Monday, November 25, 2013

Well it looks like it won't be too much longer before the Republicans won't have Obamacare to kick around anymore.

Courtesy of the LA Times:  

Despite the disastrous rollout of the federal government's healthcare website, enrollment is surging in many states as tens of thousands of consumers sign up for insurance plans made available by President Obama's health law. 

A number of states that use their own systems, including California, are on track to hit enrollment targets for 2014 because of a sharp increase in November, according to state officials. 

"What we are seeing is incredible momentum," said Peter Lee, director of Covered California, the nation's largest state insurance marketplace, which accounted for a third of all enrollments nationally in October. California — which enrolled about 31,000 people in health plans last month — nearly doubled that in the first two weeks of this month. 

Several other states, including Connecticut and Kentucky, are outpacing their enrollment estimates, even as states that depend on the federal website lag far behind. In Minnesota, enrollment in the second half of October ran at triple the rate of the first half, officials said. Washington state is also on track to easily exceed its October enrollment figure, officials said. 

You know whenever I see statistics like this I  cannot help but think of all of the millions of Americans who could have been helped to get health care if only those Republican governors had allowed the expansion of Medicaid in their states and had set up state exchanges of their own.

I just hope that the people in their states are paying attention, and are prepared to punish them come election day.

32 comments:

  1. The President just keeps on keeping on "while all about him are losing their heads", doing the job he was elected to do the very best he can. An example of his very fine handing of an odious issue:
    http://www.mediaite.com/online/martin-bashir-reminds-us-theres-only-one-way-to-respond-to-sarah-palin-ignore-her/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:33 AM

    On April 10, 2011, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked President Barack Obama about Sarah Palin’s criticism of his proposal to reduce the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Obama replied:

    “I really have no response. Because last I checked, Sarah Palin’s not much of an expert on nuclear issues. If the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff are comfortable with it, I’m probably going to take my advice from them and not from Sarah Palin.”

    Biff bang boom done. Obama’s terse non-response, requiring no more effort than swatting away a fly, remains the smartest and most effective rejoinder to Palin on record, and it serves as a reminder that the only response to Sarah Palin is to ignore her.

    MSNBC’s Martin Bashir, as you well know, stepped in it last week when he addressed Palin’s “debt=slavery” comment. For what it’s worth, Bashir was absolutely correct in his rebuttal. The fringe right has a bad case of slavery Tourette’s, a mean and offensive obsession with likening the imaginary oppressions of contemporary society to the most horrific, systematized, actual oppression in this country’s history. This comparison serves two simultaneous functions for the right: it casts its membership rolls as victims, often for no greater inconvenience than paying taxes in exchange for services; and it strips from the history of slavery its roots in the systemic racism that still infects American discourse—an obvious benefit for a movement like the tea party, which is comprised largely of white voters despairing at their winnowing political influence.

    In short, it turns slavery into “slavery,” a portable complaint that can be arrogated by anyone gauche enough to do so. Cue Palin. From “palling around with terrorists” to “death panels,” Palin is what we on the interweb machine call a troll, someone who does not make arguments to persuade but chucks provocative comments to knock her opponents off-balance, and, even better, off-topic. Palin, who didn’t win the 2009 Lie of the Year Award for nuthin’, is an major league troll, and she was 100% trolling when she compared the national debt to “slavery.”

    Bashir took the bait. It’s hard to blame him, as the cynical misuse of slavery as a moral referent is enough to drive any person with an historical awareness batty. But Bashir made the mistake of thinking Palin was serious, and so he seriously responded, reminding Palin of the horrors of slavery as a means of denying her the use of the concept. If you want to compare your petty ideological hangups to slavery, Bashir was saying, you have to own the whole of your comparison, including and especially the parts of slavery that involved not just the figurative ownership of Palin’s comment but also the most tactile, literal acts of dehumanization—like, say, the slaveowner who made his slaves defecate into each others mouths.

    This was a gross example—even, if you listen to his critics, vile and deplorable—but it was not Bashir who made it gross, vile, and deplorable. It was Palin who brought up slavery; Bashir was just following out the awful tendrils of her analogy. Don’t like stories about people being force-fed excrement? Don’t compare things to slavery.

    But now, here he is, apologizing for saying someone should sh*t in Palin’s mouth. Now here MSNBC is, getting heat for not disciplining him. Somehow Alec Baldwin is involved. Note, nobody’s talking about the debt, because Palin was never serious about her analogy. But neither is anybody talking about slavery, because Palin was never sincere about that, either. Her aim was to drag someone exactly like Bashir, and an institution exactly like MSNBC, into the mud with her, and it worked like gangbusters. Palin now gets to play the victim, and just in time to hawk some copies of her Christmas book. (Suggested musical accompaniment!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:40 AM

      Do you have the link for this article? Can you please tell me what website it came from? Thanks!

