Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reported the range of base premiums prior to underwriting for individual market health insurance plans as displayed on the HealthCare.gov Plan Finder in January 2013. The base premiums were for individuals aged 19 and 64 in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The base premiums reflected information from data submitted by insurers to the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) within the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). They represented the lowest premium amounts that would have been available to different categories of individuals at that time; however, actual premium amounts paid by consumers could have been higher as they would have been determined after more complete underwriting for health conditions and other factors, and some individuals could have been denied coverage. GAO also reported on base premiums prior to underwriting for an urban and rural zip code in four select states, one from each census region. The states included: Illinois, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Texas. This supplements data on base premiums in the individual market in January 2013 for other categories of individuals …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As Congress requested, we conducted a review of challenges associated with enhancing safety on major rail transit systems. During the course of that review, we assessed the quality of data that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) collects and maintains in its State Safety Oversight (SSO) Rail Accident Database. FTA, an agency within the Department of Transportation (DOT), collects these safety data, including data on types of accidents and causes, from SSO agencies and the rail transit agencies they oversee. FTA used the SSO Rail Accident Database to produce the agency's 2009 Rail Safety Statistics Report, which analyzed data from 2003 through 2008. Although we originally intended to report on safety trends using the SSO Rail Accident Database in the rail transit report, we determined that these data were not sufficiently reliable for such a purpose. As a result, in this review we further assess the SSO Rail Accident Database and FTA's processes for collecting and compiling the data. We determined that there are numerous inaccuracies in FTA's SSO Rail Accident Database and, consequently, the 2009 Rail Safety Statistics Report. FTA implemented changes to the data collection process over …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, we and other federal fiscal experts--including the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Medicare Trustees--have noted the rise in Medicare spending and expressed concern that the program is unsustainable in its present form. Concerns about the rising cost of health care are particularly pressing in light of evidence that suggests that greater spending does not necessarily translate to better health outcomes or higher-quality care. Medicare's fee-for-service (FFS) payment system may contribute to spending growth because it rewards volume of services regardless of the appropriateness, cost, and quality of those services. Under FFS, a payment is made for each unit of service based on the expected costs of delivering that service. For example, Medicare makes multiple separate payments for the services associated with a complex medical procedure performed in a hospital. It pays the hospital for the initial admission and any related readmissions; each physician involved in the patient's care, such as the surgeon and the anesthesiologist; and the skilled nursing facility for any related care immediately after hospitalization. Payments made in isolation in this way may give providers little incentive to coordinate the provision of …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Our analysis showed that DOD’s Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy Management Report fully addressed two, did not address one (issue 4), and partially addressed five of the eight expanded reporting requirements. In some cases, it was difficult to determine the extent to which DOD had addressed an issue because information related to a specific reporting requirement was fragmented or scattered throughout the report. With regard to the one issue not addressed, DOD indicated it had plans to address it in a separate report tentatively scheduled to be published in early 2012."

Guidance issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The forum's participants described nanomanufacturing as a future megatrend that will potentially match or surpass the digital revolution's effect on society and the economy. They anticipated further scientific breakthroughs that will fuel new engineering developments; continued movement into the manufacturing sector; and more intense international competition."

"This report provides a summary of expenses incurred by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for conferences held during fiscal year 2013."

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: The authority of a county appraisal district to place excess funds in a capital improvement fund or to spend excess funds on a one-time, lump-sum payment to its employees (RQ-1143-GA).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Lawrence Wile. Wile joined the Army in 1943. He completed Cook School, and worked as a cook at Fort Meade and Fort Eustis. In late 1944, he traveled to Cherbourg, France and Belgium, working with the 1591st Labor Supervision Company. He assisted with coordinating German companies in cleaning up after the war, rebuilding roads and picking up artillery shells. Wile continued in the Army after the war, completing 30 years of service in the military.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elaine Osborn. Osborn was born in 1932 in Freeman, South Dakota and had just turned 9 years old when World War II began. She shares memories of civilian life during the war, and living in a Mennonite Community during the Great Depression. She had 5 uncles and 2 cousins in the service. Osborn recalls community building between farmers to help feed and care for one another. Additionally, she notes that her Japanese American college roommate was encamped in California during the war. Osborn provides vivid descriptions of the sacrifices made by the civilians to support the men and women serving their country.