In the “who would you like to have a beer with” primary, I’d pick Kamala Harris. She’s genuinely funny:
Asked if she knows any words in Spanish, Kamala Harris offers one: “Pendejo.” pic.twitter.com/7qfmczQE7Z
— Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) June 27, 2019
Tonight’s debate moderators have to do the “show of hands” question about eliminating private health insurance tonight too, right? In a town hall in January, Harris seemed to indicate she was in favor of getting rid of private insurance, but then clarified a couple of months later that she would be in favor of allowing supplemental coverage through private insurance.
I won’t be surprised if Warren does a similar climb-down after coming out in favor of eliminating private insurance last night. She needs to do one of her trademark plans on healthcare and lay it all out there, IMO.
Open thread!
A Ghost To Most
The hell with beer.
I’d like to smoke a few bowls with Kamala Harris.
Matt McIrvin
The problem for Warren is that she’s trying to keep together a coalition who are likely passionately split down the middle on this. If she rejects “Medicare for All” she might well lose a bunch of supporters to Bernie; if she endorses abolishing private insurance completely she’ll lose a bunch to the rest of the field. The thing is, in reality as President she’d be so practically constrained that it likely makes little policy difference.
Betty Cracker
@Matt McIrvin: Agreed about the challenge of appealing to two different constituencies, but I don’t think there’s necessarily a conflict with coming out for M4A and approving of supplemental policies via private insurance. Seems like a good compromise to me. Also agree about the practical constraints likely rendering it all moot…
Litlebritdifrnt
Eliminating private health insurance is a no starter as far as I am concerned. Even here in the good old Socialist UK private health insurance thrives because people “choose” it, if rich people don’t want to wait in the NHS system they just go private, simple. My Mother did exactly that when knee surgery would have interfered with a cruise she was planning on taking. So she went private. The point is she HAD A CHOICE. In the US you have no choice.
FlyingToaster
Remember that many Medicare recipients have supplemental insurance either through their retirement plans or through groups such as AARP. So an M4A with employers providing supplemental coverage for caregiver absences, rehabilitation, long-term care, healthy living programs, etc., would be extremely good, and keep current health insurers in business, albeit at a lower rate.
patroclus
It looks like Pelosi is losing control of her caucus on the Floor right now on the border funding bill – they just pulled the rule because of a “moderate” revolt. Schumer and Durbin voted for the McConnell bill (and the overall Senate vote was 84-6); which probably was just to move a bill forward, but it has massively undermined Pelosi on the House side. McCarthy and the Republicans are crowing about it.
patrick II
I hate “raise your hand” yes/no questions at debates. They are binary, and put you totally in one camp or another regardless of nuance. The raise hand question I hated most was in 2016 when Hillary, Bernie and whomever were asked to raise their hand if they were capitalist. Socialist Bernie held his hand down, Hillary and the other raised theirs.
That particular binary choice helps republicans, committing to full blown capitalist solutions or being a (ewww) socialist. I am a pragmatist, sometimes social answers work (schools) and sometimes a regulated free market (TV sets, and commodities in general). When to use which and to what degree is the actual question people should be discussing.
(((CassandraLeo)))
@A Ghost To Most: Yep, and I rarely even partake.
As I’ve said before, Harris and Warren are so far ahead of the other candidates in my estimation that it’s difficult even to pay attention to anyone else. Julián Castro seems to have done himself proud last night, though, and Booker seemed OK from what I saw too.
Of the no-hope white guys, Inslee is the only one who seems to have a valid rationale for running, and I wish he were getting more air time. Dude’s a popular governor of a fairly large state and is almost invisible in news coverage. Must be East Coast bias on the networks’ part, though I suppose announcing that he was only running to raise awareness about climate change didn’t help his odds. Maybe President Warren will appoint him to head the EPA. Lord knows it’ll need a steady hand to clean up the damage the Republicans have done to it.
Ceterum censeo factionem Republicanam esse delendam.
jl
Saying that you will allow for private supplementary coverage is not really a climb-down. Most countries with good universal coverage systems allow supplemental insurance policies to mandatory minimum basic coverage policy. It is perfectly compatible with Medicare for All. Even BS allows for it, though he likes to characterize it in a dismissive way as if it’s frivolus, like, ‘well, OK, you can get some private coverage for plastic surgery’ Which irritates me since some plastic surgery is not frivolous at all. Not all of it is for bigger lady boobs or men who want cosmetic muscle implants and moob reduction in place of a healthy lifestyle which for most men gets the job done.
Saying you want a parallel market for private insurance for the basic mandatory minimum basic policy is a big climb down, since that threatens the efficiency, equity, sustainability and stability of the public system, as i explained in the previous thread.
The former is a supplement, the latter is a substitute, There is huge difference.
