Dodgers, outfielder Jake Marisnick reportedly agree to terms

• July 13, 2023

Dodgers fans have not welcomed the Houston Astros to Dodger Stadium since the controversial 2017 World Series. But a member of that Astros team will be suiting up in Dodger blue.

The Dodgers have reportedly reached an agreement on a major-league contract with outfielder Jake Marisnick. The 32-year-old Riverside Poly High graduate was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, cleared waivers and became a free agent.

The Dodgers will have to clear a 40-man roster spot before the move can become official. They moved right-hander Daniel Hudson to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to add right-hander Tyson Miller to the 40-man.

Marisnick is known as an above-average defensive outfielder. His best offensive season came in 2017 when he hit .243 with 16 home runs and an .815 OPS in 106 games. His season ended in September when he suffered a fractured thumb. He did not play in the postseason that culminated with the Astros beating the Dodgers.

The Astros were later exposed as having used an elaborate sign-stealing system during the 2017 season.

Marisnick has bounced around in recent years, playing for six teams in the past four seasons. He hit .232 with two home runs in 33 games for the Tigers this year.

He has been better against left-handed pitching throughout his career – a .235 average and .707 OPS compared to .224 and .639 against right-handers. He could get playing time that would have gone to two other right-handed hitters – Trayce Thompson (out with an oblique injury) and Chris Taylor (likely to play a lot of second base when he returns from a knee injury now that Miguel Vargas has been demoted).

Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes and Marisnick attended Riverside Poly and were one year apart.

2024 SCHEDULE

MLB unveiled the 2024 schedule on Thursday, with the domestic Opening Day on Thursday, March 28. The Dodgers will be home that day to begin a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, but the Dodgers and San Diego Padres will already have opened the season with two games in Seoul, the first major league regular-season games ever played in South Korea.

Each team will be the home team for one game in Seoul, with the Padres designated as the home team on March 20 and the Dodgers the next day.

After the two games in South Korea, the Dodgers’ opening homestand is seven games, with three games against the San Francisco Giants (April 1-3) following the series against the Cardinals.

They have two nine-game homestands – April 12-21 against the Padres, Nationals, and New York Mets; and Aug. 19-29 hosting the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Rays, and Baltimore Orioles.

The Dodgers’ longest road trip is a nine-gamer against the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Arizona Diamondbacks from April 23-May 1.

The regular-season Freeway Series games against the Angels next year will be June 21-22 (with a Sunday off for both teams) at Dodger Stadium and Sept. 3-4 at Angel Stadium.

The Dodgers make their first trip to Yankee Stadium since 2016 for a three-game series on June 7-9.

The Dodgers host the Nationals on Jackie Robinson Day (Monday, April 15).

The Dodgers conclude the 2024 regular season with a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 27-29  in Denver.

Next year’s All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 16, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

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What you need to know about the SAG-AFTRA strike that will upend Hollywood

• July 13, 2023

Jami Ganz | (TNS) New York Daily News

NEW YORK — Lights, camera, pause. Hollywood is officially on hiatus as the union representing on-screen talent has joined screenwriters in striking against the studios, amid stalled contract negotiations.

SAG-AFTRA officially announced its strike would commence at midnight PST Friday, after the union’s contract expired late Wednesday and negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) fell apart. Union leadership noted that while the strike was “an instrument of last resort,” settling for an unfair deal wouldn’t just “destroy each of us, but the industry at large.”

Here’s a breakdown of what the strike means for screens big, small and beyond.

Why is SAG-AFTRA striking?

The union, representing roughly 160,000 actors, broadcast journalists, hosts and more, is seeking more than an increase in pay and improvement in working conditions.

SAG wants to ensure their livelihoods are protected amid the emergence of evolving technologies, such as streaming services and artificial intelligence, concerns shared by the Writers Guild of America, who began their strike in May.

Oscar winners like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Ariana DeBose last month were among the hundreds of SAG members who signed a letter in which they laid out their demands to prevent a strike.

“We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories.”

What are the ramifications of a SAG-AFTRA strike for Hollywood?

Members of the union will be ordered to stop performing, forcing sets that have yet to shut down amid the writers strike to do so — in turn likely delaying a whole host of release dates. They’ll also be prohibited from promoting upcoming work. Excited to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro on the Oscars campaign trail for Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited, “Killers of the Flower Moon?” That all depends on when this strike ends. In the meantime, press junkets, interviews, or any posting of promotional content are all on hold.

”Oppenheimer” star Emily Blunt, for instance, confirmed to Deadline Thursday that, were the strike to break out during the premiere of Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated docudrama, the star-studded cast would “be leaving together as cast in unity with everyone.”

