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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2000)
ACE 7©UU ® % 1HIA¥D@IRAIL fllMTilR¥fl Come get help from the experts! Did you know that most employers use behavioral interviewing techniques? Come to this seminar and learn strategies to ace these questions and more! ♦ When was the last time you were a leader? ♦ When did you have to motivate a group to do something? Door prizes will be given away! February 16 - 6:30pm - 212 MSC Presented by IKON Office Solutions Career Center 209 Koldus 845-5139 http://aggienet.tamu.edu/cctr Speakers: Social Justice in [slam & Christianity An Inter-faith Dialogue Presented by the \ Muslim Students’ Association /P .. - 'V;. Thursday, Feb. 17th MSC 224-225 @ 7pm % <T Sk h. Dr. Ihsan Bagby(ShawUniversity, North Carolina) Dr. Bob Mayfield (Dir. of Baptist Student Ministry, TAMU) For more info, email islamI01@tamu.edu or call 693-5463 Visit our table in MSC hallway Thurs, Mon, Wed between I lam and 2pm NATION Page 10 THE BATTA1 TON Wednesday. February 16J ednesday, Febi NY specialist accused of fraud (c Debate over fertility treatments heats up between ■fertility treatments neats up doctors and Coalition Against Insurance Fraud NEW YORK (AP) — Infertile cou ples and doctors across the country are closely watching the federal trial of a Park Avenue specialist accused of tricking in surance companies into paying for fertil ity treatments most are loath to cover. Some experts say that what Dr. Neils Lauersen is accused of doing is a com mon, unspoken practice among many doctors. What makes the case extraordi nary is that Lauersen has been charged by prosecutors with fraud. Lauersen, 63, is accused of getting insurers to pay millions of dollars in coverage for hundreds of patients over the past decade. According to prosecutors, he helped couples get pregnant by providing fertili ty treatments not covered by insurance. Then, he allegedly submitted bills for var ious covered treatments. “This sort of thing is unfortunately very widespread,^ said Michael Dieg$;l, spokesman .for the Goaiition Against In surance Fraud in Washington. Diegel "s coalition made up of con sumers, government agencies, public in terest groups and insurers —•■estimated that health insurance fraud cost insurers $53.9 billion in 1997. Much of that cost, he said, must he passed onto the consumer at higher rates. Lauersen's lawyer. Theodore D. Wells, has said that his client did-nothing wrong and that the doctor merely hilled insurers for ueating the underlying prob lems that cause infertility rather than for the infertility treatments themselves. Some of Lauersen’s patients have been holding a vigil at the doctor’s trial and have said he was unfairly targeted, in part because Tie speaks out against in surance companies'that deny infertility coverage. Many of his patients consider him a hero for making it possible for them to conceive.' . . Diegel estimated that halfofalll erst doctors are willing to bend the rate gel insurers to pay for patient treatra -v ert the But doctors groups disagreed thaiaa | rmc ,, is widespread. J Ernie’s “()ur members follow the lawj nl j e > s ev j| (w Debra Craw ford, spokeswoman hi irator American Society tor Reproductive)!; icine. But she added that society menits ■ vlssl ' w u ’ n - 1 would be pleased if more insurers cow onso Na "' Hl infertility treatments, which often nmu News in Brief These urba the thousands of dollars. epiecesol e About 46,000 doctors national imors - F° r n] provide infertility treatment to at» 'at Bert has tl 6.1 million couples, but insure nth other assa ompanies have been reluctant to;: >s hazily depi :r infertility. ircal963. Linda Lyons, 38, another A few year: Lauersen’s patients, had bitter words! n“Sesame St the managed care system: "They'rej leal with eriel ing insurance companies more andnw ause p art f n ( S , power as to whether we live and di; )nthePBSchi whether we have children. •. Contradicti he show and i bflegends sun hvo puppets h: Holocaust survivors to resubmit claims WASHINGTON (AP) — An interna tional commission today began ac cepting claims from Holocaust sur vivors and heirs around the world who were never paid for insurance policies they held decades ago. The program covers any Holo caust victim who owned or was covered by or was beneficiary of an insurance policy issued between 1920 and 1945. Insurance companies will pay roughly 10 times the value the poli cy had when it was purchased. Oil boost expected NEW YORK (AP) — Analysts ex pect Organization of Petroleum Ex porting Countries ministers to boost oil production next month, easing a world shortage. But any increase is unlikely to push down gasolineonces — now averaging $1.41 a gallon in the United States — in time for the summer travel season. Gasoline prices have been rising steadily since March, when the OPEC cut crude oil production by 7.5 percent to try to boost prices that had fallen to 12-year lows. New program to give big