<ul class="summary-list"><li>New York City's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) employees worked 16-hour days for weeks during the peak of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-pandemic-timeline-history-major-events-2020-3">coronavirus pandemic</a> to cover sick colleagues' shifts.</li><li>Amid the staffing shortage, 9-1-1 calls increased 50-100% and out-of-hospital <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-ambulance-service-stretched-heart-attack-sufferers-left-home-2020-4">cardiac arrests</a> (frequent among critical <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> patients) skyrocketed nearly 300%.</li><li><keyword id="51420" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="ambulance">Ambulance</keyword> industry leaders say that chronic high turnover of employees — and constant loss of experienced staff — prior to the pandemic has likely caused preventable deaths during the crisis.</li><li>Data shows more experienced <keyword id="6421374" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Paramedics">paramedics</keyword> and emergency medical technicians (<keyword id="771714" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="EMTS">EMTs</keyword>) save more patients and lead to better health outcomes.</li><li>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for major compensation boosts for frontline workers.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>In the past four years, Vincent Variale, a lieutenant EMT and 30-year veteran of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fdny-ems-first-responders-trauma-guilt-coronavirus-ptsd-2020-4">Fire Department of New York's (FDNY) EMS</a>, has seen two out of every three of his colleagues quit."We lost 1,200 members in one year. We only have 4,000 EMTs. ... That's more than 25%. How do you explain losing that many people in one year?" Variale told Business Insider. "The only numbers that compare with that is a fast food restaurant like McDonald's."Now, during New York City's most deadly crisis in a century, Variale and other first responders say the group's chronic high turnover could be causing more people to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-covid-19-victims-bodies-burials-morgues-cemeteries-photos-2020-4">die from COVID-19</a> than otherwise might have."Studies have shown that the survival rate increases and positive patient outcomes increase when you have somebody with six or seven years experience or more as an EMT or paramedic. They have failed to retain that person," he said.Variale, who is also the president of FDNY local 3621 union in Manhattan, added that the average FDNY EMS employee has been on the job just three years. About 75% have less than five years' experience.He and other union leaders blame the lack of compensation parity with firefighters, police officers, and other public service workers who put their lives at risk. Chronic understaffing is also a problem, Variale said, adding that requests for significant increases in pay, benefits, and staffing have fallen on deaf ears.New York's continuous loss of experienced workers is not isolated, national EMS representatives say: <a href="https://www.ems1.com/paramedic-jobs-and-careers/articles/ambulance-services-face-national-paramedic-shortage-QAINB7yNEngfu5ID/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Staffing shortages</a> and relatively low pay are common across the US and drive less experienced first responders to take on exhausting schedules to make a living."I just spoke to somebody in Florida that did 48 hours straight between two different jobs," Philip Petit, director of the National Association of Government Employees' EMS labor union, told Business Insider. "They're not just working one 12-hour shift. They might work a 24-hour shift at one job, work a 24-hour shift at another job, take a day off, and then do it all over again."<h2>Sick and overworked</h2><div type="image" title="coronavirus covid 19 new york city fire department nyfd ambulance emergency medical service technician ems emt paramedic 2020" height="2000" width="3000" msid="75334882" hostid="261"></div>The typical volume of 9-1-1 emergency calls in New York City is about 4,000 per day. In early April, as confirmed cases of COVID-19 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/global-coronavirus-cases-spike-to-two-million-over-119000-dead-2020-4">peaked</a>, that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fdny-emergency-responder-coronavirus-worse-than-september-11-2020-4">count exceeded 7,000 per day</a>. The calls didn't dip below 6,000 per day for weeks prior to that."This is like 9/11 every single day. I've never seen this call volume in my entire life," Variale said in early April. "This is like a slow-moving train crash that hasn't stopped."Faisel Abed, a paramedic with the FDNY EMS, was among thousands of first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center in the minutes after the terror attacks, but agreed that even that experience doesn't compare."I saw the second building get hit. I witnessed people jumping out of buildings. I saw the towers on their way down," Abed told Business Insider. "This, to me, is worse."On top of the unprecedented call volume, more ambulance workers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-group-matches-medical-workers-with-empty-rvs-coronavirus-2020-4">were out sick</a> than ever before due to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-making-coronavirus-immunity-tests-serology-blood-2020-4?r=corona-lp">COVID-19 symptoms</a>. In early April, about 20-25% of the 4,500-person staff was out sick, Variale said. Typically, 5-8% are out sick.Such staffing hits lengthen emergency response time and responders' ability to whisk critical cases to hospitals. EMS workers began taking two 8-hour shifts back to back — 16 hours per day — for up to five days a week."It's hurting the workforce, it's straining them, it's not giving them time to recover," Variale said.But staffing was a problem before the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> arrived. A <a href="https://cbcny.org/research/reviving-ems" target="_blank" rel="noopener">November 2018 report by the New York City's Citizens Budget Commission</a> found that more than 83% of emergency calls were medical in nature and only 2% fire-related. However, it also found firefighters outnumber EMS workers by about two-to-one, so the former have been taking an increasing number of medical calls each year despite being less equipped to handle them."The unions have said we should have a staff of at least 7,000 to 8,000 to handle regular 9-1-1 properly so that you don't wait more than five minutes for an ambulance," Anthony Almojera, a lieutenant paramedic in Brooklyn and vice president of local union 3621, told Business Insider.