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Walmart is pulling Cosmopolitan magazine from its checkout counters. Heres why
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Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said Cosmopolitan will only be available in the magazine section of the store. - photo by Herb Scribner
Walmart will no longer sell Cosmopolitan magazine at checkout counters after a group of activists applied pressure to the retail chain over the magazines sexual nature.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, a group that has spoken out against pornography and sexual content in the media, said it has been discussing with Walmart how to make the checkout aisles more family-friendly, according to Bloomberg.

Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the magazine will only be available in the magazine section of the store.

While this was primarily a business decision, the concerns raised were heard, Hargrove told Bloomberg.

Dawn Hawkins, executive director of the NCOSE, told Bloomberg she raised concerns over the magazine because Cosmo sends the same messages about female sexuality as Playboy.

"It places women's value primarily on their ability to sexually satisfy a man and therefore plays into the same culture where men view and treat women as inanimate sex objects," the NCSOE said in a statement, according to NPR. " Customers should not be forced to be exposed to this content when they are trying to check out at the store."

Walmart's decision is an incremental but significant step toward creating a culture where women and girls are valued as whole persons, rather than as sexual objects, Hawkins told Bloomberg.

Cosmopolitan bills itself as a bible for fun, fearless females, according to NPR. The magazine reportedly has 17 million adult readers per month.

The magazine started running curt sexual content on its pages in 1965, according to USA Today. The editor at the time, Helen Gurley Brown, "transformed the once family-oriented magazine into a publication for single women that along with topics on relationships, beauty, fashion and health still publishes advice and discussions on sex, USA Today's article states.

NCOSE Vice President of Advocacy and Outreach Haley Halverson said in a Facebook Live session Tuesday night that Walmarts decision will make grocery shopping a lot safer for families.

"This is one less drop of hyper-sexualized media that is going to be bombarding people in their everyday lives, which does make a difference, especially in this Me Too culture that we're living in, where we really want a culture that will respect women and ensure their dignity is understood," Halverson said.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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