I knew stupidity was constipating!

It sounds as though the construction workers are demolishing something large made of concrete directly below my desk. Which might in fact be the case. It is very loud and vibratey.

You know what? Monday was not the most depressing day this year. Today is. In fact, the entire week is tainted just by standing next to Monday and Tuesday. The only silver lining I can see is that at least tomorrow's a new Daily Show so we don't have to wait an entire weekend for the mocking.

American Prospect blogger on the Bush health insurance plan:

I WAS WRONG. Alright, unpleasant post to write, but I was wrong: The Bush administration's health plan is a trap. I'd counsel Democrats to oppose it, but that'll hardly be necessary. The surprising outcome would be if they even notice it. And this comes, I hasten to underscore, from someone who was willing, eager even, to give the Bush administration a chance, to believe the Democratic majority had spurred them towards more pragmatic, constructive policy-making. Fool me once...

What the early reports either didn't make clear or didn't know was that the plan's changes to health care deductibility don't set limits, they're creating, instead, a standard deduction of $7,500 for individuals and $15,000 for families. My initial understanding was that those were caps: Above them, you couldn't deduct anything further. Below them, you simply deducted what you spent. That was incorrect. Instead, everyone will get precisely those deductions no matter what they spend. If you're 23 and your health care costs $2,000 a year, you still deduct $7,500, pocketing the difference. It would, in that situation, be economically foolish of you to purchase high quality, comprehensive coverage. And that goes all the way up the line. The intent here is clear: To incentivize the purchase of low-quality, high-deductible care, particularly among the healthy, young, and/or rich. To degrade the risk pool, and encourage HSAs. To reduce coverage, costs, and health security.

It's almost laughably wrongheaded, and won't survive an instant in Congress. Pete Stark, chair of the House Health Subcommittee, has already dismissed the idea of hearings. Other Democrats, I expect, will react much the same. Bush is responding to America's fears of high health costs, inadequate coverage, and increased risks with a proposal that promises to further weaken their coverage, heighten their risk and, when they get sick, increase their costs. It's a wonder he's even bothering. As for me, I made the mistake of extending good-faith to an administration that, time and again, has proven it deserves none. The optimist in me has been grounded for a week, and won't get dessert for two.

[link]

Health insurance is so frustrating. The temp agency I work for does have a health plan of sorts, but it doesn't cover mental health so it's completely useless to me.

The company I'm assigned to as a temp offers the same HMO I'm on now, but after 3 yrs it's clear my position is not going to be made permenant. (However, arrangements were made to get me a raise to cover a recent increase in my HMO monthly payments).

I currently pay $420/mth for a "non group" plan with an HMO (which my raise pretty much covered). It's a good HMO and I've had fantastic coverage. However, I'm also in the highest plan of co payments ($50/$30/$15), which means my current prescribed meds cost me $110/mth (which is one reason I want to go off one, it's the most expensive and would bring my co pays down to $60/mth). The last time I got an antibiotic I paid out of pocket because it was $12 and my co pay would be $15.

In the fall I'll be looking for a new job and one of the things I'll be looking for is a job that has health insurance through the HMO I have currently. I don't want to change becuse the alternatives are sucky.

One of the arguements I've heard against universal health care is a lack of doctor choice, but frankly, Mom and a few other people I know who have HMOs have run into this same problem. They can't see who they want because it's not covered.

I have several used to be strongly against universal health care for a variety of reasons but they see the problems I and my cousins in the "younger generation" (as it's been put) have had getting any kind of health insurance and realise that changes need to be made.

"Sweet Zombie Jesus! They're constipated with stupidity."

That's about all I can figure out too. It will be DOA in congress and I don't see a political upside for the republicans either. I guess it at least provides a stance on health care.

I guess it at least provides a stance on health care.

Or at least distracts from the Iraq elephant in the room. Which, apparantly, won't be addressed tonight... SotU is supposedly focusing on domestic issues. I think I read that in Salon's War Room.

Or at least distracts from the Iraq elephant in the room. Which, apparantly, won't be addressed tonight...

To be fair though, the administration line on Iraq doesn't require a lot of time. 'We will win because we must win', just doesn't need a lot of time to explain.

The details on the health insurance are beyond my capacity to read unless I take a migraine pill, and I don't want to.

Me, I pay ~$500/month for my COBRA stuff, and, well, I take >$2000 in meds/month so it's a no-brainer. Unless something shifts drastically, medical insurance will always be useful for me--it's not a gamble like car insurance can be.

Of course, I made a pointless visit to a doctor today that I absolutely wouldn't have if I didn't have insurance. I called my GP to ask if I could have a new splint, since I'd been straightening my finger out by myself. He said hell-no-see-this-specialist, and when I went to make the appointment with the specialist they couldn't see me for three weeks so they suggested a sports medicine orthopedic guy.

Have you ever had an appointment where it feels like the doctor isn't making eye contact with you, even conversational eye contact? I couldn't get a me-specific answer out of him, not to do with how I'd handled the injury until now, not to do with how I use the finger, and most amazingly, not to do with my medical history--he compared the finger on one hand with the corresponding finger on the other to determine end state, despite me telling him there was no correlation.

So now I have a piece of foam-lined metal taped loosely to the finger which has absolutely no impact on keeping the finger straight (I can easily bend the finger 90° in it), and directions to engage the afore-mentioned specialist and an occupational therapist.

It mightn't be the doctor's job to save me from myself, but the least he could do is treat me.

I'm thinking I'm back to having my friend straighten it, and I'll find a new splint on my own.

Here's the cite I was thinking of a couple posts back:

Worse news for George W. Bush: He won't be talking much about the one issue voters want to hear discussed. The White House has been saying that Bush's speech will focus on domestic issues. According to the Post/ABC News poll, 48 percent of Americans say the war in Iraq is the issue they want Bush and Congress to be dealing with this year -- and "no other issue rises out of single digits."

Monday was not the most depressing day this year. Today is.

But....but....today is National Pie Day!