      Delete
    2. Sally in MI11:22 AM

      Was that the interview where the President DID capture and kill a fly?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous1:21 PM

      >>Do you have the link for this article? Can you please tell me what website it came from? Thanks!

      Link to the article, which is also in the next post.

      http://www.mediaite.com/online/martin-bashir-reminds-us-theres-only-one-way-to-respond-to-sarah-palin-ignore-her/

      Delete
  3. Anonymous6:33 AM

    Bashir lost this round, but he lost it because he was battling somebody with nothing to lose. As Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher pointed out a few months ago, Palin’s star has fallen so low that when she recently announced she wouldn’t be challenging Mark Begich (D-AK) for his Senate seat, literally nobody noticed. For Palin, any exposure is good exposure, so she has everything to gain by throwing out comments like debt= “slavery,” just to see who pushes back and whether cameras will follow.

    That, by the way, was exactly what she was doing when she criticized Obama’s nuclear policy. Obama’s response—”I have no response”—left her muttering something about “community organizers” as the cameras turned away. The only way to respond to Palin is to ignore her. Let’s hope Martin Bashir is the last person to have to learn that lesson.

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/martin-bashir-reminds-us-theres-only-one-way-to-respond-to-sarah-palin-ignore-her/

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:57 AM



      Absolutely fabulous article.

      This whole paragraph is spot on:
      MSNBC’s Martin Bashir, as you well know, stepped in it last week when he addressed Palin’s “debt=slavery” comment. For what it’s worth, Bashir was absolutely correct in his rebuttal. The fringe right has a bad case of slavery Tourette’s, a mean and offensive obsession with likening the imaginary oppressions of contemporary society to the most horrific, systematized, actual oppression in this country’s history. This comparison serves two simultaneous functions for the right: it casts its membership rolls as victims, often for no greater inconvenience than paying taxes in exchange for services; and it strips from the history of slavery its roots in the systemic racism that still infects American discourse—an obvious benefit for a movement like the tea party, which is comprised largely of white voters despairing at their winnowing political influence.

      Spot. On.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6:58 AM

      Sarah Palin excepts an apology, then bitches about the apology, then bitches about having to accept the apology.

      At least she's consistent.

      Now can we ignore her?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous7:01 AM

      With respect to the Whining Wannabe from Wasilla, the best thing that everybody could do is simply ignore her.

      She thrives on playing the role of the poor, maligned victim of the big, bad mainstream media ... all while spewing a continuous stream of petty insults and lame quips directed at the Obama family, as well as uttering her standard nonsensical, wholly sanctimonious commentaries on matters about which she is totally clueless.

      Palin has no desire to be a serious political analyst, and she certainly has no genuine aspirations to run for political office again. She simply wants to bask in the spotlight, free of serious responsibilities, and make an easy buck at the expense of the naive tea-chugging throng.

      Why feed her overinflated ego by drawing attention to her daily bout of histrionics?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous7:13 AM

      Even if Palin had a desire to be a serious political analyst, she has no credentials or experience to qualify her.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous8:34 AM

      She can't run in Alaska because she no longer lives there and the people of Arizona hate her and in no way is anyone going to vote for an out of state candidate. And don't think McCain will help, Sarah as certainly not been a guest of either McCain.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous8:37 AM

      It is very hard to get hired for employment if you up and quit your previous job without notice or a valid reason( quitting to go back to college, quitting to move with a spouse for a better job opportunity for them, quitting because of a family change such as a new child, or a parent moving in)
      But if someone just up and quits I can tell you that I would never bother to hire them for any position.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous8:48 AM

      She's such a coward. "I'd like them to go through Todd first or one of my children first." Ooooh, big bad Sowah still can't fight her own battles so she calls on limp-wrist Tawd and her gangsta kids.

      Dumb@ss.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous6:34 AM

    Governor Sean Parnell (aka Captain Zero) uses pithy slogans like "Choose Respect" to protect women and children from domestic violence, but has a record of objecting to and vetoing Denali KidCare and Medicaid expansion in the State - which would be a lot more effective to this vulnerable population. His prayers and well wishes cost nothing, action and leadership, only goes toward give-aways to multi-billion dollar oil corporations with Alaska's resources.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:58 AM

      He totally doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself and Big Oil. Basically he still works for Conoco Phillips, and lo and behold he's an even better lobbyist for them than he was when he was actually on their payroll. I've never seen an elected official with a larger conflict of interest than Parnell. If the major percentage of Alaskans weren't so uninformed politically then this bozo could have never gotten elected. Same with Palin.

