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Friday, 29 March 2024

Midmorning With Aundrea - February 21, 2020 (Part 1)

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Midmorning With Aundrea - February 21, 2020 (Part 1)
Midmorning With Aundrea - February 21, 2020 (Part 1)

(Part 1 of 2) Today, travel guru Kelly McKellar discusses how the Coronavirus outbreak may impact your travel plans.

And some hospitals are suing patients who cannot pay their medical bills.

And we celebrate the life of civil rights activist Rev.

Reginald Green

?we've talked about coronavirus with our pediatrician.

Today, we look at it from a financial and travel standpoint.

And, hospitals suing patients for non-payment.

Plus, mind your manners.

A lesson in etiquette.

Midmorning starts right now.

If you think the coronoavirus doesn't affect you, think again.

It may affect you financially.

That's because the coronavirus outbreak is impacting the global economy and nearly every industry from retail to cars to technology.

Apple is the latest company-- the tech giant is cautioning investors that first quarter sales could take a hit from the spread of coronavirus.

Saying the disease is creating an iphone supply shortage, and that may impact consumers.

The coronavirus doesn't affect you, think again.

It may affect you financially.

That's because the coronavirus outbreak is impacting the global economy and nearly every industry from retail to cars to technology.

Apple is the latest company-- the tech giant is cautioning investors that first quarter sales could take a hit from the spread of coronavirus.

Saying the disease is creating an iphone supply shortage, and that may impact consumers.

The coronavirus outbreak is impacting the global economy and nearly every industry from retail to cars to technology.

Apple is the latest company-- the tech giant cautioning investors that first quarter sales could take a hit from the spread of coronavirus.

Saying the disease is creating an iphone supply shortage, and that may impact consumers.

More in today's consumer watch.

From apple to walmart.... the coronavirus is rattling global brands-- and there's growing concern about the impact that may have on your wallet.

This week-- apple announced a slowdown in production will likely lead to iphone shortages.

All of its stores in china have been closed temporarily due to the outbreak-- and apple's iphone supply chain has been hit hard by production delays in chinese factories as the virus drags on.

Prior to all this-- iphone sales were up nearly 8- percent in late 2019.

Experts say the debut of 5-g enabled iphones later this year-- will boost demand.

And an iphone shortage could potentially lead to higher prices.

Meanwhile-- walmart is admitting that a long-term disruption from the outbreak could impact their business.

About one-third of the merchandise sold in walmart's us stores is made in other countries like china.

The virus is forcing companies to restriceltravel and shut down stores and offices.

And that's made it difficult for companies to get parts for things like cars and iphones.

Some popular car brands are also hurting-- chinese factories run by tesla... ford and nissan have shut down.

There's a shortage of supplies, and that could disrupt production-- and that impact may trickle down to consumers.

The clothing industry is also feeling the pinch.

Under armour told investors that revenue in the first months of 20- 20 would take up to a 60-million dollar hit because of the outbreak.

For consumer watch-- i'm meredith wood.

When it comes to food-- hundreds of mcdonald's restaurants in china have temporarily shut down.

And starbucks has shut down more than half of its 43- hundred stores.

The global outbreak has many local people worried - especially if they are planning on traveling for spring break.

We've asked our travel agent kelly mckellar to answer some questions for us.

What questions are your clients asking?

Questions about safety, what to do if they need to cancel, should they take out travel protection, should they have a pass port, etc.

All of my cruise travelers that depart between now and next month have recently received emails from cruise providers about the precautions taken to insure each guests health and safety.

It is definitely on the minds of travelers, so i thought it might be good to go back and revisit recommendations for travel and health/safety.

Health and safety travel tips: 1 which is better to travel with... a driver's license and birth certificate or passport?

Always a passport.

If you have a passport you could fly home if you have a medical emergency.

2 should i take out travel protection?

Yes!

Especially if you are traveling outside the us.

Cruises!!!

What is the best type of travel protection?

Cancel for any reason protection!!!

Must be booked with 14 days of the booking!!!

Allows you to cancel for any reason!

3 3 wash your hands- often!!

4 vaccines are a way to prevent infection.

For diseases like zika, some simple precautions like mosquito wipes would prevent the virus.

5 consult your health care provider before traveling!

Make sure you are well before you travel!

6 visit the centers for disease control and prevention website for the most up to date information in regards to coronavirus and the flu and those people cruising soon... - don't panic!!!

- no cruises have been cancelled - the us state department has issued a level 4 travel advisory for travel to and from china.

Level 4= no travel - cruise lines are aware of the potential threat and are furthering enhanced precautions á wash stations á health questionnaires prior to boarding á guests that are cruising in the next 30-45 days should have received emails from their cruise provider about precautions á guests and crew members who indicate they have traveled from or through china in the past 14 days are not allowed to board - for further information visit the centers for disease control and prevention for the most up to date information this is what i received from disney cruise line: due to the novel coronavirus first identified in wuhan, china, the u.s. state department has issued a level 4 travel advisory recommending no travel to china.