Australia, may favorite model for US Medicare for All, has experimented with partial substitute private policies. This was advertised by the reactionary government that backed it as a cost control measure, but their rationale was BS IMHO, it was really an attack on their Medicare for All system. But so far, the substitute policies are regulated strongly enough, and markets on which they are sold are strongly regulated enough, to not do too much damage to the public system.
With so little time to explain positions, I think impossible to evaluate what kind of sales job Warren can do for her position. We’ll see how she does in the coming months when she has more time, and doesn’t have to compete with so many yelly interrupty guys who are using their campaigns as marketing campaigns and job interviews.
MaryLou
@Betty Cracker: @Betty Cracker: And hit hard on the fact that UNIONS have negotiated health insurance benefits MUCH BETTER THAN MEDICARE by forgoing higher wages. Those contractual obligations need to be honored in any future medical insurance program. Or once again we end up screwing the workers who have sacrificed money in the pocket in exchange for better quality medical coverage. And last time I checked, unions are a solid Dem constituency. (Kamala Harris for one gets it on this issue.)
zhena gogolia
Harris calms me down. That’s a big plus for me. Whenever I actually see her, I feel better.
Obama had that effect on me. None of the other candidates does.
John Cole
She got attacked over it for a bullshit reason, but she also has good taste in music.
dr. bloor
@patroclus: Unpossible. I was under the impression that Pelosi has Jedi-like control over her caucus, and it was only her own corruption/moral shortcomings/somethingsomething that is keeping her from initiating Trump’s impeachment.
jl
@Litlebritdifrnt: It can work, you can have a choice. But you need much stronger regulation of private policies and markets on which they are sold to provide a good system than can even be discussed in the US. As long as that is the case, and stronger regulation cannot even be discussed, it won’t lead to an efficient, equitable and stable system.
And parallel markets for private substitutes for basic mandatory minimum policy can always be used as an attack on the public system. With immense corporate control of politics and public discussion, that is a big problem in the US.
jl
@MaryLou: Transition periods and grandfather clauses for existing contracts can take care of that issue. Also can look to Germany, and to lesser extent, previous Swiss system, to see how they handle similar situations.
rikyrah
I don’t drink beer, or most alcohol.
Who would I like to sit down and have a BBQ dinner with?
Harris
Warren
Castro
Booker (to see what vegan alternatives he would eat)
TenguPhule
I can’t wait for the primaries to be over.
rikyrah
Trump says he asked lawyers if census could be delayed after Supreme Court decision on citizenship question
Nicholas Wu and Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
Published 1:57 p.m. ET June 27, 2019 | Updated 2:04 p.m. ET June 27, 2019
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said on Thursday afternoon that he would attempt to delay the 2020 census following a Supreme Court decision that would send his administration’s request to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census back to a lower court, giving opponents another chance to block it.
“Seems totally ridiculous that our government, and indeed Country, cannot ask a basic question of Citizenship in a very expensive, detailed and important Census,” Trump said in a tweet. “I have asked the lawyers if they can delay the Census, no matter how long, until the United States Supreme Court is given additional information from which it can make a final and decisive decision on this very critical matter,” Trump tweeted.
The 5-4 decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts questioned the administration’s rationale for adding the question, calling the reason “contrived.”
germy
@FlyingToaster:
Yes, because they have to. Otherwise they’d be on the hook for the percentage Medicare doesn’t cover.
A Ghost To Most
@(((CassandraLeo))):
Agree with all of this.
OzarkHillbilly
None of the above, mostly because I drink wine or because I am half deaf and can’t hear but a third of what people say, but also because I can’t imagine I’d have much in common with any of them.
SFAW
@rikyrah:
Speaking of pendejos.
rikyrah
@MaryLou:
.
clap clap clap
for the folks in the bleachers
Betty Cracker
@rikyrah: I’m not a lawyer, but isn’t the timing of the census regulated by the Constitution and therefore not subject to the whims of Trump and his crooked attorneys?
SFAW
@OzarkHillbilly:
Not even Bernie?
[I’d duck, but I think even you could not throw your 20-oz Estwing (or whatever) far enough to reach me.]
Barbara
@zhena gogolia: My husband surprised me by saying that he thinks Harris is one of the only candidates who has the temperament and skill to wipe the floor with Trump.
dr. bloor
@Betty Cracker: Sadly, the SCOTUS majority appears to be reading a different constitution than the one in all the textbooks.
guachi
The timing is regulated by whatever the lawless Republicans on the Supreme Court say it’s regulated by.
OzarkHillbilly
@MaryLou:
Not my union. Guns and religion uber alles.
