TOTALLY.
I got a reminder from a local friend to do just that and made sure I removed my auto-pay with the quickness.
Political Discussion
- Thread starter David A.
- Start date
I got a reminder from a local friend to do just that and made sure I removed my auto-pay with the quickness.
Going back to how much out healthcare sucks.
Someone else just posted in the healthcare thread on that other forum, and thankfully 100% of the boomers are onboard that our healthcare system failed her in this case.
Reader her story just angered me. This should not be legal and shows our healthcare system really only works for the wealthy.
To summarize things up, a women in her early 60's has metastatic breast cancer. There are speciality drugs available now that can delay disease progression by on average of 3 to 5 years. And in some cases, much longer. The goal of these drugs are to extend your live by a few more years. Not cure the cancer.
Her doctor prescribed her one of these specialty drugs that she has to get from her speciality pharmacy. I believe it is a monthly injection.
Being a newer cancer drug and having to get at a specialty pharmacy it is expensive. Each dose cost a little over $13k.
She thought she had great insurance. No deductibles and never had issues in the past with getting things covered or surprise bills.
When she went to get her first dose she was shocked to find out that her co-pay per dose was going to be $5,088.23
Between her and her husband. This was more than the monthly take home they bring in after taxes. They decided to take out a reverse mortgage on their house to to fund the co-pays.
Then to add insult to injury, after receiving the the first dose she got a letter from her insurance company. They would only cover the medication for 1 year / 12 doses. After that it was deemed no longer medically necessary. The insurance company figures a year of doses may give you a chance at 3 extra years. And this is where the so called "death panels" kick in. The insurance companies internal data tables now show that the cost is no longer worth the benefit beyond this point and the person is likely going to die anyways, so they no longer cover the drug.
However, all the clinical trials and studies that show and average of living 3 to 5 years are with people on the drug until they die. Not cutting it off after 1 year.
In 2021, my insurance now provides no coverage for 153 different speciality drugs on a list they provided. So if I were ever to get into that situation with my insurance I would have zero coverage from the start. When we had our open enrollment and went over the options on zoom with HR and a rep from our insurance company. They basically said speciality drugs cost too much money. And place the blame of the situation with the pharmaceutical companies.
Boomers like to say that insurance is only there to cover the catastrophics, but when you have cancer they sure don't want to cover you.
I fear what it is going to look like in 10 more years time and how much our life expectancies drop.
Someone else just posted in the healthcare thread on that other forum, and thankfully 100% of the boomers are onboard that our healthcare system failed her in this case.
Reader her story just angered me. This should not be legal and shows our healthcare system really only works for the wealthy.
To summarize things up, a women in her early 60's has metastatic breast cancer. There are speciality drugs available now that can delay disease progression by on average of 3 to 5 years. And in some cases, much longer. The goal of these drugs are to extend your live by a few more years. Not cure the cancer.
Her doctor prescribed her one of these specialty drugs that she has to get from her speciality pharmacy. I believe it is a monthly injection.
Being a newer cancer drug and having to get at a specialty pharmacy it is expensive. Each dose cost a little over $13k.
She thought she had great insurance. No deductibles and never had issues in the past with getting things covered or surprise bills.
When she went to get her first dose she was shocked to find out that her co-pay per dose was going to be $5,088.23
Between her and her husband. This was more than the monthly take home they bring in after taxes. They decided to take out a reverse mortgage on their house to to fund the co-pays.
Then to add insult to injury, after receiving the the first dose she got a letter from her insurance company. They would only cover the medication for 1 year / 12 doses. After that it was deemed no longer medically necessary. The insurance company figures a year of doses may give you a chance at 3 extra years. And this is where the so called "death panels" kick in. The insurance companies internal data tables now show that the cost is no longer worth the benefit beyond this point and the person is likely going to die anyways, so they no longer cover the drug.
However, all the clinical trials and studies that show and average of living 3 to 5 years are with people on the drug until they die. Not cutting it off after 1 year.
In 2021, my insurance now provides no coverage for 153 different speciality drugs on a list they provided. So if I were ever to get into that situation with my insurance I would have zero coverage from the start. When we had our open enrollment and went over the options on zoom with HR and a rep from our insurance company. They basically said speciality drugs cost too much money. And place the blame of the situation with the pharmaceutical companies.
Boomers like to say that insurance is only there to cover the catastrophics, but when you have cancer they sure don't want to cover you.
I fear what it is going to look like in 10 more years time and how much our life expectancies drop.
Things are not looking good for Biden's agenda as of this time. Especially for cabinet member appointments.
Republicans senators are united in opposition against every cabinet member Biden has nominated. Even though too many of us, all of Biden's appointments seem too moderate, too many senate republicans these cabinet member appointees views on healthcare, abortion, spending and climate change are "too extreme".
The 50/50 split in the senate is putting all the power on moderate senators such as Joe Manchin of West Virginia who's vote so far as aligned with the Republicans against all the cabinet nominations.
If any healthcare reform or student loan forgiveness votes come up, the outcome will depend on which way Joe Manchin votes. And he does not really appear to be a fan of either.
Republicans senators are united in opposition against every cabinet member Biden has nominated. Even though too many of us, all of Biden's appointments seem too moderate, too many senate republicans these cabinet member appointees views on healthcare, abortion, spending and climate change are "too extreme".
The 50/50 split in the senate is putting all the power on moderate senators such as Joe Manchin of West Virginia who's vote so far as aligned with the Republicans against all the cabinet nominations.
