#The Affordable Care Act

[carolinemillerbooks]

New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/is-trump-more-to-be-pitied/

Is Trump More To Be Pitied?

Watching a reporter interview historian Timothy Snyder one evening, I sat up in my chair when he laid out his thoughts about  Donald Trump’s strategy for the current 2024 Presidential election.  Snyder presumed the former president knew he would lose the contest and was taking unpopular positions against Social Security and the Affordable Care Act not to secure victory but to lay the groundwork for a second insurrection. Insane as the idea sounded, I couldn’t dismiss it out of hand.  A distorted mind might seize upon the claim of being victorious in defeat. Trump had tried it before.  The fear that history might repeat itself set my little grey cells spinning.  The media has paid little attention to the state of Trump’s mind, choosing to focus on the age of his opponent, Joe Biden. Those who speculate that the incumbent is too old to run for a second term forget that a scant three-year difference lies between the two contenders.  Reporters would serve the public better by exploring the difference between an aging brain and a demented one. Biden’s speech gaffs, which many hold against him, aren’t entirely due to his age.  As a child, he stuttered. The impediment reasserts itself on occasion. But it is also true that as a man of 81 years, he speaks slowly and takes mental pauses. These are signs of a brain aging normally, not evidence of one that has lost its reason. Bidne’s verbal mistakes are a far cry from Trump’s failure to distinguish Nikki Haley from Nancy Pelosi or for him to speak as though he were running against Barack Obama. Ronald Reagan’s conduct during his final years in office might be a better measuring stick with which to compare  Trump’s behavior.  The  40th U. S. President also exhibited memory gaps and confusion during public appearances.  Alzheimer’s was never confirmed during his time in office, but members of his staff did report they saw signs of the disease before he returned to private life.    Psychologist, Dr. John Gartner makes no bones about Trump’s mental illness.  He warns that the former president’s outbursts aren’t those of a strong leader flexing his muscles.  They are the tantrums of a diseased brain.    Though he was never Trump’s doctor, Gartner insists what he offers is not an opinion but a diagnosis based on reality.  Others in his field agree but few have spoken out so publically. Gartner believes his colleagues have failed to do so because they are intimidated. Like physicians practicing in anti-abortion states, they’ve come to fear there is a good chance they would lose their jobs if they went on the record, not to mention other forms of retaliation… Some journalists may have remained silent for the same reason. Gartner points out that they make little of Trump’s slurred words, invented words, unfinished sentences, and blank, expressionless pauses. Instead, they characterize the Presidential election as a competition between two old men.  When Regan took office at the age of 73, he was the oldest President to that date. Whether the early stages of Alzheimer’s had set in, we shall never know, but he was wise enough to surround himself with honorable men and women. By contrast, the roll-call of Trump’s many cohorts is a list of disreputables. Should Trump return to power, that number is likely to grow, boding ill for the country. Nor can we overlook the many felony counts against the former president. His legal woes have left him strapped for funds. Winning re-election, he could erase the federal charges against him with a presidential pardon, but he has no power to absolve himself from state charges.  Without sufficient funds to defend himself, Trump is vulnerable to opportunists who are ready to give him cash in exchange for undue influence.    Opportunists are the people we should fear, not members of the Christian Right as many have assumed.  The latter’s objectives are too out of step with the majority of voters.  Their brief hour on the stage will be less than a hiccup in the course of history.    When money and the levers of government become too cozy, says John Grey in his book The New Leviathans, it threatens democracy and encourages the rise of more and not less totalitarianism.   ( “Who’s Afraid of Freedom?” by Helena Rosenblatt, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2024, pg. 154.) The dynamic is simple, the author explains.  Like other animals, humans are addicted to pleasure. Money satisfies that addiction but the pursuit of it has consequences. Those with the most wealth imagine they are better than others–a perspective that encourages them to imagine people in lower economic circumstances are less human. From there, Grey posits, it’s a short hop to inhumanity, a place where the poverty of others is a justification for eliminating them.   (Ibid, pg. 154)  Whether that causal connection between money and tyranny is direct, I don’t know.  But, science has affirmed that wealth and compassion exist in an inverse ratio.  In a capitalist society, greed, if left unchecked, could end in a tug-of-war between those with enough money to influence the government and the majority who are governed by it. A 2019  Gallop Poll confirmed that dynamic.  Concerning the federal budget, the wealthy preferred to see service cuts to social security to sustain it.  A majority of Americans disagreed. Money has a loud voice in politics, though most of us wish it weren’t true.  Nonetheless, we must accept that Trump’s financial setbacks put him at the mercy of oligarchs. No longer able to pose as one of them, he suffers the humiliation of a man stripped of his theater.  His delusions are exposed, and he stands naked before us.  The only words to suit the occasion are these. Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hast been wise.   (King Lear, 1, v.)

#age and the U. S. Presidency #demented v. aging brains #Donald Trump #Dr John Gartner #Helena Rosenblatt #Joe Biden #John Grey #money and tyranny #oligarchy #Ronald Regan #Social Security #the 2024 Presidential election #The Affordable Care Act #The Christian Right #Timothy Snyder #Trump's legal woes #Trump's mental illness

[liberalsarecool]

"Since the ACA was passed, the percentage of uninsured Americans has been cut in half. And thanks to the investments the Biden-Harris Administration has made to build on the ACA, more than 21 million Americans now have access to quality, affordable health care." - Barack Obama

Every Republican prediction is a piece of shit.

#affordable care act #obamacare

[socialjusticeinamerica]

#affordable care act #Obama Care #health care #health insurance

[soberscientistlife]

Remember Republicans was to do away with the ACA

#vote blue #vote democrat #fuck trump #vote biden #affordable care act

[fredoesque]

the way franklin has silna's father's body disposed of in ep 3 is a really fascinating indication of how the english see the inuit to me.

because yeah, obviously it's incredibly disrespectful in ignoring the man's own burial traditions and even from an entirely english pov as a way to "bury" someone. but on top of that i find it very telling that they felt it was their place to bury him at all--if they truly didn't think he was worth the trouble, why not just give his body to silna?

they must have felt on some level they had a claim to his body and, perhaps in their seeing themselves as a last outpost of civilization, a duty to make sure it was taken care of. even though they clearly didn't care one bit about the man they were actually burying.

this moment is one of a few in the show where the english seem to assume, entirely without question, that they have authority over the arctic and the people in it. that just by virtue of being english they are naturally and immediately the highest (worldly) power present. which obviously betrays a deeply imperialistic worldview.

and in showing that insidious assumption of authority in interaction with more baldly racist disrespect and disregard towards a netsilik person, i feel this moments highlights the twofold superiority the english feel over the inuit: both as having a exclusive claim to power and as having a exclusive claim to personhood

#is this coherent. hopefully #the terror #obligatory disclaimer i've done some reading on relations between the inuit and victorians but it hasn't necessarily been extensive #so lmk if this is way off base #but i do feel there is sort of a paternalistic bend to the way the english position themselves wrt the netsilik throughout the show #that from what i can tell reflects actual victorian attitudes #like whenever a character (say goodsir or crozier) approaches the netsilik with more decency (especially nearer to the start of the show) #it reads to me not as ''the basic dignity you afford fellow human beings bc they're your fellows'' #but as ''the burden of care you have towards those weaker than yourself'' #for example in the same ep when goodsir tells the men to bury the talismans with silna's father #obviously he means well and is acting from a place of compassion and even attempted respect #but i do find it telling that he never questions whether it's HIS place to make that decision. #he assumes implicitly that he has both the authority and the knowledge to decide how the body should be treated. when really he has neither

[thoughtportal]

Abortion is legal in Wyoming again

#tiktok #wyoming #affordable care act #reproductive justice #reproductive freedom #reproductive rights #reproductive choice #reproductive health #Healthcare #Health Care #you played yourself

[odinsblog]

If you’ve gotten a free flu shot, mammogram or diabetes screening lately, there’s a good chance you can thank the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare. Unfortunately, a recent court decision may take that coverage away from millions of Americans.

Some 20–40 percent of U.S. deaths from cancer, heart disease and other leading causes of mortality are preventable. Preventive health services can ward off disease entirely, or detect a condition early when interventions are most effective. Before the ACA passed in 2010, insurance companies didn’t always cover preventive services, and, if they did, they could make enrollees pay deductibles, co-payments or other out-of-pocket cost sharing. So Congress required most private health insurance plans to cover a set recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and several other expert bodies. Most Americans with private health insurance—estimated at over 150 million people—are enrolled in plans that have had to meet these coverage requirements. And as the ACA’s drafters had hoped, expanding no-cost coverage led millions more people to use many of these important services.

Unfortunately, two ongoing crusades—one to weaken the ACA and the other to impose certain religious views on other people’s health care—might roll back this health care success. In late March, federal judge Reed O’Connor, whose courtroom is a popular venue for anti-Obamacare plaintiffs, issued a ruling in Braidwood v. Becerra that blocked a portion of the act’s prevention services provision nationwide.