Mike in NC
@rikyrah: Fat Bastard wants to “delay” the Census until it gets the blessing of the Republicans. Next year he’ll try to delay the election until the polls favor him. Here we are on the slippery slope to autocracy.
germy
Lately I’ve been seeing A LOT of commercials from these people:
https://www.onenationamerica.org/
Warning about the dangers of “socialized medicine”
They remind me of the old Ronald Reagan record about the dangers of Medicare.
If you check their “leadership team” link, you can see they’re a bunch of repub operatives. Their TV commercials are deceptive as hell. People in the U.K. and Canada wait months and months for a medical procedure?
jl
@Betty Cracker: The federal government, for some reason, simply ignored the 1920 census and didn’t reapportion.
Unfortunately there is plenty of precedent for unconstitutional malfeasance in US history. So, sure, they probably can get away with it, depends if anyone can stop them. i hope there are far more people interested and who have standing to go to court to force the census to happen. Then GOP can retreat to the 1920 tactic of simply ignoring it.
Since Trump and his gang don’t seem to have a Plan B, have no clue how to respond to corrupt reactionaries on SCOTUS who are simply asking for a slightly better cover story, they rae flailing right now, and saying stuff almost randomly. I see on Josh Marshall’s twitter that dopey Trump hacks are already blurting out stuff that will make it harder for their SCOTUS flunkies to play along.
PAM Dirac
@Betty Cracker: I think the constitution says it has to be at least every 10 years. Since the last one was done in 2010, it can’t be pushed back later than 2020.
Redshift
@germy:
Good thing that never happens in the US… ?
Raven Onthill
Pretty sure Harris is going to be the candidate: she’s far less threatening to the very wealthy than Warren or – horrors! – Sanders. Also pretty sure we’re not going to like the way she governs. Could be wrong, she could surprise us.
Still support Warren.,
rikyrah
@Betty Cracker:
I know..directly in that little thing called The Constitution….happens every 10 years….
germy
ruemara
I wouldn’t have a beer with any of them. I’m just not wired that way. They’re looking to get hired, not be my pal. Not saying she doesn’t seem warm & humane. Just that I don’t get the way people are falling in love with candidates, especially now, nor do I get the personable metric hoops at all.
Back to fruitlessly looking for work.
@germy: Why is Roy so fucking cheery? They’re doing both, darling.
Sure Lurkalot
I become eligible for Medicare next year and have begun research. Question for anyone in the know—isn’t a (for example) Medicare Advantage plan a substitute for Medicare Parts A and B? I understand it to be private insurance approved by Medicare. If that’s correct, do such plans impair Medicare to some or any extent? What’s the advantage of such private plans over Medicare Parts A and B? Are they better depending on where you live and health care needs? Thanks to anyone who can bring clarity!
JPL
@rikyrah: This day really sucks.
Another Scott
I’m not much of a beer drinker, either.
TheHill:
Good, good.
Much more at the link.
Cheers,
Scott.
Raven
England-Norway
Redshift
@germy:
Yep. Medicare doesn’t have annual or lifetime out-of-pocket caps. That’s why I’m okay with Medicare for All as a slogan, but any single payer system had better not actually be just opening up Medicare to everyone with no changes.
MazeDancer
Kamala is going to need her sense of humor tonight.
Maybe if Bernie starts his patriarchal finger wagging at her, she can bite it off and say “Pendejo!”
Biden has it easy tonight. He just has to rail against Trump, say working class a few times, and he’ll win the pundit and Never Trump chattering class vote.
rikyrah
I worked the last Census, in 2010, so, they need to begin prep- NOW.
Advertising for employees.
Had to go in and apply. There’s a selection process.
You have to get the folks that literally, will be going door to door to get the information.
I worked from February through September, 5 days a week, during that time. Those were tough times, economically, so the Census was a godsend. It held me over until I could get a full-time position, which I got within weeks of finishing up at the Census.
OzarkHillbilly
@Betty Cracker: It’s in the constitution, including the timing of it, but that doesn’t mean Repubs can’t ratfuck it anyway.
trollhattan
Norway-England underway. Promises to be a great match.
ETA That was fast.
TenguPhule
@Betty Cracker:
As we’ve repeatedly seen, Trump considers the Constitution a piece of toilet paper and behaves accordingly.
rikyrah
Because, what everyone wants for someone in the military, who not only has their own life on the line, but the lives of their fellow troop members…is for those members to be distracted because of worry about their family members possibly being deported. This isn’t just evil. It’s also a threat to the strength of our military, and thus, our national security. But, the racists must be able to get rid of the non-White hordes……national security be damned.
germy
@Redshift: The slogan I heard was Improved Medicare for All.