The strike might also put a damper on this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. In addition to promotional panels being on the list of big no-no’s for represented actors, many studio staples like Marvel, Sony and HBO already reportedly pulled out of presentations or panels as a result of the writers strike.

Is all acting work prohibited under the strike?

Most on-screen theatrical work — such as TV, film, and streaming — isn’t allowed for members during the strike. However actors are expected to be permitted to appear in music videos, commercials, corporate or educational videos, and on broadcast news. It’s expected that non-SAG-AFTRA podcast and audiobook gigs will also be allowed. Voice-over work which has been negotiated by SAG is expected to be OK, but will require the union’s approval, sources tell Vanity Fair.

Morning and talk shows, as well as reality or game shows and the like are handled by the Network Television Code and should remain unaffected by the strike.

Is Broadway on strike, too?

While many SAG members also do live theater, live theatrical performance falls under a separate union: Actor’s Equity. As such, live theater such as Broadway plays and musicals, are not affected by the strike, an Actor’s Equity representative confirmed to The Daily News, adding: “Audiences can still feel good about buying tickets to Broadway and other live theatre!”

Who might you see on the picket line?

Because of the breadth of those represented by SAG-AFTRA, there’s a good chance onlookers will spot plenty of familiar faces picketing for professional protection.

That star-studded letter seen by Rolling Stone, notes that “what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,” due to the “unprecedented inflection point in our industry,” was also signed by the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ben Stiller, Neil Patrick Harris, Eva Longoria, Riley Keough and Ziwe.

©2023 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Former Irvine official is vying for a state Senate seat

• July 13, 2023

The open 37th Senate district race in Orange County just got more crowded.

Former Irvine Councilmember Anthony Kuo this week announced his candidacy for the seat, which includes Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel, Costa Mesa, Orange and Irvine.

Kuo, who was first elected to the City Council in 2018 but lost a reelection bid in 2022, said he is running because he believes “leaders in Sacramento have taken our state in the wrong direction,” including the rising cost of living. Inflation, he said, has made it too hard for Californians to become homeowners, start small businesses and raise families.

“I understand the struggles we face because Orange County is my home. We risk losing what has made living here so great,” Kuo said. “And it’s no longer anecdotal. We know friends and neighbors who are choosing to leave California because it’s just gotten too hard.”

“That’s just top of mind for everybody,” Kuo said of inflation. “The state can do its part, too — whether that’s issues like the suspension or the lack of suspension of the most recent gas tax increase to just making it easier for families to live and businesses to thrive.”

Kuo, who serves as a manager in the Orange County Auditor-Controller’s office, said he will push for residents to receive their “money’s worth” for the taxes they pay.

Another issue for him is public safety, which Kuo said is personal to him as a native of Irvine, often touted as one of America’s safest cities.

“This is what we used to say in Irvine a lot: If you live in a safe community, and you feel like you’re safe, nothing else really can matter,” he said. “But if you don’t feel comfortable walking to school and having your kids walk to school, it doesn’t matter how good the schools are.”

Kuo said some of his friends, neighbors and even family members have left the state “largely as a result of California’s implementing of certain policies or its inaction on others.” He pointed to legislation that initially stalled this week in Sacramento that would make sex trafficking of minors a serious felony. (The bill did see some movement on Thursday.)

“It shouldn’t be this hard for the legislature to do the right thing,” Kuo said.

Kuo has already served a significant portion of the district and says his ties throughout the community run deep. Before he was elected to the City Council, Kuo spent nearly eight years on the Planning Commission and sat on the Orange County Fire Authority Board. Now, he serves in various leadership roles in the community.

“As an urban councilmember, I think that my experience on the Irvine City Council sets me a little bit apart because of the breadth of issues that came before me,” Kuo said.

The 37th Senate district is represented by Democratic Sen. Dave Min who earlier this year launched a bid for California’s 47th congressional district.

Kuo, in addition to Sen. Josh Newman, former Assemblymember Steven Choi, Villa Park councilmember Crystal Miles, Santa Ana College professor Ali Kowsari and another Irvine native Alex Mohajer, have all launched campaigns hoping to replace Min in the legislature.

Newman and Mohajer are the only Democratic candidates. Kuo, Choi, Miles and Kowsari are running as Republicans.

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Santa Anita track announcer’s voice carries to Saratoga

• July 13, 2023

It’s been quite a summer for Santa Anita track announcer Frank Mirahmadi, who can best be described as not only a solid race caller but also one of the best impersonators I’ve ever heard and a guy who could easily have chosen stand-up comedy as a career.

How many people are fortunate enough to have a horse named after them? Frank did, when the 2-year-old colt Mirahmadi debuted at Santa Anita on June 17. The son of Into Mischief finished second as the 3-5 favorite in the Fasig-Tipton Futurity and will most likely return sometime during the Del Mar meet.

