Latest news with #Cooperative
Business Wire
10 hours ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Priority Health Expands into Wisconsin by Becoming Governing Member of Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire
BUSINESS WIRE)--Priority Health, a Michigan-based health plan serving more than 1.3 million members, and Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire (the Cooperative), a community-based health plan in Wisconsin serving more than 61,000 members, have announced plans for Priority Health to become the governing member of the Cooperative. "By bringing together our strengths and capabilities, we are better positioned to improve health outcomes and provide an exceptional member experience." 'This agreement with Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire marks a significant milestone in our mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable health care to those we are privileged to serve,' said Nick Gates, interim president of Priority Health. 'By bringing together our strengths and capabilities, we are better positioned to improve health outcomes and provide an exceptional member experience. We look forward to serving the members of Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire.' Sarah North, CEO and general manager of Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, said: 'Priority Health brings a track record of thoughtful leadership and a deep commitment to improving health outcomes — qualities that align well with our values. This agreement lays the groundwork for continued growth and innovation in today's rapidly evolving health care landscape and positions us for long-term sustainability while allowing us to stay true to our purpose of improving health and offering community-based health plans in Wisconsin.' Both organizations anticipate the transaction will close by the end of 2025 after required approvals are completed. The agreement with the Cooperative will make Priority Health a four-state health plan. In December 2024, Priority Health became the sole member of Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana, which serves members in Indiana and Ohio. Kaufman, Hall, and Associates, LLC is serving as exclusive strategic and financial advisor and Weld Riley is serving as legal counsel to Group Health Cooperative Eau Claire in this transaction. Taft Stettinius & Hollister is serving as external legal counsel to Priority Health and Ankura is serving as due diligence advisor. About Priority Health: Our members are at the heart of everything we do. With more than 30 years in business, Priority Health is the second-largest health plan in Michigan and the third-largest provider-sponsored health plan in the nation, offering an extensive portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving more than 1.3 million members each year in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, Priority Health offers a broad network of primary care physicians. Priority Health continues to be recognized as a leader for quality, customer service, transparency and product innovation. Learn more about affordable, quality health coverage options from Priority Health. Visit the Priority Health newsroom for the latest news. About Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire: Founded in 1972, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire is a nonprofit, member-focused health plan serving approximately 61,000 members across Wisconsin, including Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, commercial employer groups, and state employees. Visit Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire to learn more.
Arab News
24-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Major UK supermarket chain to stop sourcing Israeli products
LONDON: One of Britain's largest supermarket chains will stop sourcing Israeli products following a sustained Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. The Co-operative supermarket said the decision was made due to Israeli human rights abuses and violations of international law. It comes into effect this month. In May, a motion at the Co-op annual general meeting calling for an end to trade with Israel received overwhelming support. The supermarket board's decision covers 17 'countries of concern,' including Israel. Co-op will now launch a phased approach to begin removing products sourced from the 17 countries. The BDS campaign, led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, saw the Co-op board commit to a 'sourcing policy aligned with established co-operative values, upholding human rights and the rule of law to promote fair trading and peace.' The supermarket will now avoid sourcing products from countries where 'there is consistent behavior which would constitute community-wide human rights abuses or violations of international law.' Through the new policy, Co-op believes it 'can make a difference directly or indirectly to those affected and would alleviate suffering.' Israel is a major exporter of fruit and vegetables to the UK, and its products are widely stocked at British supermarkets, including as ingredients in larger items. A number of Israeli farms operate facilities in the occupied West Bank, in settlements that are illegal under international law. PSC hailed Co-op's decision as a 'major victory.' It follows the 'Don't Buy Apartheid' campaign that the organization conducted this year, urging a widespread boycott of Israeli products in British shops, restaurants and venues. Ben Jamal, PSC director, said: 'This is a seismic victory for the Palestinian solidarity movement in this country, which demands that the government, institutions and corporations end all economic, political and military support for the state of Israel, which is conducting a live streamed genocide in Gaza after decades of military occupation and imposing a system of apartheid on Palestinians. 'The Co-op, as befits its history, has shown great moral courage and ethical principle in deciding that it cannot ignore voices from the British public calling out Israel's gross human rights abuses and violations of international law — and even more importantly, it cannot economically support that regime through doing business in Israel. 'This beacon of leadership must now be taken up by all other supermarket chains which continue to sell Israeli goods, despite knowing they are supporting its war crimes.'
