It’s official, insurance company executives are spawn of the devil. According to today’s New York Times, lawyers for the insurance companies are now arguing that language in the new Health Care Bill is open to interpretation. And while the bill now requires them to pay the expenses generated from a child’s pre-existing conditions if the child is already covered by their parent’s policy, it DOES NOT require them sell new policies to children with pre-existing conditions.
BLANK STARE
So essentially, if they find out that your child has a pre-existing condition before they offer coverage, they can charge you a more expensive penalty fee or simply refuse to cover your child at all. And the ‘availability’ coverage that requires that everyone receive insurance doesn’t go into effect until 2014.
DEAD
I. Can’t. How the hell do these people sleep at night?
After numerous unresolved calls to 311, apparently Maria hit the wall. She freaked out, called her husband at work, started screaming that she couldn’t take the torturous noise anymore. Then as fate would have it, she just so ‘happened’ to run into said neighbor, Iraida Palmieri in the elevator shortly thereafter. According to Maria , Iraida was actin’ funny and refused to move over and make space in the elevator car. So Maria told her to move or she was gonna shoot that ass. Iraida who is the wife of a famous Latin jazz pianist, wrongly called Maria’s bluff and ended up with one to the head (well, really just upside the head since she only grazed her head). Just. Like. That.
BLANK STARE WITH 3 SLOOOOOW BLINKS
All I can say is the devil is a busy man.
And not for nothing, my upstairs neighbors are kinda nuts too. They’re like an apartment full of 20-something years old corner boys who clearly think their spot in the hood is the new Playboy Mansion. At 3 am on any given day of the week, they’ll host full on parties, practice dribbling a basketball and or simply play reggaeton until the walls shake.
Puh-lease believe me when I say, I hate Daddy Yankee.
So I understand where Granny was coming from but still…. this right here is nuts.
Well lookey here, something else kinda controversial that happened while I was busy celebrating the Health Care Bill (that could potentially be no more thanks to the fabulous US Senate):
Tyler Perry finally announced the cast to the upcoming feature adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s famous choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.”
Or rather, I should say a partial list. Because although there are only seven nameless women in the original work that we’ve all come to know and love, Mr. Perry has stated that there will be FIFTEEN roles in the film.
Yeah… I was rocking with him right up until Janet. After that, no. Not so much. But hey, I love a surprise and believe in prayer. So you never know, maybe Macy will surprise us all….
*whips out rosary and gets to mumblin’ my Hail Marys”
Puh-lease don’t ask me how I missed this in yesterday’s NY Post… But thank God for Young, Black & Fabulous, huh?
So now forreal, forreal, what do you think? Should a wife/husband be able to sue the home wrecker that ends a marriage? Theoretically, she/he is NOT the person who signed the legally binding marital contract. Or more importantly, the individual who promised in front of God, family and friends to be faithful to the union? Hmm…
Whether we like it or not, ‘ish happens. To play devil’s advocate, there are many times when the other person isn’t even aware of the marriage. And in those SPECIFIC cases, I’d prob say get you a top of the line divorce lawyer and call it a day.
BUT…
If it can be proven that some no-home-training- having individual was deliberate and malicious in their intent- have at it. Leave no stone unturned when searching for ways to make that person’s life a living nightmare.
For the most obvious reasons, I am beyond thrilled that the Health Care Bill was finally approved and passed through the House. I started to choke up when we finally received the necessary 216th vote to pass the bill. But honestly, it was the resounding 220, that defeated a last minute measure to trash the whole thing and stage a do-over, that made me break out in the cabbage patch. Cause at a certain point, enough is enough.
And while I can understand people being passionate about their positions, I have to admit, there were times when even I was shocked by the lies, nastiness and downright craziness that this issue brought out in people. Teabaggers openly calling Rep John Lewis a nigger, cowardly politicians screaming out “baby-killer” at Rep. Stubeck while he was speaking on the floor, Rep. Steve King pretending to bitch slap Nancy Pelosi and of course right wing pundits damn near predicting the beginning of the apocalypse because the bill passed, and the the list goes on.
Admittedly, the Health Care Bill is far from perfect. But I’ll tell you what, it’s for damn sure way better than what 32 million Americans had before 10:45p last night.
“Tonight’s vote is not a victory for any one party… It’s a victory for the American people. It’s a victory for commonsense.” -President Obama
PS. For those who didn’t manage to read the bill, here’s a cheat sheet on some of the changes:
IMMEDIATE FIXES: 2010
- SMALL BUSINESSES: Tax credits start flowing to businesses with fewer than 50 employees, covering 35% of premiums, to help them afford coverage. By 2014, that will rise to 50%.
- SENIORS: They get a $250 rebate to help fill the “doughnut hole” in Medicare drug coverage.
- YOUNG ADULTS: Health insurers are required to let young people stay on their parents’ policy up to their 27th birthday.
- PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: Insurers will be barred from denying coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions. Adults will have to wait until 2014 for the same protection. But high-risk pools will offer an option for affordable coverage until then.
- NO LIMITS ON COVERAGE: Insurers can’t place lifetime caps on benefits any longer.
- PREVENTIVE CARE: New private plans will have to cover checkups and other preventive services with no co-pays. By 2018, all plans must comply.
2011
- HEALTH CARE COMPANIES KICK IN: Drugmakers pony up new fees, starting at $2.7 billion. Insurance and medical-device providers follow in 2013.
2013
- TAXES: Medicare payroll taxes increase – from a rate of 1.45% to 2.35% – for singles earning more than $200,000 a year and families above $250,000.
2014
- INDIVIDUAL MANDATE: Almost everyone will be required to get insurance or face a fine – $95 in 2014, $325 in 2015 and $695 in 2016 (with a maximum of $2,250 for a family). There is an exemption for low-income people.
- EMPLOYER MANDATE: Businesses with 50 or more employees must offer insurance or pay a $2,000-per-worker penalty.
- HEALTH CARE EXCHANGES: New state-based marketplaces will be open for business, giving individuals and small businesses a place to shop for affordable insurance .
- SUBSIDIES: To help pay for insurance, the feds will offer subsidies to families making as much as $88,000 a year. Out-of-pocket spending will be tied to a person’s income and kept as low as $1,000.
2018
- TAX ON HIGH-COST HEALTH PLANS: A 40% excise tax will be slapped on high-cost “Cadillac” plans starting in 2018.
2020
- Benefits that began to close Medicare’s “doughnut hole” for prescription drugs in 2010 will finally complete the job in 2020.
It’s official, insurance company executives are spawn of the devil. According to today’s New York Times, lawyers for the insurance companies are now arguing that language in the new Health Care Bill is open to interpretation. And while the bill now requires them to pay the expenses generated from a child’s pre-existing conditions if the child is already covered by their parent’s policy, it DOES NOT require them sell new policies to children with pre-existing conditions.
