I am sorry about your husband, Dana. But glad he chose to go to the funeral.

As for the Healthcare Reform don't you know that the SMALL MAN'S RIGHTS are being CHIPPED AWAY by the socialist american government.

OK, this is what I have for a quick summary of the biggest benefits of the ACA:

1. It allows parents to keep their children on their health insurance until the kids hit 26, and forbids insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. [Source] In this economy, with so many young people out of work, this will probably save lives, and will allow those young people to take jobs they might otherwise not have, or even start their own businesses, for lack of insurance.

2. It limits insurance companies' ability to reject applicants for pre-existing conditions. [Source] People with chronic health conditions will continue to be covered, won't be kicked out of their plan for minor paperwork errors [Source], and won't run into a lifetime cap on care. [Source] If they are rejected, they can get coverage through a new type of plan. [Source]

3. It provides regional exchanges or cooperative plans, which are larger pools of insurance, for people who don't get insurance through their employers. [Source] Freelancers, part-timers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs will be able to get health insurance with premiums that don't bankrupt them. This will help create jobs, and support the development of new businesses.

4. It provides tax credits for small businesses to provide health care for their employees [Source], and to people buying insurance directly from exchanges. [Source]

5. It provides health care through Medicaid for some families living in poverty, who have traditionally used the ER as their health care-provider of last resort. [Source] This will save lives, and will reduce the burden on already-overstressed public hospitals.

6. It prevents insurers from charging women more for health care than men. [Source]

I don't know why I'm doing this; I don't normally get involved in political discussions.

JC: this is not what they had in mind when our country was founded
Me: Our country was founded over 200 years ago. There's a lot of things they couldn't possibly have had in mind. I do recall something about promoting general welfare, though.
JC: If I don't incur any medical bills I shouldn't have to have coverage. Protecting my rights and forcing me to do something are two different things.
Me: I'm going to copy and paste a good response to that [that thing above]
KE: [JC], that's like saying that because you don't plan to have a car accident you shouldn't have to have car insurance.

If I don't incur any medical bills I shouldn't have to have coverage.

THIS is what cracks me up. The sheer number of people who think they will be in perfect health forever.

1. It allows parents to keep their children on their health insurance until the kids hit 26

Without this K-Bug wouldn't have coverage right now. She has two part time jobs, neither with benefits.

The sheer number of people who think they will be in perfect health forever.

Indeed. And you can't tell me they don't know anyone with a chronic condition, or anyone who got in a car accident, or got a workplace injury, or fell ill suddenly...

Tears of Impotent Rage.

tommy, is it OK to quote you on Facebook?

And you can't tell me they don't know anyone with a chronic condition, or anyone who got in a car accident, or got a workplace injury, or fell ill suddenly...

Or who use hormonal birth control, for fuck's sake.

Parents consider lawsuit after daughter loses valedictorian spot - latimes.com

And to Elisha’s mother, Carol, the second-place finish means that her daughter's "sleepless nights" were essentially “for nothing.”

"It's flawed. It's wrong," Carol told The Times. "All her hard work is not being recognized. All she had was straight A's. Not a B, ever."

It's a little more complicated than just being unhappy at second place, but still.

I possibly could have been valedictorian if I had not slacked off so much, but my not going out for sports probably would have resulted in me not being valedictorian. This is what happened to my brother.