The US Health (insurance) Crisis

With the constant on again off again parade of GOP health care bills, Executive Orders, bipartisan Affordable Care Act (ACA) rescue bills, administrative rules changes and directives, we have a full-blown mess on the health insurance landscape. FUBAR would be an apt description. Which makes the situation far worse is that we are in the open enrollment period for most insurance plans. Now is the time people should be making their decisions about which company to go with, which plan to choose, which deduction and co-pay levels, etc. How can the insurance companies offer stable policies or individuals choose a plan when the rules keep changing? Even if Congress or the administration reach some sort of agreement for 2018 health care, there is no way to know what is in store down the road. In fact, there is no guarantee that Trump won't get out his magic pen in a couple of months and undo anything agreed to this year. 

Is it any wonder that insurance providers are abandoning the ACA marketplace? Businesses shouldn't be guaranteed a profit, but they should be able to know the rules of the game. 

It's a well-known fact that the Republican party has campaigned against the ACA since its passage in 2010. Repeal & Replace was their mantra. While I don't agree with that, it is their right to craft their platform however they want. In 2017, the GOP took control of the Congress and the White House. They did not need one single Democratic vote in either House to pass legislation. Had they been able to pass a health care bill early in the year, everyone would know what to expect for the next few years. Once it became apparent, over and over again, that they couldn't agree, they owed it to the consumers and the providers to extend and fund the ACA for at least one year. 

On top of the GOP congressional failure, we have Trump and his administration doing everything possible to sabotage the ACA. They have reduced the signup period, drastically reduced advertising dollars and promotion, and all but eliminated the ACA from any mention on government websites. Then, via Executive Order, Trump eliminated some coverage mandates and subsidies that help people afford deductibles and co-pays among other changes. Those subsidies were eliminated immediately so it also affects 2017 policyholders. A draconian measure by Trump and a broken promise by our government. 

Why has all this happened? Well, the GOP is a fractured party. Some in the Senators voted against the various replacement plans because millions would lose affordable coverage. Others voted against the bills because they didn't go far enough in eliminating government assistance or regulations. As for Trump's administrative directives and Executive Orders, he will do anything and everything possible to eliminate any trace of the Obama administration. It is personal with him, the consequences be damned. 

The result of all this will be a reduction of the number of people covered, an increase in premiums, and a reduction of coverage. It will be the ordinary citizens who suffer, many of whom are or were Trump supporters. The President, members of Congress, the rich, and big insurance companies won't suffer. The fat cats rarely do.

Some of us have Medicare or employer-provided insurance and are not directly affected by the current health care SNAFU, yet. The latest GOP House budget bill may change that. It includes Medicare and Medicaid cuts. Just hope that you don't find yourself out of work or that your employer decides to drop health insurance coverage. That will be much easier in the future. The Republicans also have their sights on Medicare and Medicaid. They are always looking for ways to reduce social programs so they can funnel the money to business and the rich. 

The ACA wasn't perfect to begin with and is now a gutted and much worse program. It was a beginning to a more humane and equitable way to improve the health of our nation. We have now taken a giant step backward, probably with more steps in the wrong direction to come.

Be careful what you wish for. The Republicans and Trump now own health care. Let's see how you like it now.

wjh

Four Special Forces soldiers were ambushed and killed in Niger on October 4, 2017. There has been little news since the incident. There have been no official announcements about what the mission was, what happened, or who, if anyone, is at fault. Was it an accident, bad luck, bad plan, bad execution, carelessness, avoidable, etc. There were no statements from Trump or the White House. 

At a news conference on 10/16, Trump was asked why he hadn't acknowledged the fallen soldiers. He went into a long winded answer that he hadn't called the families YET but that he had written letters that were GOING to be sent out tonight or tomorrow. That he would call when appropriate. Then he said Obama and other presidents didn't call but he, the great Trump, called and wrote letters. Well, that's pretty much bullshit.  

Isn't it convenient that the letters were just being mailed 12 or 13 days after the killings, on the exact day that a reporter asked him about the incident? Then, Trump thought the "appropriate" time to call one of the families was the next day. He called Myeshia Johnson, widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, who is also the mother of Sgt. Johnson's two children and is pregnant with their third child.  She was on her way to the airport to meet the remains of her husband. I guess this seemed like the "appropriate" time to Trump.

