Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Friday, August 02, 2013
And finally some words of wisdom from our friend Neil deGrasse Tyson.
It would be such a better world if people were to take this message to heart.
Wickersham's Conscience on your sidebar has profound astronomical information today. You probably read everything that is on your sidebar, but just wanted to remind you that his post today is kind of relevant to NdGT stuff and universal wonderment.
Tomorrow the House of Representatives is poised to take its 40th vote to repeal Obamacare. To mark the occasion, here’s a quick rundown of 40 ways that Obamacare is already working for millions of Americans and will impact more beginning in 2014.
1. Say goodbye to lifetime limits: Insurance companies will no longer be able to place an arbitrary cap on coverage.
2. Children can no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
3. Starting in 2014, adults will no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
Free preventive care, including:
4. Annual check-ups
5. Contraception
6. Vaccinations
7. Gestational diabetes screenings
8. Mammograms
9. Screening and counselling for HIV
10. Cholesterol screenings
11. Colonoscopies
12. Blood pressure screenings
13. Cancer screenings
14. Osteoporosis screenings
15. Young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26.
16. If insurance companies aren’t spending your premium dollars on your health care—at least 80 percent—they’ve got to give you some money back.
17. Insurance companies can’t raise your rates by double-digits without justification.
18. Insurance plans can’t require higher co-payments or co-insurance if you get emergency care from an out-of-network hospital.
19. Women will no longer be charged more than men just because they’re women.
20. The health insurance marketplace will be ready to go in every state starting October 1 of this year.
21. No-hassle comparisons: The online marketplace provides easy access to information on all available plans, so you can do a side-by-side comparison and find a plan that works for you.
22. Many Americans will be eligible for financial assistance to help them buy health insurance on their own, so you can afford a plan that will be there if you get sick.
23. When you buy insurance through the marketplace, premiums can be determined based only on these four factors: where you live, how old your are, how large your family is, and whether or not you are a smoker.
24. In the marketplace, you can choose a plan that matches your budget and needs: Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze.
25. By 2020, the Medicare prescriptions drug “donut hole” will be closed for good.
These are the essential benefits that all health plans in the marketplace must cover:
26. Ambulatory patient services
27. Emergency services
28. Hospitalization
29. Prenatal care
30. Neonatal care
31. Mental health services
32. Prescription drugs
33. Rehabilitative services and devices
34. Laboratory services like bloodwork
35. Preventive care
36. Wellness services
37. Chronic disease management
38. Pediatric services, including oral and vision care
39. Lower prescription drug costs for people on Medicare.
40. These states are already foreseeing dramatic drops in premiums: New York, California, Nevada, Connecticut, Oregon.
There you have it. 40 ways Obamacare is helping and will help Americans—benefits the House of Representatives is about to try to take away for the 40th time.
Excellent! I'm glad they're laying it out like that. It's amazing that some people in this country are willing to go against their own best interests.
I have a young daughter who was diagnosed this year with a chronic illness. She will be on medication the rest of her life and will need regular doctor visits. We have great health insurance through my husband's job but I worry that if he has to or wants to change jobs, she would be denied coverage. Obamacare could literally be a life saver for us.
It's great for the States whose Governors adopted and accepted the plan, however, in Alaska, we are still on the Federal Exchange and won't see much benefit from the ACA. Lowest I've seen is $189 per month for a $10,000 deductible and then $479 per month for a $5000 deductible. The tax penalty will only be about $1000 per year for people in my income range as opposed to the higher per month fees for insurance with outrageous deductibles. Won't be taking part, will take my chances with the emergency room and hospital bills I can never pay if I get sick.
Wickersham's Conscience on your sidebar has profound astronomical information today. You probably read everything that is on your sidebar, but just wanted to remind you that his post today is kind of relevant to NdGT stuff and universal wonderment.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile
ReplyDeleteFrom our president’s FB page:
Tomorrow the House of Representatives is poised to take its 40th vote to repeal Obamacare. To mark the occasion, here’s a quick rundown of 40 ways that Obamacare is already working for millions of Americans and will impact more beginning in 2014.
1. Say goodbye to lifetime limits: Insurance companies will no longer be able to place an arbitrary cap on coverage.
2. Children can no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
3. Starting in 2014, adults will no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
Free preventive care, including:
4. Annual check-ups
5. Contraception
6. Vaccinations
7. Gestational diabetes screenings
8. Mammograms
9. Screening and counselling for HIV
10. Cholesterol screenings
11. Colonoscopies
12. Blood pressure screenings
13. Cancer screenings
14. Osteoporosis screenings
15. Young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26.
16. If insurance companies aren’t spending your premium dollars on your health care—at least 80 percent—they’ve got to give you some money back.
17. Insurance companies can’t raise your rates by double-digits without justification.
18. Insurance plans can’t require higher co-payments or co-insurance if you get emergency care from an out-of-network hospital.
19. Women will no longer be charged more than men just because they’re women.
20. The health insurance marketplace will be ready to go in every state starting October 1 of this year.
21. No-hassle comparisons: The online marketplace provides easy access to information on all available plans, so you can do a side-by-side comparison and find a plan that works for you.
22. Many Americans will be eligible for financial assistance to help them buy health insurance on their own, so you can afford a plan that will be there if you get sick.
23. When you buy insurance through the marketplace, premiums can be determined based only on these four factors: where you live, how old your are, how large your family is, and whether or not you are a smoker.
24. In the marketplace, you can choose a plan that matches your budget and needs: Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze.
25. By 2020, the Medicare prescriptions drug “donut hole” will be closed for good.
These are the essential benefits that all health plans in the marketplace must cover:
26. Ambulatory patient services
27. Emergency services
28. Hospitalization
29. Prenatal care
30. Neonatal care
31. Mental health services
32. Prescription drugs
33. Rehabilitative services and devices
34. Laboratory services like bloodwork
35. Preventive care
36. Wellness services
37. Chronic disease management
38. Pediatric services, including oral and vision care
39. Lower prescription drug costs for people on Medicare.
40. These states are already foreseeing dramatic drops in premiums: New York, California, Nevada, Connecticut, Oregon.
There you have it. 40 ways Obamacare is helping and will help Americans—benefits the House of Representatives is about to try to take away for the 40th time.
Excellent! I'm glad they're laying it out like that. It's amazing that some people in this country are willing to go against their own best interests.
DeleteI have a young daughter who was diagnosed this year with a chronic illness. She will be on medication the rest of her life and will need regular doctor visits. We have great health insurance through my husband's job but I worry that if he has to or wants to change jobs, she would be denied coverage. Obamacare could literally be a life saver for us.
It's great for the States whose Governors adopted and accepted the plan, however, in Alaska, we are still on the Federal Exchange and won't see much benefit from the ACA. Lowest I've seen is $189 per month for a $10,000 deductible and then $479 per month for a $5000 deductible. The tax penalty will only be about $1000 per year for people in my income range as opposed to the higher per month fees for insurance with outrageous deductibles. Won't be taking part, will take my chances with the emergency room and hospital bills I can never pay if I get sick.
DeleteI live in NY. the cheapest insurance that was available to me was $1600 A MONTH.
Deleteso I went without health insurance for 4 years.
I'm very excited for these changes to come into effect.
[chella]
Agree!
ReplyDeleteThat's why Congress' approval rating is eight (8) percent!
ReplyDeleteI needed to read this today! It's not a new idea for me but I haven't been too successful implementing it recently. Many thanks.
ReplyDelete