TenguPhule
@Mike in NC:
Already hit bottom there. Now we get to find out just how much is left of the country we once were aspiring to.
rikyrah
@OzarkHillbilly:
Have you followed my posts, including the one from a month or so, about the background of the limiting of Census offices for 2020 going back go a 2014 decision by the GOP Congress. This Census sabotage goes back before Dolt45.
germy
Kay
@MaryLou:
Sure, absolutely, but wouldn’t some union members rather have Medicare (good health insurance) and higher wages? In their next contract? When I was in a union the younger members complained that they had very good health insurance but they’d rather have ordinary health insurance and higher wages, because they don’t use as much healthcare, so they thought they were overinsured, which they probably were. It’s all compensation. They can take it any number of ways. 70/20/10 or 80/10/10 or 80/20.
They would just negotiate for wages and retirement. If the health care piece is taken care of that opens it up. 80/20. It all adds up to 100.
germy
@Kay: Everyone loves their employer’s health insurance until the layoffs are announced.
schrodingers_cat
I like Kamala for reasons I can’t explain why. She reminds of my mom and grandma. Efficient, no-nonsense with a sense of humor.,And she loves to cook. I don’t quite know whether I want to have a beer with her. Afternoon tea seems more appropriate.
Martin
@Raven Onthill: Pretty sure it’ll be either Harris or Warren. Warren is really finding her groove, and it’s not just that she’s a policy wonk, she’s exceptionally good at explaining her ideas and explaining the costs of not doing her ideas. Dems usually suck at that.
But if Democrats don’t nominate a female candidate, we’re going to lose. It’s as simple as that.
MomSense
@FlyingToaster:
It’s also an issue that unions for decades have negotiated deals with lower pay for their members in exchange for better retirement health benefits. Those union members will be pissed if they sacrificed pay for benefits they won’t be able to use.
Not saying we can’t transition to M4All but this is another reason to transition and not just add water and insta -Medicare for all.
FlipYrWhig
@Raven Onthill: I’m already disappointed in the NEXT Democratic President!
Ohio Mom
@Sure Lurkalot: I’m a few months behind you. Maybe we should ask Anderson/Mathew for a Medicare primer post?
Betty Cracker
Regarding unions, IIRC, about 10% of the US workforce is unionized. I’m not happy about that, but it’s the reality. I don’t know what percentage of non-union employees are satisfied with their employment-provided healthcare coverage. I see polling on it from time to time that paints a rosy picture, but I wonder how much of that translates to employees happy with their care professionals, which is entirely different.
Kay
@MaryLou:
I think the fact that it is always presented as an employer “giving” people health insurance is just wrong. They’re not “giving” anything. It’s compensation. It can be wages or health insurance or a retirement plan but it’s all in exchange for work. If a bigger and bigger chunk goes to health insurance the other piece(s) go up more slowly or not at all.
If their wage is 20 plus 10 (health insurance) plus 10 (retirement) and the health insurance piece stays 10 with Medicare and doesn’t go to 20 that’s 10 with a potential to go to wages or retirement. Union members might understand this better than other people since they negotiate each piece of compensation in a contract. They know if one goes down the other has to go up or it’s a lower compensation package.
zhena gogolia
@FlipYrWhig:
Haha, right?
Betty Cracker
@Martin:The “electability” gatekeepers who are trying to foist Biden on us disagree, but I’m more inclined to your view than theirs.
PPCLI
@Redshift:
@germy:
I have lived for decades in the US, with top-of-the-line private insurance, and I’ve lived decades in Canada with the provincial health insurance plan OHIP. If I could have what I had in Canada in exchange for what I have now, I would make that trade in an instant.
If these scare stories about Canada were true, you would expect that a clever political party would be able to win lots of elections on a platform of exchanging the Canadian system for the US one. Those poor, suffering Canadians would love it, right? Why didn’t Harper’s Conservatives try that when they had control? They loved the US and all its ways.
Answer: Because such a platform would be lucky to get 10% of the vote. It would be political suicide. That is all you need to know.
Martin
@Kay: I think the problem here is that workers know what they have and fear what they don’t. We could do all kinds of hypotheticals around trading out x for y, but it’s a complete crap-shoot whether you can get employers to agree to it. Some workers will get screwed.
Now, what I would like to see in a single payer bill is regulation that after enactment the total worker compensation (pay + benefits) will not go down after subtracting out any new taxes in the legislation. For example, a worker earning $50K/yr + $15K worth of employer paid health insurance, after a new $5K/worker payroll tax to pay for single payer, the worker gets to keep the $10K employer savings in some way – either added to pay, or as part of some other benefit package. I think that would calm a lot of workers down about the prospects of single payer. Employers would likely still back the plan because that $15K health insurance is unpredictable, and while they don’t save any money in all of this, they get added stability.
Kay
@germy:
They have a legitimate point but the idea that they have to continue to negotiate contracts with a big chunk of wages going to private health insurance when there is an adequate public program available – that they must do this- take this form of compensation or get nothing- is just not true. They would be in a better position to convert “wages in the form of health insurance” to “wages” than other people because they exhaustively negotiate each piece.
