WhoHasTheRemote.com Suggests Practical New Year's Resolutions

WhoHasTheRemote.com discusses various ideas that families can employ to get better usage of items around the house. From parties with colleagues to quality time with relatives, the site encourages people to be creative with food and entertainment during the holidays.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 21, 2012
WhoHasTheRemote.com encourages readers to embrace the festivities and family games that mark the month of December. At the same time, the site urges people to keep health and frugality in practical consideration throughout the year. To that end, readers are discouraged from over-drinking or overspending during the holidays, or setting impossible goals on New Year's.
It has often been said that most people break their New Year's resolutions within the first three-to-five days of January. In many cases, the problems lie in the unrealistic goals that most people set for themselves. To avoid such disappointments once 2013 kicks in,

Brett Blumenthal's advises people to make small, week-by-week resolutions throughout the coming year.
Weight loss, for instance, can be a tough thing to achieve for people who make abrupt, radical adjustments in food consumptions. Diets are one of the most common goals behind New Years resolutions, yet few succeed, let alone last into February. For people that struggle with unhealthy eating habits, the best advice is to make slow, gradual adjustments towards a healthier way of life.
Most people love sweets, but some people get more carried away than others when it comes to sugary foods. While there is nothing to be ashamed about for liking desserts, moderation is always the best policy. By the same token, it is highly unlikely for a junk food loving, dish network watching couch potato to instantly switch to a life of pure health and exercise. By eating a little less junk and a few more healthy items on a week-by-week, month-by-month basis, one could accomplish some major health goals by the end of next year.
WhoHasTheRemote.com encourages everyone to live the holidays to their fullest. When New Years rolls around, however, it is best to make realistic, long-term resolutions, and proceed with plans for achieving them by the end of next year.
WhoHasTheRemote.com is loaded with ideas on everything from weekend games to holiday snacks. Whether a reader is looking to entertain guests or find new ways for engaging the little ones, numerous ideas can be found at the site.

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hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diets & Weight Loss Plans Develops Industry Leading Weight Loss App for Apple Platform

Weight loss apps for mobile devices are the newest technological advancement in dieting. Diet Doc developed an industry leading mobile app to guide clients during their weight transformation.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 21, 2012
The dieting industry has begun to more intricately incorporate technology into their operating procedures, realizing the potential of mobile apps for weight loss centered on the ability to track progress and provide quick information regarding dietary choices. Grasping this trend earlier than most, Diet Doc recently revamped their weight loss app to include a larger database of food information, more detailed meal planning and calorie tracking, and handy reminders alerting dieters of key dietary tasks throughout the day, like drinking more water or eating scheduled meals. The leader in hCG diets teamed up with a leader in mobile apps, Apillicious to design this intuitive dieting tool. This mobile app further lends accountability to dieters struggling with poor decision making, allowing them to review their food choices and pre-plan meals in order to pre evaluate calorie, fat, carbohydrate, and other nutrition content whose monitoring is imperative if results are to be had. The Diet Doc App allows users to monitor their diet through all 4 phases, counting calories, proteins, and allowing users to monitor every nuance of their diet. The Diet Doc app contains over 30 individual and unique features, including an extensive 5,000+ food database to give dieters information about the most common diet friendly foods, daily meal planning and supplement tracking, calculating time remaining until the users goal weight is achieved, and many more intuitive weight management features.

    To view a list of all features available with this mobile diet app, visit Apple's itunes store here: iTunes
The Diet Doc diet App is intended to help clients reach their weight loss goals quickly, and provide a tangible reference for learning how to maintain healthy habits and long term weight management. This app is capable of guiding dieters through the initial phase of losing weight, and offers continual support through lifelong weight maintenance, providing a useful reference for nutritional values and accountability to prevent poor dietary decisions.
Diet Doc is the nation's leader in prescription only, pure hCG weight loss plans, offering the most comprehensive and successful collection of prescription and non-prescription diet products and services. For over a decade, Diet Doc has been producing the most effective results, safely and at a fraction of the cost of expensive alternatives. Pricing plans are available to fit even the tightest budget, making weight loss affordable for anyone nationwide via the most advanced Telehealth system in America.

