Currently, ACOs that succeed in lowering Medicare spending are penalized with lower benchmarks in subsequent years, weakening their incentive to ever save.
Faced with evidence that businesses are retrenching rapidly in a weakening economy, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point today, igniting a powerful rally on Wall Street.
Fears about the fiscal impasse in Washington, along with anxiety about fading corporate profits and weakening economies abroad, have pushed the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500-stock indowndown about 5 percent since the election.
The Fed is watching for clues on whether the housing market and consumer spending are weakening before deciding whether to cut its benchmark interest rate.
The Bank of England decided to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.5 percent to help the weakening British economy, amid concerns that Europe's debt crisis might become more of a drag on growth.
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index slid 2.3%, or 86.8 points, to 3,619.5, weakening further after the Australian central bank Tuesday lowered rates by a quarter point to a 49-year low of 3.0%.
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was off 1.3%, or 50.30 points, to 3,706.3, weakening slightly after the Australian central bank lowered rates by a quarter point to a 49-year low of 3.0%.
Imagine if that benchmark didn't exist: We would see a race to the bottom, with some states weakening protections to attract dirty industries.
Since last September, the Fed has cut its benchmark federal funds rate — the interest rate on overnight loans between banks — by 2.25 points, to 3percentt, amid signs that the economy is weakening.
Party loyalty is weakening.
