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Once the NFL season ends, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is expected to have his pick of potential new employers. After taking a year off from coaching and stepping into several sports media roles, Belichick should be one of, if not the hottest free agent on the coaching market. While he’s been exclusively linked to both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys by various analysts this season (neither team actually has a head-coaching vacancy right now), three more jobs could become available — the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants. The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints likely won’t bring back their current interim coaches either, putting them in play for Belichick’s services. But according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, a new team that hasn’t been previously linked to Belichick this season, could be a surprise contender for him. “In a recent episode of the ‘Scoop City’ podcast, my co-host Chase Daniel and I discussed the possibility of Belichick taking over Jacksonville in 2025, should Doug Pederson get fired,” Russini wrote . “While Belichick has maintained a strong relationship with Jaguars ownership, it’s anticipated he would seek changes in the front office, particularly regarding current general manager Trent Baalke. “The other two teams that came up frequently: The Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (should those jobs open up).” Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK Of the teams jockeying for Belichick, Tampa Bay seems like a curveball. It’s been widely reported that Belichick wants complete control of whichever team he takes over, which make the Jets, who fired GM Joe Douglas days ago, and the Jaguars, who reportedly want to move on from Trent Baalke obvious landing spots. However, Jason Licht has been the Bucs GM since 2014 and it seems highly unlikely they’d fire him just to give Belichick total autonomy. But if he’ll agree to just coach, Belichick would make an intriguing candidate for the Bucs, who are just 21-23 under current head coach Todd Bowles. Despite back-to-back NFC South titles and two playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023, Bowles has just one winning season and 47.7 winning percentage. If Tampa, which is currently 4-6, misses out on the playoffs this year, Bowles could find himself looking for a new job come January. Related: Bill Belichick’s 23-Year-Old Girlfriend May Keep Him from Coaching in NFL AgainThe Jets are getting their bye week. They could use a bye month. The 2024 Jets will go down as one of the most disappointing in the franchise’s history, and this is a franchise that has seen plenty of misery. The team began the year with Super Bowl aspirations and playoff expectations, armed with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and stars all over the roster. They arrive at the bye 3-8, and with an interim head coach and general manager. It is hard to believe. The Jets have six games remaining, and everyone’s thoughts from ownership to the fans already has turned to 2025. They will need a new GM, coach and probably a quarterback. How did they get here? That is the question everyone associated with the team is asking. No one saw a season like this coming during training camp. The positive vibes were high with Rodgers returning from the injury that cost him last season. The defense returned most of its starters from a year ago, when they were in the top five. The offense had emerging stars in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. The Jets began the season 2-1 and had an impressive win in Week 3 against the Patriots before the bottom fell out. Back-to-back losses to the Broncos and Vikings led to owner Woody Johnson firing coach Robert Saleh . That move did not work. The Jets lost their next three games after interim coach Jeff Ulbrich took over. They continued to make moves to try to stem the tide, trading for star receiver and Rodgers’ pal Davante Adams and convincing pass rusher Haason Reddick to end his holdout . After a brief moment of hope against the Texans, the Jets have lost their past two games, including a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to the Colts last week . That loss ended any faint playoff hopes the team still had, and Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday to begin the search for the team’s new leadership. It is impossible to know what to expect over these final six games. Are the Jets checked out? Do they now play better freed of any expectations? With the way this season has gone, nothing will be a surprise. Most Valuable Player Not much has gone right, but third-year wide receiver Garrett Wilson has played well. Wilson is third in the NFL with 69 receptions. He has 722 receiving yards and five touchdown catches. Wilson got off to a slow start and looked like he was not on the same page with Rodgers, but the two have shown better chemistry over the last seven weeks. Wilson has had three 100-yard games this year and the arrival of Davante Adams has taken some of the defensive attention off him and opened things up. The highlight of Wilson’s season came in the second half against the Texans when he had two one-handed touchdown grabs, one in the end zone that became a viral sensation . Wilson is going to be eligible for a contract extension after this season, and the new management is going to have to make a big decision on whether to lock Wilson up now. Least Valuable Player The Jets traded for edge rusher Haason Reddick in March, hoping he would replace the production they were losing with Bryce Huff’s departure in free agency. Instead, Reddick decided to hold out for a new contract. Reddick missed all of the spring, training camp and the first seven games. Since he returned last month, he has had very little