<h2>'They don't stay because it doesn't pay well'</h2><div type="image" title="nyc paramedic" height="1348" width="2000" msid="75334884" hostid="261"></div>EMS workers miss out on the pay and benefits given to experienced firefighters and police officers. The latter group receives unlimited sick leave; EMS workers get 12 sick days per year. If a firefighter or police officer dies in the line of duty, their spouses and kids get last year's salary and medical benefits for the rest of their lives; meanwhile, an NYFD EMS worker's direct family members get 80% of last year's salary for three years.EMS base salaries are about $35,000 to $40,000 less than those of firefighters, police officers, or sanitation workers."The man who comes to pick up your trash is earning $40,000 a year more than the EMT coming to save your life," Variale said. "That's why they're leaving. The support and funding for EMS is not there from the city of New York, and it seems that the mayor has no intentions of fixing it."He added that EMS workers are mostly people of color (59%) and that there's a substantial portion of women in the service (27%). Fire ranks, however, are less than 1% female and largely white.Almojera said some EMS workers see the work as a backdoor way to become a firefighter."They come on the EMS, they don't stay because it doesn't pay well — most of us have second or third jobs — and they leave for other agencies," he said.The city told Business Insider that its EMS pay is fair and, factoring in typical overtime, on par with that of the private industry, which employs the majority of EMS workers in the US. It also said paramedics earn more than entry-level police officers, firefighters, and sanitation workers."The salaries that we pay to EMTs and paramedics are competitive with private-sector salaries in New York City," Laura Feyer, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio's office, told Business Insider in a statement. "In many other fields (e.g. engineers, IT personnel, lawyers, architects, and press reps), public sector pay lags behind the corresponding private industry. Here, salaries and benefits are both better overall for FDNY EMTs and paramedics when compared to their private-sector counterparts."<div type="image" title="coronavirus covid 19 new york city ambulance emergency medical service technician ems emt paramedic 2020 04 21T125609Z_1_LYNXNPEG3K135_RTROPTP_4_HEALTH CORONAVIRUS USA NEW YORK.JPG" height="1999" width="3000" msid="75334888" hostid="261"></div>But Variale said salary comparisons to the private sector are flawed, since many private workers are offered free education, childcare, and other benefits not afforded to EMS workers. Plus, he said, FEMA EMS workers summoned to NYC make about five times the salary doing the same work. And in some cities, such as Austin, Texas, and Oakland, California, experienced EMS workers bring in salaries on par with NYC firefighters or police officers.The New York Times editorial board <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/21/opinion/sunday/emt-paramedics-salary.html">pointed out in September</a> that city officials had said paying paramedics and EMTs a salary comparable to firefighters would cost $450 million annually."Cutting down on overtime pay at the Fire Department — which amounted to more than $340 million in fiscal year 2019, which ended in June — may help," the board wrote.In the context of the pandemic, Variale and others believe the lack of pay parity and the high turnover is costing lives.<h2>Flatlining experience</h2>Before the pandemic, New York City recorded about 50 to 70 calls for cardiac arrests each day. But in the second week of April, the FDNY said it received more than 300 per day, sometimes nearly 400.Cardiac arrests are frequent among critical COVID-19 patients; with less oxygen in the blood, hearts must work harder to move it around the body. The city estimates that about 200 people died from cardiac arrests as the pandemic peaked. Many of those perished in the care of EMS teams at their homes, and sometimes in front of family members.In general, research suggests that an EMS team's experience level impacts the survival rates of cardiac arrest patients.<div type="image" title="new york coronavirus 1" height="2040" width="3000" msid="75334890" hostid="261"></div>A 2018 case study, titled "<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2017.1392665">Does Experience Matter?</a>", looked at more than 340 paramedics and their out-of-hospital cardiac-arrest outcomes in urban San Antonio, Texas. For every 15 cardiac-arrest emergencies, the report found, a medic with 10 or more resuscitations under their belt revives one more person than someone with less experience."The more experience you have as a medic, the better you are. You wouldn't go to a hospital if everybody there had less than four years experience. But for some reason that's okay when we bring the hospital to you? No, that doesn't make sense," Almojera said.Variale said that for New York City residents at risk during the pandemic, the loss of experienced paramedics is "endangering their lives unnecessarily.""We were warning people about this stuff. We were telling people that staffing is inadequate. We were telling people this is gonna endanger people's lives. And nobody was listening," Variale said.Joe McWilliams, a lieutenant EMT in Brooklyn, told Business Insider that it's well understood internally that "experience is paramount on this job.""The city and the department don't value it at all," McWilliams said. "We see experience walk out the door every day, and the public loses out there because we hire 18-year-olds to do this job. But the responsibilities that we put on their shoulders, in my opinion, far exceed the maturity of your average 18-year-old."Frank Dwyer, a spokesperson for FDNY, emphasized that the deadly nature of New York's coronavirus outbreak isn't the fault of current EMS staff, however. "Anyone criticizing EMS members for survival rate during this pandemic is off-base. They are performing at the highest level possible," Dwyer told Business Insider.