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www wow888 hub Analysts' ratings for Varonis Systems VRNS over the last quarter vary from bullish to bearish, as provided by 8 analysts. The table below offers a condensed view of their recent ratings, showcasing the changing sentiments over the past 30 days and comparing them to the preceding months. Bullish Somewhat Bullish Indifferent Somewhat Bearish Bearish Total Ratings 1 4 3 0 0 Last 30D 0 0 1 0 0 1M Ago 0 0 1 0 0 2M Ago 1 3 1 0 0 3M Ago 0 1 0 0 0 Providing deeper insights, analysts have established 12-month price targets, indicating an average target of $59.88, along with a high estimate of $70.00 and a low estimate of $47.00. This current average has increased by 3.03% from the previous average price target of $58.12. Understanding Analyst Ratings: A Comprehensive Breakdown In examining recent analyst actions, we gain insights into how financial experts perceive Varonis Systems. The following summary outlines key analysts, their recent evaluations, and adjustments to ratings and price targets. Analyst Analyst Firm Action Taken Rating Current Price Target Prior Price Target Joseph Gallo Jefferies Lowers Hold $50.00 $60.00 Rudy Kessinger DA Davidson Lowers Neutral $47.00 $50.00 Matthew Hedberg RBC Capital Maintains Outperform $65.00 $65.00 Rob Owens Piper Sandler Raises Neutral $55.00 $48.00 Brian Essex JP Morgan Raises Overweight $65.00 $59.00 Roger Boyd UBS Raises Buy $70.00 $63.00 Shrenik Kothari Baird Raises Outperform $62.00 $60.00 Saket Kalia Barclays Raises Overweight $65.00 $60.00 Key Insights: Action Taken: Analysts respond to changes in market conditions and company performance, frequently updating their recommendations. Whether they 'Maintain', 'Raise' or 'Lower' their stance, it reflects their reaction to recent developments related to Varonis Systems. This information offers a snapshot of how analysts perceive the current state of the company. Rating: Offering insights into predictions, analysts assign qualitative values, from 'Outperform' to 'Underperform'. These ratings convey expectations for the relative performance of Varonis Systems compared to the broader market. Price Targets: Understanding forecasts, analysts offer estimates for Varonis Systems's future value. Examining the current and prior targets provides insight into analysts' changing expectations. Considering these analyst evaluations in conjunction with other financial indicators can offer a comprehensive understanding of Varonis Systems's market position. Stay informed and make well-informed decisions with our Ratings Table. Stay up to date on Varonis Systems analyst ratings. All You Need to Know About Varonis Systems Varonis Systems is a cybersecurity vendor focused on data privacy and security. The firm is currently undergoing a cloud transition as it weans its on-premises customers over to its cloud products that are delivered as software-as-a-service. The New York-based firm was founded in 2005 and went public in 2014. Key Indicators: Varonis Systems's Financial Health Market Capitalization: Indicating a reduced size compared to industry averages, the company's market capitalization poses unique challenges. Positive Revenue Trend: Examining Varonis Systems's financials over 3 months reveals a positive narrative. The company achieved a noteworthy revenue growth rate of 21.06% as of 30 September, 2024, showcasing a substantial increase in top-line earnings. When compared to others in the Information Technology sector, the company excelled with a growth rate higher than the average among peers. Net Margin: Varonis Systems's net margin lags behind industry averages, suggesting challenges in maintaining strong profitability. With a net margin of -12.38%, the company may face hurdles in effective cost management. Return on Equity (ROE): Varonis Systems's ROE lags behind industry averages, suggesting challenges in maximizing returns on equity capital. With an ROE of -4.13%, the company may face hurdles in achieving optimal financial performance. Return on Assets (ROA): Varonis Systems's ROA is below industry averages, indicating potential challenges in efficiently utilizing assets. With an ROA of -1.4%, the company may face hurdles in achieving optimal financial returns. Debt Management: Varonis Systems's debt-to-equity ratio is notably higher than the industry average. With a ratio of 1.74 , the company relies more heavily on borrowed funds, indicating a higher level of financial risk. Understanding the Relevance of Analyst Ratings Analysts are specialists within banking and financial systems that typically report for specific stocks or within defined sectors. These people research company financial statements, sit in conference calls and meetings, and speak with relevant insiders to determine what are known as analyst ratings for stocks. Typically, analysts will rate each stock once a quarter. Analysts may supplement their ratings with predictions for metrics like growth estimates, earnings, and revenue, offering investors a more comprehensive outlook. However, investors should be mindful that analysts, like any human, can have subjective perspectives influencing their forecasts. Breaking: Wall Street's Next Big Mover Benzinga's #1 analyst just identified a stock poised for explosive growth. This under-the-radar company could surge 200%+ as major market shifts unfold. Click here for urgent details . This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts defense started this season struggling. It couldn't stop the run, couldn't keep teams out of the end zone, couldn't get off the field. Now the script has flipped. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley's group is playing stouter, holding teams — even the high-scoring Detroit Lions — largely in check long enough to give Indy a chance to win, and it's the Colts offense that has struggled. “They are playing their tails off. You don’t want them on the field a bunch and as an offense you want to be able to play complementary football,” running back Jonathan Taylor said after Sunday's 24-6 loss. “I would say specifically on offense, it sucks when you can’t help your defense out when they are fighting their tails off all game.” Indy's defense held up its end of the bargain by limiting the Lions (10-1) to 14 first-half points and allowing just 24, matching Detroit's lowest output since Week 3. The problem: Even when the Colts (5-7) did get Detroit off the field, they couldn't sustain drives or score touchdowns. Again. Anthony Richardson provided the bulk of the ground game by rushing 10 times for 61 yards, mostly early. Taylor managed just 35 yards on 11 carries and a season-high 10 penalties constantly forced the Colts to dig out from deep deficits. Part of that was by design. “We knew Jonathan Taylor was going to be the guy we needed to shut down,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We did that. The quarterback runs. It got us on a couple but overall, we did what we needed to do, and we kept them out of that game." Part of it could be because of an injury-battered offensive line that has started three rookies each of the past two weeks and finished the previous game with the same three rookies. Whatever the fix, Indy needs a good solution. There is good news for Indy is that its schedule now gets substantially more manageable. After losing four of five, all to teams in playoff position and three to division leaders, Indy faces only one team with a winning record in its final five games. The most recent time the Colts played a team with a losing mark, Richardson rallied them past the New York Jets 28-27. But Colts coach Shane Steichen knows that's not the answer. The Colts must get this offense righted now. “We’ve got to get that figured out. We’ve got to get him going on the ground,” Steichen said when asked about Taylor, who has 92 yards on his past 35 carries. “We’ll look at the offensive line. We’ll look at everything." Pass rush. Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner's presence certainly has been felt since he returned from a sprained ankle Oct. 27. In those past five games, the Colts have had 14 sacks, including three of Jared Goff on Sunday. Penalties. The Colts have had one of the cleanest operations in the league most of this season. Sunday was an anomaly, but one that can't merely be written off. WR Michael Pittman Jr. The five-year veteran is one of the league's toughest guys, but playing through a back injury appeared to take its toll on Pittman's productivity. Since sitting out in Week 10, Pittman has 11 receptions for 142 yards including six for 96 yards, his second-highest total of the season, Sunday. Tight ends. Each week the Colts want their tight ends to make an impact. And each week, they seem to fail. It happened again Sunday when Drew Ogletree dropped a TD pass that would have given Indy a 10-7 lead. Instead, Indy settled for a field goal and a 7-6 deficit. Through 12 games, Indy's tight ends have a total of 26 catches, 299 yards and two TDs. That's just not good enough in a league where versatile, productive tight ends increasingly signal success. Pittman and WR Josh Downs both returned to the game after leaving briefly with shoulder injuries. WR Ashton Dulin did not return after hurting his foot in the second half. But the bigger questions come on the offensive line. LT Bernhard Raimann (knee) was inactive Sunday, and rookie center Tanor Bortolini entered the concussion protocol Monday. Bortolini was one of three rookie starters the past two weeks, replacing Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly who is on injured reserve. 55.88 — Indy has scored touchdowns on 55.88% of its red zone trips this season. While it puts it near the middle of the NFL, it's cost the Colts multiple wins. Richardson needs to rebound from this latest 11 of 28 performance and show he can lead the Colts to victories week after week. He'll get plenty of chances over the season's final month, starting with next week's game at the New England Patriots. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Spaid, Winner of CES Innovation Awards for Redefining the Future of Geospatial with AI, to Unveil AI Solution and OpenAI Platform at CES 2025

