Displaying 0 To 0 Of 0 Comments A sidebar – had that poor man lived, to Issa and his ilk, he’d be just another greedy public employee living off the fat of the land. The only good public employees are dead public employees in the GOP eyes. » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 3:52 pm One important point Planeteers – if you HAVE insurance through any means such as your employer, this does not impact you except that by 2014 your private insurance will also have to provide the same FREE (no copay, no deductible) preventive coverage as new insurance must now. The tax issue is that we have to provide ER and other medical coverage that is now uncompensated. It’s only right people help support it. If you have insurance, you’re fine, no extra charge. Nobody worry. » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 9:21 am funk dear – if you want to see what you can save with ACA if your family makes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level ($90K for a family of 4 in 2012) you can go to Wikipedia and look up the Affordable Care Act. There is a chart on private insurance costs at different income levels. Now I don’t know what your state is doing, but in CA and I believe any other can do this, there is an ADVANCEABLE tax credit on sliding scale up to that 400% FPL. Your state exchange will peg total coverage at the ‘bronze’ level – if you need more there will be an extra charge, but it’s pretty minimal. I understand some of your situation. This is also for you! » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 9:18 am kes – the only flaw in most people’s reasoning was often predicting 6-3 to uphold. Kennedy’s opinion will be interesting to read since he made clear he “got” the issue of requiring people to support their own health care costs since it’s the ONLY thing we as society’s members are required to give as an essential service. How he came to his conclusion is baffling until we can read his rationale. I really don’t care why this happened. I’m thrilled it did! » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 8:48 am Amen, KQ, amen! » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 8:12 am I was on Scotusblog at 6:45 am my time, waiting, worrying, fearful. First words – mandate upheld as a tax, and I burst into tears! It was done. I am still reeling from the decision being pushed by ROBERTS. I don’t believe in miracles, but… The Turtle and Romney’s people are insisting this drives us all away from private insurance. BS! If you have it, you’re fine. If you want insurance, you will be subsidized up to $90K for a family of four. At the lower end of the scale, people will be given an ADVANCE tax credit so they can pay for their insurance without going out of pocket the first year. For middle income people or families, this is around $1200 per YEAR as opposed to $12,000! Very low deductibles meaning it’s NOT Romneycare which has a $5000 deductible per person per year. It’s made MA insurance unusable for too many people. This is excellent with dozens of things free for which you do not have to dip into the deductible including expensive preventive tests such as colonoscopies. Medicare has the same coverage. Also, Medicare part B premiums dropped from $115 to $90. The Boners and McConnells and everyone can whine and LIE, but this is excellent. This ruling is SO GOOD that it will quickly become obvious to people they can finally breathe and not worry about losing a job and thus coverage, about getting sick, or about having a pre-existing condition that will render them helpless. Lie all you want, ReThugs. The truth WILL set us free! » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 8:11 am KQ – I burst into tears when Scotusblog said the mandate survived as a tax. Those were the first words. The rest, I knew, would come out OK. The one thing they shot down was a GOOD thing – the feds cannot penalize states that elect NOT to expand Medicaid by withdrawing funds for those already on Medicaid. I like that. It was the one provision that troubled me, and now it’s been rendered moot. I am shocked Kennedy voted the whole thing down. Roberts was the last of the non-crazy wing of the court I thought would support it. He saved the whole thing. He and Ginsburg don’t agree on the reasoning, but they came to the same conclusion. I am so happy – this was years of work by so many of us, and to have it survive is fantastic. For single payer folks – it CAN be expanded even if state by state – into single payer. The public option that now exists, the High Risk Pool, may be retained as a foot in the door should we elect to use it that way. If you could enroll healthy people in that pool (naming it