerned about the fate of the ACA, as many couldn't get or afford insurance before the law.

Kathy Robinson of Plano, Texas, says she was born with a kidney disease and will need coverage for medication and other health care for the rest of her life.

“As a transplant patient, I feel covering pre-existing conditions is crucial," says Robinson, 55. "I did not do anything to cause me to be ill."

Read more:

What Nixon gave me and Trump might take away: Column

Experts: Pre-existing coverage in House GOP bill would fall far short

When the health network PatientsLikeMe polled members in May, nearly 60% said the ACA needed only "minor modifications" and just 23% suggested the law needed a "major overhaul."

“Stop trying to repeal Obamacare, just fix it," said Laura Porter, Sherburne, N.Y., who has diabetes, epilepsy and spinal injury. Congress needs "to work together and fix the issues right now.”

What's your health care situation? Tell us at healthinsurance@usatoday.com

Output: Consumers could buy more bare-bones health insurance for less money under an amendment to the latest version Senate health plan, but insurers warn the change could cause premiums for older Americans and those with pre-existing conditions to skyrocket.


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Nursing Homes Move Into The Insurance Business
 Around the country, a handful of nursing home companies have begun selling their own private Medicare insurance policies, pledging close coordination and promising to give clinicians more authority to decide what treatments they will cover for each patient.

These plans are recent additions to the Medicare Advantage market, where private plans have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional fee-for-service coverage. Unlike other plans, these policies offered by long-term care companies often place a nurse in the skilled nursing facility or retirement village, where they can talk directly to staff and assess patients’ conditions. Some provide primary care doctors and nurses to residents in the homes or in affiliated assisted living facilities or retirement villages with the aim of staving off hospitalizations.

“The traditional model is making decisions based on paper, and in our model, these decisions are being made by clinicians who are really talking to the staff and seeing the patient,” said Angie Tolbert, a vice president of quality at PruittHealth, which began offering its plan to residents in 10 of its nursing homes in Georgia last year. “It’s a big shift in mindset.”

Not everyone finds such plans superior. Some patients who are in disputes with the insurers have faulted the nursing home staff — who work for the same company — for not helping challenge decisions about coverage. They complain that the company holds an unfair advantage over Medicare beneficiaries.

“There’s a conflict there,” said Toby Edelman, a senior attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

In an Erickson Living retirement village in Silver Spring, Md., Faith Daiak signed up for an Erickson Advantage plan sold by a nurse whose office was in the main village building, according to her son, J.J. Daiak. After a bout with the flu last February weakened her enough to need a 10-day hospitalization, she was sent to her village’s skilled nursing facility. There, the insurer repeatedly tried to cut short her stay.

Erickson Advantage first said it would stop paying for Daiak, 88, because she wasn’t getting healthier in the nursing facility. Her son appealed by pointing out that Medicare explicitly said as part of the 2014 settlement of a class-action lawsuit that patients do not have to be improving to qualify for skilled nursing care.

Daiak’s appeal was denied, but the issue was sidelined in March when her rapid weight loss in the nursing home sent her back to the hospital, he said.

After Daiak returned to the nursing home with a feeding tube in her stomach, the insurer again tried to curtail her time there, saying she did not need that level of care. The family successfully appealed that decision after noting that Medicare’s manual said feeding-tube maintenance required the skilled care of a nursing facility.

In April, Erickson Advantage again said it would not continue paying for Daiak’s stay. It reversed that decision after Kaiser Health News asked the company about the case, J.J. Daiak said. He said the plan did not explain its turnaround.

While this Medicare Advantage plan touts its “team that knows you personally and wants to help,” J.J. Daiak said he found the registered nurse at Erickson’s Silver Spring community not helpful. “All I see is her trying to get Erickson out of having to pay for the nursing home,” he said. He subsequently switched his mother to traditional Medicare coverage with a supplemental Medigap policy, which she had until this year.

