Today or tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives will pass a bill that repeals the Healthcare Reform Act that was signed into law last year. That, of course, is the law that has generated so much controversy in this country. I personally support this much needed law.
If you also support this law, don’t worry at all when you hear that the House has repealed it. It’s all a big show.
The Republican Party campaigned in 2010 promising to repeal the law. And they will take this first step. But that’s as far as it will go. The next step would be for the repeal to be considered by the U.S. Senate and the Democratic Party still runs things over there. But, let’s think worst case scenario. Let’s say that the Senate also repeals the law. In that case, the next step is the repeal legislation would go to the President and guess what he will do? He’ll veto the bill.
When a bill is vetoed, it goes back to the House and the Senate. Both of those bodies can override what the President did but they have to get two-thirds of their body to vote for repeal. And the Republicans don’t have those numbers.
So, you can watch what is going on with interest if you’ve got nothing to do. The Republicans are just doing this so they can go back to their constituents and tell them that they “fought” to repeal that “horrible law.”
At this point, I assume you know that a new health care system is being implemented in this country. If you don’t know this then…..well, there is no sense in reading this cause, honey, you are on another planet.
We’ve heard all the arguing and seen some of the commercials and watched the elections and all. We’ve heard how the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has vowed to repeal the new law. Well, that’s a total crock because while the House of Representatives will vote to repeal it, it’s unlikely that the Senate will do the same and, if by some chance they do repeal it, well, Obama-Man is sitting there with his ole veto pen. End of story.
We’re gonna be living with this new law for some time. That being the case, I thought I would regularly send you a short explanation of what all of this means to you to cut through all of the stuff that you see and don’t have time to sort out.
A number of the provisions of the law will not take effect for quite a while, but some things are already in effect. So, right now, here’s the deal:
Any health plan that you get through your job or any new individual plan has to let any kids you have under 19 to have coverage. In other words, they cannot be denied coverage if they are already sick or have some medical condition.
If your health insurance allows you to have coverage for your dependents, then they can be covered until they are 26 years old. After that, you kick them out of the house and they’re on their own.
Insurance companies cannot drop you from their plans when you get sick just because you made a mistake on your coverage application.
Many insurance companies say that during your lifetime you can only be covered up to a certain point. Today, there are no limits.
If your employer offers a health plan, you generally can’t be turned away or charged a higher premium because of your health status or disability. This protection is called “nondiscrimination.”
If family members are eligible but are not currently enrolled under your health plan at work, you may be able to add them during a “special enrollment” opportunity outside of the usual “open enrollment” period.
It’s 5:45 a.m. on a cold, New England, February morning. I’m in a total coma, surrounded by the warm blankets. Suddenly, the friggin alarm goes off. What the hell? What’s going on here?
My spouse gently kisses me on the check and reminds me that the night before I had promised to go to the 7-11 the minute they opened up to pick up snacks for our son’s 8th grade field trip to the Occuquan Sewage Plant. I had to get up at 5:45 because, as everyone knows, 7-11 stores now open earlier than 7. Ours opens at 6:00 a.m.
I throw on some sweatpants, a sweatshirt, socks and sneakers and head out the door. I am hit with a ridiculously cold blast of wind, numbing my body. There is a light dusting of snow on the car windshield and when I climb into my Honda my way-too-big butt practically freezes to the driver’s seat. I crank the ignition several times and it reluctantly engages. It is dark. It is cold. I don’t want to be here.
The 7-11 is only about a mile away, so it takes just a minute or two to get there. When I pull up, my car clock says it is 5:56. There are no other cars in the parking lot but I can see that the lights are on and there is some activity inside. I park the car, brace myself for the cold breeze that will greet me when I open the door, open it and run to the entrance. I grab the door handle, pull it back and my arm almost falls as I realize the friggin door is locked.
I look inside and see the clerk behind the cash register. He is sipping a steaming plastic cup of 7-11 coffee. I wave to him nicely and point to the door as if to say “hey, can you unlock the door?” He responds by looking at his watch and pointing to it.
It is now 5:58.
Abortion World Community
For the love of God, what the hell is this? This guy is sitting on his stool all comfy and cozy, with his freshly brewed coffee, and I’m outside, staring in like a kid gazing at the toys in the window at Macy’s. The clerk just won’t budge. He’s got his rules, he cannot violate them or, or, well, who knows what the hell would happen if he opened them up before 6?
Give me a break guy.
I finally screamed to him: “HEY, GANDHI, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!!”
That, of course, clinches it. I am forced to wait another minute and a half to get my stupid overpriced snacks.
We see this kind of behavior all the time. Rules are the rules, you can’t bend them at all. God forbid a store owner or a bureaucrat or anyone else should go out of their way to show a little humanity. Nope, I’ve got my instruction manual and that is my Bible. If I actually interpret it a little, if I use some discretion, I’ll get struck by lightning. Don’t want that to happen now, do we?
We seem to forget that we live in a community of human beings. We are too focused on ourselves, on our jobs, on our next recreational activity. Life is way too short, folks. The next time someone tries to get attention, remember that there’s another human being at the other end.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
