I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

RetiredLibby · October 2013

NBC reported that there will be no NTSB investigators at the Tennessee church bus crash. You should see the comments on the story. My God, are people stupid and evil. There are a whole lot of people who don't know why a bus crash should be investigated (*sigh* A bus under the regulation of the DOT because it carries people in interstate commerce? Hellooooo?) and they think that the Federal government investigating a bus crash in Tennessee is overreach, because the locals can investigate it. Never mind the regulatory aspects ... This was a commercial bus. Maybe there is a safety flaw common to those brands of busses. Or the tires - one tire blew and the bus went out of control and crossed the median. That should not happen. But people are clueless about how much the government does for them every day ... Every product they pick up, every bite of food they eat, the cars they drive, the clothes they wear, the medication they take, the water they drink, the air they breathe, the houses and buildings they live and work in, the roads they drive on, the currency and credit cards they use, the banking they do, their mortgages, their loans ....

I despair of the comprehension level in this country.

RetiredLibby · October 2013

It's woooooorrrrrkkkkinnnnggg! Hahahahahahaaaaa!

From Maddowblog:

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/10/03/20803111-im-so-happy-that-this-came-along?lite

'I'm so happy that this came along'

By Steve Benen - Thu Oct 3, 2013 11:09 AM EDT

Tuesday was the first day of the government shutdown, but it was also the first day in which uninsured Americans could take advantage of the open-enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act. Whether one considers this a positive development or not is apparently a matter of perspective.

So too are perceptions about whether things are going so well so far.

Much of the news coverage seems to have focused on overwhelmed online servers, which have struggled to keep up with demand. Joan McCarter, however, emphasized that there are many reports from across the country of satisfied consumers and strong public demand.

Obviously, in a nation as large as the United States, there will be plenty of anecdotal evidence to bolster just about every possible argument, but Sy Mukherjee talked to an Arkansas man yesterday who offered a perspective that ought to terrify Republicans.

Butch Matthews is a 61-year-old former small business owner from Little Rock, Arkansas who used to wake up every morning at 4 A.M. to deliver canned beverages to retailers before retiring in 2010. A lifelong Republican, he was heavily skeptical of the Affordable Care Act when it first passed. "I did not think that Obamacare was going to be a good plan, I did not think that it was going to help me at all," he told ThinkProgress over the phone.

But after doing a little research, Matthews eventually realized how much the law could help him. And on Tuesday, his local Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) provider confirmed that he would be able to buy a far better plan than his current policy while saving at least $13,000 per year through Arkansas' Obamacare marketplace.

Matthews assumed he wouldn't like the Affordable Care Act, but he also didn't like his current plan, the price of which kept climbing while covering fewer costs.

So he got the facts on his own, signed up through an exchange, and is poised to save an enormous amount of money.

Matthews told Mukherjee he would encourage other Obamacare skeptics to "learn more about it before they start talking bad about it." He added, "I still am a very strong Republican, but this ... I'm so happy that this came along.... [T]his is going to be a great help for us."

It would appear, then, that Butch Matthews is the Republican Party's worst nightmare.

Here's an older white Republican man in a "red" state who assumed the Affordable Care Act would be bad for him and his family. Then he got educated. Then he signed up. Now he's happy.

Why are Republicans furiously fighting to destroy the Affordable Care Act, especially right now? Because will be plenty of folks like Butch Matthews out there who'll have health care security and more money in their pockets as a result of the reform law.

And that's the exact opposite of the Republicans' partisan goals. The key is to kill Obamacare before Americans get to know and like it. People can argue about the merits of a movement predicated on the need for public ignorance, but it's clear that the better the public understands the Affordable Care Act, the worse it will be for the GOP.

Jonathan Cohn added today, "With every day, more and more people are discovering that Obamacare is a source of security -- and a way to get the heath care they have always needed. This is the reality Republicans have always feared. Confronted with the reality of Obamacare, rather than the right's distorted version of it, people will cherish it."

