Tag Archives: government

You’ve Been Canceled

07 Thursday Nov 2013

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How many of you are hearing these words on a daily basis?  Maybe it’s your neighbor telling his tale, or your co-worker who’s only part time and has to insure privately.  Maybe it’s you, finding out the healthcare coverage you had has now been taken away from you.  And not because of anything you yourself did, but because the Affordable Healthcare Act stepped in and replaced it.  Obviously, President Obama lied to you about your right to keep your current coverage. Welcome to Obamacare.

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I had a discussion with my mom last night.  I asked her if she had heard anything from her insurance company, specifically, Aetna.  She told me that she had received a letter from them last week stating that the healthcare plan she had would no longer be available and she would have to pick a new one.  The available plans were listed on the back of the letter.  Imagine her surprise when her plan, called the Value Plan, was listed on that letter.  Nowhere does it state that ‘she’ is not being offered the plan.  It’s a general statement and in my mother’s words “very poorly written”.  She then proceeded to check her Medicare booklet to see what plans they allowed.  Lo and behold, there was that Value plan in print.  It’s gets better.

A week later she received a letter from Aetna stating that she had not let Medicare know of her decision on medical & prescription plans and as such, her coverage with Aetna would terminate on 12/31/13.  Now, they gave her time to call to let them know if this had been a mistake.  Adding to this, she is going from a $0 deductible to $6700.  This is an out of pocket expense.  My mom will be 80 years old this month and now has to face an added expense in order to keep her current coverage.  I should also note that Medicare enrollment ends December 7th so why is Aetna canceling her now?

One of the major issues here is that insurance companies had limited time allowance to get information out to the people and in doing so have created even more confusion, only adding to the website debacle.  Obama likes to point the finger at the insurance companies who may have offered “substandard” plans, calling them “bad apples”.  The only bad apple here is the man who’s name is on the bill.

UPDATE: The first letter was correct, the Value plan is no longer available.  The only plan available is the Premiere.  Turns out, it all depends on what area of Northern NJ.  Now they’re basing coverage on location?  The deductible is, in fact $6700.  Mom said the woman she spoke to was wonderful and very caring.  I’ve heard horror stories from others who have been confronted with nasty agents.  Glad Mom didn’t have that experience.

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Original photo via www.whatdoesitmean.com

Benghazi – Still looking for truth one year later

04 Monday Nov 2013

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Do you wonder, as have I, that all the controversy surrounding the healthcare web site isn’t just more fluff to cover up other happenings in Washington?  On Sunday, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he would continue to block all of Obama’s nominees for executive branch positions until he gets the answers he’s looking for regarding the September 11, 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that left US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others dead.

Many questions remain unanswered.  Interviews with survivors are as harrowing as the actual attacks.  Those who witnessed the events, and made it out alive, remember seeing Stevens lying there, dead.  They remember asking the government for aid, that things were unstable in the area.  And they remember nothing being done.

Testifying about the attacks, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is best remembered for her statement “What difference at this point does it make?”.  This is in line with Kathleen Sebelius’s comment of “whatever” when asked if the president was responsible for the healthcare debacle.  Again, America was lied to.

In an interview with Fox News, Senator Graham said, ““I don’t think it’s over the top to find out what happened to four dead Americans, I don’t think it’s over the top to talk to survivors. The State Department interviewed these survivors.”

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Why haven’t we heard this before?  Why is there still such silence regarding these attacks? President Obama & Hillary Clinton stood with their hands over their hearts, next to flag draped coffins, and continued to push the story about a video being the cause of the attacks.  Tweets  from CBS’s  60 Minutes, in fact, point to information leading up to the 9/11/12 attacks, stating, “Prior to the attack, Ambassador Stevens approved a cable to DC that said: “The al Qaeda flag has been spotted…flying over govt bldgs” also stating that a security official warned Ambassador Stevens, ““You are going to get attacked in #Benghazi,” three months prior to the actual event.

In an administration that claimed transparency throughout the Obama campaigns, we simply seem to be facing more lies and more cover ups, rather than the honesty the American people are looking for.  We have to wonder, what else are they not telling us?

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Oh SNAP! Can you feed me?

01 Friday Nov 2013

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While Americans continue to battle with a website that promises affordable healthcare for all, millions more are now facing yet another government disappointment.  As of today, many will see a cut in their food stamps due to the expiration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) recession-era boost.  The plan will cut roughly $36 a month for a family of four.  Those who rely on food stamps will now have to cut back on something else in their household in order to make up for the reduction in benefits.

