Welcome to BenefitsPRO weekly roundup! Catch up with some of this week's headlines that we didn't cover.
My personal favorite news bit this week: Ira Pastor, chief executive of Bioquark, a biotech company focused on cellular reprogramming for human cell therapy and tissue regeneration, wants to start the zombie apocalypse. (Well, not really, but if you're like me and zombies are often your chosen conversation starter, keep reading.) Pastor's mission — reanimating brain dead patients — does sound like the beginning of a Frankenstein-esque plot that could take a turn for the worst, but his intent is to change the misconception that brain death is the point of no return. It's true, the mind is a mystery, and many family members of patients, like those of Jahi McMath, agree that irreversible comas don't necessarily signify death. Pastor's proposed study of 20 patients has stirred worries on almost every level, but he says if Bioquark's radical treatment works, the applications can go beyond waking the "dead."
Military personnel are plagued by financial concerns, so much so that a new study says 65 percent of retired military, veterans, reservists, and family members are stressed by their personal finances. Twenty percent of those polled in the Zebit survey say their finances are unstable. Seventeen percent said the state of their financials led to an inability to focus while on duty.
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According to Bankrate, senior citizens in 47 states and D.C. are lagging when it comes to their retirement savings. Experts have said retirees need 70 percent of their working years' income to cover the cost of living after they leave the workforce, but right now, only seniors in Hawaii, Alaska, and South Carolina are meeting that requirement.
While America's older employees look toward retirement, millennials apparently see their finish line as one they won't ever meet… willingly. A new report by the Manpower Group says millennials are gearing up for "career ultramarathons," with 66 percent expecting to work beyond age 65, 32 percent saying they'll work past 70, and 12 percent vowing to work until the day they die.
The debate over abortion will likely never die down, but with the heightened fears of Zika, the pending Supreme Court decision on Texas law HB 2, and the upcoming presidential election, the conversation has taken some interesting turns as of late. Earlier this month, it was reported that cases of Zika in pregnant American women tripled (from 48 to 157), raising concerns that the procedure needs to be an available option for women — an option that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump says he'd like to make illegal by overturning Roe v. Wade. If Merrick Garland, President Obama's pick for the vacant SCOTUS seat, isn't appointed and a more conservative judge takes the helm, the restrictive Texas law that has limited abortion clinics in the state could become commonplace across the country, according to some abortion advocates. With this many layers, only one thing is guaranteed: Today's abortion debate is far different than its predecessors.
As Disability Insurance Awareness Month comes to a close, a new Cigna survey sheds light on how ill-equipped Americans are to handle situations that would render them unable to work due to a disabling illness or injury. While 72 percent of respondents say they are taking necessary steps to protect themselves, Cigna says it's simply not enough. Actions taken by employees like living a healthier life (51 percent), saving more money (35 percent), and acting with more regard toward safety (33 percent) aren't the precautionary measures that will do the most good in the event of an accident or illness — especially when only 1 in 10 respondents said they bought additional disability insurance coverage or other products to help in a time of need.
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