<h2>'The time is now to fix the problem'</h2>Nationwide, a typical EMS worker makes about $17 an hour, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292040.htm">federal data</a>, whereas firefighters typically make <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes332011.htm">40% more</a> and police officers <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333051.htm">almost double</a>. School bus drivers also <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_485400.htm">earn more per hour</a> than a typical ambulance-unit employee.National EMS worker representatives say the incongruent wages is a longstanding issue that's reducing ambulance workers' experience across the country. They worry we are now seeing a "calm before the storm" since other states and metropolitan areas are still approaching their peak in cases."Folks don't understand where the industry was to begin with before this started. There was a paramedic shortage and has been for the last two years. And before the pandemic started, we were starting to see an EMT shortage," said Petit, who's also national director of the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics. "We're screaming for help."<div type="image" title="trump cuomo" height="1000" width="1999" msid="75334893" hostid="261"></div>Nate Smith, an EMT in Michigan and national representative at the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics, said many people choose not to pursue the job "because it's not a well-paying career.""The time is now to fix the problem. The shortage of EMS professionals dates way back before this pandemic," Smith told Business Insider. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is often at-odds with Mayor de Blasio, has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-cuomo-says-frontline-workers-should-get-50-percent-bonus-2020-4">proposed a 50% hazard-pay</a> bonus to all frontline workers during the pandemic, ranging from grocery clerks to healthcare staff.Variale said he and his colleagues feel compelled to speak up during the pandemic until city leaders make systemic changes for emergency responders."We're not shutting up," Variale said. "We're gonna continue talking."Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-new-york-ambulance-paramedic-emergency-workers-pay-retention-risks-2020-4">Business Insider</a>

First responders say years of low pay and chronic turnover have put coronavirus patients' lives at additional risk during the pandemic: 'We're screaming for help'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1d1cecad042442f1a55b-1200-924/t-mobile-ceo-john-legere-22.jpg" border="0" alt="t-mobile CEO john legere">John Moore/GettyUnfortunately for you, there really is no such thing as a "simple choice."</img></div></div></div>So you're getting ready to buy a new smartphone, but you're not sure which carrier to choose. Deciding on a carrier can be difficult - there are a lot of different plans to digest, and sometimes it's just unclear as to which company is offering the best deal.
We've broken down exactly what each carrier has to offer in terms of individual and shared plans. Here's a quick look at what you can expect to get from Verizon, AT&amp;T, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
<h2>Verizon</h2>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Verizon" title_caption="Verizon coverage map" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1e5a69bedd4572834893-960/verizonmap.png"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1e5a69bedd4572834893-900-560/verizonmap.png" border="0" alt="VerizonMap" /></a><a href="http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/consumer/4g-lte.html">Verizon</a>Verizon coverage map</div></div></div>
<a href="http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/consumer/shop/shop-data-plans/single-line-data-plans.html">Verizon </a>has a few different options for those who want to buy a phone on a two-year contract. With Verizon, you'd pay a $40 fee that gives your smartphone access to Verizon's network (this is standard across carriers) and pricing for data depends on how many gigabytes you need per month.
Here's what Verizon has to offer. All prices are per-month. And there are many options:
<ul>
<li>$15 for 250MB of data</li>
<li>$30 for 500MB</li>
<li>$40 for 1GB</li>
<li>$50 for 2GB</li>
<li>$60 for 3GB</li>
<li>$70 for 4GB</li>
<li>$80 for 6GB</li>
<li>$90 for 8GB</li>
<li>$100 for 10GB</li>
<li>$110 for 12GB</li>
<li>$120 for 14GB</li>
<li>$130 for 16GB</li>
<li>$140 for 18GB</li>
<li>$150 for 20GB</li>
<li>$225 for 30GB</li>
<li>$300 for 40GB</li>
<li>$375 for 50GB</li>
<li>$450 for 60GB</li>
<li>$600 for 80GB</li>
<li>$750 for 100GB</li>
</ul>
These prices are in addition to the $40 you would pay for line access each month. The latter bunch are obviously meant for large families and those that plan to share data across multiple devices. But if you can get by with 2GB of data, Verizon offers a flat rate of $60 that also includes unlimited talk and text for individual shoppers.
If you're sharing data with a spouse or family members, you could get 10GB of data to share between four smartphones for $100. Combine that with a $40 charge for each smartphone, and you end up paying $260 per month.
Verizon offers a discount if you opt for its Edge program, which lets you upgrade your phone every year, by chopping $10 off your data charges. So, if you opted for $60 for 3GB per month, you would only pay $50 for 3GB if you used Edge. The trick, however, is that you pay the full, unsubsidized cost of a phone. So, your iPhone that costs $200 with a contract, actually costs $650. That's why carriers are offering discounts on data to make these programs seem more appealing to consumers.
BOTTOM LINE: If you use data moderately, the Single Line plan (2GB for $60) is really the best option from Verizon for individual user since you don't need to pay a line access fee. Verizon also offers the most versatile lineup of data brackets, which could come in handy for large families that need to buy a lot of data for the month. 
<h3>AT&amp;T</h3>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="AT&amp;T" title_caption="AT&amp;T coverage map" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1e7669beddaf75834894-960/at&amp;tcoveage.png"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1e7669beddaf75834894-900-575/at&amp;tcoveage.png" border="0" alt="AT&amp;TCoveage" /></a>AT&amp;TAT&amp;T coverage map</div></div></div>
<a href="http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html#fbid=lh83GU-mDsh">AT&amp;T's pricing</a> is pretty similar to Verizon's options. The cost for each data package is fairly standard:
<ul>
<li>$20 for 300MB</li>
<li>$25 for 1GB</li>
<li>$40 for 2GB</li>
<li>$70 for 4GB</li>
<li>$80 for 6GB</li>
<li>$100 for 10GB</li>
<li>$130 for 15GB</li>
<li>$150 for 20GB</li>
<li>$225 for 30GB</li>
<li>$300 for 40GB</li>
<li>375 for 50GB</li>
</ul>
You'll notice the 2GB option is slightly cheaper than Verizon's ($50). 
