Helpful Resources from WebMD

The folks at WebMD have some really good information about the Affordable Care Act on their web site. Check it out:
 

• Health Care Insurance Quick Start Guide
• Quiz: Health Care Reform Myth or Fact
• Health Marketplaces in the United States

Ohio Joins the Club with 20+% Savings on Healthcare under the ACA

The latest state to contribute data: “Ohioans who buy their own health insurance should see an average out-of-pocket savings on premiums of 21 percent because of taxpayer subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study by the Rand Corp., a widely respected think tank.”

New Study on Obamacare Says Ohioans Who Enroll Will See Savings, Thanks to Subsidies

The Plain Dealer | August 30, 2013

Treasury and IRS Announce That All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Recognized For Federal Tax Purposes;

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today ruled that same-sex couples, legally married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriages, will be treated as married for federal tax purposes. The ruling applies regardless of whether the couple lives in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage or a jurisdiction that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

This ruling is goes A LOT further than most people expected. However, it would be an administrative nightmare for the IRS to maintain different rules for different jurisdictions, so the rationale makes perfect sense from an efficiency viewpoint. The other surprising development was the ability for same-sex couples to file amended returns for the past three years (or the typical statute of limitations for such claims).

I don‘t know about most folks, but the amended returns came as quite a pleasant surprise to me. My wife and I will be completing our amended return over the Labor Day weekend so we‘re ready when the September 16th filing window opens.

Thanks once again, Edie Windsor!

Revenue Ruling IR-2013-17
FAQs for Same-Sex Couples

Dialysis Center Profits vs. Universal Healthcare

Let me see if I‘ve got this straight: we can overpay dialysis centers for drugs patients don‘t need—and actually harm them in many instances—because their lobby is super powerful, but we shouldn‘t have healthcare for all? <scratching head>
 

House Bid to Undo Dialysis Cuts Show Lobbyists‘ Muscle

The New York Times | August 28, 2013

Do You Feel Safer Now?

Does relieving the unit commander of his duties make you feel any better about the safety of our nuclear missile situation? Maybe I'm just jaded after reading Drift, but I see the problem as a systemic issue and replacing the unit commander isn‘t going to change much, IMHO.

 

Military Removes Commander of Malmstrom Nuclear Weapons Unit
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch | August 26, 2013

Say What???

I hate to break it to the GOP, but “Obamacare” = Insurance Exchanges, Dudes!

Will GOP Lawmakes Get Coverage Through Obamacare?
The Maddow Blog | August 26, 2013

Good for Intuit!

I was pleased to see that Intuit (the tax preparation software giant) is pushing the Affordable Care Act on its home page. And there's no tax-related slant to the information. The company appears to be making it available as a public service. Good for them!

TurboTax Web Site
viewed on August 25, 2013

Cuccinelli on Uninsured Going without Healthcare: “Human Beings Will Adjust”

How many times have you heard this argument: the United States doesn‘t need health insurance for all Americans because if the uninsured get sick, they can just go to the emergency room? Short-sighted at best; heartless at worst.

But Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli (R) has an especially “interesting” take on the issue. Cuccinelli offers quite a strange vision in this video clip. Struggling American families shouldn‘t have access to subsidized insurance; they shouldn‘t be able to rely on emergency rooms in a crisis; and, if they do show up at an ER, they should make sure bill collectors can hound them later for getting sick in the first place. But don‘t worry, Cuccinelli assures us, “Human beings will adjust.”

This has to be one of the more ridiculous things I‘ve heard regarding the poor and the ER.

New York Residents to Win Big with State Health Exchange

New York joins California, Maryland, Washington, Oregon, Rhode Island, et al. with significantly reduced benefit premiums under the Affordable Care Act‘s state health insurance benefit exchanges. It‘s getting hard to ignore the very real economic advantages of the health exchanges.

Health Plan Cost for New Yorkers Set to Fall 50%

The New York Times | July 16, 2013

Medscape's ACA‘s Timeline

The good folks at Medscape provide a handy timeline of events under the Affordable Care Act.
 

ACA Timeline: Key Dates for Providers and Patients

Medscape | August 23, 2013

On No, Not Another Blog

I‘m not quite sure why I decided to start this blog . . . except maybe to spare all my Facebook friends from my multitude of rants on the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) and social-equity issues and the stupidity with which they‘re being received by legislators and religious conservatives alike—often because of outright lies or lack of knowledge.

So I‘m going to post the stories that intrigue, anger, or baffle me in some way along with my commentary,  reactions, or questions. If nothing else, maybe I‘ll feel better and my Facebook friends can go back to the business of sharing first-day-of-school pictures and recipes.

Quick Side Bar: I do know a fair amount about the subject matter having studied healthcare reform for my PhD and followed it closely in the policy arena. And I‘ve been living with social-equity issues most of my adult life.