Latest news with #MBO
Health Line
4 days ago
- General
- Health Line
What Is the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman?
The Medicare beneficiary ombudsman (MBO) is a representative who works on behalf of Medicare enrollees to resolve Medicare-related complaints, ensure access to information, and improve the program. An ombudsman is a person who reviews how an organization operates, investigates complaints, and helps resolve those complaints. They typically work as a client advocate within an organization or business. The MBO serves this function within the Medicare program. Learn more about the services the MBO provides and how to connect. What is the role of a Medicare beneficiary ombudsman? Congress formed the MBO role in 2003. The person in this role assists Medicare enrollees in various areas, including handling complaints, appeals, and requests for information. The general duties of the MBO, as outlined in section 1808 of the Social Security Act, are to: receive and help resolve complaints and inquiries that Medicare beneficiaries and other stakeholders make work with representatives of health insurance counseling programs to provide information and resources to beneficiaries report to Congress on ways to improve the administration of Medicare In addition to addressing complaints, some of the specific issues enrollees may have to address with an MBO include: Appeals: If you disagree with a Medicare payment or coverage determination, you can file an appeal. The MBO can assist you with this process. Enrollment concerns: If you have issues when leaving a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan or joining a new plan, the MBO can assist you. Claims: If you need to file a Medicare claim, the MBO can help you through the process or troubleshoot issues that arise. What are a beneficiary's rights under Medicare? As a Medicare beneficiary, you have various clearly outlined rights and protections. The MBO exists to help preserve those rights and ensure fair treatment of all Medicare beneficiaries. It can be helpful for Medicare enrollees to periodically review their rights to understand what types of treatment and services they can expect. A Medicare beneficiary's rights include: fair and courteous treatment privacy of personal and health information access to appropriate healthcare professionals for medically necessary services clear, understandable information access regarding coverage, plan options, costs, and more Medicare designs its protections to keep beneficiaries up to date on coverage status and prevent unexpected costs. They come into play when Medicare may not cover a service, or you reach the end of Medicare coverage. A beneficiary's protections include: receiving an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) of Noncoverage for any services that Medicare doesn't cover getting a Notice of Medicare Noncoverage at least 2 days before covered home health services end acquiring a Hospital-Issued Notice of Noncoverage (HINN) for inpatient services that Medicare Part A doesn't cover If you've experienced violations of your rights or protections or have an issue with Medicare noncoverage, you can contact the MBO for assistance. How to contact a Medicare beneficiary ombudsman Not all Medicare-related questions should go directly to the MBO. Other contact points may be more suitable based on your coverage and the nature of your question or concern. If you're a Medicare Advantage or Part D enrollee, contact your insurance carrier with any questions or complaints about your plan. You can generally find contact information for the plan on the back of your insurance card. If you have questions about Original Medicare or need help with issues that a private insurance carrier can't address, you can contact Medicare by phone at 800-633-4227. If you have general questions or would like free, unbiased Medicare counseling, you can contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Finally, if you have questions that the channels above can't resolve, you can direct your query to the MBO. You can do so by contacting Medicare by phone at 800-633-4227 and requesting your case's submission to the MBO. Summary The MBO has a role within the Medicare program to provide customer service and advocacy. The MBO can assist Medicare beneficiaries with resolving complaints and accessing important information. They also work to improve Medicare's administration by submitting an annual report to Congress on its operation. If you have a concern requiring the MBO's attention, you can contact Medicare by phone and explain the situation.