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Thirty six dollars may not sound like a big deal to some Americans, but people on food stamps rely on the program because their income does not allow for them to take care of their overall family expenses simply from their paycheck.  And of course there’s the other side of the story, too.  Who’s playing the system?  This, among other things, drives the cost of programs, until they sky rocket and have to be cut in order to remain active.  Currently, a family of four must gross $2552 or net (after allowable deductions) $1963 monthly to be eligible for SNAP.

And this brings me to my next question.  Why are we sending billions of dollars in aid to other countries when we can’t even afford to feed our own?  While you’re thinking about this, and I hope you are, grab a few cans of tuna or whatever you have extra of lying around your home, and take it to your local food bank.

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original photo via crazyhorsesghost.hubpages.com

We Do Not Approve – President’s ratings drop amid healthcare debacle

31 Thursday Oct 2013

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United States Secretary of Health and Human Services  Kathleen Sebelius testified on Wednesday about the problems with the Affordable Healthcare Act website, Healthcare.gov.  Or maybe she thought she did.  She really didn’t answer the questions being asked.  She appeared to stammer her way through at times and using “whatever” as a response when asked if President Obama was responsible for the mess.  She claimed the president had no knowledge of the problems prior to the launch, and that everything fell on her.  A sacrificial lamb?  The president is good with that.  Think Hillary and Benghazi.

“You deserve better. I apologize. I’m accountable to you for fixing these problems.”

ImageHer apology might have been believable if she hadn’t read it off a piece of paper.

It comes down to this.  The president is responsible for EVERYTHING the government sets out for the America people.  And yet he continually says he didn’t know, he wasn’t aware.  Is he that far out of the loop with his own staff?  How does one run a country like the United States of America if you’re always in the dark?  Or is he?  I don’t think so.

It’s very convenient to play dumb when it comes to the majority of the country you’re supposed to be leading, believes  you’re not worthy of your position.  In fact, the president’s rating is the lowest it’s ever been.  In a recent poll conducted by NBC/Wall Street Journal shows Obama’s approval rating is at 42%, down 5% from early October.  51% disapprove of the job he’s doing.  In a discussion on Facebook, regarding this information, Paul Pannone of ewednewz.com & www.pauljpannone.com said “Mirrors my poll exactly; 42% combined feel he is– or doing the best he can in a broken system.” President Blames Others For His Shortcomings

I believe at this point in his presidency, he hasn’t proven he can handle the job.  It’s been five years of disappointments.  My question is to the 42% of Americans who think he’s doing his job…What is it that you see that the majority of us do not?

Oh My Gov .com

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

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OhMyGov.com – The web site boasts “Tracking the Influence of the Nation’s Most Influential” and “Dig into the social conversations making news and impacting policy.”

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Welcome to the government’s next step in mining your data.  By using a web site called ohmygov.com, they will be collecting data from social media sites like Twitter & Facebook regarding your medical postings.  While they claim the information they collect will remain anonymous, I’m pretty sure we all know what that means.  Lawyers have taken opposite approaches, with one claiming it’s a trust issue and as long as we are giving out that data, we shouldn’t expect it to be private.  Or in other words, if you don’t want it out there, stay off social media.  Another lawyer claims that she sees this as a major issue regarding  HIPAA and an invasion of privacy, especially if the information gets into the wrong hands.

For a mere $2500 a year and up you can have access to unlimited people and agencies you want to track.  Pick a plan! All plans come with a FREE TRIAL!  Too bad Obamacare doesn’t offer that option.

ImageWhat this chart suggests is that only information from public figures such as Congressman & Government Agencies can be accessed.  So where do we, as private citizens come into play?

It’s quite interesting to see who is, in fact, using this website to get information.  Companies like Microsoft, the National Parks Conservation Association, Georgetown University & Newsweek, just to name a few.  My question is, what exactly are they looking for?!

No information has been given as to whether or not your privacy settings on Facebook will have any effect on this data mining.  Only that it claims any information regarding your medical postings can be used.  I have my privacy settings set to friends only.  This is why I have them set that way.  I don’t want just anyone coming along and viewing my information.  If that were the case, Facebook wouldn’t need privacy settings or a button that says “Send a Friend Request”.   I can understand them being able to extract this information via Twitter.  There really is no expectation of privacy there, unless your tweets are protected, but even then, once you tweet, it’s out there.  Protecting tweets only means people (followers) you are not connected to can’t see what you’re saying if they try to view your wall.

So the questions still remain.  How does farming your social media medical postings impact policy?  Will it decide who gets funding and for what diseases or is it just another way for the government to keep an eye on you?  And is this really how we want our taxpayer dollars to be spent?

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miner photo via www.evrein.com