As if that wasn’t thrilling enough, Mirahmadi debuted as Saratoga’s full-time track announcer Thursday, taking over for John Imbriale. It was a dream come true for Mirahmadi when he landed the Santa Anita gig, but the Saratoga job is right up there when you’re looking for a prestigious racing venue.

“When Saratoga calls, there’s only one answer. It’s actually, ‘Yes and thank you’,” Mirahmadi told me in June as Santa Anita’s winter and spring meets were wrapping up. “Those are the three words that come out.”

When it comes to historic race tracks, Santa Anita, Del Mar, Saratoga, Belmont and Churchill Downs stand out. They’re the cream of the crop. The number of great race horses that have run at those five venues would more than fill a dream scrapbook for any racing afficiando.

Mirahmadi applied for the Santa Anita job in 2016, was turned down, and then months later was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. He underwent emergency surgery, a follow-up procedure and chemotherapy treatments. So it’s understandable how he takes greater appreciation for each accolade sent his way, how he looks at each day as something special.

“Since that time, I have been incredibly fortunate to get my dream job at Santa Anita and now this opportunity,” he said. “I understand what a miracle it all is. I enjoy every day. It’s good to be on the right side of the soil.”

In addition to Santa Anita and Saratoga, Mirahmadi was the regular track announcer the past eight years at Monmouth Park. He’s also called races at Hialeah, Turf Paradise, Oaklawn Park, Louisiana Downs, Golden Gate Fields and Aqueduct since beginning his career full-time in 1996. He’d called a few races at Saratoga when Imbriale would take time off.  Imbriale played a big role in Mirahmadi landing the full-time job when he decided to cut back and concentrate on Belmont.

“That’s what kind of guy I’m replacing at Saratoga,” Mirahmadi said. “He set me up for success there in a big way, and I’m very grateful for that. It’s always good when the person who is leaving the job is on your side. He told me before he told New York (NYRA) that he was going to retire. He wanted me to think about where I stood as far as possibly wanting to go to New York full-time.”

Mirahmadi would never leave for New York full-time. He loves Santa Anita too much, but spending the summers at Saratoga is not a shabby vacation spot when you’re waiting for Santa Anita’s fall meet.

“Saratoga, although it’s such an amazing place and venue and a big party, for the race caller it’s a daunting task for 40 days of world-class racing, full fields, high expectations and a very difficult vantage point to watch the races from. It’s going to be a very tough assignment, but a very fulfilling one,” he said.

“Johnny didn’t need that pressure any more. He’s a great man and he’s become a very close  friend. I know he’s happy (at Belmont) and I know how much he helped me get here. I appreciate that. When people set you up for success, that’s all it can be.”

Of course, it’s not enough to be given the job. A track announcer also has to deliver, and Mirahmadi has done a great job when given the opportunity.

“With these jobs as an announcer, as we know there’s only one person that gets the job,” he said. “To get it from these two jobs, I’m now going on 27 years … 27 years of traveling around the country hoping for opportunities like this. The main meet (for me) will always be Santa Anita, my home track and my favorite track. I’ve always said it’s my favorite place in the world. So for me, I have fulfilled all my career dreams and to call the Breeders’ Cup those two days (in 2019), it was (only) on track and not for NBC, but I still really enjoyed that.”

Racing fans from coast to coast are enjoying Mirahmadi’s calls and that’s all that matters to him.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73

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Got Sriracha? The price for a bottle of Huy Fong’s iconic hot sauce gets spicy with supplies short

• July 13, 2023

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS | AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — It’s not just you. Sriracha is hard to come by these days — at least for one popular brand.

The shortage of Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha, the beloved red hot sauce packaged in those green-capped bottles, isn’t new — with the company pointing to a scarcity of chile pepper supply for several years now. And as frustrated fans continue to face store shelves missing the Huy Fong name, third-party resellers are punching up prices.

Huy Fong Sriracha, which used to go for under $5 or $10 a bottle, is now selling for shocking amounts in some listings posted to sites with vast third-party marketplaces — including Amazon, eBay and Walmart. Many are simply sold out.

For those still in stock, prices range depending where you look. As of Thursday morning, for example, ads for a single 17-ounce bottle on eBay stretched from around $20 to a whopping $150 — contrasting significantly from the price tags of other hot sauce brands, who don’t appear to have the same level of supply troubles.

Huy Fong told The Associated Press this week that it continues to be beset by shortages of raw materials, echoing a similar scarcity last year when the company temporarily suspended sales of Sriracha and other popular products like Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek.