--------------------------------------------end

If you or someone you know has had a major illness like breast cancer and you don't want people to have affordable health insurance that really covers them, you are a terrible person.

djd · October 2013

This morning, I received a mass email from one of my neighbors, encouraging all of us to vote for another neighbor who is running for a local office. I almost gagged when the email BRAGGED on her Teahadist bonafides. I wrote back to ask who else was running, because the last thing we need is another TP'er in government. I received no response (yet). LOL

crazy4carrots · October 2013

I hope you replied "to all", Donna.

pupmom · October 2013

Republicans want something from Obama, so they can save face before caving. Here it is:

crazy4carrots · October 2013

The Cruelty of Republican States in One Chart

Paul Waldman

Today, 1:03 PM

Many people are talking today about this article in today's New York Times, which focuses on the particularly cruel doughnut hole created when the Supreme Court allowed states to opt out of the expansion of Medicaid in the Affordable Care Act. The problem is that if you live in a (mostly Southern) state run by Republicans, you have to be desperately poor to qualify for Medicaid under existing rules. But it isn't until you get to 133 percent of the poverty level ($31,321 in yearly income for a family of four) that you're eligible for subsidies to buy insurance on the exchanges, because when the law was written the idea was that everyone under that income would get Medicaid. When all those Southern states decided to refuse the Medicaid expansion in order to shake their fist at Barack Obama, they screwed over their own poor citizens. So millions of people will be caught in the middle: not poor enough to get Medicaid, but too poor to get subsidies on the exchanges. But when we say "not poor enough," what we're talking about is people who are, in fact, extremely poor. And you'll be shocked to learn that in those states, the poor are disproportionately black. Could that have anything to do with it? Heavens, no!

In any case, I thought it might be worthwhile to lay out in one handy chart how, state by state, this will affect people. Under pre-ACA law, each state sets its own eligibility level for Medicaid. In more liberal states, these levels are fairly high; for instance, Massachusetts gives Medicaid to families up to 133 percent of poverty, New York up to 150 percent, and Minnesota up to 215 percent. But in conservative states, the levels are far stingier; as someone in the Times article says, "You got to be almost dead before you can get Medicaid in Mississippi." In addition, in most states childless adults can't get Medicaid no matter how poor they are, but under the ACA it will no longer matter whether you have children. This is just one more way conservative states that forego the Medicaid expansion (for which the federal government is picking up almost the entire tab, by the way) are harming their own citizens.

On to our chart. One note: most states have different levels for working and non-working people; the levels are higher for those with jobs. I've used the figures for working families. The bars in red are the states that have rejected the Medicaid expansion, and as you can see, almost all of them are clustered at the lowest end of the eligibility spectrum. That means that the states where the Medicaid expansion would have done the most good for the most people are precisely those states where Republican governors and legislatures have told their poor citizens that they're out of luck.

When you look at these income eligibility levels, you see just how cruel the existing system is. For instance, in Alabama, you can't get Medicaid if your income exceeds 23 percent of the poverty level, or $4,500 for a family of three. Just think about that for a second. Do you think you could find a place to live, pay your bills, and feed your family on that income? But the state of Alabama says if you're that rich, you can afford to buy health insurance. In Texas, the state that will be depriving the most people of insurance by rejecting the expansion, only families under 25 percent of the poverty level, or $4,894 for a family of three, will be eligible for Medicaid. I'm guessing that's about what Rick Perry spends on boots every year.

It may be that in the next few years, many of those states will give in and accept the money, instead of making their poorest citizens the victims of their loathing for Barack Obama. Let's hope.

Wabbit · October 2013

Donna ... good for you!

Here is something else to chew on when you are talking about the benefit of having health insurance vs not having health insurance. Here are some examples from my real life recently ...

Ambulance trip - billed $1330 - insurance negotiated amount accepted - $360

XRay - billed $500 - insurance negotiated amount accepted - $85

Visit to oncologist - billed $312 - insurance negotiated amount accepted - $180

Emergency room doctor charge - billed $970 - insurance negotiated amount - $160

If you are uninsured you will be charged and expected to pay those original billed amounts.

If you have insurance ... even if you have to pay a bill yourself due to deductibles or co-pays ... the amounts will be less in a very big way. You will save a significant amount of money merely because you will get the advantage of negotiated rates. And that applies to each and every medical service you receive.

The ACA is making it possible for more people to have health insurance and receive that benefit.

And by the way that $970 was just for the doctor who was in the room for about 5 minutes. One 3 hour visit and the total 'billed' was in excess of $7000. People do not realize how quickly they can rack up back breaking medical bills.

RetiredLibby · October 2013

Oh funsies in DC - reports of shots fired near the Capitol. Lots of police presence, Capitol is on lockdown. Apparently on the House side. Republicans should be salivating .... They hate the DC gun ban. Isn't this what they want? This is what you get with unrestricted so-called "Second Amendment" rights. I just hope no innocents were killed.

crazy4carrots · October 2013

Wabbit -- Are you saying that the "insurance negotiated amount accepted" means that your insurance company paid out, for example, $360 for the ambulance, and you had to pay the rest

OR

that your insurance company negotiated the cost down to $360 and paid it in full?