impact. After four straight seasons of double-digit sacks, Reddick has a half-sack in four games for the Jets. The Jets’ pass rush was actually better before Reddick got to the team. He is a free agent after this season, and he’s going to have to pick up his production if he hopes to get a payday from someone. Biggest Surprise One of the assumptions about the Jets was that their defense was going to be among the best in the NFL. But it has proven to have many flaws and has crumbled in big spots this year. Some of the statistics still look good. The Jets are No. 7 in total defense and 12th in points allowed. But anyone who has watched this defense knows it has not lived up to its preseason billing. It started in Week 1, when they allowed 180 rushing yards to the 49ers, who did not even have Christian McCaffrey. The run defense remains an issue. They have given up at least 100 yards rushing in eight of their 11 games. Then, there is their inability to get interceptions. The Jets have just two interceptions this season, and both came from Brandin Echols, who is not even a regular starter. The Jets are getting a bad season from one of their top players, cornerback Sauce Gardner. On top of that, the defense crumbled in New England and last week against the Colts in the final minutes when the team needed a stop. Biggest Disappointment There are plenty of candidates for this title, but you have to start with the biggest star on the team, and that is Aaron Rodgers. The expectation when the Jets traded for Rodgers in April 2023 was that he was the missing piece to push this team to the playoffs at least. His injury cost him last season, but hope returned with his comeback this year. Rodgers has not been terrible, but he also has not elevated this team like everyone expected. He looks skittish in the pocket, afraid to get hit and unable to move. He rarely pushes the ball down the field. The passing offense seems to consist of throwing short to playmakers and hoping they break off a long run. Rodgers’ stats are not bad. He has 2,442 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He may end up with one of the better statistical seasons in Jets quarterbacking history if he can make it through the final six games. Anyone who has watched the games, though, knows Rodgers has been a major disappointment. Best Moment The Jets had a terrible first half against the Texans on “Thursday Night Football,” but then found an offensive rhythm in the second half. The highlight of the game and the season came early in the fourth quarter when Rodgers threw a ball up into the end zone and Wilson made an acrobatic, one-handed grab and somehow came down inbounds with the ball. The touchdown gave them a 14-10 lead on the way to a 21-13 victory. The catch caught fire on social media and was replayed for days. It felt like it could be the spark for a turnaround, but that thought disappeared with a loss in Arizona the following week. Wilson’s catch brought back memories of Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-handed catch for the Giants 10 years ago. It will be interesting to see if the catch is remembered or it gets lost in the wreckage of this dismal season. Worst Moment The cracks on this season were already showing at 2-3, but the Jets were still about to play the Bills at home for a share of first place in the AFC East when owner Woody Johnson decided to fire coach Robert Saleh. Johnson had grown tired of Saleh, who was hired by his brother Christopher when he was still the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, and decided the team needed a change. Johnson felt the team would turn around under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, but the opposite happened. Follow the latest on the New York Jets firing head coach Robert Saleh: The team is 1-5 since changing coaches. Saleh was 20-36 as head coach, but the locker room did not react well to his firing. Players liked Saleh, and it felt like a state of shock descended upon the team for a few weeks. The defense, of which Saleh was the architect, has not been the same since his firing. It was the first time Johnson fired a coach during the season in his 25 years as owner. Biggest Head-Scratcher What happened to kicker Greg Zuerlein? As the losses have mounted and people have lost their jobs, this is one question that has been asked many times. Zuerlein had seemingly solved the Jets’ long-term kicking issues in recent years. He made 35 of 38 field goals last year and was rewarded with a two-year, $8.4 million contract extension in March. But Zuerlein was terrible this year. He missed six field goals, including a potential game-winner against the Broncos that began the Jets’ downward spiral. Who knows if things go differently if they win that game? He missed big kicks against the Bills and Patriots, too, before finally being replaced. The Jets have used three kickers since putting Zuerlein on injured reserve with a mysterious left knee injury. Upcoming Decision Well, the big decisions will come in the offseason on the future of this team. If you are talking short-term, though, everything centers around Rodgers. Will he play out the string? Will he suddenly land on injured reserve? Rodgers has been dealing with hamstring and knee injuries for most of the season, so if the Jets and Rodgers decide it is no longer worth it to play, they could move him to IR and cite those injuries getting worse. At this point, Rodgers is playing for pride and trying to salvage something from this miserable season. Rodgers seems to genuinely enjoy being on the team, but it has not worked. If the Jets had a young quarterback in waiting, getting a look at him now would make sense. They don’t have that guy, though. Tyrod Taylor is Rodgers’ backup and Adrian Martinez is the third-string quarterback. This has been a season from hell for Rodgers and the Jets. You wonder if he just wants it to end.