So they would grandfather the current contracts and then negotiate new ones. This is very do-able for them. They know they want “40”, say, total. They’re not going to be tricked into accepting 30 + Medicare. That’s just 30.
rikyrah
sigh…she is so tiresome
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Manic McCain!’ That’s what The View producers have branded co-host Meghan McCain after she melts down again calling the executive producer a ‘motherf***er’ in front of a studio audience
Meghan McCain had another blow up when cameras weren’t rolling on the set of The View Tuesday, a source tells DailyMailTV
The View co-host lost her cool after mistaking a law professor for a Justice Department lawyer during the live show
During the commercial break McCain blew up at executive producer Brian Teta for not being briefed, calling him a ‘motherf***er’ in front of the audience
‘This is some bullsh*t! What are you producers good for?’ she said
Human Resources came in to meet with McCain following Tuesday’s live broadcast because she disrespected an executive
But sources say her job is safe as top ABC News executive James Goldston is ‘Meghan’s biggest fan’
‘At this point, Meghan is starring in the talk show version of How To Get Away With Murder,’ explained the source
Tuesday’s profanity-laced blow-up follows McCain’s on-air outburst last week when she called her rival co-host Joy Behar a bi**h on live TV
By KAYLA BRANTLEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 13:23 EDT, 26 June 2019 | UPDATED: 16:43 EDT, 26 June 2019
Martin
@Betty Cracker: It’s early. That view will change. We had the same dynamic in 2008 when black voters were afraid to back Obama because they didn’t believe he could win. Iowa changed that. He won because he convinced black voters to put their energy behind him, and boy howdy did they. They busted their ass and turned out and that was key.
It’s the same dynamic. Biden seems safe, but safe doesn’t get us turnout. We need energy. You get Harris winning in Iowa and she’ll be our candidate and she’ll win for precisely the same reasons.
JPL
@rikyrah: McCain is the reason I won’t turn the show on.
glory b
@germy: Yep, I’ve seen a lot of them too.
I was waiting to see the asterisks and footnotes for sources of the information, but there were none. Smells really fishy.
Kay
@Martin:
I agree, but the “labor unions as a deal breaker” is just not true. They SCREAM about how much health insurance costs. They are the people who know that the insurance CEO makes megabucks. The head of the Steelworkers local here has a whole stump speech on it. He rants about insurance and uses one Ohio exec as his poster child. Names him.
There really is a young/older divide on health insurance too. If you’re 26 you would rather have wages than no deductible, because you’re at a time in your life where you need WAGES. Money. Not an insurance policy. They think they’re overinsured and they often are.
germy
@glory b: I think they should be ashamed of themselves.
hedgehog mobile
@Ohio Mom: I would be interested. Not close but the mr turns 65 in January.
jl
@Betty Cracker: Union brass likes power to provide health insurance, some unions make money off it that can be used for union brass purposes. So, it is that standard very mixed bag of legitimate and unsavory issues that infest politics in this corrupt country.
glory b
@Martin: I’m tired of energy! Can’t we just have rational candidates with good ideas?
I’m starting to worry that we set the bar too high.
We talk about energy and charisma and intelligence and all of those things for every candidate from president to dog catcher.
Obama was probably a once in a generation candidate. There aren’t 100,000 Obamas out there to elect.
rikyrah
????
House Of Impeachment?? (@battletested5) Tweeted:
Black Women didnt fall for Russian propaganda
Black Women overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton
Black Women knew trump was the biggest threat and tried to save this country
YET
MSNBC didn’t have one black woman as a moderator for the Dem debate https://twitter.com/battletested5/status/1144092825992216578?s=17
Citizen Alan
No one, IMO, should be out there saying they want to abolish private health insurance. What they should be saying is that they want to improve Obamacare to the point that most people will prefer it to private health insurance and voluntarily choose it over private health insurance.
Kay
@Martin:
I would absolutely phase it in as a buy-in option and offer it to employers as a buy in option if people are really that attached to it as compensation, because I think if they had it they would quickly become unattached to it as compensation and just breathe a huge sigh of relief and get on with their lives. Making wages. Money. Not buying insurance in lie of wages.
But I agree it’s too radical and they’ll freak, if it’s done all at once.
germy
@Citizen Alan: Shrink private insurance to a size where it can be drowned in the bathtub.
germy
@rikyrah: NBC would rather have Chuck Todd using NRA talking points to frame questions about gun control.
OzarkHillbilly
@Citizen Alan: Obamacare is private insurance.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
One thing this has taught me is the overton window is absolutely 100% true. I was not a believer.
The centrists are now pleading for a public option. They moved! They all took one step Left. That thing is magic.