something else) it would be amazing. KQ – for you, for Boomer, for everyone in the Pool now, this one’s for you. » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 8:03 am I’ve been thinking of you, Boomer! For you and KQ and everyone who has been helped by ACA – this is grand news! Let Boehner whine, whine, whine. It’s the best he has to offer! Kennedy, BTW – would have struck ACA down in its entirety. Our hope in him was definitely misplaced – whoda thunk ROBERTS would be the one to uphold it! » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 7:31 am ACA HAS BEEN UPHELD – IT’S CONSTITUTIONAL INCLUDING THE MANDATE AS A TAX!!! ROBERTS VOTED WITH THE LIBERALS. DON’T KNOW THE FINAL VOTE, BUT IT IS ALL CONSTITUTIONAL!!! EVERYONE ON HIGH RISK POOL – YOU’RE FINE! WE CAN MOVE ON!!!! For more info go to http://www.scotusblog. http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/06/a-readers-guide-to-health-care-ruling/ They will have the written interpretation soon. O FRABJOUS DAY!!! This is HUGE and wonderful news for people in America!!! » Posted By choicelady On June 28, 2012 @ 7:20 am This just started, Sue. It’s the new creation under Citizens United. One of my organizations is a c-4 and we just got new power!!!! Thank you CU!!!! Oh. Wait. We have no money. Uhhhh – never mind. But that right for c-4s to obscure unlimited funds just began, so actually the investigation is right on top of the development. Bet that pisses Rove off to a fare thee well! » Posted By choicelady On June 27, 2012 @ 9:33 pm If there is not a balance restored and soon, the entire system will crumble. And the outcomes will NOT be pretty unless we are prepared for seizing the opportunity to do what works even locally and begin rebuilding a diverse economy with far greater local autonomy. » Posted By choicelady On June 27, 2012 @ 9:30 pm What Marx and Engels posited though is that nothing that capitalists will do will help preserve the system. It is so structurally disastrous by this point that it CANNOT be sustained. By sucking the life out of the economy, they have eviscerated their own markets and purchasing power, and they have made themselves so illegitimate the system will crumble. Marx may well have been correct about the structural flaws, but socialism is NOT the necessary outcome. Fascism is one, and dis-integration and return to more local modes of production and decision making is another. Marx had very flawed pre-capitalist historical assessments which harmed his understanding of modes of production other than corporatist (private or governmental). His prescriptions are very weak because of that. He nailed global capital fine, and I see it coming true daily that it’s cracking under its own weight. But people are not lock-step, and the potential for many and diverse alternatives to global disintegration is very real. The challenge is to seize the opportunities for things other than corporatism – private or governmental. » Posted By choicelady On June 27, 2012 @ 9:28 pm Lordie – IHOP is the promised land? I was holding out for Wendy’s… » Posted By choicelady On June 27, 2012 @ 9:22 pm Oh honey – that Bible stuff? That’s for other people. You know – gays and wimmin and stuff. CLEARLY God meant for rich guys to get richer. Why “the Family” shows that the Apostles were BUSINESSMEN. So clearly the rich elite are MEANT to be God’s Elect and to rule the world. Gosh – I’d have thought you’d figured that out now. Those Biblical rule thingies? Those are for YOU. Not for them. There. Don’t you feel better now? » Posted By choicelady On June 27, 2012 @ 9:21 pm I agree – I was shocked it was totally overlooked by MSM and many others. One GOOD thing – CU leaves open the door entirely for full disclosure. States, if they wish, can demand upfront disclosure on who are the funders for anonymous “citizens for” and “people against”. CA already has that for the top two AND there is a bill circulating for that disclosure in advertising, NOT just on the Fair Political Practices Commission website. This is a critical beginning – sunshine is legally possible, and you know what happens when you turn over rocks and let light shine on the critters underneath. » Posted By choicelady On June 26, 2012 @ 2:52 pm One of my former cats, no longer of this world, was a tiny little calico who chased a German Shepherd down the street. She was about 6 pounds, and the sweetest little thing ever, but she brooked NO nonsense from dogs who feared her and kept their distance! Sharp claws turneth away stupidly naive dogs. I had three cats including her. They were a team that added a neighbor’s cat who came in and spent the night. We kept a front window cracked to let them