NoneBlake Snell, Dodgers agree to five-year, $182M contract: Reports

Blake Snell, Dodgers agree to five-year, $182M contract: Reports

There is no evidence that mysterious drones sighted in the eastern U.S. present a threat to national security or to public safety, federal officials said on Saturday. In an unusual briefing aimed at allaying public concern, the officials attributed the sightings to people spotting drones flying lawfully or misidentifying planes and helicopters. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said their agencies are taking concerns seriously. But they have found nothing to suggest malicious foreign or criminal actors, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The briefing came amid rising public anxiety and widening conspiracy theories. Efforts so far to downplay concern have fanned skepticism as well as demands for a concrete explanation from politicians from Massachusetts to Maryland, as well as from President-elect Donald Trump. Runways at New York Stewart International Airport in Orange County were closed for more than an hour starting at about 10 p.m. Friday following a sighting reported by the FAA, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. “This has gone too far,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement about the airport’s closure. Trump weighed in on Friday in a post on Truth Social: “Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” The FBI official on Saturday suggested a certain amount of public overreaction, noting that while the agency has received about 5,000 tips by phone and the web in the past two weeks, fewer than 100 leads warranted further investigation. The recent spate of sightings began in New Jersey, where drones have been seen hovering above critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and military installations, Florham Park Chief of Police, Joseph Orlando, said in a Facebook post. Drones have even been spotted flying above Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations, prompting PSEG to contact the authorities, according to the company. One of the federal officials on Saturday confirmed drone sightings over Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military and research facility, and Naval Weapons Station Earle, a U.S. Navy base, both located in New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday said he’s directed the State Police to fly helicopters “to try and determine where these drones are originating from and what the purpose of these drones are.” He added: “We’ve been told, again, by our federal partners, it does not pose any kind of national security or personal security risk. But you know, as the old saying goes, trust but verify.” In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey said she’s aware of the reported sightings, is monitoring the situation, and that state police are working with local and federal authorities. She urged drone operators to follow the law and ensure their safe use. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has contacted President Joe Biden as well as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urging federal legislation empowering the state’s local law enforcement to use advanced detection and mitigation technologies to deal with the drones. State officials didn’t specify exactly what those measures are. “It is clear that this is not a job the federal government can do on its own,” he wrote. Hochul, in her statement on Saturday, also called on Congress to pass a bill strengthening the FAA’s oversight of drones, which would extend to some state and local authorities. Saturday’s briefing follows White House, Pentagon and other national security officials’ previous assertions that the drones don’t pose a security risk and are not from a foreign entity. But the sightings are spreading geographically, with residents and legislators reporting unknown objects in neighboring states. Multistate sightings “Last night, beginning at around 9:45pm, I personally witnessed (and videoed) what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland (25 miles from our nation’s capital),” former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wrote in a post on X. He said the drones hovered above his house for almost a full hour and said the response from the federal government “is entirely unacceptable.” The FBI is leading the effort to determine the source of the sightings, including identifying where the drones are taking off and landing, according to a person familiar with the matter. Overnight from Thursday into Friday, there were 79 reports of drone sightings. While some may have been duplicate observations by different individuals, each call is treated as a separate incident, the person said. These sightings have been reported nightly since Nov. 18, with the exception of Thanksgiving, when no activity was reported. There have been few to no reports of suspicious drone activity during daylight hours. Some reports suggest that the drones are capable of remaining in the air for up to six hours, prompting questions about their specifications and purpose.White scores 19 in North Dakota State's 98-62 win over Western Michigan