      When you have a state where half of the population lives in remote towns and villages and many do not have internet connections and basically spend most of their time gathering food and fuel to barely survive, then that doesn't leave a lot of time for studying up on politics. Those off the road system either do not vote or simply vote for the guy with the most commercials that slings the most empty promises.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous6:44 AM

    The fact it is working (and will continue working well for Americans) should be used against every Republican asshole that tried to stop the use of it across the nation...when they come up for reelection or election!

    Watch the Republican governors across the nation. A good start would be Parnell in Alaska. Alaskans and Americans: do NOT reelect them due to their not being in support of the people they are suppose to represent.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:45 AM

    Every time that Sarah Palin opens her mouth to say Obamacare, people ought to be reminded that thanks to Todd's native heritage, her entire family gets free health care. Before that, even Sarah bragged about slipping over the border to take advantage of Canada's free health care. If they don't pay, Sarah shouldn't complain about people who want the same kind of nice treatment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:53 AM

      I do every time in comments. It's up to the moderators whether or not they let it through and many times they don't. HuffPo is the WORST offender.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:00 AM

      Remember though, all of them but Sarah are covered. Native healthcare only covers a non-Native spouse during pregnancy. However, Mrs. Palin can certainly afford premium insurance for herself, especially since the rest of the family enjoys it gratis.

      Delete
    3. Sally in MI11:18 AM

      So she got insurance benefits while she faked Trig? gee, I think that moght be a federal offense.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous1:30 PM

      For certain Trig's birth would not have been covered by BIH (Bureau of Indian Health) since he was not born at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Tribe members or pregnant spouses, are required to notify what they call Contract Health Services (CHS) within 72 hours if seeking emergency medical care in a non-native facility, or in a native hospital in another state. Since according to Palin Trig's birth was not an emergency but was basically scheduled to happen at Mat Su Regional then it would not be covered under BIH native healthcare.

      If indeed Mrs. Palin was pregnant with Trig then her prenatal would have been covered only if she utilized an OB/Gyn on staff at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Dr. Baldwin Johnson is in private practice and has privileges at Providence Alaska and Mat-Su Regional but not at Alaska Native Health Center so her prenatal would not have been covered by BIH benefits.

      Palin would have had insurance via her job as Governor at the time and I remember some emails that were published in regards to the State H/R representative attempting to get a copy of Trig's B/C in relation to his medical coverage and expenses.

      So it looks like Palin did not use BIH insurance for prenatal or birth and for certain put Trig on her State of Alaska benefits policy. Whether or not she is listed as mother or adopted mother on his birth certificate would be the kicker because if she's faked being his mother it would constitute a major insurance fraud. Who knows, maybe someone outed her and that's why she quit.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous8:31 AM

    Why is this surprising?
    Earlier people saw if they could get assistance, found out what the plans were, thought about it for awhlle and are signing up in plenty of time to get covered in January.

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    Replies
    1. Sally in MI11:17 AM

      Yes. I read that Bush's Medicare D also had a rocky rollout, but we Dems were not rejoicing in the streets. Hillary was helping people in her state uderstand the law and sign up for benefits. Can you imagine ONE Republican actually helping with anything right now?

      Delete
  8. Anonymous9:05 AM

    They've already moved on to dumping on the Iran nuke deal. They want to UP the sanctions. When that pisses out, it'll be time to shut the government down again when the continuing resolution/debt ceiling deal ends in January. Good times, if you are a Republican asshole.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AND, when you finally DO call the CoveredCA folks for help on whatever issue, you’ll be surprised.. There are no death panel advisors on the other end.. There are no advisors telling you that if you sign up for ACA that your children will all have warts on their face and be run over by pick-up trucks by the time they’re four, there are no people telling you that the Kenyan’s will be on your personal insurance plan and they also WILL NOT TELL YOU that Bill Ayers is writing a book for everyone that has signed up for ACA that is being used by the NSA to bug your phone lines.

    They actually will help you solve any problem you have because they are committed to making this work in California. So the longer people like Perry, Jindal, Walker and the rest of the sincerely stupid INTENTIONALLY commit to kill their own states inhabitants, I’ll stay here… EVEN IF THE CLIMATE DOES CHANGE and Wisconsin becomes the next Galveston Beach, I’m staying in SoCal…. as Jon Stewart would say to Perry and his assKlown tribe, ’FU** ALL YA’LL”….

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9:30 AM

    I was recently in a couple of blue states and it was amazing to see how different their approach to the ACA was compared to here in AK. In Oregon, many of the radio stations played a catchy little ditty about Healthy Oregonians and signing up for ACA and stressed how lucky Oregonians were to have the opportunity. Washington showed commercials actually explaining ACA and praising it and encouraging all to participate.