Sorry -- we very fortunate universal healthcare coverage folks are befuddled (and also amazed that those costs are so ridiculously high to begin with).

pupmom · October 2013

THE US CONGRESS IS UNDER ATTACK!! Shelter in Place and reports of some casualties, maybe tourists!

Chickadee · October 2013

Rumor has it the shots were near Cruz's office. Right now the media are just speculating.

pupmom · October 2013

Heard (rumor?) one Capitol police has been injured. The attack started at the White House. It was an attempted breach of security.

Anonymous · October 2013

Love the Stutzman quote - it's really gone viral, and I can't wait to hear what Jon Stewart does with it.

Tom Friedman was on NPR this morning, elaborating on his column from Monday. Someone called in trying to draw an equivalency between Reagan working with Tip O'Neil with what's happening today - and he stormed the caller with the FACTS - those two often compromised, worked together to develop a BUDGET. But what's happening today, is as if Tip O'Neil said, we'll only fund the budget if you repeal "StarWars." ( Remember SDI?)

It really is terrorism, what's going on now. AFA is not a bill, it IS THE LAW. Now it must be funded with everything else the Congress has agreed to. Just cuz this crew of 30 or so teahadists weren't in office when the LAW was passed, doesn't mean it isn't the law!!! Jeez...

Chickadee · October 2013

OMG I think we should stop listening to these so called journalists until they have FACTS.

For all we know joe blow drove too far up N Capitol street on a drug run shooting at the guy who owes him money.

pupmom · October 2013

Lol, Chicky, I hope it is that simple. I'm seeing a policeman on a gurney being put into the ambulance right now.

ananda8 · October 2013

Here is the Arkansas Health Connector (Obama Care). It may not be the best program in the natio-we are a purple State- but it's not bad and user friendly.

https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/individual/#state=arkansas

I just thought some of you might want to see what a State run exchange looks like.

Bren-2007 · October 2013

Carrots .. What Wabbit was saying is that if you do not have insurance, you have to pay the first amount. If you do have insurance, that company has negotiated for a lower rate with the hospital. etc. The patient is NOT required to pay the difference. The unisured who have to pay full freight more than make up the difference.

Pretty much the insurance companies run the world down here.

hugs,

Bren

Bren-2007 · October 2013

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/03/breaking-reports-of-shots-fired-on-capitol-hill/?hpt=hp_t1

The link is to CCN with news about the shootings.

RetiredLibby · October 2013

Yep. Confirmed Cap policeman shot, choppered to hospital. Started out as an attempted breach at the White House. Car chase down Penna Avenue, shots fired, Cap policeman shot.

Started out as an attempted breach at the White House.

ETA: Cap officer injured, not shot, perhaps vehicular in nature.

pupmom · October 2013

I think they have a woman under arrest. Or she may be dead. So much confusion!

IllinoisLady · October 2013

Well I too had read the piece about Stultzman and was going to put it in.....so good I came and read first. I'm really horrified at any elected person making statements like that. It is already extremely tiresome that so many are trying so hard to castigate the Pres. It has little chance of working since It has been based from the first on some other worldly idea. Yet it keeps coming. I guess I should just think about the part where they look about as smart as a mud fence....that is crumbling. I quit saying anything about the stupid party for awhile. All bets are back off.

So onto what has come in since I have been gone to work and what other good graphics may be floating about. The wrecking ball is not swinging left....it is still bouncing only far right.

Jackie

IllinoisLady · October 2013

The reason I like Bernie Sanders.

RetiredLibby · October 2013

Reports now that the female driver who attempted to breach the White House was shot in an exchange of gunfire. It is possible the Cap police officer was injured by the vehicle and not shot.

Unclear whether driver/shooter is alive.

It will be interesting to see what she says if she is alive and if they allow it to be reported.

IllinoisLady · October 2013

No explanation needed:

IllinoisLady · October 2013

Partly where the stupid of THE GOP originates:

IllinoisLady · October 2013

pupmom · October 2013

RL, yes indeed. Also I heard she had a child in the car with her!

IllinoisLady · October 2013

RetiredLibby · October 2013

I'm hearing that now too, Yorkie. Appalling.

IllinoisLady · October 2013

Don't I wish it could be.................

I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

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