The Sarah Palin endorsed new Governor of Kentucky promises to do away with Obamacare. Problem is his constituents don't want that and the law won't let him do it.

Courtesy of the Daily News Bin:

The new republican governor of Kentucky was elected by tea party voters on the promise that he would kill off the Affordable Care Act in his state to whatever extent he legally could. But now that he’s won, reality has set in that large scores of Kentucky residents have only gained access to health care thanks to ObamaCare, meaning he would face an uprising among his state’s mainstream residents if he went through with his promise. Not surprisingly, the new governor has immediately caved and decided to keep ObamaCare after all, resorting to superficial changes so he can partially save face. And he may not even get away with that last part.

The problem is, as former Kentucky Governor Steve Bashear points out, is that Kentuckians kind of like Obamacare:  

“All of Kentucky looks forward to the day when our new governor transitions from strident partisan rhetoric and petty name-calling to the real and more difficult business of governing,” he wrote. “Mottos that make good bumper stickers rarely make good public policy. Medicaid expansion was and remains a smart policy move.” 

And it remains popular in the state. A poll released this month from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 72 percent of Kentuckians do not want to change the state’s Medicaid program. 

So in response to that Bevin has decided that rather than do away with Obamacare he is going to "transform" it.

Problem with that is that he is not allowed to "transform" anything.

Courtesy of Forbes:

On Wednesday, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin announced that he was planning to keep Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, but would seek federal waivers to “transform” the program. But Bevin’s plan is already hitting an a snag: he wants to use a Section 1332 waiver to “transform Medicaid.” The snag: Section 1332 doesn’t provide any authority for Medicaid reform.

Oops!

Sadly for Bevin's supporters that promise was one of the main reasons that he received the backing from the Tea Party and of course Sarah Palin.

And now he really can't do shit.

I guess that's what happens when you live inside the conservative bubble where facts and critical thinking are simply not allowed.

Michigan lawmakers consider new abortion law that would force women to buy "rape insurance." But remember, there is NO war on women!

Courtesy of Think Progress:

Michigan lawmakers are currently deciding whether to advance a bill that would require women in the state to purchase a separate insurance policy for abortion coverage, even in cases of rape or incest. If it’s approved, Michigan would join a long list of other states that have attacked abortion access by preventing women from using their own insurance to pay for it. 

The debate over the legislation has heated up this week, particularly since the measure would deny abortion coverage even to women who have become pregnant as a result of rape. Although the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that rape victims should have access to legal abortion services, lawmakers continue to propose policies that would have callous implications for individuals who have been sexually assaulted. 

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) vetoed the proposed insurance ban last year for exactly this reason — pointing out that it would require rape victims to pay for the total cost of their abortion procedure out-of-pocket, unless they had thought ahead and purchased a separate insurance rider for abortion services. “I don’t believe it is appropriate to tell a woman who becomes pregnant due to a rape that she needed to select elective insurance coverage,” Snyder noted when he rejected the bill last December. 

But Michigan’s anti-choice community disagrees. Earlier this year, when advocating for the proposed legislation, a prominent anti-choice leader in Michigan suggested that rape is like a car accident and it’s appropriate to require women to buy “extra insurance” to prepare for it. After Snyder’s veto, abortion opponents decided to simply circumvent the governor and collect enough signatures to provoke a “citizen-initiated” vote on the measure. That petition was successful, and the measure headed to the legislature on Tuesday. 

Lawmakers now have 40 days — not including the upcoming holiday break — to act on the measure. If they don’t take any action, the issue will be placed on the 2014 ballot for a statewide vote. If the legislature approves it, on the other hand, the bill will immediately become law — even without Snyder’s signature.

"Rape is like a car accident?" I know I am supposed to write something snarky right about here, but once again I am rendered virtually speechless.

How is it even remotely reasonable to consider forcing women to purchase  "rape insurance," so that they can regain control over their own bodies, once they have been violated?

Here I have an idea, how about instead of this attack on women, Michigan pass a law stating that the rapist's insurance has to pay for the abortion? Unless of course the woman decides to keep it, at which time the courts should insist that he work two jobs at a time in order to provide for the child, whom he will be denied access to, until the child is 21 years old? 

To my mind that, since the child is the result of the rapist's actions alone, seems far more reasonable.

American doctors learn about the Canadian health care system.

From the Globe and Mail:

Eight doctors from the U.S.-based Physicians for a National Health Program visited Toronto’s Women’s College Hospital for an inside look at Canada’s single-payer health care system. Hosting the trip was family physician Danielle Martin, chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

What is the most surprising thing you have learned so far?

I learned that doctors are compensated much better than what we presumed they were here and their work lives are very nice. In the U.S., most doctors are afraid of two things with a single-payer system: they will lose money – of course, they won’t say that – and that they are going to lose autonomy.

What is work life like for an American doctor?

You spend so much time hassling with insurance companies, you just can’t imagine. You have to fight with them to get paid.

Let me see, how can I express my feelings about this as eloquently as possible?

"Suck on that Republicans!"

What? Too gentle?

Evangelical Christian and Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is not a fan of providing health insurance to people with pre-existing conditions.

From TPM:

"It sounds so good, and it's such a warm message to say we're not gonna deny anyone from a preexisting condition," Huckabee explained at the Value Voters Summit today. "Look, I think that sounds terrific, but I want to ask you something from a common sense perspective. Suppose we applied that principle [to] our property insurance. And you can call your insurance agent and say, "I'd like to buy some insurance for my house." He'd say, "Tell me about your house." "Well sir, it burned down yesterday, but I'd like to insure it today." And he'll say "I'm sorry, but we can't insure it after it's already burned." Well, no preexisting conditions."

Okay how does somebody with this kind of dismissive attitude toward those who are sick and suffering call himself a Christian?  Not only that but isn't he supposed to be a minister as well?

Can anybody imagine Jesus Christ saying such a thing?

It is as if these so called "Christians" have never even taken the time to page through the New Testament, much less absorb the message contained within.