come and go (all “found” street cats who needed to be outside.) If one was missing or we heard a cat fight down the block, I’d get up, put on my robe and head out the door followed by the remaining cats out the window. We’d process in a line to the corner, find the missing cat or cats, and all process back. No one ever went off on his or her own. This usually happened about 3 am. Always wondered if anyone saw the parade and what they thought of it. It’s one of my most fond memories. » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 8:05 pm I firmly believe that he thinks if a state doesn’t want Black people, it has the right to bar them at the border. He has certifiably LOST it. When justices start going off the track, NO precedents or case law or anything, I think they should be quietly asked to step down or if they will not, then quietly taken away, tra la. Anyone know of a precedent on removing a justice who has gone totally off his nut? » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 7:57 pm He must be happy with Scalia who wrote that all states are sovereign and therefore can ban ANYONE they don’t want in their borders. There is no precedent for that, no law, no nothing, but Scalia is wedded to that proposition. Of course he says the Constitution does not cover women, so… Can we remove a justice for senility? » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 7:30 pm It has been posited that yes, you could pay a tax and get covered. It also could be carrot/stick time – no you don’t have to buy it but when you do if you’re sick it will be much more pricey. There are many ways around this, and PBO is ON IT already and has had backup plans since March 22 2010. » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 7:28 pm I have a watchcat. She once nearly attacked the cable guy because, without being properly introduced, HE TOUCHED HER HOUSE. I had to hold her back or she’d have clawed the daylights out of him. Or into him. I think you could do worse than having watchcats. But they do require good food. Salmon would be the preference. Not too much to pay given what they are guarding. » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 7:25 pm Stupid would be the operative word. » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 7:23 pm In 1978 as I was driving south from Santa Cruz to LA, I turned onto Hwy 101 to encounter a fog of pesticides from an aerial spray. Rolled up the windows and drove about four miles through the haze. All along the road, little critters were trying to escape, dying by the side of the road. In a nearby field? Farm workers. This has got to stop. There are LAWS we have enacted at least in CA to end the contamination of our fellow humans, known as “illegals”, “wetbacks”, and every other disgusting epithet. But they are human beings. They have NO health insurance, not even under ACA, and they die regularly from toxic exposure, never mind heat and dehydration. Enough with sacrificing them so we can have cheap food and never care. Protestant denominations have a grace -“Dear Lord thank you for this bounty we are about to receive. Bless the hands that grew it, the hands that harvested it, the hands that processed it, and the hands that served it. Amen.” And we go out with them and fight for them and work to keep them healthy and alive. It’s NOT too much to pay for. » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 7:22 pm I have some hope that the questions by both Kennedy and Roberts may reflect some sense. They wound up making a clear distinction between forcing someone to buy blue jeans and requiring that people take responsibility for paying for the care society is MANDATED to provide in case of sudden illness or accidents. Uncompensated care in ERs and hospitals is costing taxpayers huge amounts annually. Society is not required to give you clothing, broccoli, or anything else, but we ARE required to try to keep you alive and patch you up enough to stabilize you. Since ER costs are socialized, this places health care into the realm of flood insurance, auto liability insurance, helmets for motorcyclists, etc. The decline of the latter mandates in a large number of states is boosting the health care demands on our system. Those arguments were made, and I believe those arguments were heard by both Kennedy and Roberts possibly even by Scalia. Today’s ruling striking down the most horrific provisions of the AZ state immigration law gives a sparkling hope that LAW, not politics, CAN enter into this court’s decision making. We won’t really know until Thursday, but there now is some hope. While pundits and constitutional analysts are betting AGAINST the survival of the individual