ENTRUSTED with our readers’ deep secrets, the Dear Deidre team really have a unique insight into what dilemmas the nation is grappling with. Of course, there are some constants — cheating, differing sex drives, low self-esteem and loneliness. But some issues loom larger in certain years as new problems come to the fore. As 2024 nears an end, we take a look at what exactly our readers have been writing in about. Every year, we help thousands of people by answering every single dilemma with a personalised answer, and we’ve kept a record of the issues we’ve tackled. Relationship issues consistently come out on top, with 23 per cent of the emails Dear Deidre receives focused on romantic problems. Sex came a close second, with 19 per cent of readers writing in with a sexual dilemma. Interestingly, half of every single relationship message addressed cheating. Sometimes, the unfaithful party would be writing in, otherwise a suspicious or heartbroken partner worried about their relationship. Among the emails about cheating on partners, home surveillance and doorbell cameras featured more prominently, with some partners forgetting to turn off cameras before inviting flings to come back to their homes. A growing number of readers also wrote in because, although they were separated, financial constraints meant they could not move out of the marital home. The reluctant house sharers were frustrated at being unable to move on — a trend that reflects economic uncertainty in the UK. Notable developments this year have been new requests for support with quitting vaping. Another new issue came in the form of pensioners worrying about losing their winter fuel allowance. Social media has been a common theme in all the categories. It is impossible to quantify but has had a huge impact. So many of the relationship problems relate to partners ogling scantily clad influencers or flirting with others they have met online. Plenty don’t see this as cheating but the feeling of betrayal is real for those on the receiving end. And it’s not just cheating that worries people. Time spent watching endless videos encourages weird infatuations, with one woman complaining her husband had become obsessed with the French election. He insisted they spend their family holiday in France watching speeches — and had previously had no interest in politics. The issue of phone addiction came up, particularly for parents fretting about not only what their children were being exposed to, but also how their mobile activity was affecting their own behaviour. They asked our team for help on how to manage this. And a huge number of adults wrote in fed up with their partner, who had little interest in them but spent all hours playing online games or scrolling through their socials. It’s clear that while technology enables us to do far more and do it efficiently, left unchecked it threatens our real-world connections and provides more opportunity for temptation. Next year, I will be recording when social media, phone usage and the internet are mentioned as part of the problem, and I predict this will be a huge growth area. Below is a reader’s letter about ogling, followed by one about winter fuel allowance. I also break down what percentages of our mail different types of letter make up. DEAR DEIDRE: MY ex saw me having sex with a one-night stand using the camera security system he’d installed as a favour to me. I was completely unaware that he was watching this, until he turned up the next morning and got very upset with me. Originally, I was grateful for his help setting up the system, but now I feel really uncomfortable. He said he’d received an alert on his phone and checked it by chance, but I can’t help worrying he’s keeping an eye on me. He insists he hasn’t been watching and that was a one-off, but the whole experience has really unsettled me. I’m 36, my ex is 39, and we were together for eight years before we broke up five months ago. Our split was both mutually agreed, and amicable, and we decided to remain friends. We still met up and sometimes even had sex, but as we didn’t discuss what this meant I thought we were simply friends with benefits. I really appreciated still having him in my life. When I was moving house, he offered to help, knowing how useless I am at DIY. He helped put up shelves, and installed security cameras which he set up online so I could view them through an app. I knew he had access to it all while he set it up but assumed he’d log out. So when I brought a man home, I didn’t think twice. Now I feel mortified. He says he didn’t mean to breach my privacy, but I feel so conflicted. DEIDRE SAYS: Watching you have sex with another man was a huge breach of your privacy, and you shouldn’t take it lightly. As a priority, please ensure that you are the only one with access to your security system. Make sure you’re the primary account holder and change your password so that he doesn’t have access. It’s completely understandable that this experience has made you question the sort of person he is. Unless you decide you can trust him completely, you would be wise to stay away. At the very least, it’s clear that the lines are blurred between you and your ex and some boundaries need to be re-established. As for your relationship with him, you need to decide if there’s any hope of a future together. If you decide there’s not, it would be best to step away so you can both move on. My support pack Moving On will help. DEAR DEIDRE : SINCE the Government cut my Winter Fuel Payment, I’ve been struggling to afford my bills. Now I’m forced to choose between putting my heating on or buying food, and the stress is making me unwell. I’m a 76-year-old pensioner, and live alone. Until this year, I was receiving £200 payments to cover the cost of my heating bills, and I heavily relied on it. So when the Government announced the change, I went into a complete