Too early to celebrate – Arne Slot keeps leaders Liverpool focused

Colts defense picks up the pace as offense continues searching for answers to red zone woesCONOR McGregor has been dropped from a promo with a video game company - the first such blow to the star after his civil rape case concluded last week. While calls to boycott the Irish fighter's booze and merchandise ranges are growing, video games giant IO Interactive, which publishes the Hitman franchise, tonight severed ties with the shamed star. IO Interactive announced it was dropping all content featuring McGregor in light of the ruling. The Danish firm said in a statement: “In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately. “We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications. Consequently, we will begin removing all content featuring Mr. McGregor from our storefronts starting today.” The Dubliner plays an assassination target known as 'The Disruptor' in the popular game. 'The Disruptor' is a multimillionaire MMA fighter with worldwide fame who started a feud with the CEO of a prominent tech company, putting a target on his back in the process, according to a description of the content. Players must find a way to stop him before he wins an octagon duel against the CEO. Hitman: World Of Assassination players could access the mission for free from the summer, when it was released. The trailer for the mission got millions of views on social media when it came out in July. Separately, a Dublin councillor has quit his political party over backlash for showing support for McGregor at his recent court case. Philip Sutcliffe, a candidate in Dublin South Central for Independent Ireland, was previously McGregor’s boxing coach. Mr Sutcliffe was snapped with Mr McGregor going into the High Court hearing together on Friday, where the UFC fighter was found liable for rape. Following criticism from the party for associating himself with Conor McGregor, Mr Sutcliffe announced he will run as a non-party candidate. In a statement, a spokesperson for Independent Ireland said: "Cllr Phil Sutcliffe (Snr) is no longer a member of Independent Ireland. "Following a meeting with a senior party official today, Cllr Philip Sutcliffe (Snr) has tendered his resignation to the leadership of Independent Ireland. "The leadership of the Party has accepted his resignation. "As we understand it, Cllr Sutcliffe is continuing in politics as a non-party representative. “He is continuing his general election campaign and if elected will take up a seat in Dáil Éireann as a non-party TD." Mum-of-one Nikita Hand, 35, was awarded almost €250,000 in damages last week after the jury ruled she was sexually assaulted by UFC fighter McGregor at the Beacon Hotel in December 2018. Today the Irish Sun reported how pressure is mounting on the Director of Public Prosecutions to carry out a full review of the case. Sources say the MMA star could still end up facing criminal charges after a High Court jury ruled he “brutally” raped and “battered” Nikita Hand in a hotel penthouse. The DPP previously decided that no criminal prosecution would be taken against McGregor, 36, who continues to deny the allegations and has vowed to appeal. They said there was “insufficient evidence” and not a reasonable prospect of conviction — forcing Ms Hand to take her civil case. Politicians are now hoping the DPP will carry out a full review of the evidence heard during the two-week High Court action.NEW YORK , Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ZETA) resulting from allegations that Zeta Global may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. So What: If you purchased Zeta Global securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. What to do next: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31333 call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. What is this about: On November 13, 2024 , Culper Research published a report entitled "Zeta Global Holdings Corp ZETA: Shams, Scams, and Spam." (the "Report"). The Report raised concerns about the company's reported financials. In addition, Culper Research announced that it believed that "Zeta has quietly spun up its own network of consent farms i.e., sham websites that hoodwink millions of consumers each month into handing their data over to Zeta under false pretenses, baited by job applications, stimulus money, or other rewards that simply do not exist." On this news, Zeta Global's stock price fell 37.1% on November 13, 2024 . Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rosen-law-firm-encourages-zeta-global-holdings-corp-investors-to-inquire-about-securities-class-action-investigation--zeta-302314487.html SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.