The Moar You Know
@MaryLou: What planet do you live on? Hell, my local teacher’s union goes 40% GOP every election (my wife is a member), and that’s been the case with every union I’ve been a member of as well. My cousin’s a cop, they’re all union, and they’re 90+ percent GOP. So are our local firefighters – never endorsed a Democrat.
And I’m not from one of the shithole states, either. California, and my county went 65-35 for Hillary.
trollhattan
@rikyrah: @JPL:
John Oliver had a LOT of fun at Meghan’s expense on Sunday.
Pissy rich girl.
trollhattan
England cruising at the half.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
Think how far we’ve come though. In 2005/2006 I was personally contacting reps about extending Medicaid to more children. George W Bush vetoed it! Children. Nancy Pelosi had to basically do nothing else for 6 months to beat Bush on it. The asshole was saying they could go to the emergency room. Now it’s a given that a national health care system is needed and millions and millions of adults are covered by Medicaid.
We won. We own the health care debate and it is conducted on our terms.
dr. bloor
@rikyrah: That lady needs some medicine.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: It has moved and I am glad to see it. As one who has hurt his brain going thru the near infinite options provided for Medicare, I would very much like to see us go with a Canada/UK/Spain model, but I just don’t see it. We like having holes in our healthcare system for people to fall thru.
Kay
@The Moar You Know:
We sort of rank them, locally. The UAW are the worst and the IBEW are the best :)
Our teachers are actually fairly D given that’s it a 70% Trump county. They’re in the middle.
I started the ranking. I want it known. Ohio as a whole it’s supposedly 45% R.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
That’s where “countertop inspection” came from. Remember that? Conservatives stalked that poor family who made the mistake of becoming Pelosi’s poster child for Medicaid expansion. We were begging for children to be covered. They had to over-ride a veto to get it.
trollhattan
@Kay:
Sacramento is being visited.
Paperwork schmaperwork.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: I’d put the Carpenters at about 50/50 but can’t say for sure. Other than our business rep we really don’t talk politics much.
Steve in the ATL
@trollhattan: for the record, I have nothing to do with this!
JPL
@trollhattan: That was quite good. BTW she’s a spoiled rich girl.
schrodingers_cat
@Kay: We need to celebrate our wins more. s
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: I think the big change maker was pre-existing conditions. Sooner or later everybody has a pre-existing condition. Most younger folks never really had to think about the fact that we all get them, but when Repubs wanted to take away those protections the picture was crystal clear.
Yutsano
@Betty Cracker: I have the Federal Employee Benefit Health Plan. I’m supposed to have one of the best insurance plans in the country. And even my insurance sucks on what doesn’t get covered.
Sure Lurkalot
@Ohio Mom: Great idea! I’m as clueless as how to make such a request as I am about Medicare…
Another Scott
@Ohio Mom: There’s this short one from 2015 that might be a good starting point.
I’m sure https://balloon-juice.com/category/anderson-on-insurance/ has much more.
HTH.
Cheers,
Scott.
Sure Lurkalot
Don’t all tax payers subsidize employee coverage? The company gets a tax deduction for its share of premiums and employees’ share is before tax. I support the end of such plans because of the portability argument and the fact that most of our global business competitors don’t have this burden. I guess I wouldn’t object to private Cadillac add on if basic coverage was fairly comprehensive.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
That’s funny because I think “preexisting conditions” was a kind of proxy for general anxiety about health insurance. I have no idea if this is true, but I was around for our 30 year long “health care debate” and I’m convinced it has very little do with health care. Half the county didn’t have health care access at all and no one gave a shit and all of a sudden the whole country was fretting over preexisting conditions? Hmm. That’s not like them.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
What was worse than preexisting conditions were the caps. I once saw 3 million dollars in health care bills for a 16 year old with blood cancer. They capped out. That’s in excess of insurance. Indiana has a state program that could help and then they can discharge the rest in bankruptcy but 3 million dollars! For people who make 40k a year. It stops being real. They were giddy like “oh, SURE, we’ll be paying THAT!”
Steve in the ATL
@Betty Cracker:
Private sector is only 7%. 7%! The Republican assault that began I think in the 1970’s has been highly successful.
Sebastian
@Another Scott:
Corruption should be the central slogan.
They are all taking bribes and selling us out. We have gazillion stories and evidence, it is a crowd pleaser as it relates to our sense of fairness and cheating, and it is true!
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: Yes it was about that exactly. It became personal. Most people didn’t know their health problems could be exempt from coverage by their new insurance with their new employer because they were pre-existing, not to mention forgetting that one time you had the sniffles and were prescribed something for it and didn’t put it into your health history made your present pneumonia an uncovered pre-existing condition too.