Huy Fong’s troubles: Irwindale maker of Sriracha chili sauce settles labor lawsuit for $525,000, attorney says

Huy Fong said Wednesday that “limited production” resumed recently, although the California company didn’t specify by how much or provide an estimate of when it believes suppliers will be able to deliver an adequate number of peppers.

“Because we do not sell directly to retail/market levels, we cannot determine when the product will hit shelves again and/or who currently has the product in stock,” Huy Fong said in a prepared statement. “We are grateful for your continued patience and understanding during this unprecedented inventory shortage.”

Here’s what you need to know.

WHY IS THERE A HUY FONG SRIRACHA SHORTAGE?

Experts say that Huy Fong’s shortage is partially a consequence of climate change — pointing to weather shifts and extreme drought in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, where Huy Fong sources all of its chile peppers.

“The main culprit here is a shortage of their primary ingredient, the red jalapeño chile pepper,” said David Ortega, a food economist and associate professor at Michigan State University. “And that’s due to climate change and the mega drought.”

These peppers are typically grown under irrigation, with a lot of water drawn from the Colorado River — which has reached unprecedented low levels over recent years, Ortega said. The region has suffered insufficient rainfall and reduced run-off from snow pack.

Huy Fong’s troubles with chile supply aren’t new. When the company suspended sales last year, it pointed to a 2020 email warning of a chile pepper shortage, noting that a lack of supply had become more severe due to recent weather conditions.

But while climate change continues to have signifcant impacts on agriculture as a whole, it’s “not whole story” for the current Huy Fong Sriracha shortage, extension vegetable specialist and professor at New Mexico State University Stephanie Walker said. She speculates that Huy Fong may not have enough suppliers with different farmers — and could be looking to build relationships with new growers.

“Last year (Huy Fong) just couldn’t get the jalapeños that they needed,” Walker, who also specializes in chile pepper breeding, said — noting the contrast to other brands’ supply. “It really does come down to relations that individual processors have with their grower base.”

She added that it looks like this year will be a strong season for jalapeño and other chile growth in the region.

PRICES SKYROCKET FROM RESELLERS

The erosion of available supplies has rocked the prices of Huy Fong Sriracha that is still available. In many places, the bottles are simply sold out — giving leverage to resellers listing the now hard-to-find and highly sought-after product.

Another market force at play is consumer behavior, in this case, hording. The panic around potentially losing access to a desired product leads many people to buy more than they would typically need, — much like what was seen with toilet paper at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People just stock up and that exacerbates the situation,” said Ortega, also an expert in consumer decision-making. “You have an increase in demand for the product, on top of these supply shocks. And prices have really nowhere to go but up.”

WHERE DOES HUY FONG GET ITS CHILE PEPPERS?

Huy Fong, which was founded decades ago by David Tran, currently sources its chile peppers from various farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico.

Before sourcing from these farms, California-based Underwood Ranches was Huy Fong’s sole supplier for nearly 30 years. The partnership collapsed in 2017 following a financial dispute. Two years later, a jury determined that Huy Fong breached its contract with Underwood Ranches and also committed fraud — awarding Underwood $23.3 million.

Underwood Ranches, which sells its own Sriracha sauce, has not had trouble getting jalapeños from Mexico, owner Craig Underwood told The New York Times this week — while also pointing to “huge demand for our product from Huy Fong’s former customers.” The Associated Press reached out to Underwood for further comment on Thursday.

ARE OTHER HOT SAUCES FACING SHORTAGES?

There’s a myriad of hot sauces, including other of Sriracha-style products, that remain easy to find at reasonable prices. Tabasco, for example, has created a page dedicated to helping customers find nearby stores that sell its brand of Sriracha.

There’s a few possible explanations for this, experts say. Again, some speculate that Huy Fong may issues with its current chile suppliers. Other brands could also use different pepper variants and source from farms that haven’t been hit as hard. Some might also be in a position to tinker with recipes — but perfecting sauces take a long time, as would finding a new variant, experts say.

“Growing the crop in an area less affected by extreme weather or breeding new variants of the peppers that are more tolerant to heat and require less water, if possible, at all, would take years,” Richard Howells, a supply chain expert at SAP, wrote in a blog post earlier this week.

Experts also underline that climate change will impact produce and food across the board, not just chile peppers.

“We saw the price of lettuce skyrocket earlier this year, again as a result of these extreme temperatures and related factors like the spread of disease (in plants),” Ortega said. “I would not be surprised to learn about other product shortages that are due to failed crops or just a significant decrease in production because of climate change.”

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Leader in Guatemala presidential election suspends campaign

• July 13, 2023

By Sonia Perez | Associated Press

GUATEMALA CITY — The top vote-getter in the first round of Guatemala’s presidential election said Thursday she is suspending her campaign activities in solidarity with her opponent, whose party is being pursued by prosecutors.