As open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans continues through Jan. 15, you’re likely seeing fewer social media ads promising monthly cash cards worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars that you can use for groceries, medical bills, rent and other expenses. But don’t worry. You haven’t missed out on any windfalls. Clicking on one of those ads would not have provided you with a cash card — at least not worth hundreds or thousands. But you might have found yourself switched to a health insurance plan you did not authorize, unable to afford treatment for an unforeseen medical emergency, and owing thousands of dollars to the IRS, according to an ongoing lawsuit against companies and individuals who plaintiffs say masterminded the ads and alleged scams committed against millions of people who responded to them. The absence of those once-ubiquitous ads are likely a result of the federal government suspending access to the ACA marketplace for two companies that market health insurance out of South Florida offices, amid accusations they used “fraudulent” ads to lure customers and then switched their insurance plans and agents without their knowledge. In its suspension letter, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) cited “credible allegations of misconduct” in the agency’s decision to suspend the abilities of two companies — TrueCoverage (doing business as Inshura) and BenefitAlign — to transact information with the marketplace. CMS licenses and monitors agencies that use their own websites and information technology platforms to enroll health insurance customers in ACA plans offered in the federal marketplace. The alleged scheme affected millions of consumers, according to a lawsuit winding its way through U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale that seeks class-action status. An amended version of the suit, filed in August, increased the number of defendants from six to 12: — TrueCoverage LLC, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based health insurance agency with large offices in Miami, Miramar and Deerfield Beach. TrueCoverage is a sub-tenant of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in a building leased by the newspaper in Deerfield Beach. — Enhance Health LLC, a Sunrise-based health insurance agency that the lawsuit says was founded by Matthew Herman, also named as a defendant, with a $150 million investment from hedge fund Bain Capital’s insurance division. Bain Capital Insurance Fund LP is also a defendant. — Speridian Technologies LLC, accused in the lawsuit of establishing two direct enrollment platforms that provided TrueCoverage and other agencies access to the ACA marketplace. — Benefitalign LLC, identified in the suit as one of the direct enrollment platforms created by Speridian. Like Speridian and TrueCoverage, the company is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. — Number One Prospecting LLC, doing business as Minerva Marketing, based in Fort Lauderdale, and its founder, Brandon Bowsky, accused of developing the social media ads that drove customers — or “leads” — to the health insurance agencies. — Digital Media Solutions LLC, doing business as Protect Health, a Miami-based agency that the suit says bought Minerva’s “fraudulent” ads. In September, the company filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in United States Bankruptcy Court in Texas, which automatically suspended claims filed against the company. — Net Health Affiliates Inc., an Aventura-based agency the lawsuit says was associated with Enhance Health and like it, bought leads from Minerva. — Garish Panicker, identified in the lawsuit as half-owner of Speridian Global Holdings and day-to-day controller of companies under its umbrella, including TrueCoverage, Benefitalign and Speridian Technologies. — Matthew Goldfuss, accused by the suit of overseeing and directing TrueCoverage’s ACA enrollment efforts. All of the defendants have filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit. The motions deny the allegations and argue that the plaintiffs failed to properly state their claims and lack the standing to file the complaints. The Sun Sentinel sent requests for comment and lists of questions about the cases to four separate law firms representing separate groups of defendants. Three of the law firms — one representing Brandon Bowsky and Number One Prospecting LLC d/b/a Minerva Marketing, and two others representing Net Health Affiliates Inc. and Bain Capital Insurance Fund — did not respond to the requests. A representative of Enhance Health LLC and Matthew Herman, Olga M. Vieira of the Miami-based firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, responded with a short message saying she was glad the newspaper knew a motion to dismiss the charges had been filed by the defendants. She also said that, “Enhance has denied all the allegations as reported previously in the media.” Catherine Riedel, a communications specialist representing TrueCoverage LLC, Benefitalign LLC, Speridian Technologies LLC, Girish Panicker and Matthew Goldfuss, issued the following statement: “TrueCoverage takes these allegations very seriously and is responding appropriately. While we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, we strongly believe that the allegations are baseless and without merit. “Compliance is our business. The TrueCoverage team records and reviews every call with a customer, including during Open Enrollment when roughly 500 agents handle nearly 30,000 calls a day. No customer is enrolled into any policy without a formal verbal consent given by the customer. If any customer calls in