panic. My pension is already low as it is, so without the extra payments I knew it was going to be a hard couple of months. When I contacted the council for help, they told me that, while I was eligible to apply, I had missed the deadline so now I’d have to go without. Ever since, my life has been an absolute nightmare. Now I wake up every morning to a freezing house – and no matter what I do, I can’t keep warm. The constant dread is getting me down, and I’m now struggling to cope. DEIDRE SAYS: I can only imagine how distressing this must be for you. While the qualifying week for this year’s Fuel Payment has now passed, you may still be eligible if you successfully apply for Pension Credit by December 21. Please note that you only have two days to do this, so please take action today. You may also be eligible for a £150 Warm Home Discount. You can find out more about this on the government website ( gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme ). TOP TOPICS: Relationships 23% Sex 19% Family 8% Parenting 7% Friendships 4% Workplace issues 5% Mental health 11% Health 5% Addictions 8% Bereavement 5% Sexuality 4% Other 1% SEX WOES Sex drive 43% Fetishes 16% Threesomes 12% Erection problems 11% Fantasies 7% Climaxing 4% Menopause 3% Other 4% LOVE Cheating 49% Domestic abuse 12% Addictive love 10% Broken heart 14% Online romance 6% Age gaps 5% Other 4% ADDICTION Alcohol 42% Porn 22% Drugs 13% Smoking 8% Vaping 5% Gambling 9% Shopping and spending 1%Permian Basin Royalty Trust ( NYSE:PBT – Get Free Report ) announced a monthly dividend on Friday, December 20th, NASDAQ Dividends reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of 0.0219 per share by the oil and gas producer on Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Permian Basin Royalty Trust’s previous monthly dividend of $0.02. Permian Basin Royalty Trust has raised its dividend by an average of 36.7% annually over the last three years. Permian Basin Royalty Trust Stock Down 0.8 % PBT stock opened at $10.49 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.60. Permian Basin Royalty Trust has a 12-month low of $10.14 and a 12-month high of $15.79. The firm has a market cap of $488.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.66. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Read Our Latest Analysis on PBT Permian Basin Royalty Trust Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Permian Basin Royalty Trust, an express trust, holds royalty interests in various oil and gas properties in the United States. The company holds a 75% net overriding royalty interest in the Waddell Ranch properties, including Dune, Sand Hills (Judkins), Sand Hills (McKnight), Sand Hills (Tubb), University-Waddell (Devonian) and Waddell fields in Crane County, Texas. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Permian Basin Royalty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Permian Basin Royalty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
DORAL, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 23, 2024-- NeueHealth, Inc. (“NeueHealth” or the “Company”) (NYSE: NEUE), the value-driven healthcare company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which the Company will be acquired by an affiliate of New Enterprise Associates (“NEA”) at an enterprise value of approximately $1.3 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, NeueHealth will become a privately held company with the flexibility and resources to continue advancing its value-driven, consumer-centric care model. Under the terms of the merger agreement, holders of NeueHealth common stock (other than shares that will be rolled over and certain excluded shares) will receive $7.33 per share in cash, which represents a premium of approximately 70% over the closing price of NeueHealth common stock on December 23, 2024. Certain stockholders of NeueHeath, including NEA and 12 existing NeueHealth investors (which collectively hold all of the outstanding shares of NeueHealth preferred stock), have entered into rollover agreements pursuant to which such stockholders will continue their investments by exchanging their shares of NeueHealth common stock and/or preferred stock for newly issued equity interests in the privately held company, and the Company’s existing secured loan facility with Hercules Capital, Inc. will remain in place. NeueHealth’s executive leadership team will continue in their roles upon completion of the transaction and intends to roll over 100% of their equity interests for newly issued equity interests in the privately held company. “We are pleased to announce this transaction as we believe it places NeueHealth in a strong position for continued growth while maximizing value for all of NeueHealth’s public stockholders,” said Mike Mikan, President and CEO of NeueHealth. “NEA has been a longstanding strategic partner, and we look forward to continuing to work together to build on NeueHealth’s success as a leader in value-based care.” “We believe NeueHealth has built a differentiated model of care that is uniquely positioned to drive value for consumers, providers, and payors and we have confidence in the NeueHealth team and their ability to continue to lead the Company,” said Mohamad Makhzoumi, Co-CEO of NEA. “We have had a strong partnership with NeueHealth since 2016 and share the Company’s commitment to making high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for all Americans.” Transaction Details A special committee (the “Special Committee”) of the board of directors of NeueHealth (the “Board”), composed entirely of independent and disinterested directors and advised by its own independent legal and financial advisors, unanimously recommended that the Board approve the transaction and determined it was in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders that are not affiliated with NEA. Acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board