Month: September 2013

The Affordable Care Act is making health insurance more affordable

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

About 6.4 million Americans will be able to purchase insurance for less than $100 each month on Obamacare’s new state-level marketplaces, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services, Think Progress reports. Under Obamacare, Millions Of Americans Will Pay Less Than $100 Per Month For Health Insurance:

The Obama administration calculated the expected premiums for people
buying “silver” plans, which are the second-cheapest option on the new
insurance marketplaces. Even though not every marketplace has announced
its premium rates yet, researchers were still able to estimate those
payments based on the health law’s rule for determining subsidies.

[See Subsidy Calculator | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.]

Americans who make up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level —
which works out to be $94,200 for a family of four — are eligible for
subsidies that ensure they’ll only pay a certain percentage of their
income for a health plan. Using census data on Americans’ income levels,
researchers were able to extrapolate how many of them would be paying
less than $100 for monthly premiums for silver plans.

Countdown to the Health Insurance Marketplace

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

10-days-to-open-enrollment_originalDid you know that in just 4 easy steps you and your family could be on
your way to getting quality, affordable coverage through the Health
Insurance Marketplace? Learn all you can now so you’ll be ready to apply for health coverage, compare plans side-by-side, and enroll in a plan on October 1.

Here is the latest information from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to educate the public on the Health Insurance Marketplace:

Item 1: Obama Administration announces a coordinated effort to prevent and detect consumer fraud in the Health Insurance Marketplace

On Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez met at the White House to kick off a comprehensive interagency initiative to prevent, protect against, and, where necessary, prosecute consumer fraud and privacy violations in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Representing key state partners in this critically important effort to protect consumers were Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger. Senior White House officials also attended the meeting.

Sen. John McCain on the GOP’s ‘suicide note’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

When he is not hyperventilating for a war, Sen. John McCain has occaisonal moments of lucidity when he actually makes sense. The scary part is, he is one of the few Tea-Publicans making sense right now when it comes to their economic terrorist hostage demands to "defund 'ObamaCare' or we will kill the economy!" In a CNN interview this week, McCain compared this to "a suicide note."  McCain to House Republicans: Don't shut down government:

Sen. John McCain said Washington is "in for some
very serious problems" and called on his colleagues in the GOP to tone
down the warnings of a government shutdown.
"Republicans ought to understand if we shut down the government,
Congress always gets blamed–rightly or wrongly–Congress gets blamed,"
the Arizona Republican said Monday on CNN's "New Day." "We've seen the movie before. It's just some of them weren't around at the time; I was."

* * *

McCain said there needs to be a "willingness to negotiate" on both
sides of the aisle " because we all know we're not going to cut off
social security checks" and payments to those in the military fighting
overseas. "And for us to say you've got to repeal Obamacare in order to
get that done, as Charles Krauthammer [does], that's a suicide note."

House GOP kills comprehensive immigration reform

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Completing the trifecta, or "hat trick" for hockey fans this week in the House, the GOP has killed comprehensive immigration reform. Steve Benen reports, 'It's just not gonna happen now':

Though it got less attention, there was also a bipartisan House "gang" that's been [crafting comprehensive immigration reform legislation]. In May, the House lawmakers announced they were just about done with a comprehensive bill. And then again in June, they said the House bill was very nearly complete. And then in July, the House members said their bill really, truly was poised to be unveiled.

But
then, nothing. For all the periodic assurances about success, the
House's "Gang of Seven" was always standing in the doorway, ready to
enter, but unable to take the next step. Greg Sargent reports this morning that the bipartisan group is ready to call it quits.

In a blow to the hopes of passing immigration reform anytime soon,
the bipartisan House "gang of seven" plan is probably dead, and almost
certainly won't be introduced this fall as promised, a top Democrat on
the "gang" acknowledges.

"It doesn't appear that we're going to move forward with the group of
seven," Dem Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a key player on immigration as a
member of the gang, said in an interview with me. "The process is
stalled. I don't believe we're going to produce a bill anytime soon."

What seems to be the trouble? Gutierrez told Greg that
the Republicans in the "gang" haven't received support from House GOP
leaders, and just can't bring themselves to endorse the bipartisan
proposal. "It's just not gonna happen now," the congressman added.

An opening for a diplomatic initiative with Iran

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"Anyone can go to Baghdad. Real men go to Tehran."
— Senior Bush Official, May 2003

Remember this supremely arrogant statement from the Neocon war mongers who lied this country into an unnecessary and illegal war with Iraq, and triumphantly declared their willingness to take this country into another war with Iran?

President Barack Obama has an opportunity to turn this supreme arrogance on its head in a "Nixon goes to China" moment in U.S. diplomacy. I would not be suprised if this leads to a state visit by President Obama to Tehran in the next year or so in a major diplomatic initiative.

Obama's first opportunity will come at the United Nations next Tuesday. US
and Iran eye diplomatic defrosting at UN:

President Barack Obama and Iran's new president may meet briefly next
week for the first time, marking a symbolic but significant step toward
easing their countries' tense relationship. An exchange of letters
between the leaders already has raised expectations for a revival of
stalled nuclear talks.

* * *

Both Obama and Rouhani will be in New York next week for the annual
meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. The White House hasn't ruled out
the possibility of a direct exchange, though spokesman Jay Carney said
no meeting is scheduled.

Obama has long said he would be open to
discussions with his Iranian counterparts if Tehran shows it is serious
about curbing its nuclear program.

"There have been a lot of
interesting things said out of Tehran and the new government – and
encouraging things," Carney said Thursday. "But actions speak louder
than words."