farms a break WASHINGTON (AP) — A new pro gram will allow as many as 2,600 farms nationwide to get around the current $150.000-pei-producer limit on crop subsidies. Under this pro gram, farmers who have reached the payment limit will be allowed to take crop subsidies inoertificates, instead of cash, which they can redeem government-held commodities. USDA estimates that 2,&)Jmderstand the farms nationwide will reach it elevision pros $150,000 cap this year. Trial continues for Bronx police officers a.i-,akiv/ im w /*rM r l • itreet” pair on ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Echoit , ' their fellow defendants' accou^ pale cnardUai n two of the four New York Citypofe officers on trial for killing an yf' armed immigrant testified Tuesc? Nr or promoi that the man appeared to draw whenever -'Sc gun and take a “combat stance,' Officer Kenneth Bosssaidff saw Officer Edward McMelloni back off Amadou Diallo's doorstg and thought his colleague iiai been shot. The four officers fired 41 shots Diallo, who was hit 19 times. <?■ Want to get Involved? Join **«!? nmors. but th >y mean-spiril Tiie rumor las been circul )fthe rumor h; aras 1994 \vh aw, even trier Currently, i critics point oi together, share though they et puppets’ alien female pu plying that the Sane peopl characters on “ den agendas. 1 The New Traditional Students ')Dir dui We are a social/service organization helping students who are starting, returning, or continuing to work towards their degree, to find their place in ‘the Other Education” at Texas A&M. Several opportunities are available each month to have fun and get to know fellow students. Join our listserv at http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/tTtts or for more information about TNTs, email LSullyR@tamu.edu or call Marc at 694-9053. Come to the MSC Bowling Alley on Friday, February 25th at 7:00 pm for pizza, fun& games. Only $7.00/person, includes bowling, pool, arcade games, pizza & punch. Child care provided. RSVP to Marc at 694-9053 or email LSullyR@tamu.edu We’re the group tor you! T.aA®* Men's 10K-$345.00 14K-$450.00 Women’s 10K-$220.00 14K-$243.00 Add $8.00 for Class ‘99 or before and $15.00 for out of town ring delivery Deadline: 02-16-00 Delivery date is 04-06-00 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT REQUIREMENTS 1. You must be a degree-seeking student with at least 95 cumulative Undergraduate credit hours. 2. Transfer students need 60* hours of credit at Texas A&M University, or degree must be conferred and posted. 3. You must have a cumulative 2.0 GPR at Texas A&M University, 4. You must be in good standing with the University. (No outstanding parking tickets, blocks, etc.) GRADUATE STUDENT REQUIREMENTS** 1. Your degree must be conferred and posted on SIMS or if you have completed all degree requirements, you may present an original letter of completion from the Office of Graduate Studies. 2. You must be in good standing with the University. (No outstanding parking tickets, blocks, etc.) PROCEDURE TO ORDER RING If you meet all of the above requirements and you wish to receive.your ring on April 6th, visit the Ring Office no later than February 16th between 8:30a.m. - 3:30p.m. to complete the.application for eligibility verification. It is recommended that you do not wait until February 16 to apply for your ring audit. Should there be a problem with your academic record, or if you are blocked, you may mot have sufficient time to resolve these matters beforedhe order closes out. ' Return no later than February 17, 8:30a.m. - 3:30 p,fn» to check on the status of your audit and if qualified, pay in full by cash, check, money order, or your personaTOis'cdver, Visa or MasterCard (with your name imprinteef). Requirements must be completed by the time you apply for your audit. *You may qualify with 30 A&M hours if your first semester was i 993 or before. **See our website for complete details or call the Ring Office at 845-1050., The Association OF FORMER STUDENTS 505 GEORGE BUSH DR., COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS 77840-2918 (409) 845-7514 www.aggienetwork.com W! lien! Hall the b he spring for a nakeover, the s ertainly set fot But credit tl >ies at Food Se timing what cc teen a miserab ! a masterfu The student ariy charitable' he Department for the meals th he face. In fact. Services by exp test All the whi inned to do the sm and pride. But with sm tons, no one c< mployees for earing the wot at the beginnin )fthe year. Despite the kt that the de- ision to reno vate Sbisa was tood one, dis gruntled stu dents were pre- I to make this the spring i their disconten The skeptic: questions out- lumbered the variety of cerea in Sbisa. Where won students on the Northside eat? Would meal pit wasted credits? And how w with crowds c< d a dropp or would it stil students into “ II of these isfactorily ansv triumphed in tl even out paced The first ke been the creatr Dining option, campus now o: meal plan at i There were implementatio if!