TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalFollow-up: Honorary feline mayor (Mayor Stubbs in Alaska) goes home after dog attack
Related thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018474886
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Stubbs, the honorary feline mayor of an Alaska town, has recovered enough from severe injuries sustained in a dog mauling to be released from the animal hospital.
The 16-year-old cat's owner, Lauri Stec, drove to Wasilla to bring Stubbs home to Talkeetna on Monday. She said he's doing OK, but is still in a lot of pain and on a pain patch.
Stubbs lives at Nagley's General Store, and Stec is the manager there. She said for at least a few days, Stubbs will be cared for at a house connected to the back of the store and away from the hubbub. He'll have to be quiet for a couple months.
But Stubbs is a social creature and getting on in years. Stec doesn't want him to get depressed, so she plans to move him back to the store in a few days. She'll keep him in his regular sleeping spot on top of a freezer that holds his bed: a mushing sled piled with furs of fox, caribou, beaver and lynx.
More at http://www.elpasotimes.com/weird/ci_24054467/honorary-feline-mayor-go-home-after-dog-attack .
Patient's bill soars as federal health law program falters
WASHINGTON — Coping with advanced cancer, Bev Veals was in the hospital for chemo this summer when she got a call that her health plan was shutting down. Then, the substitute insurance she was offered wanted her to pay up to $3,125, on top of premiums.
It sounds like one of those insurance horror stories President Barack Obama told to sell his health overhaul to Congress, but Veals wasn't in the clutches of a profit-driven company. Instead, she's covered by Obama's law - one of about 100,000 people with serious medical issues in a financially troubled government program.
Raw political divisions over health care have clouded chances of a fix for the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, leaving families like Veals and her husband Scott to juggle the consequences. That's not a good omen for solving other problems that could surface with "Obamacare."
-snip-
In a statement, the federal Health and Human Services department said the program "continues to provide excellent coverage." But the department said it was unable to provide current enrollment numbers, which might reflect the impact of belt-tightening this summer that led North Carolina and 16 other states to turn their programs over to federal officials.
More at http://www.caller.com/news/2013/sep/09/patients-bill-soars-federal-health-law-program-fal/ .
Texas A&M students face penalties for selling Alabama tickets for profit
It's a tempting proposition for some Texas A&M students: Sell your seat at the country's most expensive college football game of the season and get enough cash to pay rent for a month or two.
But it'll be a tough lesson for those who get caught: Reselling a student ticket for profit is prohibited and carries penalties ranging from revocation of the ticket and even tickets for the entire season. As of late Monday, at least two students were paying the consequences of trying to turn a profit.
The average ticket price to Saturday's match between No. 1-ranked Alabama and the No. 6 Aggies is $744, according to Vivid Seats, which did a special review for Forbes magazine. That's 35 percent higher than the next most costly game: LSU at Alabama in November carries an average $550 ticket price.
So what's an enterprising young student to do?
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_ba1549ec-bf30-5964-b151-f4c1f9b616d9.html
Cross-posted in Football Group.
Texas A&M students face penalties for selling Alabama tickets for profit
It's a tempting proposition for some Texas A&M students: Sell your seat at the country's most expensive college football game of the season and get enough cash to pay rent for a month or two.
But it'll be a tough lesson for those who get caught: Reselling a student ticket for profit is prohibited and carries penalties ranging from revocation of the ticket and even tickets for the entire season. As of late Monday, at least two students were paying the consequences of trying to turn a profit.
The average ticket price to Saturday's match between No. 1-ranked Alabama and the No. 6 Aggies is $744, according to Vivid Seats, which did a special review for Forbes magazine. That's 35 percent higher than the next most costly game: LSU at Alabama in November carries an average $550 ticket price.
So what's an enterprising young student to do?
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_ba1549ec-bf30-5964-b151-f4c1f9b616d9.html
Cross-posted in Texas Group.
Chris Christie is Just Like Rick Perry: He Has Failed New Jersey's Families
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in Texas today to raise some dough for the RNC. While I'm glad to see Christie taking GOP money out of Texas so it won't be used against Democrats here, it's also a sign that the Jersey governor is considering a presidential bid in 2016.
(Also Christie was rooting for the Cowboys against the Giants last night, so on behalf of all other New Jersey natives, let me just say that's an act of treachery that won't soon be forgotten, dude.)
Christie likes to pretend he's a moderate, but he has the same anti-teacher, anti-worker, anti-LGBT and anti-woman agenda as our own failed governor, Rick Perry.
Below the jump, read a guest post from John Currie, chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee on how Christie and Perry are both failures for their states.
More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14047/chris-christie-is-just-like-rick-perry-he-has-failed-new-jerseys-families .
Cross-posted in New Jersey Group and Texas Group.