The cost of healthcare was going up up and up and health insurance companies were inventing some pretty imaginative reasons for denial of benefits. People began to wonder if they really were covered..
Steve in the ATL
@MaryLou:
As has been noted already, you apparently haven’t checked lately! Unfortunately, white working class people are happy to vote against their own interests if they can stick it the blacks, the gays, and the non-males.
The right wing noise machine has played a huge role in this. Driving around NE Alabama/NW Georgia/SE Tennessee all week, I have encountered a staggering number of right wing nut job radio stations, pumping out right wing lies and absurd right wing bible interpretations 24/7. We have to find a way to fight this if we want our country to survive.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: Yep.
Kay
For the record I thought Warren had a bad night. I just thought she was “off”- she seemed exhausted. There was a lag, a delay. I actually thought Klobachur had a good night. She’s like “slow and steady wins the race” – a temperament that is appealing to me in light of loony tunes screaming at us every day. I also think she’s a little bit mean, which is good v Donald Trump :)
I don’t think Corey Booker can hug him into submission.
burnspbesq
@A Ghost To Most:
But she’s a COP, dontcha know.
Kay
Sources told the Daily Mail that McCain blew up at the show’s producers in front of the studio audience after moderator Whoopi Goldberg had to restart a segment Tuesday after she confused a law professor with a Justice Department official.
McCain confused Warren Binford, a Willamette College law professor who described horrific conditions at child detention facilities, with Sarah Fabian, a Justice Department lawyer she described as a “holdover from the Obama administration.”
Goldberg ended the segment and intended to restart it after a commercial break, but sources said McCain lost her cool and shouted profanities at the production crew.
Meritocracy going well I see. Do NOT correct her!
Steve in the ATL
@burnspbesq: cops have the best weed. We learned that from Chevy Chase in “Foul Play”.
Booger
Senator Harris is definitely in the category of a USSILTHABW, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: @Kay:
I am wondering where pre-existing is going. Is a genetic predisposition the same thing as a pre-existing condition? It is for life insurance.
rikyrah
@Sebastian:
Criminal enterprise, headed from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Immanentize
@Kay:
I know Warren. She is very tough and very cool.
Betty Cracker
@Kay: I only saw the first half because a thunderstorm knocked our power out for precisely one hour at almost exactly 10 PM! Weird! :) But I thought Warren was great in the first half. Could be my bias talking though. I also liked Klobuchar’s clap-back at Inslee about work on reproductive rights.
Immanentize
@Steve in the ATL:
Police and fire unions are definitely Trump positive. And willing to sell out other unions in a flash. See, Wisconsin.
Betty Cracker
@Immanentize: Could you convey to her the thanks of a miserable almost top 10K lefty blog?
Immanentize
@Kay:. As much as you like Klobachar, she ain’t goin nowhere. She may be a little bit mean, but her schtick is “Minnesota nice.” Which is why the bad boss stuff hurt her so much right out of the box.
Immanentize
@Betty Cracker: I will! She is really quite tenacious, but quite conservative in her own way. I maybe have known her for the whole century. Although we are on the opposite coasts, she and I had basically the same jobs at our respective places.
I will ask her to do a guest spot, if you like. But probably after her 15 minutes firing up McCain are over and she is just back to work.
Quinerly
Meanwhile…… The anticipation and excitement builds for the BJ meet up in St. Louis at John D McGurks in Soulard starting at 5:00 pm Central Time…..
rikyrah
@Immanentize:
speak that truth
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
I’d prefer to drink chardonnay and gossip with Klobuchar.
Brachiator
Perfect. She’s got my vote.
Sanders will be in this scrimmage, right? I am predicting a lot of Bernie bro butthurt.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@Immanentize: I like her, too, but acknowledge she isn’t polling well enough at this point. Still, a little bit mean girl who can act ‘Minnesota Nice’ when needed sure would be an asset as Senate Majority Leader.
Kathleen
@Sure Lurkalot: I have a Medicare Advantage Plan through Humana (other companies offer similar plans). About $125-130 is deducted monthly from my Social Security. I don’t pay any additional premiums. This plan covers both hospitalization (covered by Social Security), as well as Part B Medicare plans (free doctor visits,percentage of lab work, blood tests etc. wellness (Silver Sneakers), transportation to hospitals or doctors if needed, physical therapy, etc. My deductible is about $3500.
I chose this plan because I didn’t have to pay an additional premium over and above my Social Security deduction. This plan is HMO so I have to make sure providers are in my network. I chose this plan because I’m healthy (my only prescription is for thyroid so prescription expenses are not an issue for me either) and don’t have any diseases that require regular care. I could have chosen a different plan which I think provides more benefits but would have had to pay an additional premium. My current plan meets my physical and financial needs right now.