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Acti-Kare Plano Provides Key Tips for Celebrating the Holidays for Families Living With Alzheimer's

Acti-Kare Plano in Frisco, Texas gives key tips for how to make the holidays enjoyable despite the inherent challenges of having a family member with Alzheimer's or other dementias. The in-home care company recommends that families adjust expectations, plan ahead and utilize Acti-Kare's quality senior care services when help is needed.

Frisco, TX (PRWEB) December 21, 2012
Acti-Kare Plano, a leading provider of responsive in-home care for seniors, recently offered key tips for families living with Alzheimers or other dementias during the holiday season. The company recommends that families choose safe and useful gifts for the person with Alzheimer's, help other family members set realistic expectations of the caregiver, and involve the person with Alzheimer's in holiday preparation and traditions.
Because some gifts may now be dangerous or unusable for persons with Alzheimer's, Acti-Kare Plano recommends giving gifts that the person with Alzheimer's can easily enjoy, such as comfortable clothing, audiotapes of favorite music, photo albums and identification bracelets. Most significantly, gift certificates for spa services or household cleaning services make great gift ideas for caregivers.
During the holiday season, Acti-Kare Plano also recommends that families adjust expectations by discussing the caregiver's limitations regarding hosting or preparing for holiday events and keeping the caregiver or Alzheimer's patient from getting overwhelmed. Families should also be wiling to adjust the schedule for holiday gathering in order to avoid any triggers that may agitate the loved one with Alzheimer's.
In addition, families can involve the loved one with Alzheimer's in holiday preparations. As the person's abilities allow, invite him or her to help measure ingredients for a dish, wrap packages, set the table, or hand out decorations as they are put up. For families with loves ones in a care facility, Acti-Kare Plano suggests that families join in on some of the planned holiday activities at the facility. Families can even bring holiday food to share, sing holiday songs or read a favorite holiday story aloud.
"We understand that for families living with Alzheimer's, the holidays can be a stressful time," said Yubi Navarro of Acti-Kare Plano. "Family gatherings can still be happy, memorable occasions with a little planning and some reduced expectations for the whole family." For further information about living with Alzheimers or to learn more about quality senior home care services, call Acti-Kare Plano at (469) 269-0143 or visit their website.

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United Benefit Advisors Offers Simplified Summaries of New Health Care Reform Proposed Rules

What Employers Need to Know About the PPACA Proposed Rules

Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) December 21, 2012
To help employers quickly understand their obligations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), United Benefit Advisors (UBA) has issued a summary of the most crucial components of the proposed rules recently released by the Department of Health and Human Services. PPACA is confusing as it is and staying up with "proposed" and "final" rule clarifications is even harder. In addition to the summary, UBA has broken each of the guidelines down further making them easier to understand.
On Nov. 20, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services issued three sets of proposed rules that provide some of the details on how PPACA will probably unfold. In early December , 2012, they issued two more sets. All rules are still in the “proposed” stage, which means that there may – and likely will – be changes when the final rules are issued.
The proposed rules address:

Wellness programs under PPACA
Essential health benefits and determining actuarial value
Health insurance market reforms
Benefit and Payment Parameters
Multi-State Plan Program
Nondiscriminatory Wellness Incentives:The proposed rule largely carries forward the rules that have been in effect since 2006. There still would not be limits on the incentives that may be provided in a program that simply rewards participation, such as a program that pays for flu shots or reimburses the cost of a tobacco cessation program, regardless whether the employee actually quits smoking. Programs that are results-based (which will be called “health-contingent wellness programs”) still would need to meet several conditions, including a limit on the size of the available reward or penalty. Beginning in 2014, the maximum reward/penalty would increase to 50 percent for tobacco nonuse/use and to 30 percent for other health-related standards.
Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) and Actuarial Value: The proposed rule confirms that non-grandfathered plans in the exchanges and the small group market will be required to cover the 10 essential health benefits and provide a benefit expected to pay 60, 70, 80 or 90 percent of expected allowed claims. The proposed rule also says that self-funded plans and those in the large employer market would not need to provide the 10 EHBs; instead, they would need to provide a benefit of at least 60 percent of expected allowed claims and provide coverage for certain core benefits. The proposed rule would consider current year employer contributions to a health savings account (HSA) or a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) as part of the benefit value calculation.
Market Reforms: The proposed rule confirms that non-grandfathered health insurers (whether operating through or outside of an exchange) would be prohibited from denying coverage to someone because of a pre-existing condition or other health factor. The proposed rule also provides that premiums for policies in the exchanges and individual and small group markets could only vary based upon age, tobacco use, geographic location, and family size and sets out details on how premiums could be calculated.
The “Benefit and Payment Parameters”: proposed rule addresses a number of topics. Of particular interest to employers are proposed rules regarding:
The Temporary Reinsurance Program (TRP): intended to provide funding to cover additional costs associated with covering formerly uninsured individuals who may have unmet health needs. Funding will be provided by assessing all fully insured and self-funded major medical plans.
Small-business health options program (SHOP) exchanges: The proposed rule provides that, at least through 2016, eligibility for the small-business health option program (SHOP) exchange would be limited to small employers. An employer would be “small” for exchange purposes if it has 100 or fewer employees, although a state could elect to use 50 employees for the limit in 2014 and 2015.
A timing change for medical loss ratio (MLR) beginning in 2014: The proposed rule provides that MLR payments will be due Sept. 30, beginning in 2014. Beginning next year, if an MLR payment is used to reduce premiums, it would need to be applied to the next premium due after the MLR due date.
A user fee for those using federally facilitated exchanges: HHS has proposed a user fee of three and one-half percent of premium to cover the cost of running a federally facilitated exchange (FFE) for those states that choose not to run their own exchange.
The “Multi-State Plan Program”: proposed rule begins to address the complex topic of multi-state health exchanges. PPACA directs the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to enter into contracts with private health insurance issuers to offer at least two Multi-State Plans (MSPs) through the exchanges. Health insurance issuers who wished to provide an MSP would apply to OPM. OPM would determine which issuers are qualified to become MSP issuers, enter into contracts with the issuers and approve the plans to be offered on exchanges.
Important: These rules are still in the “proposed” stage, which means that there may be changes when the final rule is issued. Employers should view the proposed rules as an indication of how plans will be regulated beginning in 2014, but need to understand that changes are entirely possible.
To read the complete summary of all rules, click here. Follow the instructions for access to the individual summaries of each proposed rule.

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Judge orders fumigation after bed bug found in Newfoundland court building

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The provincial court in St. John's is dealing with a bedbug problem.
A single bedbug was first detected near the holding cells at the court building in the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador in the fall.
A dog trained to detect bedbugs was then brought in for a thorough search and more of the creatures were found.
In a news release, Chief Judge Mark Pike says officials have met with a local pest control company to discuss a plan to eradicate bedbugs at Atlantic Place, where the provincial courts are located.
A complete fumigation is planned, followed by another search of the area using dogs and specialized technicians.
He says where bedbugs are detected, technicians will vacuum, steam and spray the area.
The process is expected to take two days, beginning Saturday.
Occupational health and safety inspectors have visited the court, but Pike says bed bugs are not a valid health and safety concern.

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Hover Raises $3.1 Million in Seed Funding to Build Advanced 3D Maps; Appoints Kevin T. Reilley as CEO

Los Altos (PRWEB) December 12, 2012
Hover Inc., a company bringing advanced computer vision and 3D mapping technology to the marketplace, has secured $3.1 million in seed funding from Almaz Capital, de Anda Capital, McKenna Management and several angel investors, including Maurice Werdegar from Western Technology Investment.

The new financing will enable Hover to rapidly expand its technical team, and exploit new use cases in the commercial and consumer markets. Hover’s unique technology leverages crowdsourced imagery to create and continually update 3D maps. Hover currently provides its 3D technology to the military, homeland security and emergency response markets.

“With the launch of Apple Maps and investments in the space from Amazon and Nokia, there is clearly an appetite for an intuitive, living 3D mapping offering,” said Sasha Galitsky, Managing Partner, Almaz Capital. “We believe Hover is well positioned to capture this opportunity and achieve its goal of making 3D maps easy for anyone to use.”

In addition to securing seed funding, Hover also named Kevin Reilley as CEO. Reilley brings nearly three decades of experience managing growth companies in the technology and data licensing sectors. He most recently served as president of Pictometry, the industry leader in geo-referenced oblique aerial imagery, which is most publicly known for providing Bird’s Eye View photos to Microsoft Bing Maps.

“I am extremely excited to join the Hover team and help it capitalize on the immense market opportunity surrounding 3D data,” said Kevin Reilley, CEO, Hover. “I believe our technology will change the way people interact with the world, providing consumers and businesses with actionable insight about their environment so they can plan, communicate and navigate more effectively.”