subsequently unanimously approved the transaction and determined to recommend that NeueHealth stockholders vote to approve and adopt the merger agreement. Certain NeueHealth stockholders have agreed to vote all of their shares of NeueHealth common stock and/or preferred stock to approve and adopt the merger agreement, subject to certain conditions. The merger is subject to approval by NeueHealth’s stockholders and other customary closing conditions, including receipt of certain regulatory approvals. NEA intends to finance the transaction with fully committed equity financing, and the transaction is not subject to any financing condition. Upon completion of the transaction, NeueHealth’s common stock will no longer be publicly traded or listed on any public market. The merger agreement includes a 30-day “go-shop” period that will expire at 12:01 AM New York City time on January 23, 2025, which permits the Special Committee and its financial advisors to solicit and consider alternative acquisition proposals. There can be no assurance that this process will result in a superior proposal, and NeueHealth does not intend to disclose developments with respect to the “go-shop” process unless and until it determines such disclosure is appropriate or is otherwise required. Lincoln International, LLC is acting as financial advisor, and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. is acting as legal counsel, to the Special Committee. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal counsel to NeueHealth. Latham and Watkins LLP is acting as legal counsel to NEA, with Sidley Austin LLP acting as insurance regulatory counsel to NEA. More information regarding the key terms will be included in a current report on Form 8-K to be filed by NeueHealth with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Important Information and Where to Find It In connection with the transaction, the Company will file with the SEC a proxy statement on Schedule 14A (the “Proxy Statement”), the definitive version of which will be sent or provided to Company stockholders. The Company, affiliates of the Company and affiliates of NEA intend to jointly file a transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 (the "Schedule 13E-3") with the SEC. The Company may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the transaction. This release is not a substitute for the Proxy Statement, the Schedule 13E-3 or any other document which the Company may file with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT, THE SCHEDULE 13E-3 AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPANY OR THE TRANSACTION BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement, the Schedule 13E-3 and other documents that are filed or will be filed with the SEC by the Company, when such documents become available, through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or through the Company's website at https://investors.neuehealth.com/home/default.aspx . The transaction will be implemented solely pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 23, 2024 (the “merger agreement”), among the Company, NH Holdings 2025, Inc. and NH Holdings Acquisition 2025, Inc., which contains the full terms and conditions of the transaction. Participants in the Solicitation The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders of the Company in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers is available in the definitive proxy statement for the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company, which was filed by the Company with the SEC on April 1, 2024 (the “Annual Meeting Proxy Statement”), and will be available in the Proxy Statement. Please refer to the sections captioned “Executive Compensation,” “Director Compensation,” and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in the Annual Meeting Proxy Statement. Holdings of the Company’s securities by certain of the Company’s employees, and any changes in the holdings of the Company’s securities by the Company’s directors or executive officers from the amounts described in the Annual Meeting Proxy Statement, have been reflected in the following Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC: Form 4, filed by George Lawrence Mikan III on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jay Matushak on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed Tomas Orozco on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffery Michael Craig on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffrey J. Scherman on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jay Matushak on May 13, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffrey J. Scherman on May 13, 2024; Form 4, filed by Kedrick D. Adkins, Jr. on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Andrew M. Slavitt on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Linda Gooden on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Mohamad Makhzoumi on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Robert J. Sheehy on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Matthew G. Manders on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Stephen Kraus on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Manuel Kadre on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffrey R. Immelt on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Mohamad Makhzoumi on October 3, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jay Matushak on October 8, 2024; Form 4, filed by George Lawrence Mikan III on December 18, 2024. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction when they become available. Free copies of the Proxy Statement and such other materials may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph. About NeueHealth NeueHealth is a value-driven healthcare company grounded in the belief that all health consumers are entitled to high-quality, coordinated care. By uniquely aligning the interests of health consumers, providers, and payors, NeueHealth helps to make healthcare accessible and affordable to all populations across the ACA Marketplace, Medicare, and Medicaid. NeueHealth delivers high-quality clinical care to over 500,000 health consumers through owned clinics and unique partnerships with over 3,000 affiliated providers. We also enable independent providers and medical groups to thrive in performance-based arrangements through a suite of technology and services scaled centrally and deployed locally. We believe our value-driven, consumer-centric care model can transform the healthcare experience and maximize value across the healthcare system. For more information, visit: www.neuehealth.com . About NEA New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. Founded in 1977, NEA has more than $25 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2024 and invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company’s lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of investing includes more than 280 portfolio company IPOs and more than 465 mergers and acquisitions. For more information, please visit www.nea.com . Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements made in this release that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements and should be evaluated as such. Forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of our business plan and strategies, and statements as to the expected timing, completion and effects of the transaction. These statements often include words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “believe,” “intend,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimates,” “projections,” “outlook,” “ensure,” and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include any statements regarding our plans, expectations and financial guidance. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. Factors that might materially affect such forward-looking statements include: the failure to complete the transaction on the anticipated terms and within the anticipated timeframe, including as a result of failure to obtain required stockholder or regulatory approvals or to satisfy other closing conditions; potential litigation relating to the transaction that could be instituted against NEA, the Company or their respective affiliates, directors, managers, officers or employees, and the effects of any outcomes related thereto; potential adverse reactions or changes to our business relationships or operating results resulting from the announcement, pendency or completion of the transaction; the risk that our stock price may decline significantly if the transaction is not consummated; certain restrictions during the pendency of the transaction that may impact our ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; costs associated with the transaction, which may be significant; the occurrence of events, changes or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, including in circumstances requiring us to pay a termination fee; our ability to continue as a going concern; our ability to comply with the terms of our credit facilities or any credit facility into which we enter in the future; our ability to receive the remaining proceeds from the sale of our Medicare Advantage business in California in a timely manner; our ability to obtain any short or long term debt or equity financing needed to operate our business; our ability to quickly and efficiently complete the wind down of our remaining Individual and Family Plan (“IFP”) and MA businesses, including by satisfying liabilities of those businesses when due and payable; potential disruptions to our business due to the transaction or due to corporate restructuring and any resulting headcount reduction; our ability to accurately estimate and effectively manage the costs relating to changes in our business offerings and models; a delay or inability to withdraw regulated capital from our subsidiaries; a lack of acceptance or slow adoption of our business model; our ability to retain existing consumers and expand consumer enrollment; our and our care partner’s abilities to obtain and accurately assess, code, and report risk adjustment factor scores; our ability to contract with care providers and arrange for the provision of quality care; our ability to obtain claims information timely and accurately; the impact of any pandemic or epidemic on our business and results of operations; the risks associated with our reliance on third-party providers to operate our business; the impact of modifications or changes to the U.S. health insurance markets; our ability to manage any growth of our business; our ability to operate, update or implement our technology platform and other information technology systems; our ability to retain key executives; our ability to successfully pursue acquisitions, integrate acquired businesses, and quickly and efficiently divest businesses as needed; the occurrence of severe weather events, catastrophic health events, natural or man-made disasters, and social and political conditions or civil unrest; our ability to prevent and contain data security incidents and the impact of data security incidents on our members, patients, employees and financial results; our ability to comply with requirements to maintain effective internal controls; our ability to adapt to mitigate risks associated with our ACO businesses, including any unanticipated market or regulatory developments; and the other factors set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and Form 8-K (including all amendments to those reports) and our other filings with the SEC. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results or changes in our expectations. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223595862/en/ CONTACT: Investor Contact: IR@neuehealth.comMedia Contact: media@neuehealth.com KEYWORD: FLORIDA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PRACTICE MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MANAGED CARE HEALTH GENERAL HEALTH HEALTH TECHNOLOGY HEALTH INSURANCE HOSPITALS INSURANCE TELEMEDICINE/VIRTUAL MEDICINE FINANCE SOURCE: NeueHealth Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/23/2024 05:53 PM/DISC: 12/23/2024 05:53 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223595862/en