Just like Verizon, there's a $40 access cost for smartphones. However, if you opt for one of AT&amp;T's Next plans, which lets you upgrade every 12 or 18 months depending on your plan, you only pay $25 per month for line access.
If you decide to use Next, bring in your own device, or purchase a phone at full price, you could opt for AT&amp;T's $65 monthly plan. This gets you 2GB of data and unlimited talk and text just like Verizon's, although it's $5 more expensive.
AT&amp;T offers a few different options for those looking to share data between several people. If you're using AT&amp;T Next, bringing in your own device, or are buying a device at full price, you can pay $130 per month for two lines, $145 for three lines, and $160 for four lines. With that, you get 10GB of data to be shared between phones and unlimited talk, text, and data. 
For those who prefer the more traditional two-year contract route, you can choose how much data you want to share from the options in the bulleted list above. You would also have to pay the line access fee on top of that. (Again, that's $40 for two-year contract phones and $25 or $15 for AT&amp;T Next phones depending on how much data you go for).
BOTTOM LINE: AT&amp;T is really pushing its early upgrade plans, which let you pay off the full price of the phone over the course of 12 or 18 months. The data prices at AT&amp;T are priced standardly, but there's no real attractive bargain for those who just want a subsidized phone on a two-year contract. For example, you'd have to pay $80 per month for 2GB of data with a phone on a two year contract. That's probably you best bet if you use data moderately and want a two-year contract phone. Otherwise, if you plan on upgrading every year and paying your phone off monthly, the $65 individual plan is a good value. 
<h2>Sprint</h2>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Sprint" title_caption="Sprint coverage map" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1e916bb3f7b901f1a554-960/sprintmap.png"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1e916bb3f7b901f1a554-900-675/sprintmap.png" border="0" alt="SprintMap" /></a>SprintSprint coverage map</div></div></div>
<a href="http://www.sprint.com/landings/datashare/index.html?INTNAV=ATG:HE:DataShare">Sprint's prices for data</a> are cheaper than both Verizon's and AT&amp;T's: 
<ul>
<li>$20 for 600MB</li>
<li>$25 for 2GB</li>
<li>$40 for 4GB</li>
<li>$70 for 8GB</li>
<li>$80 for 12GB</li>
<li>$90 for 16GB</li>
<li>$100 for 20GB</li>
<li>$130 for 32GB</li>
<li>$150 for 40GB</li>
<li>$225 for 60GB</li>
</ul>
Similar to AT&amp;T, Sprint requires that those who buy a subsidized phone on a two-year contract pay $40, while those who opt for Sprint Easy Pay, buy a phone at full price, or bring their own phone would pay either $25 or $15 per month. This depends on how much data you choose (if you decide on 20GB and up it's $15). 
If you're shopping for a new iPhone 6, Sprint is offering a special deal for single lines. You can pay $50 per month for unlimited data, talk, and text. If you're not buying an iPhone, you can get the same deal for $60 per month, which is still pretty cheap for unlimited data.
Sprint is offering some other temporary promotions too. If you sign up for Sprint before 2015, you can pay $100 to get 20GB of shareable data per month and unlimited talk and text without paying any access fees. Sprint is also offering to pay up to $350 via a Visa prepaid card for every line that switches to cover your early termination fee. 
BOTTOM LINE: Sprint's data prices are the cheapest, but like Verizon and AT&amp;T it's also catering towards those who opt for its early upgrade plan. For single lines, the $60 unlimited data, talk, and text deal is a great value. If you're buying a new iPhone, it's even cheaper ($50). But you can only get those deals if you use Sprint's Easy Pay plan. The $100 deal for 20GB of shared data is also a great deal if you need a family plan for around four people or so. The good news is that if you want to buy a subsidized phone on a two year contract, the regular pricing brackets for data are a bit cheaper than AT&amp;T and Verizon. 
<h2>T-Mobile</h2>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="T-Mobile" title_caption="T-Mobile coverage map" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1eae6bb3f7057bf1a55c-960/tmobilecoverage.png"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c1eae6bb3f7057bf1a55c-900-593/tmobilecoverage.png" border="0" alt="TMobileCoverage" /></a>T-MobileT-Mobile coverage map</div></div></div>
For single lines, <a href="http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html#tab-navigation">T-Mobile customers </a>have a few different options. With T-Mobile, you pay for the amount of 4G LTE data you want. Once you surpass that cap, T-Mobile slows down your speeds. So you're still getting unlimited data, but only the amount you pay for will run on its LTE network. Here's how the pricing breaks down:
<ul>
<li>$50 for 1GB</li>
<li>$60 for 3GB</li>
<li>$70 for 5GB</li>
<li>$80 for unlimited</li>
</ul>
T-Mobile also offers a Simple Starter plan for individual lines that gets you 2GB of 4G LTE data and unlimited talk and text for $45. While that's a good value when you compare it to paying $50GB for 1GB of 4G LTE, the catch here is that data is suspended when you go over your cap. It doesn't just slow down when you hit your limit like with T-Mobile's other options. Still, for the average user 2GB of data is more than enough to get by for a month.
For shared plans, T-Mobile allows you to add up to six lines. You can pay $80 for two lines, $90 for three lines, $100 for four lines, $110 for five lines, and $120 for six lines.