Disney cruise line is carefully monitoring the latest information about this situation and is in close contact with local, state, national and international health agencies for information and guidance.

Disney cruise line, along with the other members of the cruise lines international association, has further enhanced the screening process for guests and crew members boarding cruise ships.

In an abundance of caution and given the unique environment of a cruise ship, guests and crew members who indicate they have traveled from or through china in the past 14 days, including hong kong and macau, will not be able to board.

In addition, the bahamas will not allow anyone to disembark in any bahamian port of call if they have been to china in the past 20 days prior to their arrival.

If your clients or a member of their stateroom party have traveled from or through china, including hong kong and macau, or have been in close contact with, or helped care for, anyone suspected or diagnosed with novel coronavirus or who is currently subject to health monitoring for possible exposure within 20 days prior to the start of their cruise vacation, please contact us at 1-866- 325-2112 or 407-566- 3510.

As a reminder, disney cruise line employs rigorous sanitation standards and consistently receives among the highest scores on public health inspections.

We also have a an alabama family is fighting a lawsuit over unpaid hospital bills.

We'll tell you what happened to some hospitals are now ásuingá patients to collect theirmedical debts.

Many people use payment plans when they're hit with bills they can ánotá afford.

But we learned some hospitals are seizing patients' tax returns, withholding portions of paychecks, áandá collecting interest on top of the initial medical bill.

Cbs consumer investigative correspondent anna werner visited a community where one hospital has filed áhundredsá of lawsuits.

At their t-shirt screen printing company outside dothan, alabama, daryl and kc roberts are struggling to stay afloat.

How's it going?

Slow.

Businesses are closin'.

People are not makin' money like they used to be.

In 2015, the couple says they could no longer afford health insurance.

Kc says she had a choice between paying the premiums or taking her son out of college.

I wanted my son to have a better life than i had.

So what do you do as a parent?

You sacrifice.

Kc says she'd been healthy.

But in may of 2016, she had an attack of severe abdominal pain& i mean, when i say i feel like i was dyin', i felt like i was dyin'.

Her husband rushed her to local flowers hospital.

The doctor told me: "she needs- needs to have this surgery now."

Her appendix was about to burst.

She need an emergency appendectomy.

A few weeks later, the roberts got the doctors' bills, which didn't surprise them - they came to a little under three thousand dollars.

But then, the hospital's bill arrived: the charge?

Over 52- thousand dollars& even with a supposed "discount" f uninsured patients like roberts, the total still came to about 31-thousand dollars i thought it was crazy.

That's a house in alabama in this area.

That's a house.

But she and her husband still paid the hospital what they could: 25 dollars a month, for nearly three years&.

Long as i can work, and they will accept payments, we gonna pay.

'cause everything that we've ever worked-- have had in life, we've paid for.

But in september of 2019, the hospital sued them for the entire balance plus interest: the total?

Nearly 37 thousand dollars.

At that point, kc says&.

I told my husband, "i wish you'd hav let me die."

How can you even think that ?

When it come to my family, i-- i think that.

/ i might not a been here, but i'd a gave my-- my family somethin' from me, somethin' to keep goin' without strugglin'.

I've told my husband this.

I've said, "honey, i lov you and i love my family.

But if you had let me go, today you would not be goin' through this."

But what she says didn't know was that original 31- thousand dollar bill was likely much higher than what she would have paid if she'd had insurance - and some 25 thousand dollars more than what medicare would be charged by a hospital, on average, for an appendectomy&.

Just $5800 seems like they're taking advantage of people who don't have insurance.

And i say you oughta be ashamed of yourself.

Why would you even do that?

And they're not the only ones flowers hospital has sued: cbs news found last year, the for- profit hospital sued more than 15- hundred people&it's not clear whether all the lawsuits were over medical bills.

But in one letter to the court, a mother of three wrote with her $11 an hour paycheck, she couldn't afford an over 11- thousand dollar bill for emergency treatment.

I think it's despicable.

Attorney kristy kirkland works on those kinds of cases at the non- profit legal services of alabama.& they're going to be paying it forever, or at least for a very, very long time.

This is not a debt that they're going to be able to get out from under very quickly.

In court, kirkland says usually the best she can do is get their payments stretched out over decades&what the attorneys here call, the 'slow bleed'&..

It's just-- some of these people will be payin' $5 or $10 on their debt until the day they die.

We wanted to ask hospital officials about their prices, and all of those lawsuits..&.

"i'm with cb news&.."

We were told to make an appointment& "we'd like to see i he'll do an on- camera interview&" okay.

"&for the story.

Okay.

The next week, they turned us down.

Instead they sent us a statement saying they try to work with patients but "&som individuals refuse to engage with us to resolve their balances.

Litigation is always a last resort&" and used only, they said, for patients who can afford "some leve of payment" meanwhile, kc roberts has a large painful lump growing on her shoulder.

