Dr. Government

Not All Insurers Game for State Exchanges: The Consumer Impact

"As more insurers decide to pack up and leave certain states as health exchanges start to take form, experts say consumers are going to be left feeling the pain. Over the last few weeks, several departure announcements have sent a ripple through the health insurance industry, as companies weigh whether or not they want to play ball under Obamacare. So far, California has experienced the biggest migration with Aetna (AET), UnitedHealthcare (UNH) and Cigna (CI) leaving the state’s exchange, Covered California. Fifteen states and D.C. are in the process of creating their insurance exchanges before the 2014 deadline; when individuals must purchase insurance or face a fine." Continue reading →

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If You Are A Baby Boomer, You Will Go Bankrupt—If You Stay In America

"If you could get an 87% discount on your health care, would you take it? Or would you deliberately stand pat, pay 100%—and go broke? The answer is obvious. So if you cannot afford health care in the United States—or realize that, in the not-too-distant future, you won’t be able to afford it—then the smart move if you are living on a fixed income (or will be soon) is to try to look for a place where health care costs are manageable. A place where you can receive your pension or Social Security check or annuity or whatever, and yet not be afraid that you are one medical emergency away from losing your house and all your money." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIf You Are A Baby Boomer, You Will Go Bankrupt—If You Stay In America

Health Care Non-Insurance

"Health care insurance premiums in 2014 will rise 100%. Some will rise 400%. Premiums will not rise for my wife. She is exempt from ObamaCare, yet she has no health insurance. She has health care non-insurance. She pays $85 a month for a program of shared liability for sickness. It's not insurance, legally. It is not regulated by the government. If she has to get an operation or major medical service, she will not have to pay. For an extra $2 a month, she is in a supplemental program in case the bill goes above $125,000. It does not pay for office visits or prescriptions." Continue reading →

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US Relaxes Health Law Income, Insurance Status Rule for Exchanges

"Until now, the administration had proposed that exchanges verify whether new applicants receive employer-sponsored insurance benefits through random checks. It also sought to require marketplaces to verify each enrollee's income status. But final regulations released quietly on Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) give 16 states and the District of Columbia, which are setting up their own exchanges, until 2015 to begin random sampling of enrollees' employer-insurance status. The rules also allow only random— rather than comprehensive—checks on income eligibility in 2014." Continue reading →

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Parched Jordan to start pumping radium-laced water from 300,000-year-old aquifer

"The water ministry says Jordan, where 92 percent of the land is desert, will need 1.6 billion cubic metres of water a year to meet its requirements by 2015, while the population of 6.8 million is growing by almost 3.5 percent a year. Officials say the project has required 250,000 tonnes of steel and the digging of 55 wells to pump water from Disi to Amman, where the per capita daily consumption [is 42 gallons]. A 2008 study by Duke University, in the United States, shows that Disi’s water has 20 times more radiation than is considered safe, with radium content that could trigger cancers. But the government has brushed aside those concerns." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingParched Jordan to start pumping radium-laced water from 300,000-year-old aquifer

Another Assault on America’s Children—Electroshocking kids promoted as “safe & effective”

"Despite a 1979 federal law requiring makers of ECT devices to prove to the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, that the machines are safe and effective, to date, none of the manufacturers have complied with the law. 100,000 Americans yearly are subjected to an ECT device that forces up to 480 volts of electricity through the brain, putting patients at risk of irreparable damage to the brain and other body systems and the FDA, which is tasked with insuring the safety of these devices, cannot assure the public that the ECT procedure is either safe or effective, simply because it refuses to enforce the law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother Assault on America’s Children—Electroshocking kids promoted as “safe & effective”

Campus ‘smoke-free’ edicts extend to smokeless products and e-cigarettes

"The number of campuses enacting bans has been rapidly increasing. In early 2007, there were about 140 smoke-free campuses. By July 1, 2012, that number rose to about 770, according to the advocacy group. University of Massachusetts-Amherst's tobacco-free policy began July 1. Junior Derek Fisher said it is annoying that the university bans all forms of tobacco, even those that do not cause secondhand smoke, like chewing tobacco or electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes are not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Many schools are including the products in their bans until health risks associated with them are known, Williams said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCampus ‘smoke-free’ edicts extend to smokeless products and e-cigarettes

Cop Fatally Shot Unarmed And Mentally Ill Man, Forbade Family from Giving Him CPR

"Showing 'total lack of awareness,' a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy awoke a mentally ill man and then shot him to death in his own bedroom, the man’s family claims in court. Theodore and Karen Rose sued Sacramento County, its Sheriff Scott Jones, and Deputy David McEntire for the wrongful death of their son Johnathan Rose, in Federal Court. He says in the complaint that though he called 911, he did not overdramatize the situation or indicate that Johnathan was on a rampage. After Ted Rose’s 911 call, Johnathan calmed down enough to take his medication and fall asleep. More than an hour later, Deputy McEntire showed up at the Rose home." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCop Fatally Shot Unarmed And Mentally Ill Man, Forbade Family from Giving Him CPR

Blood, spit and cops: Nationwide drug roadblocks raise eyebrows

"The roadblocks are part of a national study led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is trying to determine how many drivers are on the road with drugs or alcohol in their systems. Similar roadblocks will be erected in dozens of communities across the nation this year, according to the agency. It's been going on for decades. Previous surveys date to the 1970s. The last one was run in 2007, and it included the collection of blood and saliva samples without apparent controversy, sheriff's spokesmen in both Alabama counties said. Gov. Robert Bentley complained that his office had not been notified that the surveys were going to be conducted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBlood, spit and cops: Nationwide drug roadblocks raise eyebrows

Former Federal Judge On Obama Suspending the Law

"President Obama's decision last week to suspend the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act may be welcome relief to businesses affected by this provision, but it raises grave concerns about his understanding of the role of the executive in our system of government. Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution states that the president 'shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.' This is a duty, not a discretionary power. While the president does have substantial discretion about how to enforce a law, he has no discretion about whether to do so. This matter—the limits of executive power—has deep historical roots." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Federal Judge On Obama Suspending the Law