Those are all starting prices that change depending on how much data you choose. You can change the data allotment for each line, and select between 1GB of 4G LTE data, 3GB, 5GB, and unlimited. The data prices for your primary line remain the same as the individual plans listed above. But as you add more lines, those prices get cheaper for additional lines.
For example, if you have two lines, your second line would pay $30 for 1GB, $40 for 3GB, $50 for 5GB, and $60 for unlimited. Additional lines get cheaper than that too. If you add two more lines for the four line plan, each line would cost $10 for 2.5GB of unlimited 4G LTE, $20 for 3GB, $30 for 5GB, and $40 for unlimited. T-Mobile is also offering a discount until 2015 that gets you 4.5GB of data for what you would normally pay for 3GB if you buy four or more lines.
BOTTOM LINE: T-Mobile and Sprint are the only carriers that offer unlimited data. So if having unlimited data is important to you, you'll want to stick with T-Mobile. If you know that you regularly use around 2GB a month and are satisfied with that amount, you might want to try a different carrier. You can pay a little less for 2GB of high speed data at AT&amp;T or Sprint. With T-Mobile, you'd end up paying $50 for half that amount and then slow data speeds when to go over your cap. It's also worth noting that T-Mobile has the most flexible options when it comes to sharing. You can hand pick how much data each line gets rather than buying a bulk amount for the month and sharing it. 
<h2>So who has the best deal?</h2>
COVERAGE: It depends on what you're looking for, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, you'll want to make sure your area is covered. If you check out coverage maps for AT&amp;T and Verizon, you'll notice that the entire east coast and large chunks of the midwest and west coast are covered by their 4G LTE networks. Sprint also covers most of the East Coast, but leaves a few more open pockets in the northwest region. The case is the same with T-Mobile - there's a big area in the northwest region around Montana that's left uncovered, and the coverage map doesn't specify which areas are covered by 4G LTE versus 3G.
You'll also want to consider how fast these networks are. According to recent tests from <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/4g-lte-showdown-how-fast-is-your-carrier/">CNET</a>, Verizon and T-Mobile generally had faster average download and upload rates than their competitors. AT&amp;T didn't fall too far behind, but Sprint's rates were much lower than the other three.
No matter how cheap a plan is, it doesn't matter if you can't get the coverage you need. The best thing you can do is find out which carrier or carriers have the best coverage where you live or travel the most.
BOTTOM LINE: If you want a traditional two-year contract and don't care about unlimited data, try Verizon. The $60 single line plan is a decent deal if you need your own plan and with moderate to heavy data usage. There are also tons of options on the higher end that can be shared between other family members. 
T-Mobile also offers a lot of flexibility for family plans, since you get to hand pick how much data each line gets to use. Sprint and T-Mobile are also the only carriers that offer unlimited data, so if that's important to you then you may want to consider their deals. Sprint's unlimited plan is only available for the iPhone, however.

Which Carrier Is The Best? Here's How Data Prices Compare For Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, And T-Mobile

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52fbc357ecad045321c7f414-1200-800/rtr3bl3b.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="heroin needle" width="800" />Can there be a silver lining to a drug epidemic that is so extreme it is deemed a <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/03/27/with-heroin-overdoses-rise-gov-patrick-declares-public-health-emergency-mass/hOajTIJNKnSHKAnWjZ6wYL/story.html">public health emergency</a>? As prescription opioid (painkiller) addictions drive individuals to heroin, there just might be.
Heroin use has surged recently - seizures of supply <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/middleclass-habit-heroin-addiction-breaks-out-of-americas-innercities-9107719.html">increased</a> by nearly 70% over the last few years in New York (the epicenter for imports into the United States). In Boston, overdoses increased by <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/29/fentanyl-deadly-opiod-confirmed-boston-overdose/LVVkH6Jzng1CJypurWWM1L/story.html">nearly 80%</a> between 2010 and 2012. This has followed a rising trend in prescription opioid addictions - <a href="http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k13/DataReview/DR006/nonmedical-pain-reliever-use-2013.htm">4 out of 5</a> users are addicted to prescription painkillers when they first try heroin. Turning to the street opioid is often a move of desperation; prescription opioids are now <a href="http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm348252.htm">harder to abuse</a>, more expensive, and harder to obtain than heroin. In other words, heroin provides a cheaper, easier to score, and stronger high.
This surge in use is changing the face of heroin; the Office of National Drug Control Policy's director recently described the drug as a <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/middleclass-habit-heroin-addiction-breaks-out-of-americas-innercities-9107719.html">former "inner city problem" that has become classless</a>, affecting "all populations and all ages." To be blunt, white people - many with high paying jobs and fancy apartments - are now doing 8 to 10 bags a day.
This has the nation's attention. With a changing demographic, our perceptions of drug abuse are shifting - from viewing addiction no longer as a crime implicating incarceration, but as an illness implicating treatment.
The response here in Massachusetts paints the clearest picture of this 180 degree turn on drug policy:
The Commonwealth is heralded as a beacon of hope for healthcare reform. Since enacting an <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2006/Chapter58">Affordable Care Act-like law</a> in 2006, Massachusetts saw <a href="http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1867050">death rates fall</a> by up to 4.5% in just four years, particularly in counties where many were newly insured. The state now has the <a href="http://kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/massachusetts-health-care-reform-six-years-later/">lowest rate of uninsured</a> residents in the country.
Yet Massachusetts left one set of patients out to dry - those with substance use disorder (SUD). In fact, Massachusetts is the <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter123/Section35">only state in the nation that incarcerates innocent individuals</a> when inpatient beds are unavailable (i.e., those who have committed no crime but are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others).
