Climate change to blame? 2021 produced the second-costliest disasters on record – DW News

Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, 2021 brought more than its share of natural disasters. And as well as claiming around 10,000 lives, they also took a major financial toll. German reinsurer Munich Re says it was one of the most expensive years on record, with global damages estimated at around 280 billion dollars – only 120 billion

New Zealand passes climate change disclosure laws for financial firms in world first

New Zealand has become the first country to pass laws requiring banks, insurers and investment managers to report the impacts of climate change on their business, officials said on Thursday. About 200 of the largest financial firms in New Zealand, including banks with total assets of more than NZ$1 billion ($718.90 million), large insurers and

The Progressive Era: Crash Course US History #27

In which John Green teaches you about the Progressive Era in the United States. In the late 19th and early 20th century in America, there was a sense that things could be improved upon. A sense that reforms should be enacted. A sense that progress should be made. As a result, we got the Progressive

Slavery – Crash Course US History #13

In which John Green teaches you about America’s “peculiar institution,” slavery. I wouldn’t really call it peculiar. I’d lean more toward horrifying and depressing institution, but nobody asked me. John will talk about what life was like for a slave in the 19th century United States, and how slaves resisted oppression, to the degree that

Schumer backing plan to add dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday threw his support behind a push, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), to add dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare. “There is a gaping hole in Medicare that leaves out dental, vision, and hearing coverage. This is a serious problem,” Schumer wrote on Twitter. “I’m working with @SenSanders to push to

Biggest health insurer plans to deny ER bills if it doubts you had an emergency

UnitedHealthcare delayed the policy’s rollout, but experts worry about chilling effect. Doctors and hospitals are condemning plans by UnitedHealthcare—the country’s largest health insurance company—to retroactively deny emergency medical care coverage to members if UHC decides the reason for the emergency medical care wasn’t actually an emergency. In the future, if one of UHC’s 70 million members submits a

Abortion: Texas governor signs restrictive new law

The governor of Texas has signed a law banning abortion from as early as six weeks – before most women know they are pregnant. Governor Greg Abbott signed the legislation at a ceremony on Wednesday. It bans abortions after the detection of what anti-abortion campaigners call a foetal heartbeat, something medical authorities say is misleading.