Chris Christie is Just Like Rick Perry: He Has Failed New Jersey's Families
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in Texas today to raise some dough for the RNC. While I'm glad to see Christie taking GOP money out of Texas so it won't be used against Democrats here, it's also a sign that the Jersey governor is considering a presidential bid in 2016.
(Also Christie was rooting for the Cowboys against the Giants last night, so on behalf of all other New Jersey natives, let me just say that's an act of treachery that won't soon be forgotten, dude.)
Christie likes to pretend he's a moderate, but he has the same anti-teacher, anti-worker, anti-LGBT and anti-woman agenda as our own failed governor, Rick Perry.
Below the jump, read a guest post from John Currie, chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee on how Christie and Perry are both failures for their states.
More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14047/chris-christie-is-just-like-rick-perry-he-has-failed-new-jerseys-families .
Cross-posted in New Jersey Group and Politics 2013 forum.
Chris Christie is Just Like Rick Perry: He Has Failed New Jersey's Families
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in Texas today to raise some dough for the RNC. While I'm glad to see Christie taking GOP money out of Texas so it won't be used against Democrats here, it's also a sign that the Jersey governor is considering a presidential bid in 2016.
(Also Christie was rooting for the Cowboys against the Giants last night, so on behalf of all other New Jersey natives, let me just say that's an act of treachery that won't soon be forgotten, dude.)
Christie likes to pretend he's a moderate, but he has the same anti-teacher, anti-worker, anti-LGBT and anti-woman agenda as our own failed governor, Rick Perry.
Below the jump, read a guest post from John Currie, chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee on how Christie and Perry are both failures for their states.
More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14047/chris-christie-is-just-like-rick-perry-he-has-failed-new-jerseys-families .
Cross-posted in Texas Group and Politics 2013 forum.
Albertsons to acquire United Family stores (Lubbock based chain) in buyout
Nationwide supermarket conglomerate Albertson’s has purchased The United Family in a still-pending deal management says should close with little visible change for United customers across north Texas.
The deal for Boise, Idaho-based Albertson’s LLC. to buy United Family’s 50-plus stores, gas stations, logistics base and other assets was signed early Monday, Sept. 9, but still requires the blessing of the Federal Trade Commission, United management told A-J Media in announcing the planned acquisition.
Albertson’s will buy out United’s private family ownership for an undisclosed sum, but the deal is set to leave intact the chain of stores founded 97 years ago. “Lubbock is stuck with United,” said United Family CEO Robert Taylor, who will become United’s president as the regional supermarket chain is poised to become a division of Albertson’s.
More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2013-09-09/albertsons-acquire-united-family-stores-buyout-details-be-released-6-pm#comment-303220 .
Albertson’s is buying the Market Street supermarket chain and its Lubbock-based parent company
Albertson’s LLC said this afternoon that it will acquire Lubbock-based United Supermarkets, which operates Market Street stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
United operates 50 retail stores under 3 brands; United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos. Also, its United Express brand has 7 convenience stores and 26 fuel centers. Three distribution centers and a manufacturing plant were included in the sale.
United is a 97-year-old company and until now has been family operated. Market Street stores combined both an organic and conventional supermarket under one roof. The large stores, located in Allen, Colleyville, Coppell, Frisco, McKinney and Plano, also have extensive prepared foods take-out operations.
“United has built an exemplary operation in Texas,” said Bob Miller, chief executive officer of Albertson’s LLC. “The family and leadership team have done a tremendous job in establishing and perpetuating a remarkable service culture and commitment to fresh, quality foods throughout their stores, even as they’ve grown.”
More at http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/albertsons-is-buying-the-market-street-supermarket-chain-and-its-lubbock-based-parent-company.html/ .
Perry touts effects of tort reform on doctors
EDINBURG, Texas —
Gov. Rick Perry chose a South Texas county that he said had been at the epicenter of the medical malpractice lawsuit "crisis" to commemorate the 10th anniversary of legislation capping how much juries could award plaintiffs.
Speaking at the doctor-owned Doctors Hospital at Renaissance on Monday, Perry said the changes, commonly known as tort reform, expanded access to health care and made Texas an attractive destination for physicians.
"I'm just continually surprised that some people still want to argue that tort reform didn't work," Perry said, flanked by doctors in white jackets.
But Perry was in Hidalgo County along the Texas-Mexico border where access to health care remains a paramount concern and the benefits of tort reform with regard to health care access are difficult to discern.
More at http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/crime/perry-touts-effects-of-tort-reform-on-doctors/nZrGB/ .
The Affordable Care Act Part VI: Regulating Insurance and Consumer Protection
By Dr. Brian CarrPresident, Behavioral Health Associates, Lubbock, Texas, 1991-Present
Chairman, City of Lubbock Board of Health, 2013
Submitted on September 9, 2013 - 8:01am
The ACA priorities are mostly focused on decreasing the number of the uninsured and the increasing consumer benefits. Probably the greatest weakness in the current law is the lack of regulation concerning cost containment.