Erickson Living, the parent company of the nursing home and insurer, declined to discuss individual cases but noted that Medicare has given its insurance plans the best quality rating of five stars. In a written statement, the company said that “medical service determinations for Erickson Advantage members are based on reviews by licensed clinical staff and clinical guideline criteria. Our primary focus is always on ensuring that the healthcare being provided for our residents matches a patient’s needs and established clinical treatment protocols.”

Edelman said the dispute was particularly troubling because Erickson’s retirement villages are marketed on the promise that the company will care for seniors in all stages of aging. “They don’t tell you what they won’t pay for,” she said.

Popular Alternative

There are nearly 18 million enrollees in the overall Medicare Advantage market. Medicare pays private insurers a set amount to care for each beneficiary. In theory, this payment method gives the insurers motivation to keep patients from needing costly medical services such as hospitalizations.

A subset of Medicare Advantage plans are designed exclusively for people who either require or are expected to require at least 90 days of skilled services from nursing homes, assisted living facilities or other long-term care institutions. UnitedHealthcare directly offers three-quarters of these plans with about 40,000 enrollees, far more than those offered by nursing home companies. Matthew Burns, a UnitedHealth spokesman, said the majority of the company’s plans are rated four stars or better on Medicare’s five-star quality scale.

“Our plans offer members quality and peace of mind — and they are considered above average to excellent by CMS quality and performance standards,” he said in a statement.

United also underwrites Erickson’s policies, which have around 200 enrollees, and were the first Advantage plans offered by a long-term care operator. Under the arrangement, Erickson Advantage decides when a nursing home stay is covered.

Nick Williams, PruittHealth’s care integration officer, said its Medicare insurance plan has resulted in 30 percent fewer hospitalizations among residents since it began last year. The company intends to expand the insurance coverage to residents at 42 of its other nursing homes in Georgia. Other nursing home chains are experimenting with this model in Missouri, South Carolina, Virginia and elsewhere.

Anne Tumlinson, a Washington health care industry consultant who specializes in long-term care, said that when a nursing home’s company is on the hook for the cost of hospitalizations of their patients, it is more likely to make efforts to prevent them.

“It gets them out of hospitalizing people at the drop of the hat,” she said. “If you live in a nursing home or are living in assisted living and they have one of these plans going, they’re going to be investing heavily in 24/7 access to primary care.”

She said big insurers have so many different types of enrollees that they are less focused on the particular needs of nursing home patients. “They’re too big, they’re bureaucratic, and they are insurers, not providers,” she said.

The Costs Patients Face

In Hingham, Mass., Suzanne Carmick has been frustrated with the Erickson plan’s unwillingness to pay for most of her mother’s prolonged stay. Last October, 98-year-old Lorraine Carmick went into Erickson’s nursing home after a hospitalization. Eleven days later, Erickson Advantage notified Suzanne Carmick it would stop paying for the facility because it said her mother was strong enough to move with the help of a rolling walker. Under Medicare’s rules, nursing home stays are not covered if a patient does not need daily physical therapy. Erickson said two or three days was sufficient for Carmick.

Suzanne Carmick appealed the decision, saying Erickson exaggerated her mother’s recovery, noting that she had dementia, an infection and was wearing two stiff leg braces. She said getting therapy five days a week provided in the nursing home would help her mother recover faster.

“She still cannot stand up or sit down or go anywhere … without an aide helping her by pulling her up or setting her in a chair,” Carmick wrote. “She is improving but is now supposed to stop or decrease PT [physical therapy], and she must start paying out-of-pocket?”

After a week’s extension, the nursing home began billing her mother at its daily rate of $463, which rose to $483 this year as Lorraine Carmick remained in the nursing home. A Medicare appeals judge subsequently ruled Erickson’s action was justified, based on the testimony from the nursing home staff — all Erickson employees. If the insurer had covered a maximum stay, Carmick would have avoided more than $30,000 in bills she now owes. Suzanne Carmick said her mother has been on a wait list for six months for a bed on a less expensive floor in the nursing facility.