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San Luis Obispo County Gains New Grocer And More Jobs

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 50,052 residents of a California  community have increased access to healthy foods and 140 jobs closer to home, as $1.7 million in unique financing allows a new business to invest in San Luis Obispo County. One of the first loans disbursed by California FreshWorks Fund, LLC provides El Rancho Marketplace the means to open a new grocery store serving Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, and Shell Beach.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121212/DC28559 )

"Not only is El Rancho Marketplace a family owned business buying fresh, local produce," commented Scott Sporte, Chief Lending Officer at NCB Capital Impact that manages the California FreshWorks Fund. "It is also stabilizing a local shopping area by replacing a grocery store that closed earlier in the year—displacing workers and forcing residents to travel farther to buy fresh food."

The FreshWorks Fund provided El Rancho the flexible financing it needed to purchase equipment and inventory for its new $3.6 million store. The result is a 39,000-plus square-foot market featuring well-priced staple foods, natural goods and an in-house deli that makes many items from scratch. Local growers and food producers, with whom El Rancho Marketplace has fostered strong relationships, will also benefit from the new store with El Rancho's strong commitment to local suppliers.

"While the steadfast commitment of numerous organizations in the California FreshWorks partnership make success stories like this possible, we know it's the passion and hard work of local grocers that is critical to making health happen in communities across California," said Robert K. Ross, M.D., President and CEO of The California Endowment, a lead partner in the California FreshWorks Fund.  "The funding of El Rancho Marketplace will provide the local community with access to fresh produce and nutritious food options, which in turn promotes healthy eating, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses."

California FreshWorks Fund, LLC is a loan pool that combines commercial and philanthropic capital to provide flexible financing for new and expanding grocery stores. The loan pool is just one of the many financing tools of the California FreshWorks Fund, a grant and loan fund that has invested more than $18 million in California healthy food projects in the last 12 months, with more than $200 million in lending and grants to follow in the next few years. Last year, Chase committed $32.5 million to help create the fund and is the FreshWorks Fund LLC's lead bank.

"Chase is proud to be part of the growing movement to bring a greater variety of healthy food choices into underserved communities," said Matthew Reilein, senior vice president of Chase Community Development Banking.  "It is exciting to see the tangible result of this innovative fund, which is giving residents access to fresh good and creating more local jobs for the five-city community."

El Rancho is a family-owned, independent grocer that has operated a store in Solvang for over 40 years. Founded by a German immigrant butcher, El Rancho Marketplace has developed a strong reputation for quality fresh meats and local produce. This new Pismo Beach store is El Rancho's second supermarket serving California's central coast, and is made possible with financing from the California FreshWorks Fund.

"FreshWorks has been instrumental in making this dream possible, and we are thrilled with opportunity that they have given us," said Alfred Holzheu, an owner of El Rancho Marketplace.  "Already, between full and part time employees, we have hired almost 140 employees. Plus, we are establishing relationships with local farmers and ranchers, including the students at Cal Poly," he added.

California FreshWorks Fund partners include: The California Endowment, NCB Capital Impact, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Met Life, Citibank, Opportunity Finance Network, Charles Schwab Bank, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West), Calvert Foundation, Kaiser Permanente  Unified Grocers, California Grocers Association, Emerging Markets Inc., PolicyLink, U.S. Bank, and Community Health Councils.

About NCB Capital Impact
NCB Capital Impact helps people and communities reach their highest potential at every stage of life. As a national, non-profit community development financial institution, Capital Impact provides financial services and technical assistance to help make high-quality housing, health care, healthy foods, and education more accessible and attainable, and eldercare more dignified and respectful. Capital Impact has used its depth of experience, cooperative approach, and diverse network of alliances to generate over $1.7 billion in critical investments that create a high quality of life for low income people and communities.   www.ncbcapitalimpact.org. 

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EMA Recognizes Leading Solutions in Data Center Infrastructure Management from the End-User Perspective

Boulder, CO. (PRWEB) December 12, 2012
Following a comprehensive review of the Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) marketplace, leading IT and data management research and consulting firm, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), has released the first-ever detailed product comparison of the leading DCIM solution sets based on key criteria defined by EMA Managing Research Director, Systems Management, Steve Brasen. The EMA Radar Report for Data Center Infrastructure Management identifies the essential vendors and products in this space, offering actionable guidance to organizations looking to adopt the most effective DCIM platform to meet their unique enterprise requirements.