    Here in AK and of course other red states you'll find nothing but negative commercials and obstruction, here to the point that the state would not allow the federally provided healthcare helpers and assistants to set up shop anywhere but the federally funded Native hospitals, rather than in State health clinics. There are some very depressed and red areas of both Oregon and Washington, but there was positive messaging present even in these areas and people are signing up for affordable insurance coverage.

    My long stint in AK is soon coming to an end and I can honestly say that I will feel nothing but joy. 20+ years ago I thought this place was the best thing since sliced bread and you could not have torn me away, but the pending oil depletion and associated market downswing, and mostly the disgusting uncaring politicians are driving us southward. I will visit frequently but I can no longer live here.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous9:58 AM

    Those GOP governors are all about the sanctity of life, unless that particular life can't afford healthcare.

    You know it's a reasonable position to say, "it's not fair that I should pay for someone else's health care. If they can't pay their own way then maybe they deserve to die." That would at least be honest. But to babble on and on about the sanctity of life while denying poor people life saving cancer screenings is really kinda hypocritical, I'm thinking. I'm thinking even Jesus might agree with me on that one. I mean regular Jesus, not Faux Jesus, of course. Faux Jesus says "fuck 'em, stupid lazy ass dumb sons-a-bitches deserve to die."

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  12. This insufferable troll will be living in the same state as Rep. Giffords.

    The bitch is insane, nasty, racist and stupid as fuck.

    And her fake book is a big old flop, just like her flat clownass.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous12:58 PM

    John Boehner’s Socialism: Taxpayers Pay 75% of His Premiums and His Wife is On Medicare

    “Next year Mrs. Boehner will be on Medicare.” This news is brought to you by Michael Hiltzik at the LA Times, in the midst of his fact-checking of John Boehner’s claims to be paying tons more money post-ObamaCare (shockingly a lie).

    Also, “Boehner’s premiums are partially covered by his employer, the federal government, which pays up to 75% of employee premiums, up to a cap of $426.14 a month (for 2014).” This is confirmed by Factcheck.Org, which finds that the government pays on average 72% and up to 75%.

    Not only do we, the taxpayers, fund 75% of Boehner’s premiums, but his wife is going on Medicare.

    Republicans have been trying to kill Medicare for years.

    Republicans call public servants like teachers “thugs” for any perks they get, but have no problem with getting 75% of their own premiums paid for.

    Republicans like to pretend that their health insurance is the same as any federal employee. U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, made that claim in Florida. And while it’s technically true that their plans are the same, and federal employees get a much better deal than the private sector employees, Congress gets other perks (is this a bad time to remind Boehner that he kept the House gym open when his party shutdown the government?). PolitiFact explained:

    http://www.politicususa.com/2013/11/25/tax-payers-fund-75-john-boehners-premiums-wife-medicare.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous12:59 PM

    Fox News Insults Veterans On The Air By Claiming Obamacare is Worse Than The Iraq War

    Fox News host Martha MacCallum insulted the sacrifice of every man and woman who served in Iraq by saying, “When you look at these stories, the Cleveland Clinic laying off lots of people trying to cut costs as so many entities in the country are right now. And you have The Wall Street Journal story about companies starting to pass those costs, and that was a trend that had begun before this, but it certainly doesn’t help. So it goes back to what I keep coming back to in all this, unlike other issues Katrina, or the Iraq war that we have seen in past second term. This is something that touches so many people’s lives across the country, and you don’t know whether the president is going to be able to successfully dodge it.”

    What they are trying to sell at Fox is that the ACA is worse than the Iraq war, because more people are having direct contact with the ACA. However, their attempt to score political points demonstrated how little they think of the sacrifice of those who served in Iraq.

    Fox News managed to hit a daily double. They demeaned the service of our veterans in Iraq while downplaying the deaths and damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Comparing a healthcare law that will extend the lives of the millions of people to war that devastated the lives of millions of Americans and their families is especially stomach churning.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2013/11/25/fox-news-insults-veterans-air-claiming-obamacare-worse-iraq-war.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous1:08 PM

    Inspiring ACA stories from the heart of Appalachia.

    http://tinyurl.com/m5rqnm7

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anita Winecooler8:32 PM

    I live in a blue state with a Republican Governor whose done squat on expanding medicare ...........BUT there's an excellent ad that's been getting a lot of airtime. It's crisp, eye catching, and appealing to young and old alike about signing up for the ACA on the website.
    President Obama's on the road and on a roll! California is HUGE and it's success will help take up some of the slack from other states like mine. Hopefully the trend will make the whiners stfu.

    ReplyDelete

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