Lifestyle

The Obama Administration has lowered its estimate of how many Americans will enroll under national healthcare insurance exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act, the White House announced Monday. About 9.9 million people will be signed up by the end of next year, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said. This is approximately 30% lower than the latest level predicted by the Congressional Budget Office. The new figures from HHS are based on how quickly Americans have signed up for previous public health insurance programs, and also account for people who won’t stay in their plans. As the Washington Post pointed out in its coverage, this may be seen as a referendum on both the act itself and the President’s overall effectiveness. “The discrepancy re...

There is a plethora of human behaviors that can cause back pain, from lifting heavy items to sitting in an office chair for 40 hours a week, to slumping on the couch for Netflix marathons, but new research shows that there's a new culprit for Americans' back pain problems. According to CBS News, new research performed by chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, which has been accepted for publication in Surgical Technology International, reveals that texting is probably causing a lot of back pain for people. According to a survey taken by the National Institute of Health Statistics, back pain is the most reported type of pain at 27%, followed by headache and neck pain. An estimated 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 64...

When you're building a custom luxury home, it's usually a given that it will be located in a luxury area. But real-estate data site Zillow recently wondered: will you be able to see the stars? At the request of Spread Sheet, a column in the Wall Street Journal, Zillow created an index to measure low levels of light pollution against high property values to try to find luxury areas with the best views of the night sky. As Zillow economist Skylar Olsen told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s the combination of [being] out in the boonies but still in luxury markets.” The Zillow team went through over 11,000 postal codes, comparing the median home value as of August to light-pollution data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Each zip code was then ranked on a wei...

Anthony Manfre, an Army veteran, was able to cover most of the cost for his associate's and bachelor degrees using benefits from his GI Bill, though he still took out $4,000 worth of student loans to cover additional expenses. “At the time, I thought that was a lot,” he says. “And now I look back and wish I only owed that much.” However, Manfre decided to pursue both a master's and doctorate degree in marriage and family therapy, and needed to take out additional loans to cover his living expenses. Now, he's riddled with $200,000 of student loan debt. Like many other college graduates, Manfre viewed taking out student loans as a wise investment -- one that would allow him to further his career and create a better future. He assumed he would be able to afford to pay off his loan payme...

The prevalence of teeth whitening procedures has increased by over 300% in the past five years alone, but it seems it's still hard pressed to meet demand. People are now turning to alternative ways to get teeth whitening done, including theft and...charcoal? According to CBS Pittsburgh, authorities in Hempfield Township, PA are still on the search for a couple who allegedly stole at least $1,200 worth of teeth whitening supplies from a local Target Store. In an interview with the local CBS Affiliate, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani said that loss prevention at Target caught the female suspect on surveillance video placing teeth whitening products in her purse. According to Limani, the kits stolen were high-end products that are most likely in the $50 range. The male suspe...

Even though she can afford a squad of elite nannies and an army of caretakers, socialite Kim Kardashian likes to have a more personal touch when it comes to parenting, preferring to take care of her first born daughter North herself. Though she may be new at the whole "mom" thing, Kardashian is learning the ropes rather quickly, it seems, and even has a neat little trick to conk baby North out when she needs to go to sleep. "[I give her] a bottle at night with some cereal in it," explained Kardashian. "I put in the milk, and then the rice cereal, and then you have to cut the nipple a little bit more to let it pass through, and it fills North's tummy and she'll pass out." Though the technique might seem unorthodox to say the least (and perhaps downright weird to say the most) it actually ...

Most Americans have been raised to believe that U.S. law enforcement organizations are on their side, and that government agencies exist to protect them. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is no exception to this assumption. It exists to protect innocent citizens from injuries caused by illegal drug use, and DEA agents are given a fair amount of leverage, as far as privacy policies go, in order to track down criminals. But when news leaked that the DEA had been impersonating a real woman on Facebook -- had been communicating with Sondra Arquiett's friends and pretending to be her, and had hacked into her phone for her private photos, which were posted on the fake profile -- Americans were outraged. It's a well-known fact that social media platforms are breeding grounds for fake profil...

One of the best things about Halloween is the socially acceptable chance to dress your doggy or kitty up as a little devil, pumpkin, witch, princess or hot dog. Though you might find them to be utterly adorable and a bit comical, your four-legged friend may not think the joke is all that funny. In fact, the costume may make them anxious, or even hurt them."In general, tolerance of costumes is pet dependent," said Dr. Stacy Eckman from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. "Some pets will tolerate them, and others will not."Though some pets are fine with getting dressed as a banana or lobster, others may be thoroughly bothered by their costumes. The only way to know, though, is to have your pet try the costume on. If he or she doesn't like it, you'll quic...

Human hair is weak and therefore vulnerable to damage and breakage if not well managed. You should ensure that your hair stylist uses hair products and tools meant for hair thinning to avoid injury. Some hair salon hair products could make your hair heavy and unmanageable. They also leave a sticky feeling on hair, making it appear unhealthy. You should adopt the use of advanced hair products to help with thinning hair. Hair loss treatment products are aimed at making the hair appear thick and full. These products are gentle on thinning hair and are ideal for color or chemical treated hair. Hair experts recommend using hair products that improve the resilience and strength of thinning hair by cleansing and conditioning. They include stimulating shampoo with vitamins that help in boosting t...

Cosmetic surgery is more popular than ever, with almost 1.9 million procedures performed in 2013 alone, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Today, racial and ethnic minorities comprise 22% of all patients, but this trend worries some, who fear that their racial identity will be obscured by these surgeries. One such patient is Kendra Elia, a young, biracial medical student who identifies herself as African-American. She flew all the way from Fresno, California to New York City to get her fourth rhinoplasty procedure. When asked by ABC News why she chose rhinoplasty, she said it came down to her appearance. "I just looked in the mirror one day and just maybe, you know makeup's not changing anything. Not helping. Maybe it's my nose," she explained. Her fo...