mandate, today’s immigration ruling was a shock to those who believed SCOTUS would uphold it. They largely did NOT. Even if the mandate is struck down, there are alternatives to get people to purchase insurance when they are healthy. Here is a very good look at the possibilities from Ezra Klein. Note the link to the GAO assessment of what could replace the mandate. There are nine possible alternative policy possibilities. All may not be lost no matter what. Saying that this administration is scrambling to find alternatives is wrong. These have been in place for years since the White House and HHS take very little for granted regarding the Supremes. Take a look at Klein’s assessment and use the links to more. » Posted By choicelady On June 25, 2012 @ 9:27 am It seems to matter WHERE you post your thoughts. There are many and sundry threads, and if you’re among friends, no one will report you. I picked up the “Three Words Obama Will Never Say” not realizing it was a RW screed. Then, going into that thread, I got banned. Had I stayed on the line where all of us post, it would not have happened, and I would have replied to people of like mind. Just be careful about WHERE you go is all! But Twitter has no safety valve, no vetting, just robo-censorship. That’s a serious weakness. » Posted By choicelady On June 20, 2012 @ 10:00 pm Hi-did read the story, and apparently on Twitter it entirely depends on whom you piss off or don’t. If enough complaints, blocks, reports come suddenly, you’re banned, never mind why. So it does matter WHERE you post your tirades! That’s what I mean about choosing your sites wisely. Hell – the Dominionists et al. won’t read anything where PPOV has a thread anyway. » Posted By choicelady On June 20, 2012 @ 9:57 pm Just a note – in Ohio there is a curtailing of drilling because they suddenly had earthquakes. But there is huge nuance here – some companies CAN do this fracking well without contaminating the ground water. The earthquake lull is giving Ohio time to make far better decisions about who is and who is NOT qualified to frack. That should help. PA must do the same and not let the fly by night cheapos do this and ruin the groundwater. It is not an essential part of fracking. » Posted By choicelady On June 20, 2012 @ 9:55 pm These folks who worked at RG are known to me. My ex has documented the plant and knows a lot of the men and women working there. They are NO fans of Romney and his ilk. RG was profitable. Not spectacularly but profitable. This OUGHT to be ripe for an employee buy-out especially at the write down price the current “investor” has put on it. People don’t realize that by shedding the pensions and health care AND by taking the accelerated depreciation permitted upon plant closing that the “investor” can actually become an actual vulture, feasting on the dead carcass. The government gives you CASH back to start over. Nothing goes to the employees, of course. When Bethlehem shuttered the Lackawanna plant south of Buffalo, NY, it got almost ONE BILLION from the government. Supposedly it’s a give back of back taxes, but no WAY does a plant PAY that. Anyway – it means years of profit are free since taxes are returned to the corporation and hence their bottom line enrichment. For the moment. But no – the employees of RG will NOT be voting for the GOP this year. Or ever. » Posted By choicelady On June 20, 2012 @ 9:51 pm Oh wow – I’m sorry you’re not finding your dream home! We bought our house from the owners, and it saved us about $30K which is about the ONLY reason we’re not underwater. I hope something pops soon – you deserve a GREAT place, GREAT location, preferably with a water view. We will keep fingers crossed something marvelous comes your way SOON! » Posted By choicelady On June 20, 2012 @ 9:45 pm It’s kind of alarming, and that’s the truth. I like Twitter. Lesson learned – do NOT follow RW threads! » Posted By choicelady On June 20, 2012 @ 9:39 pm Well, Sally I made my mea culpa (you have to check two boxes) and tonight they insist I was NOT cut off. Yeah. Right. They have auto triggers apparently, and if suddenly some RW geeks complain about you, you’re toast. I will NOT tell them to look out for you. They’ll BAN you before you open a Twitter feed! There are NO principles that I can see – anyone can ban anyone else. So I’m going back to my usual haunts now that I’m “reinstated” and apparently have my record expunged. Bah! » Posted By choicelady On June 20, 2012 @ 9:38 pmComments Posted By choicelady
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/what-happens-if-the-individual-mandate-falls/2012/04/04/gIQAVnoivS_blog.html
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