“It is a closed system where the skilled nursing facility, physicians and Medicare Advantage plan are all one and the same,” she said. “The Erickson Advantage plan is turning out to be quite a disadvantage at this point.”

KHN’s coverage related to aging & improving care of older adults is supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation. Coverage of aging and long-term care issues is supported by The SCAN Foundation.

Output: Around the country, a handful of nursing home companies have begun selling their own private Medicare insurance policies, pledging close coordination and promising to give clinicians more authority to decide what treatments they will cover for each patient.


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Medicare’s Financial Outlook Slightly Improved, Trustees Say
 The Trump administration said Thursday that the financial outlook for Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund improved in the past year due to health costs rising more slowly than expected and predictions that enrollees will use hospital services less often.

The report said that trust fund would last through 2029, one year later than what was projected last year. Two years ago, 2030 was the projected depletion date.

Medicare Part B premiums — which cover visits to physicians and other outpatient costs — should remain stable next year, the trustees said. About a quarter of Part B costs are paid for by beneficiary premiums with the rest from the federal budget.

In contrast, the Part A hospital trust fund is financed mostly through payroll taxes.

The report, from the trustees of the Medicare program, noted that projected costs of the program assume the Affordable Care Act stays in place. President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are trying to overhaul the law, which when enacted in 2010 added several years to the fiscal life of the trust fund.

Use Our Content This KHN story can be republished for free ( details ).

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, one of four Medicare trustees, also said the hospital trust fund forecast was secure enough that it would not trigger an ACA provision to make automatic cuts to the program. Those cuts are required by the ACA when spending is expected to exceed certain benchmarks.

Despite the slightly improved outlook, the trustees warned that the aging of the baby boom population and rising health care costs will cause Medicare expenses to increase from 3.6 percent of gross domestic product in 2016 to 5.6 percent of GDP in 2041, and then level off somewhat to 5.9 percent by 2091.

As in previous trustee reports, the latest analysis warned that Washington should address the financial challenges of Medicare as soon as possible to avoid having to cut benefits to millions of retirees and seniors.

The trustees said national health expenses have slowed considerably in recent years, although it is uncertain if this is a result of the Great Recession, which ended in 2009, or efforts taken by the federal government and private sector to change doctor and hospital reimbursement programs. Senior administration officials said some of the slowing growth in Medicare was due to Obamacare saving money through its accountable care organizations, which pay doctors and hospitals a lump sum each month to care for senior citizens.

Medicare provides health coverage to nearly 57 million people, including seniors and people with disabilities. It has added 5 million people since 2013.

“For 51 years, Medicare has played a crucial role in providing healthcare for America’s senior citizens,” Price said in a statement. “Unfortunately, on its current trajectory, Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund will be depleted in just over a decade. … As the Trustees Report says, this means that reform to the program is needed.”

Medicare spending were about $679 billion last year. The hospital insurance trust fund helps pay hospital, home health services, nursing home costs and hospice costs.

Output: The Trump administration said Thursday that the financial outlook for Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund improved in the past year due to health costs rising more slowly than expected and predictions that enrollees will use hospital services less often.


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OpenText's Magellan AI squares up to IBM's Watson
 Enterprise information management company OpenText has announced the general availability of its new artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing platform, Magellan, at its Enterprise World conference in Toronto.

Attendees at the show were left in little doubt as to how senior executives at the Waterloo, Ontario-based company would like them to view Magellan: as a direct competitor to IBM’s Watson. OpenText isn’t targeting Salesforce’s Einstein, nor similar AI-based initiatives from SAP or Pegasystems, CEO Mark Barrenechea stressed in a press conference at the event:

It’s Watson [that we’re targeting]. What differentiates us is that the information-centric applications that we already have will be integrated directly with Magellan. We don’t want to extract information – from contracts, for example – out of applications and into an AI platform. The fact that you have to feed Watson with data extracted from multiple resources, I think, is a weakness.