The Herald Scotland
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow creative agency Frame toasts major client wins
The deal saw Mr McCranor distribute equity to senior management and restructure the 35-year-old agency, merging the original Frame advertising business with the newer public relations and content division which launched in 2014. The agency now employs 55 people and turned over £6.3 million last year. Mr McCranor said: 'The new-shape Frame is leaner, faster, and more effective. We remodelled the business after the MBO creating three specialist divisions – consumer and retail, sport and entertainment, [and] corporate and B2B – while growing our service lines and simplifying our integrated offering, making it much easier to buy. We're feeling the benefits of this now, as are our clients. Read more: 'As well as successfully retendering for our work with UEFA, we've been able to land major UK brands like William Hill, ODEON Cinemas and Battersea Power Station, which is testament to the talent we have in Scotland and continues to back up our position that there's life outside of London.' Frame's new ownership team includes client services director Anna Quinn, head of consumer and retail Alison Downs, and head of corporate and B2B Harry Hussain. A new class of shares has been created for senior management team members Paddy Baxter and Ewan MacGill, and creative directors Callum Robertson and Eilidh McDonald. Mr McCranor added: 'Frame is 36 years old, it has real heritage and carries the legacy of many talented people who built the brand and reputation before we got here, but this now feels like a start-up and we're only getting started. 'We've become custodians of the agency in a crazy time, politically and economically, not to mention the pace of technological change which is influencing most if not every industry out there. 'I think the next five years will be a harder time to run a business than in the previous 15, but if the last five years taught us anything it's to expect the unexpected and be ready to adapt fast. 'Whatever path that takes, our focus will remain on delivering meaningful work for businesses who believe in us and providing an amazing place to work for the people who believe in us enough to spend their careers here.' Mr McCranor first joined the business with the formation of the Frame PR division in 2014. The division was created by the original Frame advertising agency, which was founded in 1989, as a joint venture with Mr McCranor and Charlotte Street Partners, the Edinburgh-based strategic communications and public affairs consultancy, with Mr McCranor at the helm. Clients include Skyscanner, Diageo, British Business Bank, Miller Homes, Dobbies Garden Centres, Scottish Rugby, Scotland Food & Drink, AGS Airports and the SEC.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Emergency plan 'untested' at Oswestry's delayed fireworks event
Crisis plan 'untested' at delayed fireworks event 12 minutes ago Share Save Paul Rogers Local Democracy Reporting Service Share Save Getty Images The report found the council had little control over the number of people turning up for the display (generic image) A review carried out after a fireworks display was delayed has said the event's emergency plan had been untested, leading to confusion. Oswestry Town Council apologised after its event in Cae Glas Park had to be delayed for an hour on 2 November last year, following "safety issues". Some spectators said people chose to leave before the display eventually got underway and others said they were told to move because fencing was too close to the fireworks. The council, which organised the event with Borderland Rotary Club, commissioned a review which also found the emergency plan lacked a sufficient level of detail and the management structure was unclear. The review was carried out by MBO Safety Services Limited, "The last-minute changes by the fireworks team and the large crowd only added to the confusion and distress," it said and recommended a comprehensive event management plan is drawn up for future events, with clear structures, roles and responsibilities. It also stressed the need for better communication and said the location chosen for the firework display was not big enough for the number of people who turned up and because it was free, the council had little control of capacity on the night. The report said people should have been told of the limited capacity and warned they would not be able to get in once that had been reached. Arren Roberts, the clerk at Oswestry Town Council, thanked the company which produced the report and said the council was "considering all the recommendations made". He also said: "The last thing any of us want is for families to leave our events feeling let down and our priority must always be safety first." This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Council apologises after fireworks delay
Associated Press
10-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Kaname Capital Announces Further Opposition to PROTO Corporation MBO and Introduces Statement by Former Employee
Kaname Capital ('We,' 'Our,' 'Us') submitted an open letter on February 18 th with eight questions of concern regarding the MBO announced by PROTO Corporation ('PROTO Corporation' or 'the Company') by its founder, Chairman Yokoyama. In the spirit of 'fair disclosure,' we requested PROTO Corporation publish its response to our questions by 5 p.m. on February 28. Although a response was sent directly to us by the deadline, we have not publicly confirmed the Company's reply until today. 