Saturday, September 14, 2013

Florida Governor Rick Scott attempts to sabotage Obamacare launch by refusing to allow ACA navigators to work in his state.

Courtesy of the Miami Herald:  

The outreach workers known as navigators won’t be allowed to help people sign up for health insurance on the grounds of county health departments, according to a memo from the Florida Department of Health. 

The order from Deputy Health Secretary C. Meade Grigg went out late Monday to the 60 local health department directors across the state. 

Grigg declined to comment on the directive. But health department spokeswoman Ashley Carr said there was a need for “clarity” and “a consistent message” across the agency. 

“Navigators are not acting on behalf of the Department of Health and this program has raised privacy concerns due to the consumer information that will be gathered for use in a federal database,” Carr wrote in a statement. 

Health and Human Services Department spokesman Fabien Levy called the Florida directive “another blatant and shameful attempt to intimidate groups who will be working to inform Americans about their new health insurance options and help them enroll in coverage, just like Medicare counselors have been doing for years.”

Of course these navigators are crucial to the success of the Affordable Care Act.

This from Public Health Newswire:

To help consumers understand all their new options, the law is creating a formal “navigator” program and other in-person assistance programs designed to help consumers enroll and learn about how to access care under their new coverage. Organizations and health entities can apply to become formal navigators and educate and guide consumers through their application processes. 

Among the requirements, navigators must achieve certain training standards such as being equipped to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to their consumers, and maintaining knowledge about racial, ethnic, and cultural groups in their area. 

ACA workers who speak your language, understand the options, and are able to help you access the best and most affordable health care coverage available in your state. Yeah you can definitely see WHY the Republican Governors would fight that all the way.

You know I am beyond tired of of these obstructionist assholes doing everything in their power to keep people from accessing affordable health care.

There are REAL people out there suffering, and potentially dying, due to a lack of health coverage, and THESE bastards would rather keep them from getting the help they need rather than allow the American people to recognize that THEY have been fighting against a program that will greatly benefit them and their families once it is fully implemented.

It is time for Americans to vote this idiots out and pave the way for politicians who actually want to help their constituents rather than spend all of their time sucking Koch.


38 comments:

  1. I would think that since this is a Federal Law, implementation would also be part of that law and any moves to thwart that would be against Federal Law. In other words, it's illegal to keep these navigators from doing their jobs. Federal marshalls have been sent to many states to implement other Federal Laws so why not send them to Florida?

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    1. hedgewytch8:29 AM

      That's what I think too.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous6:24 AM

    This guy is a total jerk! Amazing that he was elected as I've not heard of one thing he has done well since being in office. He assuredly isn't supporting the people of his state!

    Just another Republican gov who is a joke to the rest of the nation!

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    1. Anonymous9:50 PM

      Sorry Gra*ma....states can refuse and repeal it. Read the 10th amendment of the constitution. Our forefathers were very intelligent men who wrote safeguards into the constitution for times like this. As an insurance agent who just attended a conference on the ACA, the premium won't be what you will want it to be plus you won't be seeing your same doctor or have the same plan as Obama promised unless you go to a plan that will have a premium 4 times higher than what you are paying now. Didn't Obama also say the average household would save $2500 per year in premium plus keep your plan and your doctor too? The GOP didn't design the plan. People involve in the democratic party designed it.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous6:49 AM

    Ch. 2 investigates complaints of availability of information for uninsured

    ATLANTA —

    Less than three weeks from now, uninsured Georgians will be able to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

    Georgia leaders left it up to the federal government to set up a health insurance exchange that will go online Oct. 1 at www.healthcare.gov.

    Channel 2's Lori Geary looked into complaints from some folks who say Georgia leaders are doing very little to help Georgians get information on the complicated new law.

    Health policy experts tell Geary there are between 300,000 and 600,000 Georgians who could qualify for health care subsidies under Obamacare.

    According to Families USA, a single person can qualify for a subsidy if he/she makes between $11,490 and $45,960. For a family of four, income must be between $23,550 and $94,200 to qualify. There will be four levels of health care coverage packages: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

    Many Democrats accuse Republican leaders in Georgia of failing to inform all Georgians about the options that will be available to sign up for on Oct. 1.

    "Let them know they need to be doing their jobs for Georgia, not partisan political posturing," state Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, said at a rally Thursday outside Republican Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens' office.

    Hudgens said he plans to be an obstructionist when it comes to Obamacare at a recent forum in Floyd County.

    Geary tried to get an interview with Hudgens on the issue but a spokesman for his office said he was traveling for the day and they were directing everyone with questions about Obamacare to the federal website.

