affordable care act

What’s up with all the Obamacare/court things today?

You may be aware that there’s been some Obamacare news today. At issue is some imprecise language in the law as passed. You see, the Affordable Care Act set up the idea of exchanges, or marketplaces where a consumer could compare and buy health insurance. It was expected that each state would run their own exchange, but if a state couldn’t or wouldn’t, then the federal government would step in an run an exchange. Another part of the law set up a system of subsidies, so that if a customer couldn’t afford health insurance, then the federal government would assist financially....

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Alex Chilton: Likely or unlikely victim of the debacle that was the health care system?

Over at NOLA.com, there’s a spectacular overview of Alex Chilton’s life in New Orleans, where he lived mostly anonymously and quietly for over 28 years. I recommend you read it if you care about music at all (because you should care about Alex Chilton if you like music at all). This part, however, kind of struck me: At least twice in the week before his fatal heart attack, Chilton experienced shortness of breath and chills while cutting grass. But he did not seek medical attention, Kersting said, in part because he had no health insurance. So, rock...

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Just some quick numbers

So many folks have been saying all year that health insurance was not a high priority, and that the White House should have put off health care and worked on employment instead. Now, of course it’s more important to have a job than health insurance, but there is just one quick comparison I want to make: Over 46 Million people in the United States do not have health insurance. Over 16 Million people in the United States do not have a job. Just a little perspective.

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Seal the Deal!

I spent much of the morning watching “Washington Journal” on C-SPAN. Nutters are pisssssed. That said, most of the anger seems to be about the ‘process’ and the ‘back room deals.’ Now, I’ve seen no formal analysis , but based on what I know thus far, most deals were over policy and did not happen more than usual. I have to assume that people complaining about ‘process’ are new to watching legislation happen and either (a) don’t like our system or (b) don’t understand what is happening. Either way, fuck it, we have healthcare and that should...

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