Insurance carriers and big Pharma were brought on board with the idea of their being able to sign up 30 million new consumers. Consumers are at risk for increased costs due to there being more benefits and consumer protections. Insurance carriers are prevented from rejecting people because they have a pre-existing health condition. This is called “guaranteed issue”. This inclusion of consumers previously unable to obtain coverage will translate into high costs for the insurance companies with the resulting concern that they will simply pass this cost on to the larger pool.
While some of the regulations contained in the ACA reflect reasonable limit setting how the insurance carriers will manage these remains to be seen. New rules prevent insurance companies from canceling insurance policies for frivolous reasons (called “rescissions” in industry jargon) and requiring them to include “essential health benefits” in all their insurance plans.
Under another ACA rule, insurers must maintain tight “medical loss ratios.” MLR measures the share of their revenues that are devoted to medical benefits for policyholders. In 2012 insurance companies are required to spend at least 80-85 cents of every dollar on healthcare-not tied to such expenditures as administrative expenses, overhead or advertising.
The decision to establish a firm MLR is one of the better aspects of the ACA. Back in 1993, a time when many more non-profit insurers existed, the average MLR stood at 95 percent, meaning that the typical insurer paid out 95 centers of every dollar the company took in from premiums for the claims of policy holders. In the 20 years since that time, that level dropped to about 80 percent as non-profit insurers disappeared and Wall Street demanded more and more profit taking.
MLR (Medical-loss ratio) is very important to shareholders as it reflects the amount of money paid out in medical claims to premiums collected. Shareholders of health insurance companies look for changes in two measures: earnings per share, a standard measure of profitability at all publicly traded companies, and the MLR, unique to health insurers and always reported as a percentage. An MLR of 90 percent, for example, means the insurer spent 90 cents of every premium dollar on medical care. Since 1993, the average MLR in America has dropped from 95 percent to around 80 percent. By contrast, Medicare has consistently had a ratio greater than 97 percent since 1993.
Although Wall Street constantly pressures companies to reduce their MLRs, this imperative collides with the national standards, as established by the new health care reform law. Insurers are mandated now to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical care for the individual and small-group market (one hundred enrollees or fewer) and at least 85 percent for the large-group market. There is evidence that insurers are attempting now to “game” the system by “reclassifying” certain categories of costs than it had previously counted as administrative expenses and move them to the medical-spending side of the equation, effectively raising its ratios without making any actual changes in behavior.
Private health insurers abhor transparency and public accountability regarding claim denials, underwriting rules, payments to doctors and hospitals, death rates, racial or ethnic disparities in health status, or the health outcomes of their members. They are usually allowed to protect this important information as “trade secrets”.
From 2000 to 2008, insurers hiked premiums in employer-sponsored group health plans by 97 percent for families and 90 percent for individuals. At the same time, private-insurance payments to health care providers grew by 72 percent, medical inflation increased only 39 percent, wages only 29 percent, and overall inflation 21 percent. During these years, insurers raised family premiums 2.5 times faster than the rate of medical inflation, 3.3 times faster than that of wages, and 4.6 times faster than that of general inflation.
The lack of affordable, quality coverage has meant that many Americans with medical needs are driven to financial ruin. Medical debt was a key reason for 62 percent of personal bankruptcy filings in 2007. In 2008, there were 1.07 million household bankruptcies. This lack of coverage will contribute to the deaths of about 45,000 people each year, or 123 people every day.
The need for further regulation of insurance carriers operating under the ACA will be a major point of review in the coming years. Otherwise, the “shell game” of how premium monies are collected, administrative costs required, and profit margins will remain unclear.
To help consumers make judgments about health insurance carrier behavior the ACA will require health insurance carriers to, starting in 2014,
Submit to the Exchange, the Secretary of HHS, and the state Insurance Commissioner and publicly disclose the following information:
Claims payment policies and practices
Periodic financial disclosures
Data on enrollment
Data on disenrollment
Data on the number of claims that are denied
Data on rating practices
Information of cost-sharing and payments with respect to any out-of-network coverage
Information on enrollee rights
The new ACA MLR thresholds are already in place and many Americans may have noticed unexpectedly receiving rebate checks in the mail from their health insurance provider. In total, almost 13 million people have received about 1.1 billion from insurers who generated MLRs that fell below the new thresholds.
Next: The Affordable Care Act Part VI: Changes in Medicare
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Wade got his doves and is back in the bunker
Why does LP&L have a box at Jones?
http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/dr-brian-carr/2013-09-09/affordable-care-act-part-v-regulating-insurance-and
Cross-posted in Good Reads forum.
[font color=green]This is actually the sixth installment provided by Dr. Carr although the headline in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal shows Part V. [/font]
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,150