It is alleged that during the phone conversation Trump said: 

'He knew what he signed up for'

Really? That may be one of the most insensitive and tone deaf statements of all time. I'm sure that some Trump supporters will point out that the statement is technically accurate. That is not the point. Common decency dictates that we often couch our speech to be less than completely and brutally truthful. That is especially true when we are conveying our condolences or in Trump's case, trying. 

No apparent concern or empathy about the four slain soldiers for almost two weeks while Trump cavorts around his golf properties. Then, once called out on it by the media, letters are "in the mail" and phone calls get made. The content of this particular ham-handed call makes me wonder if he has made any others. I would suggest that his staff, maybe General Kelly, write a script for future calls. Maybe something comforting and understanding. Apparently, two behaviors that are foreign to our 45th president.

The loss of any of our military is a tragedy. I addition to the loss of life, the worst part is that they leave surviving family and loved ones. In Sgt. Johnson's case, it is a wife and two children, one of which, a two-year-old son, is too young to really remember his dad and one unborn child who he will never see and who will never see him. The oldest daughter is only six. 

These fallen members of the military need to be recognized, thanked, honored. Their families also deserve our thanks, our help, our support, our compassion and our empathy. It would be refreshing to find that our current commander-in-chief understood that and was able to articulate it. 

wjh

Poor Abused Trump

This copy and paste post is going around Facebook:

I offer no apology for what I am posting for this is truly how I feel. Please know this is my opinion and not open for debate. If you disagree, or find my position offensive, please feel free to unfriend me forthwith.I have lived through 9 United States Presidents prior to our current President Trump. In my lifetime I have never seen or heard of a President being scrutinized over every word he speaks, humiliated by the public to the point of disgrace, slandered, ridiculed, insulted, lied to, lied about, threatened with death, threatened to rape our Beautiful First Lady, and have his children also insulted and humiliated.
I am truly ashamed of the people of MY country. I am ashamed of the ruthless, hating, cruel, Trump haters who have no morals, ethics or values and the reporters who feel they have the right to carry on with lies and say the things they do for the purpose of furthering to divide this country. The immense display of disrespect is intolerable. Every other President before he was elected, took the oath of office was left alone, especially children, they weren't on the news 24/7 being scrutinized by their every word. While failing to report truth in real and important events affecting this country. This has been the Jerry Springer era of "news media ". ALWAYS BEING PRESSURED to do this or that and never given the time to take care of the important work this country really needs. ENOUGH is ENOUGH is ENOUGH, LEAVE THE MAN ALONE AND LET HIM DO HIS JOB FOR GOD’S SAKE! Our future and freedom depends (sic) on it. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
If you agree, copy and paste this to your timelineI am truly ashamed of the people of MY country. I am ashamed of the ruthless, hating, cruel, Trump haters who have no morals, ethics or values and the reporters who feel they have the right to carry on with lies and say the things they do for the purpose of furthering to divide this country. The immense display of disrespect is intolerable. Every other President before he was elected, took the oath of office was left alone, especially children, they weren't on the news 24/7 being scrutinized by their every word. While failing to report truth in real and important events affecting this country. This has been the Jerry Springer era of "news media ". ALWAYS BEING PRESSURED to do this or that and never given the time to take care of the important work this country really needs. ENOUGH is ENOUGH is ENOUGH, LEAVE THE MAN ALONE AND LET HIM DO HIS JOB FOR GOD’S SAKE! Our future and freedom depends (sic) on it. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸If you agree, copy and paste this to your timeline

There are a few things evident about the above quote/post. The posters are ardent Trump supporter. They were not paying attention during the Obama administration or chose to agree with all the Obama slurs. The post says they have lived through nine presidents prior to Trump yet I know some of those who have propagated the post have lived through more than nine. I suspect some re-posters have lived through fewer. For the record, I have lived through 12 presidents prior to Trump although, I don't remember much about the Truman administration. 