Let's imagine you are a Massachusetts resident with an alcohol or drug addiction. You are likely insured, but cannot or have not obtained treatment. Anyone who suspects you to be suffering from SUD can file a petition to have you committed (e.g., police officer, physician, spouse, relative) - thus triggering a summons to appear in court. A failure to appear before a judge results in automatic issue of a warrant for your arrest - not for a crime, but for suffering from an untreated illness.
We know that incarceration does not treat, and may well exacerbate, SUD. In fact, substance abuse is disproportionately prevalent in prisons, affecting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/09/us/drugs-or-alcohol-linked-to-80-of-inmates.html">80% of inmates</a>.
Now, eight years after Massachusetts's healthcare overhaul - legislators are starting to take notice. Once again, healthcare is following the money.
In Massachusetts, the methadone business is booming. After prescription opioid manufacturers raked in <a href="http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Portals/da/PDFs/webdoc/diversion%20and%20dissemination%20of%20controlled%20substances.pdf">$11 billion in profits</a> in 2010, the largest <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/04/12/while-heroin-epidemic-rages-bain-seeks-profit-drug-treatment-centers/SVDjqnSOcsZKzhoTm6imKJ/story.html">line of methadone clinics</a> saw an increase in net income of over $4 million between 2011 and 2012, up from a deficit of $46 million in 2010. The company's deputy chief clinical officer <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/04/12/while-heroin-epidemic-rages-bain-seeks-profit-drug-treatment-centers/SVDjqnSOcsZKzhoTm6imKJ/story.html">attributes profits to healthcare reform</a>: "We've pretty much convinced the country now that this is a health care issue. This isn't about bad people trying to become good. This is about ill people trying to get well."
Perhaps not coincidentally, Massachusetts legislators are viewing SUD in a new light. Governor Patrick recently approved <a href="http://www.mass.gov/governor/pressoffice/pressreleases/2014/0327-governor-declares-public-health-emergency.html">$20 million in treatment funding</a> - a tiny, but significant, step towards keeping the innocent out of jail. The state's House and Senate are addressing the issue as well. For example, pending bills propose <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/Senate/S921">limiting incarceration for SUD to 10 days</a> (currently a patient can be <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter123/Section35">jailed for up to 90</a>) and increasing insurance coverage of SUD treatment by both <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/House/H948">public</a> and <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/Senate/S1959">private plans</a>.
Lawmakers are acting in accordance with public support; <a href="http://www.wbur.org/2014/02/20/state-officials-drug-abuse">83%</a> of those polled in 2013 agreed that treating, rather than criminalizing, SUD would reduce crime. Budgetary constraints are also at play; the Commonwealth spends <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eopss/docs/eops/publications/secretery-accompany-letter-the-corrections-master-plan.pdf">over $47,000 per year</a> on each inmate.
Perhaps, as heroin addiction becomes a (very public) white person problem, Massachusetts will lead the nation not just in healthcare reform, but also in recognizing SUD as an illness just like any other. That, indeed, would be a silver lining to a devastating public health problem.
This post originally appeared in <a href="http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/billofhealth/2014/06/12/a-drug-epidemics-silver-lining/">Harvard Law's "Bill of Health" blog</a>. It has been reprinted with permission from the author.

The Heroin Epidemic Has A Silver Lining

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/537a5c706bb3f7b547ea9724-1200-924/kids-inheritance.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="kids inheritance" width="480" /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kit4na/7389298222">Flickr/Tatiana Vdb</a></div></div>If you are a parent who worries about what your wealth will do to your children, you are not alone.
Many clients want to leave money to their kids, but they are concerned that their children are ill-equipped to handle <a href="http://www.pacificawealth.com/" target="_blank"> sudden wealth</a>.
Some worry that by providing too much money, they will rob their children of the ambition and hard work that it took for them to amass the wealth. And it's not just parents who worry. At least one beneficiary has reservations.
CNN news-show host Anderson Cooper is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt - a successful fashion and interior designer and daughter to the Vanderbilt railroad and shipping empire who is believed to be worth $200 million. Is Anderson chomping at the bit for an inheritance? No. Here is what Anderson said recently in an interview with <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/howard-stern/" target="_blank">Howard Stern</a>:
<a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonforb.es%2F1mRE7Nd&amp;text=Anderson%20Cooper%20says%20%E2%80%9CI%20don%E2%80%99t%20believe%20in%20inheriting%20money.%20I%20think%20it%E2%80%99s%20an%20initiative%20sucker.%20I%20think%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20curse.%22" target="_blank">"I don't believe in inheriting money,"</a> he said. "I think it's an initiative sucker. I think it's a curse," Cooper went on to say. "Who has inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their own life?" When Stern reminded him that his mother did this Anderson responded, "I think that's an anomaly."
What is your view of inherited money? Is it an "initiative sucker" or can it be used to create a better and more fulfilled life? In my <a href="http://www.pacificawealth.com/wealth-management/#sudden_wealth" target="_blank">sudden wealth management firm</a>, I've found that the answer is a resounding YES to both! Yes it can cause some to lose their drive and ambition, but with the proper work and structure, those who inherit can use the money as a tool to create meaningful lives of their own. But for many parents who are not convinced their children are ready to handle wealth, they are not idly sitting by hoping their children have a sudden flash of financial acumen. No, these parents are taking matters into their own hands.