O’Connor’s order, if upheld, will have antiscientific and deeply discriminatory effects on Americans’ access to health care.

(continue reading)

#politics #religion #republicans #healthcare #religious reich #religious freedom #freedom from religion #christian nationalists #evangelical christians #insurance #aca #affordable care act #science #reed oconnor #reed o’connor #braidwood v becerra #preventative healthcare

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jonathan Cohn at HuffPost:

“Folks, he’s coming for your health care, and we’re not going to let that happen.” Those are the closing words of a new 30-second ad from the Biden campaign, focusing on the Affordable Care Act and the possibility of repeal if Donald Trump becomes president again. The ad buy is significant: $14 million to run the spot in a half dozen swing states, as my colleague S.V. Dáte reported. And it’s not difficult to understand why.

Trump’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017 was highly unpopular. The backlash was almost certainly a big reason Republicans managed to lose both houses of Congress and the presidency over the next two elections. Reminding voters of this history can only help Biden and the Democrats, especially amid polls that show the 2010 health care law to be more popular than ever. And the threat to the law is real. Trump spent his entire presidency trying to tear down the program; when legislation failed, he tried to undermine the law by ― among other things ― taking away funds for advertising and promotion. Last fall, he returned to the subject in a Truth Social post, declaring, “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives.”

Trump followed up with what was supposed to be a clarification, stating, “I don’t want to terminate Obamacare, I want to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE. Obamacare Sucks!!!” But of course, that was just another version of the promises he made before taking office last time ― you may remember vows like “I’m going to take care of everybody” or “We’re going to have insurance for everybody.” He then proceeded to push bills that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would have added more than 20 million Americans to the ranks of the uninsured.

[...] Democratic leaders vowed to address that issue by increasing the subsidies, effectively realizing their original vision for the law. And they did precisely that in 2021. The American Rescue Plan, which Democrats passed and Biden signed, boosted the Affordable Care Act’s financial assistance so that nobody has to pay more than 8.5% of household income on a standard plan.

It was a temporary measure tied to the pandemic, but in 2022, they extended the subsidies through 2025. The impact has been substantial. Roughly 15 million Americans are saving an average of about $800 a year on their insurance, according to calculations by the Department of Health and Human Services. And like all averages, that covers a range of people. The savings amount to only a pittance for some, but it’s literally thousands of dollars a year for others. The enhanced subsidies have also had more subtle effects. Some insurers still sell “non-compliant” plans that resemble the old policies. These plans can be sold more cheaply because they have big coverage gaps that can leave beneficiaries exposed to punishing, catastrophic medical bills. (Loopholes in the law allow this.) However, fewer people are now buying those policies, opting for the more comprehensive plans available than the Affordable Care Act, according to a study from the non-partisan health research organization KFF. That’s because, with the extra subsidies, the more comprehensive plans don’t cost as much as they did before.

[...]

A Familiar Debate, An Uncertain Political Future

The new Biden ad says he wants to make the assistance permanent, consistent with a proposal in his latest budget. That wouldn’t be cheap. CBO pegged the cost at about $25 million a year back in 2022. It’d probably require more money more now. The inability to find enough offsetting cuts or revenue to cover that cost is one reason Biden and the Democrats didn’t make the bigger subsidies permanent last time. That could happen again. But it’s safe to assume that, at the very least, Biden and the Democrats would approve another temporary extension if they are in office and have enough leverage in Congress after 2024. If Democrats don’t have that kind of power come next year, the fate of these increased subsidies will be in the hands of Trump and the Republicans. And while they haven’t had much to say about the issue, it’s hard to imagine they’d be enthusiastic about extending the subsidies given their traditional hostility to government spending on social welfare, to say nothing of their animus towards Obamacare. Conservative intellectuals are already laying the groundwork. Brian Blase, the former Trump administration official now president of the conservative-leaning Paragon Health Institute, has assailed the extra subsidies as regressive because they have made higher-income Americans eligible for assistance.

If Donald Trump wins in 2024, then there could be big consequences for Obamacare… and it won’t be pretty.

#Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act #Obamacare #PPACA #Health Care #American Rescue Plan

[ivygorgon]

AN OPEN LETTER to THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Pass H.R. 6270, the State-Based Universal Health Care Act!

371 so far! Help us get to 500 signers!