Let's unpack some of the other points. The words of every president are scrutinized, as they should be. Words matter. Almost every First Lady has been criticized, much of it superficial but also for stances they have taken or issues they supported. Children of the First Family have also taken hits from the public and media. Then he gets personal. According to the original author, those who oppose Trump have no morals, ethics, or values. This from the people who were up in arms about the "deplorables" comment by Hillary Clinton. It is so bad he is ashamed of "MY country". "Every other president was left alone." Really, according to my memory, every other president was criticized. Then there is mention of the 24/7 news coverage. To be fair, real 24/7 news coverage didn't even start until midway through Clinton's administration. Yes, CNN started in 1980 but their penetration wasn't that great to start with since cable TV was still fairly new. The real 24/7 political coverage began in 1996 when Fox News and MSNBC both joined the cable news competition. 

It is somewhat sad that even if the post is how you truly feel and is your opinion, it is not open to debate. That even presented with contradicting facts you will not change your mind.  Feelings, political views, and opinions are somewhat different than beliefs. I would assume that opinions are formed based on facts and life experiences. That there is some basis for that opinion. Beliefs, on the other hand, are taken on faith, usually can not be proved or disproved. You can believe that a Christian God is real but you can not prove it. Likewise, so far no one has been able to prove that a Christian God is not the prime mover and all knowing. The same goes for every other religion. Actually, ardent atheists, those who believe there is no god, are about the same as the religious crowd. Neither side can prove their belief or disprove the other side's belief. 

Back to the task at hand. Every president has had his detractors. Bad stuff has been said about every one of them. Some of it has even been true. Challenging people on Facebook who disagree with your opinion seems counter-productive. None of us should live in a world where everyone thinks exactly alike. How would you ever grow? How would humanity evolve? No person or group or political party has a monopoly on all truths or good ideas. 

I agree that Trump has been scrutinized and called out when he is wrong or just ridiculous. It goes with the office. If you are a secure person, you ignore most of it. This president has a hard time ignoring slights and criticism. He often responds and makes it worse or at least keeps the issue in the news. 

From the day Obama took office, the GOP and those opposed to him took aim. They constantly promoted rumors that Obama was not a native US citizen, born in Kenya, led by Trump. They said that he is a Muslim, many Muslim conspiracy theories emerged.  That Obama was at fault for the poor response to Katrina even though Bush 43 was in office at the time. That Obamacare included a "Death Panel". Want some real wacko things said about Obama? Read this Mother Jones article. Michelle Obama and their kids were attacked, just like every first lady and first family for at least the last 50 years. 

The constant attacks and lies against Obama by the GOP and right-wing media paved the way for what poor, berated Trump is dealing with now. In fact, it probably paved the way for Trump to be elected. Government bad, facts bad, truth bad. After Obama was elected, the GOP Congressional leaders, Fox News, and the right-wing media openly hoped for Obama to fail. Nevermind that he was our duly elected president (both Electoral College and popular vote, twice). 

The mainstream media call out Trump and his administration when they lie. That is their job. Sure, some left-wing media go too far just as right-wing media does in the other direction. 

When we hear something that reinforces our beliefs and viewpoints we think it is true. When we hear criticism of those we disagree with we think that is true and fair. If you are a Trump supporter you think the world is picking on poor Donnie whenever he is criticized. At the same time, you may propagate lies about those who disagree with you and think nothing of it.

Many of the people complaining about Trump's treatment were regularly posting fake news and memes about Obama and his family a year ago. They then continued the same behavior against Hillary Clinton during the campaign. For some reason that wasn't considered over the top by Trump supporters.

Was this popular meme either fair or truthful? 

Were the Obama kids spared? 

Many of the criticisms of Obama had racist overtones. 

There are thousand of other examples. My Facebook newsfeed was full of them for eight years from my GOP "friends". Most of them were shares or links from right-wing and often fake news sites. I even tried to refute some of them with actual verifiable facts. Some even admitted that the stories or memes were false but it didn't matter because Obama was basically scum and the posts were funny. Truth and facts didn't matter, only opinion and beliefs. 

Well, after eight years of seeing a president I supported lambasted daily for eight years, I feel justified in pointing out the flaws of the current president, his administration, and even his adult children and spouse when warranted. 

