Things To Do In SW Florida

Health insurance premiums keep rising and many employees carry high-deductible plans that mean bills of $100 or more for a visit to the doctor.

Meanwhile, the CEOs of the top 10 health insurance companies were paid between $13 million and $22 million in total compensation in 2022, including salary, bonuses and other pay, according to a Connecticut Office of Legislative Research report, issued Feb. 5.

Those 10 companies cover more than 60% of the commercial health insurance market, with the largest, UnitedHealth Group, covering almost 18% of market share, the report states. That’s 53 million people covered. Its CEO, Andrew Witty, took home $20,865,106 in 2022.

He wasn’t the highest paid, however. Joseph Zubretsky, CEO of Molina Healthcare, with only 2.16% of the market, was paid $22,131,256. His company covers 4.2 million people.

UnitedHealth Group had $324 billion in revenues in 2022. Molina Healthcare had just under $32 billion, the report states.

“I’m not an expert in executive compensation. I don’t know how this compares to executive compensation, but it certainly doesn’t seem fair,” said Sean King, acting state healthcare advocate. read more

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When you become self-employed, you join millions of other business owners hoping to materialize their dreams. However, navigating the murky waters of self-employment can be challenging, especially during the early stages.

While there are no guarantees in business, there are some strategies that could increase your chances of success, especially financially. Here are a few mistakes to avoid as a self-employed person.

1. Not delegating or prioritizing

Self-employed people often act as their own stunt doubles in their business during the incipient stages because of budget constraints. However, trying to do it all on your own may be a mistake, says Ronne Brown, owner of Girl CEO and Herlistic in Washington, D.C.

“We have to understand that we go fast by ourselves, but we go far as a team,” she says. For people who feel they can’t afford to delegate, Brown says to keep your expenses low until you can afford to do so.

If you do decide to delegate, it’s key to spend your dollars in ways that help your business grow. To do this, people should consider focusing on the business operations and systems versus just aesthetics, Brown says. Doing this effectively often requires prioritization. read more

Walt Disney World is offering discounted theme-park admission to Floridians under the heading of Florida Resident Discover Disney Tickets. One variation of the deal ends up costing $59 per day and the eligible dates fall after the Easter/spring break season and into summertime.

The four-day version of these Discover Disney tickets is $235 plus tax. The three-day ticket is $219, which works out to $73 per day.

There are add-on options for park hopping per ticket (totaling $259 to $275, depending on number of days purchased), water parks and Disney golf courses available.

The normal price of a one-day ticket for Florida residents for the rest of 2024 ranges between $109 and $164, depending on date and park selected, according to the official Disney World website.

Discover Disney tickets can be used between April 2 and Sept. 28, and advance park reservations are required. It’s one park per day unless the park-hopping option is purchased.  The tickets do not have to be used on consecutive days. The tickets are not transferrable. read more

By Matt O’Brien, Associated Press

U.S. lawmakers are threatening to ban TikTok but also say they are giving its Chinese parent company a chance to keep it running.

The premise of a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday is that TikTok fans in the U.S. can keep scrolling through their favorite social media app so long as Beijing-based ByteDance gives up on owning it.

“It doesn’t have to be this painful for ByteDance,” U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat and bill co-sponsor, recently posted on X. “They could make it a lot easier on themselves by simply divesting @tiktok_us. It’s their choice.”

But it’s not going to be as simple as lawmakers are making it sound, according to experts.

WHO WOULD BUY TIKTOK?

While some people have voiced an interest in buying TikTok’s U.S. business — among them “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary — there are a number of challenges including a 6-month deadline to get it done.

“Somebody would have to actually be ready to shell out the large amount of money that this product and system is worth,” said Stanford University researcher Graham Webster, who studies Chinese technology policy and U.S.-China relations. “But even if somebody has deep enough pockets and is ready to go into negotiating to purchase, this sort of matchmaking on acquisitions is not quick.” read more

TALLAHASSEE — Pointing to lower costs of natural gas, Florida Power & Light on Wednesday asked state regulators to approve a rate cut of about enough to pay for lunch.

Most FPL customers in the state pay $135.69 for 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. That will go to $128.88 in April and $121.19 in May under the proposal. So the user of 1,000 kilowatts would save $14.50 in May compared with March.

The rate reduction needs approval by the Florida Public Service Commission.

FPL and other utilities rely heavily on natural gas to fuel power plants, and gas prices have been volatile in recent years. When gas prices surge, increased costs are passed along to customers; when prices drop, customers get a break in their bills.

The Public Service Commission each fall approves projected fuel costs for the upcoming year. But if the actual costs differ greatly from the projections, utilities can seek what is known as a “mid-course correction” — the type of proposal that FPL filed Wednesday. read more