December 6, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source proofread by Kyle Shaner, University of Cincinnati A prediction market was more accurate in forecasting the 2024 presidential election than traditional polls and pundits. Prediction markets, also known as betting markets, are where contracts that are contingent on the occurrence of events in the future can be traded. The potential displayed by that success in forecasting the election, along with an administration friendlier to cryptocurrencies, could lead to greater adoption for them, a University of Cincinnati economist said. Michael Jones, Ph.D., a Carl H. Lindner College of Business assistant professor of economics and director of the Cryptoeconomics Lab at UC Digital Futures, said the success of a blockchain-based prediction market, Polymarket, in predicting the outcome of the election showed that cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies have more potential than just investments. "What's exciting is you're seeing a real-world use case that's getting a lot of attention that shows the value and utility of using a blockchain," Jones said. Polymarket is the world's largest prediction market. Users can take a position on whether or not an event will occur. If they're right, they get paid instantaneously. It's built on a blockchain, an unchanging digital ledger of economic transactions that records not only financial transactions but anything of value, in a global and verifiable system. As Election Day approached, Trump was trading at approximately 60 cents on the dollar on Polymarket. Those who bet on Trump made approximately 40 cents profit per share once he won the election. The market gave Trump greater odds to win than most polls, which had the election at close to 50-50 odds, and was closer to the final Electoral College tally. "The polls are just people's opinions; the pundits had their opinions, but there really are no consequences if they got it wrong," Jones said. "Maybe they took a little heat in the media. But if you got it wrong in the prediction market side, then you lost significant amounts of money. "What people started to realize is there's information contained in these prediction markets , so we should take them seriously." Prediction markets can be used for more practical matters, too, Jones said. For example, companies have used them to gauge the likelihood that a product will launch in the coming year. Typically, employees are incentivized to present optimistic outlooks to their employers. Prediction markets are more likely to get an unbiased opinion. "The advantage is it's built on the wisdom of the crowd," Jones said. "If everybody is able to use their own secret information, their own personal experiences of what they know, it sort of aggregates all of the individuals and really puts money on the line. "What you're really doing is democratizing the information collection." Also, some companies have used prediction markets to hedge against risk, Jones said. They might take a position that pays out if something occurs, such as a natural disaster or unfavorable court ruling, that otherwise would harm their business. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense, experimented with using prediction markets to predict things such as terrorism, coups and recessions. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter— daily or weekly . The DARPA project was controversial as there were objections to people profiting off tragedies such as terrorism. Still, other people maintain the knowledge gained from the prediction market is more valuable than the potential downsides. "Economists took both sides of this," Jones said. "If you need to get this information out, are you willing to accept that the trade-off is someone might profit from the higher likelihood that you could save lives—because you know there's a high probability an event is going to occur?" For the past couple years, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission has prohibited American citizens from participating in some prediction markets. However, Jones said it would be naive to think Americans haven't participated, including in the election prediction market, as tools such as virtual private networks allow users to hide their locations online. During Joe Biden's presidential administration, the U.S. government, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, has been aggressive in pursuing cases against cryptocurrency companies and pursuing regulations. There likely will be fewer regulations during the Trump administration, Jones said. "Many investors are anticipating that a lot of those cases will be dropped," he said. "I think a lot of the regulations around crypto companies being located in the U.S. will be improved, so it will open up more economic activity for those companies." Jones expects it will be easier for cryptocurrency companies to locate in the United States and build their businesses here. He also expects more companies and individuals to adopt cryptocurrencies as an asset class. Provided by University of Cincinnati