I strongly urge the Congressmember to support and help pass H.R. 6270, the State-Based Universal Health Care Act, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna of California. This bill helps states test universal health plans that could be a model for a national plan - a Universal, Simple, and Affordable (USA) plan. A USA plan will drastically reduce administrative overhead, freeing billions of dollars for our health care and general welfare. With your support, states can save money and provide health care for all their residents. How H.R. 6270 moves us toward health care that is universal, simple, and affordable (USA): Mandates that participating states guarantee healthcare coverage for at least 95% of residents in the first 5 years, thus reducing the uninsured and underinsured populations to less than 5% (currently 30% in most states). Requires any state-based plan to have benefits equal to or greater than those received by beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs. Allows states to cooperate on multi-state plans. Section 1332 of the ACA does not. Enables states to integrate Medicare funds into a state plan. Section 1332 does not. This is critically important for equity. Please work to pass this bill, and then get to work passing Medicare For All. Nothing else will fully solve our healthcare crisis.

▶ Created on April 8 by Jess Craven

📱 Text SIGN PEUMEL to 50409

🤯 Liked it? Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409

#JESSCRAVEN101 #PEUMEL #resistbot #open letter #activate your activism #healthcare #universal healthcare #congress #legislation #healthcare for all #us house of representatives #hr6270 #state based healthcare #affordable care #health insurance #healthcare act #healthcare plan #healthcare coverage #public health #us congress #medicare for all #us politics #healthcare crisis #health policy #healthcare equality #us government #healthcare legislation #health reform #us lawmakers #health benefits

[gwydionmisha]

#Affordable Care Act #Public Health #Preventive Care #Braidwood Management Inc. v. Becerra #News

[liberalsarecool]

Voting for Democrats makes a difference.

#VoteBlue

#affordable care act #Obamacare #joe biden #vote blue

[socialjusticeinamerica]

#lindsey graham #republican hypocrisy #corporate greed #gop #republican party #traitor trump #crooked donald #affordable care act #Obama Care

[soberscientistlife]

The ACA is health care for millions of Americans

#vote blue #fuck trump #vote democrat #vote biden #affordable care act

[du-hjarta-skulblaka]

So yeah avoiding my phone didn't work and also meant I sat on the kitchen floor staring into space for about 3 hours before Alfie woke up but hey at least I didn't break anything

Them being around is helping a little but they're also struggling and it fuckin sucks bc I know we're both just. Rotating money stress in our minds

#like. i went out earlier to get bread #just bread bc we cant afford anything else #got just enough in the bank to cover the work thing but since management stjll hasnt gotten back to me on HOW to pay it its like #our electricity is already in debt lol it has a thing where you can go £10 into debt before it switches off #and it usually wont switch off over weekends #presumably bc all but 1 places nearby thst we can top it up at are shut on weekends but anyway #so we're like. okay. it MIGHT last today and if it does thst SHOULD mean itll last till monday. #but then itll be at least a tenner in debt #then we only have to last till thursday but its. do we keep this money thats for The Thing that is once again unclear on how urgent it is #or do we spend it on the Soon To Be Immdiately Urgent thing #and thats not even CONSIDERING food lmao we. i got 2 loaves of bread so we can at least survive on toast for a few days #we got 3 maybe 4 meals worth of stuff still in the kitchen #like...at this point i dont even care if i have to go a few days without eating at all to make it to thursday but its. #its so fucked up those are the terms im thinking in #and this isnt asking for more donations i really cannot take that today im at the fuckin bottom of my barrel #and already feel hopeless and useless and an active drain to everything around me #but its. like. how. why. why is it still like this. why is it looking extremely unlikely its ever gonna change. #whats the point if its all for a few scattered handful hours of actual peace and comfort never mind happiness #tldr yes i am once again suicidal but small s #like in the sense of i would feel immense relief if a truck came at me on my way to work tomorrow and would not step out of the way but #dont have it in me to actually consciously act upon

[laloward]

ok well never love anything i was looking at that artists bg3 tag just cause i thoight the way they deyassified astarion was so awesome and saw posts like . "wyll is my least favorite character he was just written really boring :/" alongside fanart and analyses of. minor characters . .... like okay

like theres this thing people tend to do in fandom where people will use "um well they just werent written very well/developed that much" as an excuse to not care about female characters or characters of color and then then give so much attention and fan development to comparatively minor characters and its absolutely fucking nasty

#wyll is a MAIN CHARACTER and genuinely i think people act like his writing was way more shafted than it actually is #as an excuse to not care about him #and like especially in bg3 if you can conjure a backstory for your tav/durge you can afford to spare some thought for wyll and his story.

[heart2heartroses2u]

#youtube #justice #democracy #truth #no one is above the law #freedom #republicanscannotbetrusted #health and wellness #affordable care act #your vote matters