Increased adoption of policies for reducing energy consumption, improving reliability, achieving compliance, and decreasing operational costs have led organizations to recognize that holistic and converged monitoring and management of data center assets are essential to achieving business IT goals. DCIM processes provide visibility into IT environments to quickly and easily inform both facilities management and IT operations about the status of data center assets, how they interact with each other, how each is affected by a change event, and what are the optimal configurations and management processes to ensure reliability and cost-effectiveness.

According to Brasen, “Unfortunately, in their zeal to leverage the marketing hype around DCIM, many vendors have inappropriately used the term as a descriptor for products with limited functionality, resulting in unnecessary confusion about the value of true DCIM processes.” In fact, of the hundreds of solutions claiming DCIM capabilities, EMA identified only a handful that could reasonably be considered true DCIM platforms. Seven of these leading product sets were evaluated and compared by EMA, including solutions offered by Cormant, Emerson Network Power, FieldView, iTRACS, Modius, Nlyte, and Raritan.

EMA’s Radar Report evaluation crosses five distinct pillars indicating value: Functionality, Price Advantage, Architecture and Integration, Deployment and Administration, and Vendor Strength. Functional comparisons of the product sets incorporate reviews of features across the breadth of DCIM disciplines, including:

-Asset Management


-Energy Management


-Thermal Management


-Space Management


-Access and Control


-Reporting and Alarming


-Modeling and Visualizations

The complete EMA Radar Report for Data Center Infrastructure Management is available online at: http://www.enterprisemanagement.com/research/asset.php/2437/EMA-Radar-for-Data-Center-Infrastructure-Management-%28DCIM%29:-Q4-2012.

The summary version is available online for free at: http://www.enterprisemanagement.com/research/asset.php/2438/Report-Summary---EMA-Radar-for-Data-Center-Infrastructure-Management-%28DCIM%29:-Q4-2012.

A free Webinar providing highlights of this Radar Report will be held on January 15, 2013. Those interested in attending can register at http://research.enterprisemanagement.com/dcim-radar-pr.html.

About the EMA Radar Report


The EMA Radar Report delivers an in-depth analysis of industry-leading vendors and vendor products, including their overall market position in comparison with other vendors. This information is laid out in an easy-to-decipher, detailed Radar Chart, making it simple to see how vendors measure up in the market, as well as against other vendors. The EMA Radar report also provides a detailed discussion of methodology and criteria, a high-level market segment overview, and a comprehensive analyst write-up on each vendor.

About Enterprise Management Associates (EMA)


Founded in 1996, EMA is a leading industry analyst firm that provides deep insight across the full spectrum of IT and data management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into industry best practices, and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help its clients achieve their goals. Learn more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services for enterprise line of business users, IT professionals and IT vendors at http://www.enterprisemanagement.com or blogs.enterprisemanagement.com.

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Infinite Monkeys Launches Fantastic4Realtors and Offers Realtors a New Solution for Marketing Property Listings

New York City, NY (PRWEB) December 12, 2012
As technology evolves, many realtors struggle to stay relevant and provide listings in a way that will quickly sell homes and keep potential buyers in the know in the places where they’re most likely to look. Considering the worldwide popularity and adoption of mobile devices, an app is a great place for realtors to start. Unfortunately, entry into the app marketplace has been an expensive and time consuming process. At least it used to be before the Fantastic4Realtors app building platform launched!

This just launched app creator from those crazy property primates at Infinite Monkeys, offers real estate agents a painless way to build a mobile app with no coding knowledge or skill. These apps can be built in just minutes and are completely free to build and launch. This allows busy realtors to get back to doing what they do best - listing, showing and selling homes - as quickly and efficiently as possible without worrying over how to create an app for iPhone, Android and HTML5 smartphones.

The Fantastic4Realtors app creation platform was designed to meet all of the requirements realtors and estate agents look for in promoting their properties. These include:


    *

      Photo slideshows & virtual walkthroughs of the property

    * Custom videos supporting the sale and introducing prospective buyers and clients to the agent

    * Click-to-call for instant connection

    * One-Click directions back to the property from anywhere

    * Integrated Twitter & Blog feeds

    * Google Maps mash-ups with info about the neighborhood

    * Links to the agent’s other listed properties

    * Inquiry forms sent from right within the app

    * Free Custom QR codes that can be printed on each property’s For Sale sign.

