COVID-19 & Healthcare

Ohio Tea-Publicans restrict women’s reproductive health care

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

While all eyes were on Texas last week and the people's filibuster led by state Sen. Wendy Davis, Tea-Publicans in Ohio demonstrated how to get things done in the dark while no one is paying much attention. Like cockroaches.

Former FAUX News host and Governor of Ohio, John Kasich, signed into law an appropriations bill this week that contains some of the most onerous and restrictive anti-women's reproductive health measures in the country. I fail to see how these substantive legislative measures are germain to an appropriations bill — perhaps this is grounds for a legal challenge — but that is how Tea-Publicans roll in Ohio. Surrounded By Men, Ohio Governor Signs Stringent Abortion Restrictions Into Law:

Flanked by a group of other male officials, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) signed a contentious two-year budget bill
into law on Sunday evening. The governor vetoed 22 amendments to HB 59
before approving it, but he left intact several provisions that will severely limit women’s reproductive access.

The new budget, which takes effect on Monday, includes at least five
new anti-abortion provisions. HB 59 will defund Planned Parenthood
clinics, reallocate family planning funding to right-wing “crisis pregnancy centers,”
strip funding from rape crisis centers that give their clients any
information about abortion services, impose harsh restrictions on
abortion clinics that will force many of them to shut down, and require
doctors to give women seeking abortion information about the presence of
a “fetal heartbeat.”

Taken together, the budget amendments ensure that Ohio now has some of the most stringent abortion laws in the nation.

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So how exactly does this help GOP rebranding after its War on Women?

Governor Goodhair ‘mansplains’ to Wendy Davis

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Governor Goodhair, Rick Perry of the theocratic Republic of Texas Gilead (literary reference to The Handmaid’s Tale), was none too happy about state Sen. Wendy Davis leading a people’s filibuster to defeat his anti-abortion measure. Doesn’t this little lady know that women are supposed to be subservient to their men folk and to be seen and not heard? How dare she violate the law of God (according to these religious extremists).

Read this disturbing report by Forrest Wilder in the August 2011 issue of Texas Observer, Rick Perry’s Army of God. The movement is called the New Apostolic Reformation. Believers fashion themselves modern-day prophets and apostles:

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[T]wo Texas pastors, Tom Schlueter of
Arlington and Bob Long of San Marcos, who called on Perry in the
governor’s office inside the state Capitol. Schlueter and Long both
oversee small congregations, but they are more than just pastors. They
consider themselves modern-day apostles and prophets, blessed with the
same gifts as Old Testament prophets or New Testament apostles.

The pastors told Perry
of God’s grand plan for Texas. A chain of powerful prophecies had
proclaimed that Texas was “The Prophet State,” anointed by God to lead
the United States into revival and Godly government. And the governor
would have a special role.

* * *

If they simply professed unusual beliefs,
movement leaders wouldn’t be remarkable. But what makes the New
Apostolic Reformation movement so potent is its growing fascination with
infiltrating politics and government. The new prophets and apostles
believe Christians—certain Christians—are destined to not just take
“dominion” over government, but stealthily climb to the commanding
heights of what they term the “Seven Mountains” of society, including
the media and the arts and entertainment world. They believe they’re
intended to lord over it all. As a first step, they’re leading an “army
of God” to commandeer civilian government.

In Rick Perry, they may have found their vessel. And the interest appears to be mutual.

Read more

The filibuster against tyranny in the Texas Lege succeeds!

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Texas state senator Wendy Davis achieved what many people thought was the impossible: she filibustered tyranny in the Texas Lege. The tyrants threw in the towel and gave up around 3:00 a.m. this morning. Dewhurst declares abortion bill dead, blames 'unruly mob: (paragraphs reordered):

DavisDavis’ filibuster had passed the 10-hour mark, and the Fort Worth
Democrat was still going strong, when Republicans were able to stop her
from speaking with a ruling that she had violated the Senate’s
filibuster rules for a third time. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s ruling
shortly after 10 p.m. cleared the way for a simple majority of the
Republican-led body to vote to halt a filibuster that had gained
national attention, including recognition from President Barack Obama.

Dewhurst’s
ruling prompted many in the spectators’ gallery erupted in anger, with
shouts of “Shame!” giving way to sustained chants of “Let her speak!”
All business in the Senate was halted for several minutes until order
could be restored and a large group of spectators ordered to leave the
gallery.

That was nothing compared to the ruling that cut off all debate, leading to a final vote on Senate Bill 5.

State
Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, had appealed the ruling, and upset
Democratic senators rose to make a series of parliamentary inquiries,
working to draw out the debate until the special session ended at
midnight.

Republicans moved to cut off debate, with Sen. Robert
Duncan, D-Lubbock, who was leading the Senate, declined to recognize
several Democrats’ calls to be recognized to speak. Pandemonium
followed.

A filibuster against tyranny in the Texas Lege

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Oh, good golly Miss Molly [Ivins], we sorely miss your wit and wisdom on the Texas Lege today.

Before a packed chamber and gallery, Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis began a
dramatic filibuster Tuesday morning designed to block passage of a
controversial and politically charged anti-abortion bill. Davis' filibuster to stop abortion bill continues:

DavisBecause the special legislative session will end at midnight, the
Fort Worth Democrat could succeed if she continues talking on Senate
Bill 5 without interruption.

Leaders in the GOP-controlled Senate
who want the bill to pass said at mid-afternoon they were considering
invoking a little-used rule to end the filibuster with a vote, a move
that other Republicans had earlier vowed not to use. They planned to let
Davis talk the day out — as long as she stays within the rules for such
speeches, with no leaning on her desk or no pausing or straying off the
subject.

[And no potty breaks.]

There was no immediate indication when the move might take place.

Davis said she intended to talk until midnight.

 

HealthCare.gov debuts

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The White House this morning is rolling out a new Web site, HealthCare.gov,
which is designed to help health insurance consumers navigate the new
landscape when the new marketplace of exchanges starts on October 1st.

Since Arizona opted not to set up its own insurance exchange, the federal government will do it for us. The HealthCare.gov web site is the place for you to get information.

Sarah Kliff at Ezra Klein's Wonkblog writes today, Obamacare starts in 99 days. These 99 things need to happen before then:

Obamacare hit a pretty important milestone this weekend: The law is now
100 days away from its main provisions coming into effect. That means
the administration is pretty much in an all-out sprint to set up an
infrastructure by which millions of Americans will soon purchase
insurance coverage.

It will be orchestrating the largest expansion of private health
insurance in the country’s history. That means there’s a huge amount of
work to be done over the next few months. There are at least 99 things
that need to happen between now and October, and I’ve got a list to
prove it. Much of this is informed by the Government Accountability Office report
that came out last week, on the next big steps that need to happen on
health exchanges. Some are big, some are small but all are pretty
necessary to making the law work.

Here they are: