COVID-19 & Healthcare

Tea-Publican Congress critters refusing to do constituent services

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The lifeblood of any congressional office is constituent services. Helping your constituents resolve problems they may have with navigating government agencies makes them happy and grateful, and it reflects well on you as an elected representative that you know how to get things done.

The Hill reports that ideological extremist Tea-Publicans are actively trying to undermine the federal health care system by refusing to help their own constituents navigate the system:

People regularly call their representatives for help with Medicare,
Social Security and other government programs. Yet, Republicans believe
healthcare reform spells doom for the federal budget, private businesses
and the U.S. healthcare system. They're also enormously frustrated that
the law has persevered through two elections and a Supreme Court
challenge and believe a botched implementation could help build momentum
for the repeal movement.

Some Republicans indicated to The Hill they will not assist
constituents in navigating the law and obtaining benefits. Others said
they would tell people to call the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS).

Sen. John McCain warns the GOP not to take the country hostage again

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

HostageThe Tea-Publican Party is an anti-government party. They are not interested in sound government policy, they are an insurrection bent on destroying government.

The Tea-Publicans' favorite economic terrorism tactic is to manufacture a crisis to take the country hostage and threaten to kill the hostage unless their extortionary demands are met. They have done this time and time again, without apparent consequence to them for their seditious conduct. The corporate "lamestream media" dismisses insurrection and sedition against the government of the United States as "The new normal" and simply a negotiating tactic. It is not. It is economic terrorism and is not to be tolerated.

I warned you about this back in April, Tea-Publican economic terrorists threaten to take the country hostage, just because they can, quoting Jonathan Bernstein:

The plain truth here is pretty obvious: Republicans love the idea of
extorting concessions in exchange for agreeing to a debt limit hike, and
are determined to do it even when they don’t actually have any real
policy demands. It’s just extortion for extortion’s sake.

That’s what a “post-policy party” really looks like.

The latest Tea-Publican terrorism threat is the “kill Obamacare or else” demand: the GOP will refuse to continue to fund the government and force a governnment shutdown in a last-ditch attempt to coerce Democrats into surrender to their 39 votes (and counting) to kill "ObamaCare."

President Obama Spanish-language television interviews: ‘En Vivo desde la Casa Blanca’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

For the first time ever, the White House invited four local
Spanish-language television anchors to participate in the “Live from the
White House” series, or in this case “En Vivo desde la Casa Blanca.” President Obama sat down for interviews with the four Spanish-language television stations on Tuesday. From the White House blog, Local Spanish Language Television Reporters Attend "Live from the White House" Series:

During this full day of behind-the-scenes and special
access, each reporter had the opportunity to interview President Barack
Obama. “Live from the White House” is an initiative which provides
reporters outside of the Beltway a unique opportunity to cover the
President and the Administration.

Spanish language television anchors from Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles
and New Jersey/New York City were given the opportunity to broadcast
Tuesday from a special location on the South Lawn and attended briefings
with some of the President’s top advisers on issues that are important
to their Latino audiences like healthcare and immigration reform.

The Affordable Care Act is saving Americans billions

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

President Obama today explained how the Affordable Care Act is putting money
back into the pockets of millions of Americans thanks to a provision in
the health reform law that requires insurance companies spend 80 percent
of its customers premiums on medical care, rather than administrative
costs. Remarks by the President on the Affordable Care Act.

FACT SHEET: Middle Class Americans Saving Billions under the Health Care Law’s Medical Loss Ratio Refunds

Health care reform is saving Americans billions. See the Infographic.

Video below the fold.

New report finds premiums in the Health Insurance Marketplace will be nearly 20 percent lower in 2014 than previously expected

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report on Thursday that analyzes the 2014 premiums in
the Obamacare insurance marketplaces in 11 different states, including
Virginia, Colorado, Ohio, and Oregon. Surprise! New report finds competition lowers premiums by nearly 20 percent in the Health Insurance Marketplace:

New report finds competition lowers premiums by nearly 20 percent in the Health Insurance Marketplace

Affordable Care Act gives consumers access to better coverage at a greater value in 2014

HHS
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report that finds
premiums in the Health Insurance Marketplace will be nearly 20 percent
lower in 2014 than previously expected.

The Affordable Care Act
requires health insurers in every state to publicly justify any premium
rate increases of 10 percent or more.  Health insurance companies now
generally have to spend at least 80 cents of every premium dollar on
health care or improvements to care, or provide a rebate to their policy
holders.  In addition, when the Health Insurance Marketplace opens for
enrollment on October 1, 2013 consumers will be able to make apples to
apples comparisons of quality health insurance plans.

“Today’s
report shows that the Affordable Care Act is working to increase
transparency and competition among health insurance plans and drive
premiums down,” said Secretary Sebelius.  “The reforms in the health
care law ensure consumers will have access to better coverage at a lower
cost in 2014.”