as a result of misleading content presented by third-party marketing vendors, agents are trained to correct such misinformation and action is taken against such third-party vendors.” Through Riedel, the defendants declined to answer follow-up questions, including whether the company remains in business, whether it continues to enroll Affordable Care Act clients, and whether it is still operating its New Mexico call center using another affiliated technology platform. The suspension notification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services letter cites several factors, including the histories of noncompliance and previous suspensions. The letter noted suspicion that TrueCoverage and Benefitalign were storing consumers’ personally identifiable information in databases located in India and possibly other overseas locations in violation of the centers’ rules. The letter also notes allegations against the companies in the pending lawsuit that “they engaged in a variety of illegal practices, including violations of the (Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act), misuse of consumer (personal identifiable information) and insurance fraud.” The amended lawsuit filed in August names as plaintiffs five individuals who say their insurance plans were changed and two agencies who say they lost money when they were replaced as agents. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of 55 counts of wrongdoing, ranging from running ads offering thousands of dollars in cash that they knew would never be provided directly to consumers, switching millions of consumers into different insurance policies without their authorization, misstating their household incomes to make them eligible for $0 premium coverage, and “stealing” commissions by switching the agents listed in their accounts. TrueCoverage, Enhance Health, Protect Health, and some of their associates “engaged in hundreds of thousands of agent-of-record swaps to steal other agents’ commissions,” the suit states. “Using the Benefitalign and Inshura platforms, they created large spreadsheet lists of consumer names, dates of birth and zip codes.” They provided those spreadsheets to agents, it says, and instructed them to access platforms linked to the ACA marketplace and change the customers’ agents of record “without telling the client or providing informed consent.” “In doing so, they immediately captured the monthly commissions of agents ... who had originally worked with the consumers directly to sign them up,” the lawsuit asserts. TrueCoverage employees who complained about dealing with prospects who called looking for cash cards were routinely chided by supervisors who told them to be vague and keep making money, the suit says. When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began contacting the company in January about customer complaints, the suit says TrueCoverage enrollment supervisor Matthew Goldfuss sent an email instructing agents “do not respond.” The lawsuit states the “scheme” was made possible in 2021 when Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The act made it possible for Americans with household incomes between 100% and 150% of the federal poverty level to pay zero in premiums and it enabled those consumers to enroll in ACA plans all year round, instead of during the three-month open enrollment period from November to January. Experienced health insurance brokers recognized the opportunity presented by the changes, the lawsuit says. More than 40 million Americans live within 100% and 150% of the federal poverty level, while only 15 million had ACA insurance at the time. The defendants developed or benefited from online ads, the lawsuit says, which falsely promised “hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars per month in cash benefits such as subsidy cards to pay for common expenses like rent, groceries, and gas.” Consumers who clicked on the ads were brought to a landing page that asked a few qualifying questions, and if their answers suggested that they might qualify for a low-cost or no-cost plan, they were provided a phone number to a health insurance agency. There was a major problem with the plan, according to the lawsuit. “Customers believe they are being routed to someone who will send them a free cash card, not enroll them in health insurance.” By law, the federal government sends subsidies for ACA plans to insurance companies, and not to individual consumers. Scripts were developed requiring agents not to mention a cash card, and if a customer mentions a cash card, “be vague” and tell the caller that only the insurance carrier can provide that information, the lawsuit alleges. In September, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the claims. In addition to denying the charges, they argued that the class plaintiffs lacked the standing to make the accusations and failed to demonstrate that they suffered harm. The motion also argued that the lawsuit’s accusations failed to meet requirements necessary to claim civil violations of the RICO Act. Miami-based attorney Jason Kellogg, representing the plaintiffs, said he doesn’t expect a ruling on the motion to dismiss the case for several months. The complaint also lists nearly 50 companies, not named as defendants, that it says fed business to TrueCoverage and Enhance Health. Known in the industry as “downlines,” most operate in office parks throughout South Florida, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit quotes former TrueCoverage employees complaining about having to work with customers lured by false cash promises in the online ads. A former employee who worked in the company’s Deerfield Beach