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FROM AP: Quotations of the day
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
From now on, health insurers will have to provide us with information in plain English, and in no more than four pages, about what their policies cover and how much we'll have to pay out of our own pockets when we get sick.
So a shootout in school between a bad guy with a gun and a good guy with a gun will result in fewer kids being shot? Please, show some good sense. Numerous studies have shown that more guns in circulation result in more shootings, deaths, and serious injuries.
We need to talk about gun safety. Really. For years now, the gun lobby, driven by the NRA, has had considerable success at thwarting the flow of information to doctors concerning gun-inflicted injury.
The outcome of the gun debate, as in the health care battle, will be determined by political will and the courage of individual members of Congress to stand up for what they believe to get results.
One in two Americans is coping with a chronic disease, and many require rehabilitation. That's why I'm suggesting this year your New Year's resolution be "prehabilitation," a term defined by Wikipedia as, "a form of strength training, aims to prevent injuries before the actual occurrence."
One of the most ill-advised promises President Obama made during the health care reform debate was this: "If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." He should have known better.
These changes may appear small, but as ACA implementation moves forward, policy alterations like these are going to play an enormous role in making sure that all Americans gain access to the quality, affordable health care envisioned by the Affordable Care Act.
Regardless of health care policies or politics, Volunteers in Medicine clinics will be needed indefinitely to continue to care for those who remain uninsured, who fall through the cracks or are unable to afford health insurance.
Speaker Boehner's "Plan B" deficit package vote is a political stunt designed to feign leadership instead of doing the hard work at the bargaining table with President Obama.
There is no simple answer to the question of Medicaid expansion. While providing health insurance for more Tennesseans puts a strain on the state budget, it also builds a healthier workforce, improves worker productivity and expands investments in our local economy.
We do know that Americans have evolved from the shopworn "God, guns and gays" campaigns and our legislators need to catch up before even more lives are lost to preventable gun violence.
President Obama said last year he would consider raising the eligibility age as part of a deal to cut federal spending. He's been silent on the issue so far this year, maybe because he's given it more thought.
Budget negotiators are focusing on quick fixes instead of making efficient changes, often without regard to how the cuts affect people. This is a dangerous move that could put vulnerable communities, particularly working Latinos, at risk.
While there's no question an agreement will require significant spending cuts, there is one health care cut under consideration that should be taken off the table to ensure access to care for traditionally underserved urban, low-income communities: a Medicare funding cut to hospital outpatient clinics.
I've often said that the Affordable Care Act is the end of the beginning of health reform. It addresses many problems associated with health insurance, but more must be done to control costs and access real universal coverage. And flaws in the law need to be fixed.
Lately, Obamacare has been an unavoidable topic. It's covered extensively by the media and is given extra consideration because of the recent election as well as the Supreme Court's ruling on June 28th, 2012 to uphold the law. But how will it affect our personal finances?