Jay Shapiro, co-founder and CEO of Infinite Monkeys says: “Apps created with our top-secret-mobile-app-construction-machine offer realtors an effective way to differentiate properties, and put them in front of potential buyers at the exact time and place they are thinking about making that purchase decision. Just because they may not know how to make an app doesn’t mean realtors can’t have one, using our drag-and-drop app platform”

A Fantastic4Realtors custom mobile app allow realtors the perfect platform to share their skills and knowledge with existing and potential clients as well as a central location for available listings and property details. Since the platform is free and an app can be built in just minutes, realtors also have the option to create a unique app for each of their listings, accessible via a QR code on a for sale sign.

About Fantastic4Realtors:


Fantastic4Realtors, one of a Baker’s Dozen of vertical market app creation platforms from the Infinite Monkeys team, provides all of the tools realtors need to create their own mobile apps for free and with no coding. Stay connected with Fantastic4Restaurants via Facebook and Twitter.

About Infinite Monkeys:


Infinite Monkeys is a self-serve drag-and-drop platform that enables anyone to create your own mobile app for iPhone, Android & HTML5 smartphones - without any coding. With three pricing options, from free to just $99, Infinite Monkeys brings custom mobile apps within the reach of small businesses. By servicing the long-tail of niche interests with free and low-cost apps, Infinite Monkeys aims to be the largest publisher of free mobile apps by the end of 2013.

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W.Va. lawmakers eye risks of health exchange

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia insurance officials told lawmakers Tuesday that partnering with the federal government is the state's best option for a new health coverage marketplace, but also cautioned that success is far from certain.

Just nine lawmakers took part in the two-hour interim study meeting to field questions about the planned health insurance exchange. Those legislators raised concerns about its potential costs and whether it would reach enough of the 250,000 state residents without coverage.

With states facing a Friday reporting deadline, Insurance Commissioner Michael Riley said West Virginia tentatively plans to pursue a partnership to run the exchange called for by the federal health care overhaul. Of the other options, Riley said an exchange run solely by the state would prove too costly, while leaving it entirely to federal officials would give the state little say regarding policy and regulations.

An exchange proposes to help individuals and small businesses buy insurance from the private market by combining their purchasing power. The federal law would also help many consumers pay premiums.

Tomblin administration officials estimate that between 37,000 and 60,000 people would seek coverage through this new marketplace. Jeremiah Samples, an Insurance Commission official who has overseen the agency's exchange planning, said West Virginia modeled its outreach estimates on research by neighboring Maryland.

Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha and a physician, questioned whether the estimate range was too low. Both Foster and Delegate Don Perdue, chair of the House health committee, noted that the chances of the state sustaining an exchange increased with the level of participation.

Samples cited how just 17,000 West Virginians now get their health coverage through individual policies, while around 75,000 are insured through small employers.

"We have a relatively small population when compared to other states," Sample said. "You just don't have a large pool of individuals from which to spread the cost."

Delegate Ricky Moye, a Raleigh County Democrat, was among several legislators who asked about those costs. Samples said recently announced federal rules allow for an exchange to charge participating insurance companies up to 3.5 percent of the premiums from policies sold within this marketplace. Insurers are expected to pass along those costs to policyholders, Samples said.

Several lawmakers also questioned whether other provisions of the federal overhaul hurt may hurt the exchanges.

One such provision bars insurers from charging older consumers more than three times the premiums paid by younger policyholders. Senate Minority Leader Mike Hall said that might discourage younger consumers from taking part in an exchange. Without younger, healthier people in the marketplace's pool, older consumers with multiple and often expensive health issue would drive up costs, the Putnam County Republican noted.

"Young people right now, a lot of them think they're bulletproof anyway, and they don't buy insurance," Hall said. "Obviously it's a problem that may be a very big problem."

Sample said insurance officials in West Virginia and other states are mindful of this possibility, known as adverse selection. He said other components of both the exchange provisions and the overall health care law are meant to give these marketplaces a fighting chance.

"The premium stabilization efforts are fairly monumental. Their importance can't be understated," Samples said. "(But) given that there's never really been anything attempted exactly like this on this scale, there is a great risk."

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