To be honest I never investigated option of taking Medicare Part A & B directly from government so I have no idea how that works or what advantages/disadvantages are. Also, any plans you consider must be available in you state. I have had no problems at all and I’ve been on Medicare for 4 years now. Good luck!
Immanentize
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:
Perfect job for her!
Kathleen
@rikyrah: I was a crew leader for the Census in 2010 and you’re right. I was hired on in April. We spent some time on training and ramp up. I’m sure it’s more complex now with the new technology. We canvassed in my neighborhood and I had a blast
Immanentize
I am suffering another sin against charity which are all too common these days —
I want Bernie to utterly fail tonight. Collapse. Lose his cool. Start complaining and whining about how woe and put upon he is. Act like, well, himself. Please?
Kay
@Immanentize:
All due respect but “Minnesota Nice” doesn’t mean “nice”. It means polite in public.
The binders INCIDENT is completely consistent with Minnesota Nice :)
I think of these people as back ups. We need back ups to the back ups. Stop dinging them. We might need them.
Kathleen
@Immanentize: Yes!!!! If you let me sit next to you I’ll bring cake.
zhena gogolia
@Immanentize:
Me too. Or better yet they don’t let him say anything at all.
A Ghost To Most
@Immanentize:
Just remember, the Nazis are counting on you acting with personal charity. It gives them an edge.
Miss Bianca
@Immanentize: I am with you on that one, soul brother!
Sure Lurkalot
@Kathleen: Thanks for sharing this information. I have 3 months before the earliest I can enroll which I hope is enough time to sort out the options in my (square) state. I’m not on Social Security and don’t plan on it until 2021 at the earliest, unless something goes awry, always a possibility!
Raven Onthill
@FlipYrWhig: oh, heavens, shouldn’t I be disappointed in the Democratic Party? I mean, really? They gave away the store and now we’re all paying.
And, sure, they’re about a million times better than the Republicans. I’ll work for them this election, at least if my life allows. BUT I’m going to bitch about the party’s failings and the failings of its candidates, too.
And, hey, who knows? We might just get President Warren.
MisterForkbeard
Ugh. I just got forwarded a Medium article by someone whose opinion I usually respect. It’s a blatant hit piece on Biden, Buttigieg, Harris, and Beto by a very pro-Bernie writer. It’s the same kind of bullshit they used on Hillary and it really bugs me that these idiots are pulling it again: Take something wildly out of context, claim the target is corrupt, repeat Republican framing, etc.
And yes, this friend of mine was calling them all “Republicans in Sheep’s Clothing”. I think most of his other commenters told him that the article was biased bullshit, but I’m worried that this is getting through to people.
JanieM
@Sure Lurkalot: My status as an employee ends Sunday, and my employer-sponsored group health coverage along with it. I shift to Medicare Monday.
It’s daunting to try to figure it all out. I did a lot of reading at the social security website itself, but also attended a great “Medicare 101” seminar at a nearby senior center, sponsored in part by Maine SHIP. SHIP is a national program: State Health Insurance Assistance Program, run by individual states for people who live there. I had done a lot of reading before attending Medicare 101, but the presentation was quite well organized, and I learned even more, and was able to get some questions answered that I hadn’t been able to figure out by myself.
I went with a Medicare Supplement plan (“Medigap”), not Medicare Advantage. I have had years of experience with the need to stay within a network, following even more years when I had insurance that was unrestricted (but at the time, by my own choice, because I was quite healthy, with a huge deductible). My coverage through my job has been good, but I’ve had enough of in/out of network issues.
The website I linked has a button: “Find Local Medicare Help.” Your state’s insurance bureau might also have resources. Mine does.
It is one of the symptoms of the chronic lunacy that afflicts the good old US of A that Medicare is too freaking opaque to understand. My PhD was easier. ;-)
JanieM
PS I also read a lot of stuff that I simply found through googling. The people writing are usually agents who would love to sell you something, but some of them also explain things quite well.
Raven Onthill
@Sure Lurkalot: Basically, Medicare provides basic, but very basic, coverage. If possible, if you can afford it, get supplemental coverage, either a Medigap policy or a Medicare Advantage plan.
This is the government’s site: https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans
For lots of information, try this book: https://store.nolo.com/products/social-security-medicare-and-government-pensions-soa.html?utm_source=nolo-content&utm_medium=nolo&utm_campaign=nolo-related-products
Also, if you have significant assets, make sure you have a will. Regardless, make sure you have various health care directives. As much as possible, get these things in place before your family has to deal with the issues, while you are in care and everyone is stressed and doesn’t want to deal.
debbie
@Immanentize:
i want someone to ask him why he hasn’t registered as a Democrat and why he thinks he should get any funds from the Democrat Party.
Kathleen
@Sure Lurkalot: You’re welcome!