1 Despite our intention to make any new information contained on the Company's reply to our open letter available to all shareholders, the company decided that 'fair disclosure' allowed them to base their answers solely on previously disclosed materials, thereby actively avoiding addressing our concerns around the motives, process and price of the MBO. In an ironic twist, we were also requested by PROTO Corporation to keep their response to us private. The Company has chosen two ways to thwart the real meaning of 'fair disclosure.' This compels us to act. Our open letter and request for the response to be made in public forum by the 28 th was designed to honor our understanding of 'fair disclosure;' a responsibility to make the Company's response and any new information available to all at the same time. However, considering the conditions imposed on us by the Company, we have decided, despite the Company's twisted logic, not to make their response public in accordance with their wishes. Frustrated by the lack of engagement with our questions in the Company's boilerplate response, we requested an opportunity to directly discuss our concerns about the MBO with the Special Committee. However, the Special Committee demanded that we submit a written statement detailing our questions 15 hours prior to the Company notifying us of any meeting date (at noon two business days prior to the meeting date) and stated that they could only answer any questions based on the contents of documents that had already been disclosed. Despite the obligation of the Special Committee to serve in the interest of all shareholders, by refusing substantive dialogue with us, the largest minority interest shareholder, the Special Committee have revealed their intent to protect Chairman Yokoyama's motives, conflicts and price above the interests of all other shareholders. Moreover, since the release of our February 18 th open letter, we have received numerous messages of support for our position, as well as concerns about the MBO and worries about the future of the company from employees, former employees, individual shareholders, and institutional investors. Through these communications we are even more resolved to oppose Chairman Yokoyama's MBO, making it our mission as the largest minority shareholder to represent the voices of those who find it difficult to speak up directly to the Special Committee and the Board of Directors. Among the rising voices of concern, we were contacted by a former employee (hereinafter 'the former employee') who engaged in fictitious transactions at PROTO Corporation which came to light last year. After our independent legal representative interviewed the former employee about the background to the fictitious transactions, he detailed how he was driven to develop the scheme due to 'strong pressure to achieve sales targets.' The former employee explained to the Special Investigative Committee that his motivation was to meet what he felt were arbitrary and unreasonable sales goals. But since the Special Investigative Committee's report did not address Chairman Yokoyama's influence as the root cause of the sales pressure culture, the accuracy of the report should be questioned in relation to this MBO. The former employee, reflecting on his own experience of engaging in fictitious transactions fears that this MBO will strengthen Chairman Yokoyama's authoritarian management and take PROTO Corporation in an even worse direction. The former employee wishes to share his concerns with a wide range of stakeholders, and as we also believe it is meaningful to do so, we have decided to publish the former employee's statement here. To ensure neutrality and anonymity, this statement was prepared by an independent lawyer who verified the identity of the employee, interviewed him, and prepared the statement attached. PDF Link Here Based on this statement and the many other opinions we have received; we believe that this MBO is being carried out solely for the personal motives of Chairman Yokoyama. In our view, there are many better alternatives to an MBO, including 1) carrying out fundamental management reforms while maintaining the company's public listing, 2) find the best owner for the business by entertaining other bids, or 3) privatize the company in cooperation with private equity. Each of these scenarios represents a better path to sustainable corporate value creation. We sincerely hope that the Special Committee and the Board of Directors will seriously consider these possibilities and engage in substantive discussions with us, the largest minority shareholder. We continue to solicit opinions and other comments on this MBO. Please contact us: [email protected] (anonymous comments are acceptable). 1 This translation is provided for informational purposes only. The original text in Japanese is the authoritative version. SOURCE: Kaname Capital LP Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/09/2025 09:09 PM/DISC: 03/09/2025 09:08 PM
Zawya
27-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Family behind Japan's Seven & i pulls $58bln management buyout bid, shares dive
TOKYO - The founding Ito family of Japan's Seven & i Holdings failed to secure financing for a $58 billion management buyout, sending its shares plunging and offering fresh impetus to a rival bid from Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard. "There is no actionable proposal from Mr. Junro Ito and Ito-Kogyo for 7&i to consider at this time," the company said in a statement, adding that it "continues to assess a full range of strategic alternatives" including Couche-Tard's $47 billion bid. Couche-Tard, which owns Circle K convenience stores, had offered $38.5 billion, but raised it after Seven & i rejected the initial bid. "It gives ACT a fresh opening because there's no competition now and the board can no longer rely on the management buyout," said Travis Lundy, a special situations analyst who publishes on Smartkarma. If Couche-Tard does succeed in winning control of Seven & i, it will be the biggest takeover of a Japanese company. The latest development comes after Itochu, which owns rival convenience store chain FamilyMart, said it had ended its consideration of participating in the Seven & I founding family's buyout proposal. Shares in Seven & i, which owns 7-Eleven convenience stores, sank 11% in Tokyo. Itochu shares rose 5%. U.S-based Artisan Partners has been highly critical of the retailer's management, urging the company to consider a competitive bidding process for takeover proposals. The fund declined to comment on the failure of the Ito family to secure financing for their MBO. Seven & i's handling of ACT's takeover bid is widely seen as a test case for companies in Japan, which are under pressure to strengthen corporate governance. "Investors may question whether Seven & i is doing all it can to make an ACT bid viable," Lundy said. The Ito family began talks to take the convenience store owner private in what would have been the largest management buyout in history if successful after Seven & i received the Couche-Tard bid last year. Couche-Tard reiterated that it was committed to reaching a mutually agreeable transaction with Seven & i. (Reporting by Kantaro Komiya, Satoshi Sugiyama, and Rocky Swift; Additional reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Jamie Freed & Shri Navaratnam)