Sandra Torres said in a news conference that the current playing field between herself and Seed Party candidate Bernardo Arévalo is uneven.

“We want to demonstrate our solidarity with the voters of the Seed party and also with those who came out to vote,” Torres said. “As a candidate I want to compete under equal conditions.”

Torres’ announcement came the same day that the country’s top prosecutors raided the headquarters of the electoral authority just hours after it certified the June 25 results of the first round of the presidential election.

The move by the Attorney General’s Office appeared aimed at stopping Arévalo, whose campaign platform is eliminating corruption, and it immediately sparked objections from within and outside Guatemala. U.S. officials called it a threat to the country’s democracy.

The raid came immediately on the heels of special prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche’s announcement Wednesday that a judge had agreed to suspend the legal status of the Seed Movement. Curruchiche said the party allegedly violated the law while gathering the signatures it needed to form.

The Attorney General’s Office said Thursday that the purpose of the raid was to seize evidence from the office responsible for voter rolls and party registration. A raid was also expected to take place at the Seed Movement’s party headquarters Thursday.

Arévalo dismissed the prosecutors’ actions as illegal.

“What they are trying to do is simply plant doubt about our honesty,” he told a news conference Thursday, adding that the raid and party’s suspension had a “clear political purpose.”

Arévalo was a surprise winner in the June 25 election. In the days before the vote, the former diplomat and academic had polled below 3% and was not among the top six or seven candidates, all of whom were considered to be on the conservative end of the political spectrum. No candidate came close to exceeding the 50% threshold necessary to win outright in the first round of voting, necessitating the August runoff.

Arévalo has framed himself as the candidate who would bring change to the country, versus his opponent, former first lady Sandra Torres, who he said would maintain the status quo. Torres, who won the most votes in the first round with 15.8%, belongs to the UNE party that dominates the Guatemalan Congress, and was a key ally in helping President Alejandro Giammattei pass his legislative agenda.

Arévalo, who won 11.7% of the vote, also promised to bring back prosecutors and judges who were critical to the nation’s fight against corruption but were forced out of the country under Giammattei’s administration.

As the wait dragged on for certification of the election, anxiety grew that the government was looking for a way to change the results. First, several losing parties waged a legal challenge, leading Guatemala’s highest court to suspend the certification and order a review of hundreds of challenged polling place tallies. The review concluded with no change in the results.

Then late Wednesday, Curruchiche announced the party’s suspension, an action that itself appears to violate Guatemala’s election laws, which prohibit suspending parties during an ongoing election.

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The U.S. State Department had already accused Curruchiche and his boss, Attorney General Consuelo Porras, of obstructing corruption investigations in Guatemala, and put them both on its list of undemocratic actors.

Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Thursday that the U.S. government was “deeply concerned” by the actions of the Attorney General’s Office, which he said threatened the legitimacy of the electoral process. “The will of the Guatemalan people, as expressed through the June 25 elections results, must be respected,” he said.

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About all those drug price TV commercials — Congress has noticed, too

• July 13, 2023

By Arthur Allen | KFF Health News

In recent months ominous ads about prescription drugs have flooded the TV airwaves. Perhaps by design, it’s not always clear who’s sponsoring the ads or why.

Or, for that matter, why now?

The short answer is that Congress is paying attention. House and Senate members from both parties have launched at least nine bills, parts of which may be packaged together this fall, that take aim at pharmacy benefit managers, companies that channel prescription drugs to patients. Here’s a primer to help you decipher what’s happening.

What are pharmacy benefit managers? Known as PBMs, these companies were created in the 1960s to help employers and insurers select and purchase medications for their health plans.

The industry mushroomed as prescription drug spending grew about 200-fold between 1967 and 2021. In addition to negotiating discounts with manufacturers, the PBMs set payment terms for the pharmacies that buy and dispense the drugs to patients. In effect, they are the dominant middlemen among drugmakers, drugstores, insurers, employers, and patients.

How big is the PBM industry? There are around 70 PBMs in the U.S. Through mergers, three of them — CVS Caremark, Optum Rx, and Express Scripts — have come to control 80% of the prescription drug market, and each brings in tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually. The PBMs control the drug pipeline from manufacturers to the pharmacy counter.

Their buying power allows them to obtain discounted drugs for health plans while setting prices and terms for sales at drugstores.

The big three are part of massive conglomerates with important stakes in almost every sector of health care; each of them owns a powerful health insurer — Aetna, UnitedHealth, and Cigna, respectively — as well as pharmacies and medical providers.For example, UnitedHealth contracts with 70,000 doctors, making it the biggest employer of physicians in the country.

