Looks like the House is getting ready to vote to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling in return for…. stripping members of Congress, their staff and White House appointees and employees of their Obamacare subsidies. Sounds good to me.
What Obamacare Will Cost You
Okay, it's arrived (despite Ted Cruz's embarrassing attempt to kill it). Obamacare is here. For most of us who are employed, it'll probably mean some kind of change in our health coverage. But of course, Obamacare wasn't meant for people who already had coverage; it was meant for those who didn't. And when we are all covered, that works to everyone's benefit. So, … Read More
A Cure For HIV On The Horizon?
It looks like scientists have discovered a vaccine which removes SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus — the monkey equivalent of HIV) from primates. If SIV can be removed from monkeys, it shouldn't be long before HIV can be removed from humans. I would think. P.S. Reasons to be optimistic
By Any Other Name
Republicans still very down on 'Obamacare' but significantly more supportive of the so-called 'Affordable Care Act.'
Death Of A Talking Point
The main takeaway from an exhaustive new study of premiums on the Obamacare health insurance marketplaces by nonprofit, nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation: They’re generally going to be lower than expected. KFF on Obamacare Premiums I know. You're not going to read it. But here's the bottom line: Marketplaces premiums are coming in below initial estimates. The expected monthly premium for … Read More
Actions Have Consequences, Part XXVIII
Q. The senior pastor at a Texas megachurch often speaks from the pulpit against vaccines. The church's position is that one should seek guidence from God, the Word. What is the result? (a) God, the Word, takes care of everybody.(b) The senior pastor gets a Ph.D. in medicine(c) There is an outbreak of measles which not only affects members … Read More
It Turns Out That People Like The Alternative to Obamacare, Known As “Obamacare”
This anecdote, reported by Jason Cherkis after attending an event in Louisville, speaks to a fascinating larger phenomenon. A middle-aged man in a red golf shirt shuffles up to a small folding table with gold trim, in a booth adorned with a flotilla of helium balloons, where government workers at the Kentucky State Fair are hawking the virtues of Kynect, the … Read More
Better People Than Me
Caleb Howe is a writer for the rightwing blog RedState. And he's one of those bloggers — a pure hater. Take, for example, how he laid into Roger Ebert for no apparent reason other than he disagreed with Ebert. That's only a small sample. Howe loves being that way. He prides himself being that way. True, he did eventually apologize (sort of) for … Read More
Sabotaging Obamacare
Look, you can't intentionally derail a train, and then say that the train didn't work. But that's just what Republicans and Tea Party leaders are planning to do with Obamacare: "The Republican strategy is to focus on messages that this is not working in states where the law is still unpopular with voters and where there are really going to … Read More
House Republicans Will Vote Tomorrow — For The 43rd Time — To Unsuccessfully Repeal Obamacare
They know it is an exercise in futility, because even if (for some reason) the House Republicans manage to pass a vote to repeal Obamacare, the Senate won't take it up OR pass it, and even if THAT happened, Obama will never sign the repeal into law. So it's a symbolic thing. That's okay. Symbolism has its place. But this … Read More
Epidemic
CDC says 7.3% of all deaths in US last week were from pneumonia, flu, which is above epidemic threshold of 7.2%. 47 US states have reported widespread flu activity; 24 states, New York City had 'high activity' in flu-like illnesses last week.
Papa John’s Takes A HIt
HuffPo: The opinion of Papa John's among recent casual diners dropped precipitously after CEO John Schnatter's public comments about Obamacare, according to a new study from YouGov BrandIndex, which researches brand perception for marketing directors, brand managers and PR reps. The site conducts thousands of interviews a day, providing real-time info that shows trends and responses to different marketing techniques or … Read More
Comparing Healthcare Plans
The Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan indepedent group, did the math and looked at where we will be in the future under Obama's Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), and under the Romney plan. I love graphs and charts. They speak volumes. Let's start with what things will look like if NOTHING is done: Now, under OBAMACARE: Now, under the ROMNEY plan: It's … Read More
Romney: Can’t Afford Health Care? Go To ER!
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says, what's the big deal about universal health care anyway? You people who can't afford car elevators can just go to the emergency room. WASHINGTON — Downplaying the need for the government to ensure that every person has health insurance, Mitt Romney on Sunday suggested that emergency room care suffices as a substitute for the … Read More