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Remembering Sargent Shriver

WASHINGTON, DC – Sargent Shriver, famed Kennedy in-law and founding director of the Peace Corps on Tuesday at the age of 95. A vocal champion of humanitarian causes, Shriver was also the 1972 Democratic nominee for vice president. Here's how friends, Kennedy scholars and reporters are remembering him:A Generous, Energetic Soul, observes , a former Peace Corp volunteer, writing in Vanity Fair: "He laughed so easily and so frequently, and he had such enthusiasm and energy, that he made the idea of service pure fun. And he was right about where he stood with so many of us former Peace Corps volunteershe was our founding father, an icon. All you had to do was utter his nameSargeand it immediately stood for giving your all and being your best."Religion Used Him, writes Kennedy family biographer at The Huffington Post: "Unlike many politicians, he did not use religion. Religion used him. He had serious religious studies on his bed stand and he went to mass every morning. I asked him once why he did so and he said it was because he needed God's help so much to get through the day. That was not a Sarge most people saw."A Compassionate Hero, writes , a friend of Shriver's who traveled with him abroad to support the Special Olympics: "Throughout our trip Sarge maintained that same enthusiasm. Whether he was talking with a Special Olympics athlete or meeting with a government official, he gave each person his rapt attention. In my short trip with Sargent Shriver I learned an important lesson, that to touch the lives of many you must first begin by touching the life of just one individual."'One of the Major Figures of the Second Half of the Twentieth Century,' writes Shriver biographer and Atlantic deputy editor . Stossel ticks off a list of Shriver's accomplishments: -His pivotal role in getting John F. Kennedy elected President in 1960;-Leading JFK's "talent hunt," staffing the cabinet and the upper levels of the Administration;-Founding and leading the Peace Corps;-Launching Head Start, Legal Services for the Poor, VISTA, and many other programs critical to the War on Poverty;-Presiding over the Paris Peace Talks on Vietnam;-Helping his wife to found the Special Olympics;-Cultivating a generation of public servants who will continue to exert a powerful influence on American history for years to come.

Forever in the Shadow of the Kennedys, writesat Politico: It helped and it hurt, Shriver said. Because youre the presidents brother-in-law, youre diminished for yourself. People think of you as, quote, only the presidents brother-in-law. Even after Jack was killed, I was the brother-in- law of the former president of the United States or the brother-in-law of the attorney general or the brother-in-law of the senator. Youre always devalued. There were times Id say to myself, Wouldnt it be great if I could just get out from under and be myself?

Shriver's Pitch for the Peace Corp  In this 1960s broadcast, Shriver describes the early days of the Peace Corp and how it defied expectations:

Stosur dumped out of home grand slam by Kvitova

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 – Petra Kvitova shattered Australia's hopes of a first women's champion in their home event since 1978 by knocking out fifth seed Sam Stosur 7-6 6-3 to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday.

The ice-cool 20-year-old Czech, who warmed up for the year's first grand slam by winning the Brisbane title, silenced the fiercely parochial crowd at Rod Laver Arena by guiding a forehand volley down the line to seal victory in 95 minutes.

"Don't really know how I lost it, to be honest," French Open runner-up Stosur, who blew a 5-3 lead in the opening set tiebreak, told reporters.

"Felt like I started playing a bit better and was probably on top of her and then all of a sudden it was gone and I was a set down.

"I thought she played extremely well pretty much the whole way through. I think it was a matter of a point here and a point there and she got the ones that really mattered."

Kvitova, the 28th seed, reeled off four consecutive points in the tiebreak, snatching the set with a forehand winner from the baseline.

Stosur's confidence drained when she dropped serve to trail 4-2 in the second set and she gifted her opponent three match points when she slapped a forehand wide at 5-3.

"I like this court and this crowd. Unfortunately, it was against me," Kvitova, a surprise Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, told reporters. "But still it was nice."

She will play Italy's Flavia Pennetta next.

(Editing by Martyn Herman)

Kostner leads Skate America after short program

PORTLAND, Ore. – Three-time European champion Carolina Kostner skated with elegance and ease to lead after the short program at Skate America on Saturday.

The Italian won the NHK Trophy in Tokyo last month, but she was battling a knee injury that limited her.

If she was still bothered by her knee in Portland it didn't show. Wearing a blue and black lace dress with a red flower in her hair, Kostner beguiled with her footwork to flamenco music and scored 60.28 points.

She said she wanted to start out with a triple combination, but did not pull it off.

"I skated clean," she said, "But it's hard to feel satisfied."

She was challenged by 16-year-old Kanako Murakami of Japan, who wore a black dress with pink polka-dots for her lively program to '50s-inspired rock and roll. The 16-year-old sprite was not only solid, she managed to ham it up, too, and was clearly the fan favorite at the Rose Garden.

Murakami earned a 54.75. Sweden's Joshi Helgesson was third at 51.17.

"This is the best short program I've done all season, so I'm happy to be here," said Helgesson, who had a big triple lutz in combination to open her short program.

American Rachael Flatt, sporting her more mature blond hairdo and a tasteful teal dress, was the NHK Trophy silver medalist. But her performance to "Summertime" did not impress, and she scored a 51.02.

Fellow American Alexe Gilles, resplendent in light blue, nailed a triple toe loop combination, but fell on a triple lutz. Canadian Amelie Lacoste finished atop the first group, but was visibly unhappy with her performance with its messy triple lutz.

Elene Gedevanishvili of Georgia was a surprise because of her newly blond hair.

Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the silver medalists at the Vancouver Olympics, led after the ice dance short program despite White's fall on a twizzle sequence. They had a score of 63.62.

"`Don't fall' is always a good thing to remember," Davis kidded.

Canadians Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier followed with a 60.41, and Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, also of Canada, scored a season-best 59.48.

Medicare Part D Changes Not Overwhelming, Experts Say

THURSDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans will come across some changes as they choose a new plan or reassess an old one during the upcoming open enrollment period, but experts say those differences won't be monstrous.

Open enrollment starts Nov. 15 and continues through Dec. 31, and any changes will take effect Jan. 1, 2011.

"Some of the doom-and-gloom predictions because of health-care reform or the freezing of Advantage Program payments [Medicare benefits provided through private plans] have been a major distortion that haven't come to pass," said Joe Baker, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit consumer counseling and advocacy group. "While there are changes and new things to look at, it's not a lot of change."

Medicare Part D prescription coverage comes in two forms: original prescription drug plans (PDPs), which simply add drug coverage to Original Medicare, and Medicare Advantage Plans, which are like HMOs or PPOs.

Next year, 1,109 PDPs will be offered nationwide, the fewest since Part D was introduced in 2006. The average Medicare beneficiary will have a choice of 33 PDPs, although this number will vary from state to state.

"Seniors will continue to have many Part D plans, even though the overall number has declined," said Tricia Neuman, vice president and director of theMedicare Policy Project of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The average monthly premium will rise 10 percent in 2011, to an average of $40.72.These can range from a low of $29.01 (in New Mexico) to a high of $46.51 (in Utah/Idaho), according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. In 2011, Medicare beneficiaries receiving low-income subsidies will have access to a larger number of plans that have no monthly premiums, according to the Kaiser Foundation.

But good news comes in the form of 2011 "donut hole" coverage, the gap that sets in after regular coverage has been reached and before catastrophic coverage kicks in. The consumer's share of costs will continue to decrease, until the doughnut hole is closed completely in 2020, according to the Medicare Rights Center.

Beneficiaries who find themselves in the donut hole will see a discount of 50 percent for brand-name drugs and 7 percent for generics.

That 50 percent coverage will be "a real help with relatively high drug costs," said Neuman.

The gap will start after $2,840 has been spent on drugs, while catastrophic coverage takes over at $4,550 out-of-pocket spending, according to Kaiser.

To choose the best plan for them, beneficiaries will have to do some digging during the upcoming enrollment period.

"Year in and year out, you have to look at things again because plans, drugs and your health changes. You need to make sure your plan is still a good deal," said Baker.

Look at premiums but also look beyond that, at factors like which drugs are covered by a specific plan, how much those drugs will cost you and if there's a limit on the number of prescriptions.

"Cheaper isn't necessarily better if a drug isn't approved for the plan. Then the cheap plans isn't so cheap any more," Baker explained.

"There are still many choices, but it's a good idea to compare and reassess if it's the best plan," Neuman added.

Although the open enrollment period is the same as last year, seniors should note that the Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 disenrollment period for Medicare Advantage plans is different.

"In the old days, you could either disenroll and move to Original Medicare or move to another Advantage plan,." Baker said. "This year, you can only move to Original Medicare."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has more on the prescription drug plans.

B. E. Smith Establishes Consulting Solutions--Seasoned Experts Help Clients Overcome Tough Challenges

B. E. Smith— the only full-service leadership solutions firm dedicated exclusively to healthcare—announced the creation of the Consulting Solutions division, an expansion of the firm’s interim leadership and consulting services suite. Consulting Solutions delivers customized assessment and advisory services built on B. E. Smith’s healthcare leadership foundation.

Lenexa, KS (Vocus) September 3, 2010 -- B. E. Smith— the only full-service leadership solutions firm dedicated exclusively to healthcare—announced the creation of the Consulting Solutions division, an expansion of the firm’s interim leadership and consulting services suite. Consulting Solutions delivers customized assessment and advisory services built on B. E. Smith’s healthcare leadership foundation.

B. E. Smith’s consulting leaders provide a comprehensive situational assessment, devise a focused action plan and, if requested, assist in implementing the recommendations the client chooses to pursue. Each solution is tailored to address the individual situation and meet the client’s specific needs. For example, B. E. Smith’s experts can deliver any one or a combination of these services, or can implement recommendations provided by another resource, according to Deirdre Byrne, senior vice president of interim leadership and consulting services at B. E. Smith.

“We partner with each client’s leadership team to identify and validate the root cause of the organization’s toughest challenges,” she said. “This partnership results in the knowledge and understanding our clients need to rapidly execute their plan and see the benefits.”

Core healthcare consulting services include: rehabilitation and post-acute services; care/case management; surgical services optimization; physician practice management and integration; revenue cycle acceleration; and labor cost improvement. Seasoned experts in their specialized areas enable B. E. Smith to provide a team that is able to focus and work quickly to propose resolution to even the most complex challenges, Byrne said.

About B. E. Smith: Founded in 1978, B. E. Smith is a full-service healthcare leadership solutions firm. B. E. Smith’s comprehensive suite of services includes Interim Healthcare Leadership, Permanent Executive Placements and Consulting Solutions. The company is comprised of veteran healthcare leaders who partner with each client to create a solution that uniquely fits that client’s individual needs. B. E. Smith maintains the largest database of skilled leadership and interim executive candidates in the industry and recently placed more than 600 leaders into healthcare organizations worldwide. For more information, visitor call 877-802-4593.

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B. E. SmithChristine Ricci913-708-8913