    But when Geary looked on the State Insurance Commissioner's website, she couldn't find that information anywhere. She did find it easily available on other states' websites.

    On South Carolina's Department of Insurance website, the information was front and center. It was also on the home pages of Florida's and Alabama's Department of Health Insurance websites.

    Professor Bill Custer, who is a health administration professor at Georgia State University, says the state insurance website is normally the place you would find this kind of information, but not in Georgia.

    Custer is perhaps one of the few Americans who have read the entire law, which is more than 2,000 pages long. Custer adds, "Most states have started to provide consumers with information to help them get registered, making decisions or being aware of the actual choices. Georgia has not done that at all."

    Custer says, though, there's no reason to panic because the exchanges will be open for sign-ups on Oct. 1.

    Two agencies here in Georgia have received more than $3 million in grants to train so-called navigators who can guide people through the sign-up process.

    One is Structured Employment Economic Development Corp., known as Seedco. It's a national organization helping low-income households since 1987. The other is the University of Georgia, whose College of Family and Consumer Sciences and Cooperative Extension Service will provide navigators in several offices outside Metro Atlanta.

    http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/ch-2-investigates-complaints-uninsured-georgians-b/nZw5p/

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    1. majii3:58 PM

      I'm a UGA alumni. I read a couple weeks ago that one of the GOPers in our state legislature went running to Nathan Deal, our despicable governor, begging him to stop UGA from participating in the negotiator program. Deal can't do anything to prevent UGA from helping Georgians learn about Obamacare because our public colleges and universities are under the control of the Board of Regents. These RW politicians are doing everything they can to keep uninsured Georgians from learning about the Obamacare exchanges, but I think their need for health insurance will win out over these tools. If an uninsured citizen becomes ill, s/he won't be able to ask Deal, Hudgens, or any other GOPer to help them pay their hospital bills, so I'm hoping they'll put their self-interest over these hateful bums fear mongering.

      Delete
  4. Lucera7:20 AM

    In Living Colour Fire Marshall Bill played by Jim Carrey. Anybody remember him? That's who I see when I see Skeletor Scott. And those eyes!! Creepy with a capital C!

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  5. Anonymous7:30 AM

    I think J. K. Rowling is missing one of her deatheaters. It appears she will have to send him to rehab for meth addiction.

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    1. Anonymous1:05 PM

      Hilar!! I think that freak looks like the creepy preacher from the Poltergeist movies!!! "God is in his holy temple..." Bwahahaha!!

      Delete
  6. Anonymous7:30 AM

    In Arizona, the Republican legislature and some conservative group are suing Jan Brewer for expanding Medicaid. I don't like her at all but I have to give her credit on this issue. Shes trying to help all the uninsured and they want to stop her?? What is wrong with them????
    Do you know the biggest hospital in Phoenix sent a letter to all the staff supporting the ACA. It is going to help urban hospitals financially. I don't understand why all of these RW people are so against it.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Simple! Obama is black. That's the sum total of their reasoning. And no one can tell me I'm wrong. I don't care how that sounds, it is the only reason that can explain their unimaginably obstinate, and obstructionist behavior.

      Delete
    2. Boscoe8:44 AM

      "I don't understand why all of these RW people are so against it."

      Because they are possessed by the ghost of Ayn Rand. You have to understand that the primary motivator in the conservative brain is making sure no one gets a "free ride". (except themselves and their friends, but they find mental workarounds to justify that)

      This obsession overrules any potential good to anyone else.

      Look how long it took to get any kind of financial support for the medical issues suffered by 9/11 responders! It wasn't that it was a difficult decision, the republicans held it up for ten years because they were afraid a few people who didn't deserve the benefit might sneak in.

      They'll gladly let a thousand people suffer in order to stop five lowlives from stealing the benefit. I'll say it every day until the end of time; conservative thinking is a mental disorder.

      Anyway, it's just amazing to see how these people don't understand how they are going to be viewed by history. They're going to be right there next to the racist cops with the dogs and firehoses.

      Delete
    3. Ailsa9:30 AM

      Ah yes, Ayn Rand who received Social Security and probably Medicare -- just like most of the people who are against the ACA. Eedjits.

      Delete
    4. Maple9:30 AM

      Here's one piece of anecdotal evidence for you. Hubby's cousin who lives in Florida says she doesn't want to pay for anyone else's healthcare. She's a retired high school teacher, who enjoyed a yearly taxpayer-provided salary in Indiana, also has a partly taxpayer-provided retired teacher's pension, plus social security, plus medicare.
      A life-long Republican, and pretty smart and "with-it" in all other areas, she is totally blind and ideology-driven when it comes to Obamacare.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:45 AM

      If you go back in history, Republicans were against Social Security and Medicare. When Hillary Clinton worked to have healthcare for all in the U.S., when her husband was POTUS, the Republicans fought it then and stopped her endeavor.

      Thank you, President Obama for being the only POTUS that has been successful in this matter. You will hold a special place in history for having done this.

      And, the Republicans will be shown as nothing more than total assholes that do not give a damn about the people for whom they serve.

      I sincerely hope Americans are paying attention and will vote these folks out of office when they next come up for reelection. They need to be retired!!

      Delete
  7. Anonymous7:37 AM

    The gov looks absolutely 'nuts' in that photo! Look at his eyes! Creepy!

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  8. Ya know, these fucking, inbred, toothless pieces of shit deserve what they get, but they also hurt themselves. Dumb fucks.

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    1. Anonymous9:00 AM

      +1 Very eloquent comment, craigtamy! Dumb fucks. I live in Dumb fuck Louisiana and as badly as Bobby Swindler has fucked up healthcare-he had been the head of DHH and is all about privatizing and defunding health care in the state-at least they haven't banned the navigators from providing people information. Although I could be speaking out of turn, as there are still 16 more days to sabotage the program. Jindal's most recent privatization scam fell $39 million BELOW the estimates, http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/09/lsu_hospital_privatization_dea.html

      The good news, however, is this: He has dropped to the bottom of the 2016 candidates' list ( http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/07/bob... ):

      "Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is tied for last place in a new poll ranking possible Republican and Democratic contenders for the White House in 2016. One percent of respondents to the McClatchy-Marist poll released Wednesday said they would vote for the Baton Rouge native out of the entire GOP pack."

      Delete
  9. Beldar De Fund Conehead8:52 AM

    Obamacare, Oshmamacare!

    Seriously, who Obamacares???

    NOT ME!!

    I'm as a healthy as a goat (but... you know, a really healthy goat) and I don't need no stinkin' health care!

    (of course I do hope this double vision, drenching night sweats, racking cough and difficulty swallowing goes away soon)

    And if some day I do need it, I'll worry about it then!!

    And that goes for education, clean air and water, transportation and utilities infrastructure, resource management, population management etc.

    Was it El Rushbo, G. Beck or Sean Hammity who said it so eloquently: "THE BEST TIME TO WORRY ABOUT A PROBLEM IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS!!

    Words to live by, I say.... Words to live by.

    Need more proof that Obamacare is a disaster? An elderly relative of mine (Phineas McBrewster J. Conehead III, to be exact) fell recently and was taken to ER by ambulance. For 1.2 miles, the bill was $1250!!! Before Obamacare was jammed down our throats, that same trip would have cost THREE DOLLARS!!!!

    THANKS A LOT, OBAMA!!

    Now... in all fairness, I should point out that for $3, they tied a rope around your ankles and dragged you to the hospital behind a John Deere lawn tractor, but still...

    THANKS FOR NOTHING, OBAMA!!!

    DEFUND!!!
    DEFUND!!!
    DEFUND!!!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Ailsa9:26 AM

      I will be laughing about this one all day!

      My best wishes to Phineas McBrewster J. Conehead III. May he have a speedy recovery. If he doesn't have insurance, I for one am delighted to pay higher premiums so he can get the care he needs. However, given the cost of the ambulance service, should this happen again, may I suggest he calls a limo. It will be cheaper not to mention a more comfortable and stylish way to travel.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:25 AM

      An ambulance ride has never cost $3! Pure bullshit 8:52.

      Try writing something that is accurate and not full of lies!

      Delete
    3. *GinaM giggles @ 10:25AM*

      Oh Beldar my love...you've done it again. And what's up with you having alien babies with "angela"? I haven't signed those divorce papers yet!

      *GinaM arms crossed with a rolling pin at the ready(Wilma Flintstone style) tapping her shoe waiting on a reply*

      hehehehehehehe!

      Delete
    4. @Ailsa, you make a very good suggestion and actually, I tried to hire a $100/hour limo for the trip but they have a 1.5 mile minimum distance and a $1500 hazmat bodily fluids contamination cleanup charge on their leather seating so it wasn't a viable option.

      @10:25am: I will try (and almost certainly fail, if the past is any indicator of future results) to write with greater accuracy and fewer lies, if you will acknowledge that I only claimed that pre-Obamacare, being dragged behind a lawn tractor cost $3. I never suggested an ambulance ride was ever that reasonably priced.

      Delete
    5. Nah, Gina baby, it ain't like that. angela is cool. She's a friend, that's all.