If you are concerned about gifting or leaving your children an inheritance, consider these popular strategies:
<h3>1. Give your kids a financial test.</h3>
Each person can gift up to $14,000 (in 2014) per year to as many people as they wish without any gift tax consequence. If you are married, both you and your spouse can give $28,000 per person. Parents are gifting their children money without any restrictions or rules and then sitting back and watching what happens. How will your children handle a $5 million inheritance? Why don't you see what they do with $20,000 first? Do they save it? Do they ask for help? Do they pay off debt? Do they blow it in Vegas?
<h3>2. Use incentive trusts.</h3>
The fear of many parents (and apparently Anderson Cooper) is that too much money can squash ambition and drive. The image that keeps many affluent up at night is the idea that their kids will be robbed of zeal to make an impact - this same zeal and inner drive that pushed them to make their own mark on the world.
The solution for many parents is to use incentives within a trust rather than leaving a large inheritance outright. The incentives can be as creative as you can imagine. For example, a common incentive - euphemistically called an "investment banker clause" - calls for trust distributions that match the child's income. If Suzie makes $75,000 from her job, the trust will distribute to her $75,000 each year. If her younger brother Johnny spends too much time playing Xbox and only makes $22,000 a year, the trust will distribute just $22,000 to him. The built-in incentive with this clause is, of course, to make money.
But what if Suzie wants to join the Peace Corps? You can add language that will ensure distributions if your child is involved in a non-profit. Again, the sky is the limit when it comes to drafting who gets what and when. Newport Beach estate planning attorney <a href="http://ferruzzo.com/staff/cbarrett.asp" target="_blank">Cheryl Barrett</a>, says "I often build educational incentives in parents' and grandparents' trusts that are designed to reward the beneficiaries' educational accomplishments."
For example, the trustee might be directed to disburse $10,000 upon attainment of a Bachelor's degree and $20,000 upon attainment of a Master's or Doctorate degree. While Barrett acknowledges that a degree is not a guarantee of a beneficiary's personal success, she states, "The pursuit of it requires vision, goal setting, and engagement with other motivated individuals, all of which enhance a beneficiary's likelihood of success."
<h3>3. Tie distributions to ages and events.</h3>
Think back to when you were 20 years old. Would you have been emotionally and intellectually mature enough to handle a large inheritance? Many parents create their trust so that their kids get a small amount of money each year and larger amounts when they reach certain ages (e.g., 30, 35, 40). They will also allow for trust distributions to pay for college expenses, weddings, or house down payments.
A popular strategy is to distribute income from the trust assets when the kids are young and then to distribute principal when they are older and, ideally, have a career and greater financial sophistication.
<h3>4. Get your kids involved in a personal foundation.</h3>
If you have children still living with you, creating a personal foundation can be a wonderful opportunity to support causes you believe in, get a nice tax deduction, and more importantly to our point, teach kids about money.
One of my clients sold his business and overnight was worth more than $25 million. He and his wife had three young kids and they were worried that the dad's strong work ethic would be lost on the kids now that they could have anything they wanted.
We created a personal foundation, and because it was required to disburse 5% of the foundation's balance each year, we gave each family member the responsibility of researching a cause and donating 1%. This got each of the kids excited about their own cause and seeing how their money could have an impact. It was a great learning experience for the whole family.
<h3>5. Give without giving cash.</h3>
There is another win-win alternative to outright gifting. <a href="http://www.thompsoncoburn.com/people/find-a-professional/jeffrey-lewis.aspx" target="_blank">Jeff Lewis</a>, an estate planning attorney in Los Angeles likes this approach.
Lewis says, "Many of my clients have started using their annual federal gift exclusion ($14,000 as of this writing) to directly pay down either an adult child's mortgage principal or school loans. This will make a significant difference to the child's future financial position, while not putting that amount of cash in their hands today."
Many parents realize that mortgages and school loans are substantially larger now than in their time, so helping to reduce that huge burden is a rewarding proposition for both generations. Lewis continues, "Be sure to check there are no pre-payment penalties or other negative loan consequences."
As a parent, you want what is best for your kids. It's natural and reasonable to worry how a large inheritance will affect their drive and choices for life. With some planning, money can be a tool that enriches their lives rather than an anchor that drags them down. Consider the strategies above and talk to your financial advisor and estate attorney for more ideas.

How To Give Your Kids Money Without Destroying Their Initiative

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52273a2eeab8ea8e26edd91f-603-452/nightlife-2.png?maxX=480&amp;maxY=360" border="0" alt="nightlife" width="480" height="360" /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirjoran/8056865514/">Flickr/mirjoran</a></div></div>Editor's note: A version of this post appeared on <keyword id="274437" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Quora">Quora</keyword> in answer to the question, <a href="http://www.quora.com/How-do-I-survive-life-as-an-M-A-associate-at-a-top-law-firm">How do I survive life as an M&amp;A associate at a top law firm</a>? We are republishing this answer with the author's permission.
A few practical tips, most of which you probably already use:
Live within short walking distance of the office: I paid about $600-800 more in monthly rent to live in midtown east so I could have an average walking commute of 7 minutes (4 if I run and the crosswalk lights work out). Studies show that commuting is one of the unhappiest activities for most people - this is especially true if you don't look forward to your job. By living close enough that a walk home takes as much time as a bathroom break, you can roll the dice more often and return home for activities like lunch, a quick shower or nap, walk your dog, peck your significant other on the cheek, etc. You'll have your blackberry and if anyone asks, you were taking a dump in the bathroom or out getting coffee.
Get a home office: buy, set up, and practice using: a fast printer, copier/scanner, a quality speakerphone/headphone setup, fax machine, laptop, and basic office supplies. Work remotely from home as much as possible. Just don't try to treat your roommate or spouse like your secretary...
Keep basic toiletries and snacks in your office. It's fairly routine to walk into one of the firm's bathrooms at 2 or 3 a.m. and see someone brushing or flossing their teeth. Be that person. Given all the downtime where you'll need to be sitting around waiting for a call, you can relegate certain hygienic activities/chores like cutting your nails or getting a haircut. Find a decent barber, shoeshine, deli, dry-cleaners, chiropractor (you're going to get back pain from all the sitting), pharmacy, and gym near the office. Keep an extra suit and tie, gym clothes, cough drops, plastic utensils, shoes/slippers, sweatpants (AC in some offices can get frigid at night), etc. for those late nights and early mornings. Keeping a Kindle and an iPad (or laptop) in your office won't hurt either.
Join a gym or sports team. Staying in shape will help your stamina and keep you in better mental health as well. You'll have an easier time staying awake when you need to and falling asleep when you have the chance to. Joining a team (e.g., soccer, softball, biking) is even better because it will give you a social outlet outside of work but can be more difficult to maintain because of your crazy and unpredictable hours.
Be disciplined about what you put into your body. Don't make a habit of getting beer/wine with lunch unless it's socially expected (e.g., entertaining a client or a summer associate). Try to avoid drinking to excess or by yourself. Try to be healthy on Seamless. Stick to sushi and salads as often as you can, and do not feel obligated to max out your meal allowance. Just because you can spend up to $35 on dinner doesn't mean you should. Try not to drink coffee after 3-4 pm as it may affect your ability to fall asleep later that night. Do NOT take adderall, coke, or any other drugs to stay awake and alert; or any sleeping pills, weedm or other substances to fall asleep - you will begin to form dependencies. Remind yourself constantly that our profession has the highest rates of depression and substance abuse/addiction.
Maintain your friendships and interests outside of law. This will be difficult after you cancel plans at the last minute on your high school or college buddies for the 20th time due to a deal or case blowing up, but it is crucial for your mental health to not be constantly surrounded by colleagues who almost all hate their jobs but can talk about nothing else even when outside of work.
Decide what your goals are. If you know already that you don't care about making partner, then you can push back a bit more when the assigning partner or associate calls. If you are considering in-house opportunities, then you should try to develop deeper relationships with your counterpart(s) on the client's side. Having a light at the end of the tunnel to work towards also helps keep your endurance and spirits up.
Treat your peers and subordinates with as much or more respect than the partners. As a junior associate, you have the least leverage when it comes to getting quality support. The only way to make the super competent paralegals want to work for you is to be nicer to them than other associates (e.g., don't make people stay late unless absolutely necessary - do NOT make a junior associate or para stay late just because 30-45 minutes of work MIGHT materialize later in the evening; sack up and do it yourself if that happens; provide regular, unsolicited updates on deal or case status and impending deadlines; if anyone below you on a deal f---s up and the partner or client notices, own up to it as if it were your own mistake). Get to know the schedules of your team. If the first year working under you has volleyball on Tuesdays, do everything you can to avoid making her stay late on those nights. If a para wants to stay late 2-3 times a week to get the overtime pay, then try to accommodate him.
As far as your peers go, there's no reason to act like the job is a competition even if you intend to treat it like one - maybe especially if you decide to treat it like one. The most ambitious associates at the firms I've worked at were also the ones with the most pleasant facades who tried to be friends with everyone. Nobody rises to the top without allies. Being respected and liked by your peers and your subordinates will show the partners and clients that you are pleasant to work with/for and that you can effectively manage and mentor others. It'll also make your life easier. For one of the last deals I was staffed on, the senior partner called everyone into his office for a preliminary team meeting early on and talked for 20 minutes about how delighted he was to be working with us and how much he hoped we'd enjoy this deal; then he concluded by turning to me and the other junior and saying: "Oh, by the way, as the deal goes along, if one of you notices that you're no longer being cc-ed as much on emails or given as many assignments, it just means I think you're stupider than the other one." Afterwards, I made it a special point to emphasize to the other junior that I a) did not think of myself as more senior just because I was a 2nd year while he was a 1st year since we were both on rotation and new to this particular practice group; b) already had one foot out the door and thus was not competing with him in any way; and c) thought the partner's speech made him sound like a d-bag. We got along marvelously, and he made my life easier by covering for me and keeping me updated at several crucial moments during the deal.
Constantly consider and evaluate your exit options. Even if you intend to stick it out and try for partner, it's good to know what your other choices are. Unless you've already experienced a string of months where you billed 400+ hours and pulled multiple all-nighters but felt like it was a cakewalk, assume that you will burn out at some point. It's just a matter of time. Make it a point to stay in touch with headhunters. Let them take you out for coffee every few months. Keep in touch with your classmates and colleagues (both current and former) to see what industries they're in (or considering switching to) and what opportunities there are outside of biglaw. I know so many lawyers who left to join a startup or found a food company or travel the world like a bum. Hearing those stories is important. If nothing else, it will make you feel more in control and valued because you will know that you're making a deliberate choice by staying. You're choosing to stay here over all your other wonderful options - not because you don't have any other choices. The moment it stops being worth it, you'll have a headstart on jumping ship.

How To Survive Life At A Big Corporate Law Firm

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