In other words, OpenText is aiming to embed Magellan’s AI capabilities in some of the tools that comprise its vast portfolio of software products. These typically focus on unstructured and semi-structured information, in areas such as enterprise content management, customer experience and data discovery. Where the company believes Magellan can stand out is in its understanding of human language (as opposed to transactional data), as it is expressed in documents such as reports, memos, emails, contracts and requests for information, via text mining and semantic analysis.

Built by OpenText?

This looks likely to be a significant challenge, because OpenText has largely been built through acquisition. In the last 20 or so years, it’s acquired over 50 different information management companies. Most recently, these have included its $1.62 billion purchase of Dell-EMC’s enterprise content software, which included former arch-rival Documentum, in a deal that closed in January, and its April acquisition of customer experience software and service assets from HPE, for $170 million.

In fact, Magellan itself has its roots in technology acquired in two acquisitions: the 2010 purchase of Nstein Technologies, which brought text mining and auto classification capabilities to OpenText; and the 2015 purchase of Actuate, which brought it analytics capabilities. On top of these technologies, OpenText has introduced integration with two open source products: big data framework Apache Spark and Apache MLlib, a machine learning library. Algorithms for Magellan can be programmed in languages including Scala, Python and R. But as Barrenechea stressed:

There’s also a whole ton of our own engineering in there. We may start with M&A, but if we can’t grow a product, if we can’t innovate, if we can’t get it to evolve, then we’re not interested in buying it. Magellan is built by OpenText.

Challenges ahead

It’s no surprise that Barrenechea is keen to stress OpenText’s engineering and innovation credentials. With the launch of Magellan and the shift into AI, the company will find itself in a fiercely competitive and fast-moving field of technology.

It could prove to be an unforgiving environment for a company built on acquisition, as opposed to organic growth fuelled by new products. As Barrenechea told analysts on the company’s third quarter results call:

M&A remains our leading growth driver, and we will continue to grow and invest in our M&A team.

It’s hard, then, not to draw parallels with the kind of strategy made famous by CA Technologies during the 1990s and early 2000s: buy up intellectual property from other software companies, provide basic maintenance and milk the installed base. The fact that Barrenechea worked at CA Technologies (then known as Computer Associates) in various roles during those years – as product development head, president of technology strategy and chief technology officer – simply reinforces that comparison.

To sweeten the deal for prospective Magellan customers, the product will be sold at a much lower price point than IBM Watson, will be available as an appliance that runs on preconfigured, commodity hardware and be available on premises or via the cloud. A lower cost of entry could appeal to a wider range of customers than might consider IBM Watson a viable investment. As Barrenechea put it:

Output: Ontario-based company OpenText has announced it wants to take on IBM's Watson with its artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing platform, Magellan. Unveiled at the Enterprise World conference in Toronto, CEO Mark Barrenechea said Magellan's showpiece ability to understand human language, instead of simple transactional data, put it ahead of Watson. "The fact that you have to feed Watson with data extracted from multiple resources, I think, is a weakness," he said. However, critics have warned that OpenText, a company built on acquisitions rather than organic growth, could find the AI market a challenging one.


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UAE widens overseas ownership of local insurance firms
 The UAE Cabinet has decided to increase the ceiling on the stake held by foreign investors in a locally incorporated insurance company from 25% to 49%, Mr Ibrahim Obaid Al Zaabi, Director General of the Insurance Authority (IA) has announced.

Output: The United Arab Emirates has doubled the ownership cap on foreign control of local insurers to 49% from 25% in a bid to boost the gulf states' insurance industry. Ibrahim Obaid Al Zaabi, director general of the Insurance Authority in the UAE, said the move would allow local firms to forge alliances with established overseas firms. Al Zaabi also predicted the emirates' insurance market will grow at least 12% this year to AED45bn ($12bn) in premiums.


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Eurostar VR experience lets passengers view sea above the tunnel
 The headsets transform the roof of the train into a glass ceiling, revealing the underwater world above

EVER wondered what it looks like on the other side of the Channel Tunnel walls?

Now Eurostar passengers will be able to find out what lurks at the bottom of the sea bed, thanks to a new virtual reality programme available on the trains.

Travellers can access the VR experience, called Eurostar Odyssey, by logging onto the train's onboard entertainment system through their smart phones and on free headsets provided by the company.

The headsets transform the roof of the train into a glass ceiling, revealing the underwater world above.

They then follow two ocean explorers, Rose and Benoit around the seabed, hearing old stories about pirates, lost treasure and mermaids.

There are also encounters with a charismatic octopus and several other sea creatures along the way.

To keep young travellers entertained, there is also a game that helps them to count the different species they spot along the way.

Nick Mercer, Commercial Director at Eurostar, said: “Travellers are always asking if they can see the fish when travelling through the channel tunnel. "

2 Eurostar has launched Eurostar Odyssey, the world’s first onboard virtual reality experience Credit: Eurostar

He continued: “We’re really excited to make it possible as the first travel company to give its customers an immersive 3D experience."

Throughout the summer we’ll be giving younger travellers free headsets so they can enjoy an exciting adventure under the channel.

The experience will be accessible on services between London and Paris, Lille, Brussels, Lyon and the South of France.

Once passengers have tested out the new VR experience, they can also stream over 300 hours of onboard entertainment to their phone via WiFi on all of Eurostar’s new e320 and refurbished e300 trains.

Output: Eurostar has launched an onboard virtual reality (VR) experience for travellers. Using smartphones or free headsets provided by the company to log on to the train's onboard entertainment system, Eurostar Odyssey transforms the train roof into a glass ceiling, revealing all manner of aquatic life swimming above the Channel Tunnel. The programme also includes guided tours by virtual ocean explorers Rose and Benoit, while younger travellers can play a counting game.


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Formula 1 enters global partnership with Snapchat
 Formula 1 (F1) has entered into a global partnership with Snapchat that will see it cover upcoming Grand Prix races on the Discover section of the photo messaging app.

The partnership will first see the light this weekend with coverage of the British Grand Prix from Silverstone on Sunday (16 June) through Snapchat’s Our Story.

“This is the first step towards expanding our social media strategy,” said Frank Arthofer, head of digital and new business for Formula 1. “Right from the start, we have said we want to work with partners to bring fans closer to the amazing show that is Formula 1, an incredible mix of technology and individual talent – and Snap fits that bill. We need to continue to bring new fans to the sport – by reaching out to them on social media platforms with behind the scenes, fun and engaging content. Snap’s platform is one of the most popular among ‘millennials,’ a sector we are particularly keen on attracting, as it represents the future of our sport.”

Our Stories compiles curated Snaps submitted by Snapchatters at events and locations in the Discover section. It enables people to view events from various perspectives and get a sense of the atmosphere from all angles. Snap will also cover the F1 races in Singapore, Japan, the US, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi through the feature.

“We want to work with the most iconic sporting organizations in the world, that are beloved by our global community of passionate and highly engaged fans - and working with Formula 1 has been at the top of our wish list for a long time,” said Ben Schwerin, VP of partnerships for Snap Inc. “Our goal is simple - we want to make being a fan more fun no matter where you are and Snapchat offers unique and creative ways to experience it with their closest friends.”

This is the second major sports partnership that Snap has secured in as many months. Last month, it teamed up with BT Sport for coverage of UEFA Champions League final.

Don’t forget to enter the Effective Mobile Marketing Awards. The Early Bird deadline for submissions is 22 July. More details here.