      (angela, call me...)

      That was a long time ago anyway, seriously. What is today? September? Yeah, that thing with angela... that's more than a month ago. And anyway, it's... WHOA!!!

      Gina baby!! Did you get a new hairstyle? WOW!!! You're stunning!! And in this light, my god, you look like an angela!! Oops... I mean, you look like an ANGEL!! That's right, an angel, is what I meant.

      So.... That rolling pin you're holding... Does that mean you made biscuits for dinner? MMMmmmmmm.... Can't wait! And, baby, grab me a cold one, will ya... That's a good girl.

      Hey, before you do the dishes after dinner, save some time to massage my feet. That septic tank overflowed again and I was up to my knees. These dogs of mine are really barkin' today!

      What?? What now?? What did I say?? Why are you looking at me like that?

      Delete
    6. BJC

      "but they have a 1.5 mile minimum distance and a $1500 hazmat bodily fluids contamination cleanup charge on their leather seating so it wasn't a viable option."

      It's a pity you aren't in NY City where you could argue what's a few more bodily fluids here and there .

      Delete
    7. BJC11:23 AM

      *GinaM reaching for her rolling pin...broom....AND....flyswatter*

      OH HELL TO THE NAW!!

      "look like an angela"

      SWAT!

      "grab me a cold one,"

      BLAM!

      "massage my feet"

      K A P O W!

      FADE TO BLACK....

      *Announcers voice*

      "Please stay tune for the next episode of The Battling Coneheads™ on the Gryphen Network...check your local listing for times and channels"

      hehehehehehehehe!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:16 PM

      Beldar and GinaM you guys are hilarious.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous8:56 AM

    Way to go Florida! You voted this criminal into office. Now live with him.

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    1. Anonymous12:18 PM

      I know, who votes for someone that stole from Medicare? I would never live in Florida with those fools.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous9:01 AM

    What these morons in Florida and other states standing in the way don't understand is that in a few months, when people are raving about Obamacare, the uninsured in those states will be angry and looking for answers.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous9:05 AM

    Doesn't Federal law supercede any state attempt to block the implementation of a law?

    Remember the children blocked out of Southern schools, who were ushered in by Federal marshalls?

    Why is not this this same thing? Workers trying to carry out the law, as described by the Supreme Court, being blocked by hard-headed obstructionists? This is the law of the land, Gov. Scott. If you don't like it, resign. Don't break the law.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous9:30 AM

    Republicans in State governments in many states
    Are leading the way in stopping Obamacare
    They are to be commended
    Obamacare must be defeated by any means

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:37 AM

      So let me get this straight, Red state Governors have no problem with the high percentage of their citizens receiving Food Stamps, Welfare and Medicaid, but they're drawing the line at Obamacare? The ACA could actually save states money on the state-funded portion of Medicaid expenses, but these Governors are too blind to realize that.

      Once again, Red States will be left in the dust while Blue States enjoy the benefits of improved healthcare with less burden to the state coffers. Red States will continue to be dependent on Government Entitlements while Blue States move forward. The inequality between these two populations will become even more apparent.

      There will come a time where the Blue State populations get tired of supporting their economically depressed brothers. What happens then?

      Delete
    2. Boscoe10:59 AM

      Only a moron would follow the republican lead. Tell me 9:30 am, if they're so convinced Obamacare is the worst evil in American history, why haven't they proposed something better? Or, anything at all?

      They've had five years, and they've got NOTHING.

      So what you're saying is that it's better to try and make CERTAIN something will fail and harm people by sabotaging it at every turn, than it is to make even the slightest effort to fix it and minimize the damage while proposing something better?

      If you vote, it is a crime against humanity.

      Delete
    3. @Boscoe.

      Good job! You've just written the GOP campaign slogan for 2014!

      And 2016, also, too.

      "Vote Republican. We've Got Nothing."

      And, humbly submitted, my variation on the theme:

      "Vote Republican. Trust US To Do Absolutely Nothing"

      Delete
  14. Invisible Dragon11:45 AM

    Now we know what happened to BatBoy when the tabloids stopped pimping him - he got his fangs trimmed and became a Republican. Shame, really; he could have done so much better...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Holy Bat Cave, Dragon!!!

      You're right! Separated at birth!!!

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_Boy_(character)

      Delete
  15. Anita Winecooler6:21 PM

    What is it with Florida? Is there something in the drinking water? I suppose Rick Scott's "alternative" would be to hire George Zimmerman and a few well armed militias to defend the state's right to misinform and let people get sick and die.

    And some broken cuckoo clock keeps yapping about "Death Panels"?

    ReplyDelete

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