I have not been to the doctor.

I can't afford it.

Do you think people like yourselves should be having to make those choices?

Shouldn't be that choice.

But unfortunately that's the world we live in.

Suggested outcue: in its statement, flowers hospital when we come back.

One school district says teaching history means looking at the worst of our stories and using that to learn and grow.

That's next on as as part of our coverage of black history month, we are sharing cbs this morning reports about how students are learning about america's past.

National correspondent jericka duncan recently visited a school in maryland to see how the district árevampedá its curriculum, after reflecting on how they approached topics like slavery.

We talked about this phrase, "mak a way out of no way" for middle school teacher salvatore assenza... ...history is more than just memorizing dates and famous faces.

We as america, we did this // and we are guilty of it.

We listened in on a critical conversation in his classroom about america's history- including slavery.

For people who look at this part of our history and go, but it's over you know and everyone's equal now, do you guys feel that way?

No.

// because yes there was racism before but there's still remaing bits of it.

It's better than before yes, but it's still bad.

Assenza is the social studies department chair at roberto -w- clemente middle school in maryland.

It's part of the most diverse district in the state, montgomery county public schools.

In some ways you're teaching them to question.

All the time all the time.

All the time.

There is no national standard for teaching social studies, so it's often left up to individual states and districts to decide how to teach it.

Do you think parents understand there's such a vast difference from district to district?

I suspect most parents don't.

Cbs news contributor dr. ibram x.

Kendi is the author of the book, "how to be a anti-racist" and professor at american university.

One of the most precious things that we have in this society are the minds of our children.

// parents and non-parents // should be ensuring that children, their minds are being shaped in the most accurate way possible.

Tiferet ani feels she's doing just that.

She is the social studies curriculum specialist in montgomery county.

She recently revamped the 8th grade curriculum that teachers like assenza are now using.

It was really important to us to make sure that we are telling an inclusive narrative of american history // and so to get away from sort of the dominant narrative that's focused on presidents, on generals, you know, the political history.

Some examples....the new curriculum now includes a unit on "stolen labor.

Students also look at how and why the constitution protected slavery and have lessons where they rewrite portions of their textbooks.

Michael williams teaches high school african american history in the district.

I haven't seen a textbook that is used in high schools that does not omit some very key, not just information but themes, and so part of our jobs as historians and teachers is to try and tell a more complete story.

Assenza's 8th graders we spoke to say the new curriculum has opened their eyes.

Raise your hand if you think this class has taught you how to think more critically about the information you consume.

I think it has changed how we study history because we look at history through a white, particularly male american lens // i feel like learning through this lens basically tells the whole story of america, about how slavery is the root and the foundation of america and its history.

We're learning how to be really, really analytical thinkers // really trying to discover for ourselves like the truth.

But not everyone has been on board with the curriculum changes.

There were teachers that it was hard to, for them.

Right i think a lot of times, history teachers they love the national story, right, and the story that they were told and taught and studied is not necessarily the story that's part of this curriculum.

Why should parents and society care about how children are learning history?

If we teach them everyone's story then they're going to become adults that believe in everyone's story.

And if we don't teach the children correctly, it's going to be perilious for our society.

Suggested outcue: ani is currently working on as a young adult, he spent time behind bars, arrested after trying to help mississippians register to vote.

Reverend reginald green died this week.

The civil rights activist is being remembered for his dedication to equality and his kind spirit.

Sam ford reports.

Nats of singing: "o freedom, oh freedom...."

Rev reginald green died this month at age 80... but he was a freedom rider recalling the songs they sang in the sixties in southern jails as they opposed racism... in recent years he went back to look at his cell with joan mulholland another freedom rider, joan mulholland/freedo m rider: "we had t live up to what we said in church you know about loving your neighbor and treating people the way you want to be treated."

We spoke to her via skype from memphis where she and her son are speaking against voter suppression... her son-loki- shot this video of reverend green: reginald green, freedom rider "yo took the music of spirituals and other songs and songs you made up to speak to what the movement was about."

Sam ford/reporting: "and he' remembered here at the african american civil war museum where he was on the board of directors from its inception."

Frank smith/director, african american civil war museum: "a mug shot tha was taken in jackson, mississippi in 61, 8 august 7, 1961."

Director frank smith, a civil rights activist of that era, also showed up the famous picture of the freedom riders bus the ku klux klan fire bomb; frank smith/director, african american civil war museum: "he knew this ha taken before he left washington dc and the bus he was getting on was going thru that same area."

Green pastored walker memorial baptist church many years retired and subbed for other churches.

He died of cancer.

Frank smith/director, african american civil war museum: "he loved hi church.

He loved his family.

He loved this community."

And joan mulholland recalled a story green told her about his junior high singing group.

Joan mulholland/freedo m rider: "he wa the lead singer and his back up man was marvin gaye.

" nats of singing: "and go home to m lord."

A little later, a teenager wants to honor women who served at home during world war ii.

That

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