CVS Health, with the big pharmacy chain, also owns Caremark and Aetna. Secret price negotiations and hidden corners of each PBM-linked corporation make it hard to track where the money ends up.

Why am I seeing all these ads about PBMs? Other sectors of health care are alarmed by the power of the PBMs and are appealing to the Biden administration and Congress to rein them in. Drugmakers, employers, pharmacies, doctors, and even patients chafe at PBM practices like “spread pricing,” in which the companies pocket money negotiated on behalf of health plans.

Non-PBM-affiliated pharmacists, from mom-and-pop stores to large chains like Kroger, say the PBMs squeeze their businesses by forcing them to sign opaque contracts that include clawbacks of money long after sales take place. PBMs often steer patients using expensive drugs to their affiliated pharmacies, cutting revenue to independents.

Doctors say PBMs act as gatekeepers for the insurers they represent, blocking or slowing coverage of necessary drugs.

Finally, the pharmaceutical industry has lost a share of sales revenue to PBM middlemen in recent years — even while getting most of the bad publicity for high drug prices. (The median launch price for newly marketed brand-name drugs went from $2,100 to $180,000 a year between 2008 and 2021, yet net revenues for drug companies have stagnated in recent years.)

PBMs in some cases prefer high producer list prices, because the rebates that drugmakers pay the PBMs in exchange for favorable health plan coverage of their drugs often are calculated as a percentage of those list prices.

Who’s paying for the ads? The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the trade group for most of the big drug companies, is the top driver of the anti-PBM campaign. Some of the ads are sponsored by the PBM Accountability Project, a pop-up lobby, funded partly by the drug industry, that includes unions and patient advocates whose membership complains of restrictive PBM and insurance industry policies.

In one PhRMA ad, a smarmy guy in a suit snatches away a young woman’s prescription. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the PBM trade group, has responded with its own ads, blaming drug companies for high prices and for “targeting your pharmacy benefits.” AHIP, the health insurance lobby, has piled on with its own campaign.

What’s Congress doing about it? Members from both parties talk indignantly about PBM behavior and have fired up bills to address it. The Senate Finance Committee, whose jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid gives it a lead role, has introduced a bill that would prohibit PBMs from collecting rebates and fees calculated as a percentage of a drug’s list price, to discourage PBMs from favoring expensive drugs.

The committee also plans legislation to require PBMs to pass along discounts directly to seniors, allow patients to use the pharmacy they prefer, and release more information about where their money ends up.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced a bill that bans spread pricing, while measures in the Senate and House would crack down on PBM practices seen as harming independent and rural pharmacies. Other measures require more transparency or limit patient waits for drug approvals.

Meanwhile, several states have taken a pragmatic path to lower PBM-related costs, using high-tech auctions to get the best deals for their employee health care plans.

What’s the bottom line? While the PBMs’ secrecy, ubiquity, and power make them a target of outrage, they generally operate on behalf of their customers, which are insurance plans and employers, whose goal is to hold down prices. The PBMs do that by extracting painful concessions, a double-edged sword.

“PBMs are the only thing we have to lower brand-name drug prices and prevent the drug industry from charging whatever they want,” said Benjamin Rome, an internist and health policy researcher at Harvard Medical School.

If those drug prices were 100% covered by insurance, that might sit fine with consumers, but it would further blow up health care spending, already nearly a fifth of the economy. Hospitals, insurers, the drug industry, and PBMs all point fingers at one another to shift blame, but they all benefit from the system. The smarmy PBM guy in the suit may prevent you from getting the drug your doctor ordered, but that’s only because the maker of another drug gave him — and therefore your insurance company — a better deal.

On the other hand, the vertical integration of the PBMs — an issue the Federal Trade Commission is studying but that is not the subject of any bill in Congress — enables unfair competition. “My concern with any bills is the unintended consequences,” Rome said. “Will the new structures they create be any better for patients?”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF

​ Orange County Register 

Everything you need to know about filing a home insurance claim

• July 13, 2023

Mandy Sleight | Bankrate (TNS)

If you’re dealing with loss or damage to your home, whether it’s due to a weather event, home burglary or other unexpected event, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed. When it comes time to file a claim with your home insurance, you don’t want to encounter more stress in the process.

Navigating the claims process can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Bankrate’s insurance experts have outlined everything you need to know about filing a home insurance claim in the article below, from the types of claimable events to the steps for filing a claim.

How to file a home insurance claim

As soon as property loss occurs, you should consider contacting your home insurance company for help in filing your claim. Each insurance company has its own claim process that policyholders need to follow. Usually the sooner you can initiate a claim, the earlier you may be able to resolve the issue.

—Help prevent further damage. Take measures to ensure your home’s structure will not suffer further damage while you wait for repairs.