Hindustan Times
22-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
5 key highlights of Maharashtra's proposed housing society rules: 12% interest cap, redevelopment loans and more
The Maharashtra government plans to introduce revised rules for cooperative housing societies, which aim to simplify regulations and reduce bureaucratic involvement. The Maharashtra government plans to introduce revised rules for cooperative housing societies, which aim to simplify regulations and reduce bureaucratic involvement. (Picture for representational purposes only)(Mehul R Thakkar/HT) According to a report by Hindustan Times, the draft proposals include measures such as reducing interest on members' dues, enabling societies to raise redevelopment loans by linking them to land value, and revising maintenance fee structures. Here are five key highlights from the draft rules for Cooperative Housing Societies: 1) Lower interest on dues Maharashtra's draft rules propose reducing the interest on members' outstanding dues from 21% to 12%, easing residents' financial burden. 2) Easing redevelopment financing According to the draft, co-operative housing societies may be allowed to raise loans up to 10 times the land cost for redevelopment, supporting self-redevelopment or improved negotiations with builders. Also Read: Maharashtra approves new housing policy after nearly two decades: 5 key highlights 3) Modernising meeting protocols The draft proposes that annual general meetings (AGM) may incorporate virtual participation, with a quorum set at two-thirds attendance or 20 members (whichever is lower). Decisions require a simple majority (51%), and virtual meetings must be video-recorded if they are for redevelopment. 4) Empowering heirs/nominees The draft proposes introducing a new category called 'provisional members,' allowing nominees to exercise voting rights after a member's death, even before the ownership is formally transferred. Also Read: Mumbai Real Estate: Developers waive floor-rise premiums to attract buyers amid surging inventory 5) Standardise charge collection and funds According to the Maharashtra government's draft, common service charges will be equally divided among all flats, while water charges will be calculated based on the number of taps. The draft also mandates annual contributions to include a sinking fund of at least 0.25% and a repair and maintenance fund of 0.75% of the building's construction cost. Also Read: Dharavi Redevelopment: Maharashtra govt approves stamp duty concessions for Special Purpose Vehicle 'We will finalise the rules by incorporating the suggestions and objections in eight days, after which the draft will go to the principal secretary of the cooperation department. Once the rules are vetted by the law and the judiciary department, they will be notified. Many clauses, such as charges of sinking repair funds, were in the bylaws, but by bringing them into the rules, we have given them legal sanctity. Once the rules are finalised, we will reframe the bylaws to simplify them," Kiran Sonawane, deputy registrar of Maharashtra, told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Farmers in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts demand withdrawal of CIBIL score requirement for crop loans
Farmers in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts submitted petitions to the government on Monday demanding withdrawal of the directive issued last month by the Department of Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection to the Cooperative banks to sanction crop loans at seven percent interest rate solely on the basis of the scores of Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited. Insistence on CIBIL scores would deny most of the farmers, who have been facing difficulties in settling the previous loans in the Cooperative banks due to difficult circumstances, the opportunity to avail themselves of the utility of the fresh crop loans, Easan Murugasamy, founder of Tamil Nadu Farmers' Protection Association said. Even the extent of credit is low. Against expenditure of ₹76,000 incurred for raising paddy crop on one acre, the Cooperatives Department releases agriculture loan to the extent of only ₹36,000, M. Ganesan, another senior functionary of the association, lamented. The farmers urged the government to take note of the clarification issued by the RBI that it had not issued any specific instructions regarding requirement of CIBIL score for grant of agricultural loan. The Department of Financial Services, Government of India, had, during 2019, issued advisory to banks to waive the processing, documentation, inspection, ledger folio charges and all other service charges for KCC/crop loans upto ₹3 lakh. Further, the RBI vide its notification dated 06 December 2024 'Credit Flow to Agriculture – Collateral free agricultural loans' had raised the limit for collateral-free agricultural loans from ₹1.6 lakh to ₹2 lakh., the farmers pointed out Referring to the deliberations during the May 2025 session of Lok Sabha, farmers said the Central government had taken note of the plight of farmers and had directed the nationalised banks not to ask for CIBIL scores to sanction loans for agricultural and allied purposes.
Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Boil in the bag funerals could be given go-ahead
People could soon be able to choose to be boiled and flushed down the drain instead of cremated or buried. A consultation on funerary methods by the Law Commission is proposing legal approval of alkaline hydrolysis and human composting as new ways of disposing of people's bodies. Alkaline hydrolysis uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat and pressure to break down a body into liquid and pieces of bone, which can take between two and 18 hours. Bones and teeth survive the process and are ground into a powder to be returned to the family, while the rest of the body is broken down into liquid, which can be sent to the sewers. These funerals have been known as a water burial or resomation, but have colloquially been dubbed 'flushed away' and 'flush and bone' rituals. The Law Commission states the process is fundamentally different from burial and cremation and yet there is no clear regulatory approval of the process, effectively barring it from being used in Britain. People can choose a water burial in parts of Australia and Canada. A site in Navan, Ireland, is the first of its kind in Europe, which costs around €1,500 (£1,260). The Co-operative announced in 2023 it was hoping to bring water burials to British customers in what it called the 'biggest change to funerals in over 120 years'. But this endeavour failed as a result of regulatory hurdles that made it impossible under current laws. A spokesman from Co-op Funeralcare said: 'At Co-op Funeralcare, we are committed to serving the needs of our member-owners and clients and offering the most sustainable and affordable services. 'In 2023, we announced our ambition to pilot Resomation in the UK, and we subsequently worked closely with the Government to explore the regulatory requirements to introduce this service across the nation. However, we did not proceed with this as, at the time, we were unable to find a path through the current regulatory framework. 'We welcome The Law Commission's review and encourage exploration into alternative methods that provide consumers with greater choice and deliver environmental benefits.' 'Have a cup of granddad' There is currently 'no specific regulation of new funerary methods' in England and Wales. The consultation proposes that the law is changed to allow for new funeral methods to be approved and to define regulations. Criminal offences for improper use are also proposed. Alkaline hydrolysis was used as a funerary method for the bodies of five deceased people in 2019 as part of a specially authorised study into the process. Dr Lian Lundy, of Middlesex University, a wastewater specialist, conducted the analysis and says that it can take between four and 18 hours to complete, depending on various factors such as the concentration of chemicals and water temperature. Her analysis found that the water a body boils in is full of compounds that are safe to be put back into the wastewater supply. She said: 'We collected the wastewater and analysed it for the sort of parameters used for trade effluent and all the pollutants that we looked at fell well within the range of values they would accept. 'From a technical perspective, for the parameters we looked at, it wasn't an issue. 'It's a system that could be added to a church or added to any location. So it would potentially be a completely different model for disposing of the dead. She added: 'Yorkshire Water collected the samples using their methods and then they analysed them in their labs. I just got an Excel spreadsheet and analysed the data. 'From a water quality perspective, our study didn't indicate there were any issues with discharging to sewer. The biggest hurdle, Dr Lundy said, was social acceptability and not chemical or water safety. 'I think it's because it's a new process and people don't really understand it,' she said. 'And when it does get into the newspapers, it tends to be quite sensationalised, as in, 'flushing grandma down the toilet' and 'have a cup of granddad'. 'But there's a lot that goes into the sewer that we don't really think about – waste from mortuaries and hospitals and all sorts of things that we don't know about. So from that perspective, it's not really any different. 'Some people view it as basically mixing up my loved one with poo in the sewer and they don't like that. However, some people see returning to the water environment as being a gentler approach.'
