Human Interest

America's seniors ought to wish Medicare a happy 50th birthday. Continued improvements to the federal healthcare insurance program cut the Medicare patient mortality rate 16 percent -- the equivalent of 300,000 deaths per year -- from 1999 to 2013.

A large part of the decreased mortality is due to Medicare "Part D," which offers prescription drug coverage to 37 million seniors. In an effort to cut costs, some lawmakers want to retire the model that has enabled Part D to achieve a 90 percent satisfaction rating and come in $350 billion under budget.

Several companies are working to launch massive satellite constellations into space to provide super-fast Internet virtually anywhere on Earth. Two of the leading firms advancing this plan, OneWeb of Great Britain and U.S.-based SpaceX, share the same goal — to bring broadband Internet to billions of people who lack access. But it remains unknown whether the new era of space-based connectivity will be spurred by healthy competition or regulatory turf wars over satellite spectrum.

Too many children are overweight in this country. Stopping obesity in children decreases their risk of illness and disease when they get older.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) calls obesity a devastating public-health crisis for the United States. Nearly one-third of adults are obese, and the frequency of obesity has more than doubled for children 2-5 years old, has tripled among youth 6-11 years old and has more than tripled among adolescents 12-19 years old.

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Senator Mike Lee On the passing of Elder Richard G. Scott, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement after hearing that Richard G. Scott, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had passed away:
 

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Pound Cake and Peaches Sundae

Ingredients

Tropical Ice Cream Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices fresh pineapple
• 1 cup Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream, lightly softened
• 2 tablespoons toasted coconut shavings

Preparation

1. Grill pineapple slices over low to medium heat for 90 seconds per side. Allow to cool briefly.
2. Sandwich softened ice cream between pineapple slices. Coat sides in toasted coconut. Slice in half and serve.

Serves
2

Crowding around a table eating ice cream is one of the tastiest ways to enjoy family time. Parent, chef and cookbook author Antonia Lofaso knows this very well and has created delectable ice cream desserts, such as her Pound Cake and Peaches Sundae, that bring back fond childhood memories to inspire families to take a step back and appreciate every moment.

Getting Familiar with the Glycemic Index: How the GI Can Help
You Make Healthy Food Choices (and Seven Tips to Help You Get Started)
With a plethora of complicated, confusing, and often-contradictory diets out
there, it can be difficult to know which foods to eat and which to avoid.
Here, I explain how the glycemic index can help you consistently make healthy food choices.

By Warren Honeycutt