—File a police report, if necessary. If your property loss is theft or vandalism related, contact the police right away. Law enforcement will gather important information about the damage, and you can provide details and evidence of what happened to your insurance company.

—Contact your insurer. You’ll learn what’s covered under your insurance policy and the best way to initiate a claim.

—Document the damage and fill out claims form. Take pictures of the damage and reference your inventory list, then file a claim.

—Have your claim inspected. A professional claims adjuster will inspect and document the estimated cost of damage.

—Complete repairs. With knowledge of how much of the damage will be covered, make a plan for repairs.

1. Help prevent further damage

While you are waiting for the situation to be resolved, you still have to manage your home. Experts suggest that you try to minimize further damage wherever possible. For example, if a tree fell on your home, make sure the parts of the home that are damaged are not likely to fall apart further. Check support beams and the roof to make sure they are secure until they can be repaired.

John Butkus, director of property claims for Country Financial, shares a few tips for homeowners to mitigate further damage. These include keeping your home tidy, boarding up shattered windows and covering holes with tarp. Butkus also recommends saving any receipts from basic repairs made, including the items purchased to complete them.

Nicole Shacket, a litigation attorney at Insurance Litigation Group, recommends that homeowners keep copies of any signed documents. “If you sign an agreement, work authorization or any type of document with a contractor, take a picture of the whole document with your phone. Know what you signed, when you signed, with who and for what.”

2. File a police report, if necessary

When a home insurance claim involves a crime, such as theft or vandalism, it’s important that you get the police involved. Contact your local police department to find out how you can file a police report. While the police may not find the perpetrator of the crime, they can help gather important details about the damage.

Insurance companies use the police report to get details about your claim and validate the information you give them. While most home insurance providers do not require that you file a police report, it can help shorten the claim process.

3. Contact your insurer

Experts generally recommend that you file a claim quickly, as it could impact how smoothly the process goes. David Adler, president and owner of Adler Insurance Group — an Allstate insurance agency in the Denver metro area — adds that verifying your policy’s listed perils with your insurer could be an important step in the process.

“Ask them if this specific loss is covered under your policy,” Adler says. “Get an understanding of your policy limits too and what your deductible costs will be. If your deductible costs more than the loss, it is likely not worth filing a claim for.”

Many questions about specific losses and what to file under your homeowners insurance can be answered by speaking directly with your provider.

4. Document the damage and fill out claims form

Document all damage thoroughly as soon as possible to give evidence of what has happened and what needs to be repaired. Documentation can include photos, videos and a list of items lost or damaged. Provide proof of ownership for any stolen items, if possible. Things like serial numbers, receipts of purchase or previous images of the items can help prove you owned the items.

After filing your claim, your insurance provider may ask you to fill out certain forms documenting the damage to your home or belongings. You may need to provide the following information:

—Personal information, like your name and date of birth

—Policy number

—Location of the loss

—Date of the incident

—Cause of the loss

—Estimated loss amount

Many insurance experts also recommend submitting photographic and video evidence to support your claim.

5. Have your claim inspected

After your claim is submitted, the insurance company will usually send a claims adjuster to assess the situation in detail.

John Espenschied, owner of Insurance Brokers Group in Chesterfield, Missouri, has been helping homeowners and business owners with their insurance needs for over two decades. He offers a friendly word of expert advice to homeowners at this stage.

“If there was any damage done, make sure that the adjuster inspects the property with you present before writing up an estimate for damages,” Espenscheid says. “Once they leave, their only source of information is going to be whatever paperwork they have from you. If anything was missed during their inspection, it could cause problems later on down the line when trying to get reimbursed for those items missing from their report.”

Espenschied also encourages his clients “to make a list of any damaged items and don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion from an outside, independent appraiser.”

Adler advises having a contractor of your choice present for the adjuster’s inspection, as they might assist in voicing your concerns. In some instances, you may even want to hire a public adjuster. It usually takes a few days for your insurance company to reach out to schedule an appointment with its insurance adjuster, but if your area suffered widespread damage, the process could be slowed down.

6. Complete repairs

After your appointment with the insurance adjuster, there may be a wait for the claim payout checks from your insurance company so you can complete your repairs. Your payout may be issued via multiple partial payments, allowing you to work in stages as you make temporary repairs, replace your belongings and complete the more permanent repairs.

Things may get costly if you incur other expenses in the meantime, like moving out of your home. Fortunately, most homeowners policies include additional living expenses resulting from a covered loss, like for eating out or staying in a hotel. According to Butkus, some providers may even issue checks to policyholders on the spot.

What events can be claimed on your homeowners insurance?

There are several circumstances in which a homeowner may need to file a claim. Generally, consulting your policy and speaking with your insurer to know which perils are covered is a good first step to take.