Output: Social media site Snapchat has signed a global partnership deal with Formula 1 to show coverage of Grand Prix on its Discover channel via Our Story, beginning with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July. "Working with Formula 1 has been at the top of our wish list for a long time,” said Ben Schwerin, vice-president of partnerships for parent company Snap. The site will also cover races in Singapore, Japan, the US, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. The announcement followed Snapchat's showing clips and other coverage of the UEFA Champions League final in partnership with BT Sport.


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Gaza Strip's worsening electricity crisis likely to affect Israel
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One of the top UN officials in the Middle East has said that the Gaza Strip’s worsening electricity crisis is causing untold misery in the area, warning of blowback for Israelis.

“Of all the issues we deal with - the peace process, Palestinian institution building, the region - this is the one issue that keeps me up at night,” Nickolay Mladenov, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told reporters on Wednesday.

“The effects of the crisis are devastating,” he said. “And all of this, at the end of the day, will come back to Israel’s doorstep.”

Gaza marks 10 years of Israeli blockade

While Gaza has had to content with unreliable power since militant organisation Hamas seized control of the Strip in 2007, in recent months the issue has reached crisis levels.

The rival Palestinian Authority (PA), based in the West Bank, has been waging a long term effort to weaken Hamas. By hiking fuel delivery prices, it has gradually strangled Gaza’s access to electricity.

Hospitals in the Strip have warned that the frequent cuts endanger patients’ lives, and the rest of Gaza’s two million inhabitants’ daily lives and businesses are also severely affected.

Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Show all 12 1 / 12 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The fire in my heart is beyond my ribs. You left me beloved - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Let me get enough of you, as I’m still hungry for your smile my son - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict They besiege me in my homeland so I flew to heaven - Rodaina Al Agha, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict And I am still facing the pain all by myself - Lama Shakshak, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My brother, I watched you go while my heart was tearing - Helen Mo'amar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My new doll is lonely in the rubble - Ayah Sha'ath, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict When a soul hugs another soul they never split, even in death - Ismail Matar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Everyone is gone and I stayed alone to make the world witness the injustice done to me - Hamza Shaheen, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The hand that carries the arms carries roses too - Madeeha Al Majayda, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My eyes tell you about a dream that overcame the fence - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict A childhood caught in an unjust siege - Hadeel Quidh, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict All the details are torn after you - Hamza Shaheen, 17

Since the water supply to many households relies on electric pumps, many people are also having difficulty washing, cooking and doing laundry.

Israel was still covering around one third of Gaza’s power needs, but last month the flow was cut by 40 per cent at PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ request, the AP reported.

Hamas has been intermittently using Qatari and Turkish money to buy electricity from Egypt - but it has only kept the lights on for a few days at a time.

On Wednesday, the Strip’s only plant completely shut down again, leaving Gazans with just three hours of power a day.

The lack of electricity has caused the already inadequate sewage system to break down, dumping waste directly into the Mediterranean and leaving some residents without drinking water.

While Israel has no direct involvement in the electricity crisis - or solving it - the army’s sea blockade restricting the flow of goods and people in and out of the area has long contributed to Gaza’s woes.

A new UN report found that after a decade of Hamas rule the coastal enclave is “unlivable”. As well as the electricity crisis, incomes, healthcare and education standards continue to decline and unemployment has steadily risen. A total of 60 per cent of young people in Gaza are now without work.

The worsening conditions have already led to rare unauthorised protests against Hamas’ rule. Observers worry if the crisis deepens it could lead to renewed violence between the Strip and Israel.

Output: The Gaza Strip's worsening electricity crisis "will come back to Israel’s doorstep", warned Nickolay Mladenov, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Gaza has had unreliable electrical power since Hamas seized control of the Strip in 2007, with supplies being curtailed by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Hospitals in the Strip said constant cuts endanger patients’ lives and Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants’ daily lives and businesses are being critically affected. The worsening conditions are causing increased protests and if the situation deteriorates further it could lead to renewed violence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.