Whether you agreed with Barack Obama's politics or not, he was a decent man. He was a good family man, no divorces, no affairs, no scandals. His only real flaws, according to some,  were that he was a Democrat and Black. Mostly the Black part. He was also well informed and articulate. He was a student of history and The Constitution. Apparently, those are all negatives. 

We all have the right to our opinions and beliefs. I don't unfriend people for disagreeing with me as long as they don't make it personal. There are good, honorable Americans on both sides of the issues. It is regrettable that people are so entrenched in their political opinions that they would not even consider a different viewpoint. Neither Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, Blacks or whites, Christians or Muslims have a monopoly on good ideas. 

I will continue to criticize Trump, his administration, Republicans, and conservatives when I think it is warranted. I will also criticize and disagree with Democrats and liberals when I think they are wrong. I will even change my mind on an issue as new facts come to light. 

Poor abused Trump is getting the same criticism as every other recent President. He just reacts to it differently and whines or childishly strikes back. Trump can certainly dish out the insults and slurs. Too bad he can's also take the incoming.

Toughen up Donnie, ignore the criticism and most of it will disappear in a day or so.

wjh

Winning - September 2017

The continuing saga of Trump's and the GOP's winning ways in September 2017. A partial list.

• North Korea conducts nuclear tests, so Trump chastises South Korea. More threats by Trump.
• Trump rescinds DACA with a six-month expiration date. Very empathetic and healing. 
• Steve Bannon says firing Comey was a major political mistake.
• Trump makes deal with Democrats to get disaster relief funding and extend the debt ceiling. Fractured GOP leadership blindsided. 
• Trump may or may not have made another deal with the Dems about DACA. The "Wall" funding may or may not be tied to the DACA deal. It is all very clear as is every other Trump policy.
• Most of the GOP and conservative media are upset with Trump over DACA.
• Trump continues to stick with the "both sides" rhetoric concerning the Charlottesville event and other protests.
• North Korea launches another missile on 9/14. 
• Administration withholds visitor logs for Mar-a-Lago. It appears that taxpayer funds were used to pay for lodging at the club.
• Sean Spicer admits lying to the press including false facts, such as inauguration crowd size. 
• Mnuchin requests military jet for his honeymoon. 
• Tom Price uses chartered and military flights. Now says he'll partially reimburse taxpayers, only because he got caught.
• EPA Director Scott Pruitt has also used military and chartered flights. Do you see a pattern here?
• Hypocrite Trump tweets we should never forget POWs and MIAs. What about John McCain. 
• Federal court rules that federal funds cannot be withheld from sanctuary cities. 
• Trump finally gets his Emmy. Oh wait, it was Alec Baldwin who won for his Trump impersonation on SNL.
• Trump praises African nation Nambia and their health care. One problem, there is no country by that name. Maybe Namibia? Or is it Narnia?
• Seems the winners on the athletic scene don't want to visit the White House anymore. This is going to restrict Trump's jersey collection. 
• John McCain says he will not vote for the Graham-Cassidy no-Health Care Bill. Another GOP failure to repeal and replace Obamacare. 
• Trump picks a fight with the NBA and NFL over athletes protesting during the national anthem. He apparently does not understand that freedom of speech concept. 
• Jared Kushner used a private email account for government business. Another Trump administration email problem. How ironic.
• Graham-Cassidy no-Health Care bill officially fails to muster enough support. 
• Trump endorsee Luther Strange loses Alabama GOP Senate primary to Roy Moore. Then Trump deletes endorsement tweets.
• Trump flip-flops on private sector contributing to or being part of any infrastructure legislation.
• Less than stellar government relief response to hurricane Maria devastation in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
• Trump blames most of Puerto Rico's problems on them and chastises them for whining. Whining is something he is very familiar with. 
• Trump unleashes his WMD strategy whenever there is bad news for him or the GOP. In Trump's case, WMD = Weapons of Mass DISTRACTION.
• 9/29 - Tom Price resigns. Actually fired.
• To wrap up the month, Trump lashes out at San Juan, PR mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz for being critical of the federal government's response to Hurricane Maria. The criticism was issued from his Bedminster golf club while she was working in the streets to help her citizens. Sad.

wjh