EDITORS DESK Last week, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) posted a notice of public auction for two high profile hypercars that were seized early this year. The cars in questions are two Bugatti Chiron hypercars that managed to evade customs and were plying Philippine roads for some time. Quite puzzlingly, these two vehicles were able to be registered, acquire plate numbers, and even gated village stickers. For the uninitiated, the Bugatti Chiron is one of the world’s most expensive performance vehicles. The vehicle is one of only a handful capable of producing over 1000-hp in stock form and on to a top speed of over 420-km/h. These performance figures are quite high, even for cars in this caliber. Naturally, they’re also quite limited and very expensive. Also, this vehicle is already discontinued, further limiting its availability. Each car is valued at least as much as ₱165 million each, when brand new. Of course, if it were imported legally into the country, with our web of vehicle taxes, excise taxes, tariffs and shipping dues, the cars can easily double in price to as much as ₱330 million when brand new. Not surprisingly, the BOC set the floor price for these vehicles at a hair above ₱300 million. Take note however that these vehicles are already used. One is a 2017 model and another is a 2019 model. As such, the appropriate vehicle depreciation should have been taken into account. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be too much, putting their price still above the ₱250 million range. A few days later, the BOC declared the auction a failure as no bids were submitted for the two vehicles. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to the agency as these prices are already quite high as far as supercars go. Not the price but the seller However, it’s not the price itself that’s the problem. There are many millionaires who will willingly drop ₱100-M on the latest set of Porsche, Lamborghini, or Ferrari models. Rather, it is about who is selling them. Any buyer that does have the ₱300-M lying around to buy one likely won’t want to transact with the government for fear that their name, recent purchases, and source of income might come under scrutiny. If they truly want to sell the vehicles for that hefty sum, perhaps hiring a third party auctioneer, such as Salcedo Auctions, would be more successful. Just don’t ask who the buyer is, give the auctioneer their cut, and simply put the funds to better use. After all, this new price already includes the taxes. Everything should then be in order so long as the price is paid. Use them as an example Of course, there’s also the possibility that such cars that have graced multiple broadsheet and news program headlines are already deemed tainted goods by any prospective buyer. Who would want to be seen driving a vehicle once labeled as smuggled? Rather than simply crush the cars for what little media mileage and good governance press that is worth, why not take the cars on a nationwide tour. There’s no better proof of the sheer greed and brazenness of smugglers than these vehicles. As such, why not take these cars on a nationwide tour around the country’s cities. Put them on display in public spaces, along with panels that break down just how many schools, ambulances, or relief goods that properly paid taxes from these cars could have bought. Illustrate why high tariffs are placed on cars like these in the first place — to generate revenue for the country from the wealthy that want to spend on flashy personal vehicles rather than charitable institutions that help their countrymen. Emphasize that these taxes and tariffs are slapped on to also protect the local and regional vehicle assemblers that give jobs to Filipinos and Asians. High taxes paid for cars like these are what allow the government to lower taxes on more affordable and locally built vehicles like the Toyota Vios, Innova, and soon, the Tamaraw. With such a nationwide tour, we can educate our countrymen on the value of properly documenting imported goods, taxes, and tariffs. It’s not about giving the government more money, but protecting our own industries and those businesses that do pay the proper taxes. Perhaps then our countrymen will be better informed on why these duties are imposed in the first place. (Iñigo S. Roces is the Motoring Editor of Manila Bulletin)BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of double overtime and Jordan Hansen ended the game on a fourth-down sack to give Northern Illinois a 28-20 victory over Fresno State on Monday in the Idaho Potato Bowl. Dimopoulos, who played quarterback in high school, also converted the two-point conversion when he passed it to quarterback Josh Holst for his second completion of the season. Holst, a freshman walk-on, was making just his third start at quarterback as NIU was without starter Ethan Hampton, who entered with 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with six interceptions. Holst completed 18 of 30 passes for 182 and two touchdowns for Northern Illinois (8-5). He was also intercepted on the first play of the game. Both teams missed a 35-yard field goal in the final three minutes of regulation, including Dylan Lynch's third miss of the game on the final play to send it to overtime. Fresno State started overtime with a touchdown when Bryson Donelson was left wide open out of the backfield to haul in a 9-yard touchdown pass. NIU needed five plays, and a defensive holding penalty, to score as Holst found Grayson Barnes for a 3-yard touchdown. Donelson finished with 15 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown for Fresno State (6-7). He added three catches for 28 yards and another score. Dual-threat quarterback Joshua Wood was 16 of 23 for 180 yards and a touchdown. Mac Dalena made six catches for 118 yards to help go over 1,000 yards for the season. Fresno State was without 14 players, including starting quarterback Mikey Keene after he transferred to Michigan. Two top-three receivers, Jalen Moss and Raylen Sharpe, also did not play as the Bulldogs were forced to use five new starters. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
I’ve seen Amazon’s drone delivery future. The public may hate it