Protections can vary depending on which provider and policy you choose. For example, coverage for water damage may be tricky and is often defined with certain limitations. Talking to your agent or a representative from your company to make sure you understand your policy’s coverage before damage occurs may be a good idea.

First-time homebuyers may also approach their policy differently given their specific needs.

To be safe, always review your policy and discuss any questions you may have with an agent before purchasing.

Tips for filing a home insurance claim

There are a few things you can do to simplify the process of filing a home insurance claim, including:

—Keep an up-to-date home inventory: It can be difficult to remember even the most basic details related to your belongings after a covered event has occurred. Keeping a home inventory with purchase information, including identifying data like serial numbers and receipts, may make it easier to recoup the value of your items or buy replacements.

—Avoid throwing away damaged items: Although it can be tempting to clean up quickly after your home has sustained damage, doing so can hinder the insurance adjuster’s job when it comes to processing the claim. You should avoid throwing away damaged items until the claims adjuster can assess your home and contents, and keep receipts for reimbursement if you have to buy items as part of the clean up process.

—Maintain backup copies of important paperwork: Home inventories and other pieces of important paperwork can be destroyed or become unusable after the home has been damaged. It may also be helpful to consider storing copies of important paperwork away from the home, such as in a safety deposit box or digital copies on the cloud or computer server.

—Add photos or video to your home inventory: Many homeowners do not think to take photos until an actual incident occurs. However, taking photos or videos of your home and your belongings prior to any incidents can help with the claims process, especially if there are no other identifying factors, like serial numbers.

Questions to ask before filing a claim

Before filing a home insurance claim, it may be a good idea to consider your answers to the questions outlined below. Doing so may help you decide if it is worth filing a claim.

—What is the cost of repairs compared to my deductible?

—How will filing a claim impact my homeowners insurance rates?

—Will I lose discounts on my policy, like being claims free?

—How long will a claim stay on my record?

—Have I filed too many claims and could I be at risk of being nonrenewed or canceled?

—Was there any type of negligence on my part, such as poor maintenance, that contributed to the damage?

How does a home insurance claim impact your premium?

Filing a home insurance claim may result in a higher insurance premium. Generally, the insurance company sees you as more likely to file a claim in the future once you file a claim, and it may raise your premium to compensate for this risk. The likelihood of a higher premium increases if you make multiple claims.

Additionally, the type of claim you make plays a role in the impact on your premium. Claims for theft, water damage, mold, fire and dog bites may lead to steeper increases.

What to do if your insurance claim is denied

Not every insurance claim that is filed will be approved. So what should you do if your insurance claim is denied? The insurance company should send you a letter of explanation detailing why the claim was denied. Depending on the reason, you may be able to appeal the decision.

Let’s say, for example, that your claim was denied because the insurance company decided that the loss was not a covered peril, but you feel the damage should be covered. In that case, you may be able to file an appeal yourself with the insurance company, or you could opt to discuss next steps with a public adjuster or attorney. If you choose to file the claim yourself, be sure to check the process your insurance company uses to provide your steps of action. Even if you appeal your claim denial, there is no guarantee the claim will then be approved.

Frequently asked questions

—How long will it take to file a home insurance claim?

Each insurance provider has a different process for filing claims, so the length of time it takes to file can vary. Most insurance companies have a way for you to file the claim online or by phone. The process can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the type of claim and the extent of damage done.

—How long does it take for a homeowners insurance claim to payout?

The payout timeline for a homeowners insurance claim depends on multiple factors like how quickly you provide the information needed for the claim, the type of claim and how your visit with the inspector goes.The payout timeline requirements vary by state. Some states have a required timeline between 10 and 30 days or longer, while others state that the payout must happen within a “reasonable” amount of time. Catastrophic losses may take longer to pay out as well. Consider reaching out to your insurer or looking into your state’s insurance regulations if you’re curious about your expected wait time.

—Does filing a home insurance claim increase your premium?

Filing a home insurance claim may affect the cost of your homeowners insurance, depending on the details of your claim and your company’s underwriting guidelines. Insurance providers may look to see how many other claims you have on your record, as well as how much was paid during the claim.If your premium does increase, you can consider getting quotes from other companies that could offer cheaper coverage, although those companies may also charge for your claim.

—How long does an insurance claim stay on your record?

Insurance claims generally stay on your record for an average of three to five years, although all companies have their own regulations. You can check with your insurance agent or company to find out how long an insurance claim will stay on your record if you file one.

—Can my insurance company cancel my policy after a claim?

There are many reasons why an insurance company might cancel your home insurance policy. This can include filing too many claims over a short period of time or filing a claim for certain situations, like a dog bite.

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