office was quoted in the lawsuit as saying that senior TrueCoverage and Speridian executives “knew that consumers were calling in response to the false advertisements promising cash cards and they pressured agents to use them to enroll consumers into ACA plans.” A former human resources manager for TrueCoverage said sales agents frequently complained “that they did not feel comfortable having to mislead consumers,” the lawsuit said. Over two dozen agents “came to me with these complaints and showed me the false advertisements that consumers who called in were showing them,” the lawsuit quoted the former manager as saying. For much of the time the companies operated, the ACA marketplace enabled agents to easily access customer accounts using their names and Social Security numbers, change their insurance plans and switch their agents of record without their knowledge or authorization, the lawsuit says. This resulted in customers’ original agents losing their commissions and many of the policyholders finding out they suddenly owed far more for health care services than their original plans had required, the suit states. It says that one of the co-plaintiffs’ health plans was changed at least 22 times without her consent. She first discovered that she had lost her original plan when she sought to renew a prescription for her heart condition and her doctor told her she did not have health insurance, the suit states. Another co-plaintiff’s policy was switched after her husband responded to one of the cash card advertisements, the lawsuit says. That couple’s insurance plan was switched multiple times after a TrueCoverage agent excluded the wife’s income from an application so the couple would qualify. Later, they received bills from the IRS for $4,300 to cover tax credits issued to pay for the plans. CMS barred TrueCoverage and BenefitAlign from accessing the ACA marketplace. It said it received more than 90,000 complaints about unauthorized plan switches and more than 183,500 complaints about unauthorized enrollments, but the agency did not attribute all of the complaints to activities by the two companies. In addition, CMS restricted all agents’ abilities to alter policyholders’ enrollment information, the lawsuit says. Now access is allowed only for agents that already represent policyholders or if the policyholder participates in a three-way call with an agent and a marketplace employee. Between June and October, the agency barred 850 agents and brokers from accessing the marketplace “for reasonable suspicion of fraudulent or abusive conduct related to unauthorized enrollments or unauthorized plan switches,” according to an October CMS news release . The changes resulted in a “dramatic and sustained drop” in unauthorized activity, including a nearly 70% decrease in plan changes associated with an agent or broker and a nearly 90% decrease in changes to agent or broker commission information, the release said. It added that while consumers were often unaware of such changes, the opportunity to make them provided “significant financial incentive for non-compliant agents and brokers.” But CMS’ restrictions might be having unintended consequences for law-abiding agents and brokers. A story published by Insurance News Net on Nov. 11 quoted the president of the Health Agents for America (HAFA) trade group as saying agents are being suspended by CMS after being flagged by a mysterious algorithm that no one can figure out. The story quotes HAFA president Ronnell Nolan as surmising, “maybe they wrote too many policies on the same day for people who have the same income or they’re writing too many policies on people of a certain occupation.” Nolan continued, “We have members who have thousands of ACA clients. They can’t update or renew their clients. So those consumers have lost access to their professional agent, which is simply unfair.” Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.Veterinary Surgical Instruments Market Size: Strong Growth Ahead (2024-2032)

President Joe Biden Celebrates Marxist-Rooted Kwanzaa: Millions Will 'Commit Themselves to the Seven Principles'NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russian attack with hypersonic missile

President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Christmas Day to suggest that hockey legend Wayne Gretzky should run for Prime Minister of Canada — or, as Trump put it, " Governor of Canada." "I just left Wayne Gretzky, 'The Great One' as he is known in Ice Hockey circles," Trump wrote . "I said, 'Wayne, why don't you run for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada - You would win easily, you wouldn't even have to campaign.'" "He had no interest," Trump continued. "But I think the people of Canada should start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement. It would be so much fun to watch!" The prodding follows recent statements from Trump suggesting that Canada could become the 51st state of the United States. Earlier in December, after dining with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump jokingly referred to Trudeau as the "Governor of the Great State of Canada." During the Mar-a-Lago dinner, Trump reportedly said that Canada should join the U.S. as a state, claiming many Canadians would save on taxes and benefit from military protection. The president-elect also criticized Canada's trade policies and questioned why the U.S. provides subsidies to its northern neighbor. While Gretzky has expressed no interest in politics, Trump's comments have sparked a flurry of online debate about his repeated "51st state" suggestions. Meanwhile, Trudeau has yet to publicly respond to Trump's remarks.