If any healthcare reform or student loan forgiveness votes come up, the outcome will depend on which way Joe Manchin votes. And he does not really appear to be a fan of either.
Djxfactor511
Well-Known Member
Posting this again re: appointments, progressive agenda, etc during the Biden admin
Should Florida lower its flags to honor Rush Limbaugh? | CNN Politics
Hours after the death of Rush Limbaugh last week, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the flags in his state would be lowered to half-staff to honor the conservative talk radio host.
www.cnn.com
Oh wow, I didn't hear about this.
To me this is a much bigger disgrace of what the American flag stands for and how it should be honored that football players taking a knee during the national anthem.
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
This is not a factual statement. The vast majority of his cabinet so far has been approved via a bipartisan majority.
Joe Biden's Cabinet: Who's in, and who voted against them
Joe Biden has chosen his Cabinet. Can he get them through the Senate?
www.politico.com
This is not a factual statement. The vast majority of his cabinet so far has been approved via a bipartisan majority.
Joe Biden's Cabinet: Who's in, and who voted against them
Joe Biden has chosen his Cabinet. Can he get them through the Senate?
Guess the CNN article I was focusing on was only covering the cabinet nominations that are not likely to be easy approvals. They didn't mention anything about how many nominations there have been to date or how many have been approved.
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
Yeah, there are gonna be a few that are bit tougher but I would say the vast majority of his choices will receive bipartisan approval. Senators don’t typically like to stand in the way of cabinet appointments unless they are extremely inappropriate though like everything else it has become way more partisan over the past 20 years.
dhodo
Well-Known Member
Didn't Neera talk shit about Bernie too?
Really is unprecedented that a politician would make strong partisan statements on twitter.../s
Really is unprecedented that a politician would make strong partisan statements on twitter.../s
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
Yup she is closely aligned with the Clinton’s and partially blamed Bernie Bros for Hillary’s 2016 loss and in 2020 she was a fierce defender of Biden. TBH, I am surprised that these Senators or so short-sighted. If they want to shut her up for the next 4 years the easiest way they could do it is by confirming her as the OMB director. It’s still amazes me how thin-skinned many of these politicians are.
Chucktshoes
Well-Known Member
Neera talked shit about everyone. Her Twitter habits, while the focus of a lot of attention, are the least objectionable thing about her. The corruption is the real reason why she needs to be denied the job that puts her in charge of issuing ethics waivers.
Justice Department is facing a tougher climb trying to keep Capitol rioters locked up
The Justice Department is facing a tougher climb as it argues Capitol riot defendants should stay in jail -- with federal judges pressing prosecutors to explain possible inconsistencies in their arguments in some of the most high-profile cases related to the insurrection this week.
www.cnn.com
In many cases judges are ruling that the justice department can't keep people who stormed the capital detained until trial.
Is this because they are allowing bail? Or is this because of white privilege. If it's because of the ladder that really angers me.
Yes, so much this.
This is an old story from 2015. Tanden is firmly in the pocket of big business and will eschew party values when it conflicts with the narrative of her corporate and billionaire donors. Also, yes, she advocated that we charge Libya for the bombs we dropped on them.
The emails, provided to The Intercept by a source authorized to receive them, are particularly illuminating about the actions of Tanden (right), a stalwart Clinton loyalist as well as a former Obama White House official. They show Tanden and key aides engaging in extensive efforts of accommodation in response to AIPAC’s and Lewis’ vehement complaints that CAP is allowing its writers to be “anti-Israel.” Other emails show Tanden arguing that Libyans should be forced to turn over large portions of their oil revenues to repay the U.S. for the costs incurred in bombing Libya, on the grounds that Americans will support future wars only if they see that the countries attacked by the U.S. pay for the invasions.
NONE OF THIS should be surprising. The Nation previously investigated CAP’s once-secret list of corporate donors, documenting how the group will abandon Democratic Party orthodoxy whenever that orthodoxy conflicts with the interests of its funders. That article noted that “Tanden ratcheted up the efforts to openly court donors, which has impacted CAP’s work. Staffers were very clearly instructed to check with the think tank’s development team before writing anything that might upset contributors.”
Since that article, CAP, to its credit, has provided some greater transparency about its funding sources. As the Washington Post’s Sargent reported earlier this year, “CAP’s top donors include Walmart and Citigroup,” and also “include the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents leading biotech and bio-pharma firms, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.” Other large CAP donors include Goldman Sachs, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Bank of America, Google and Time Warner.
Still, many of its largest donors remain concealed. That is disturbing because of persistent reports that CAP manipulates and suppresses its own writers’ opinions to suit the interests of its donors. One former CAP staffer described to The Intercept the not-so-subtle ways they were pressured to abandon positions that offended CAP’s donors; the staffer was directed to meet with corporate lobbyists who argued against his progressive position on a widely debated political controversy, and was told by CAP officials that his views were “bad” and “unhelpful.”
Leaked Emails from Pro-Clinton Think Tank Reveal Censorship and Pandering to Israel
The Center for American Progress censored its own writers to placate anger from AIPAC and embraced some shockingly extreme policies of militarism.
theintercept.com
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When the Onion nails it....a little too close to home.
Zuckerberg closed his remarks with repeated assurances that despite a likely legal battle ahead, no one government could stand up to the fortitude of Facebook.
www.theonion.com
Zuckerberg closed his remarks with repeated assurances that despite a likely legal battle ahead, no one government could stand up to the fortitude of Facebook.
Facebook Announces Plan To Break Up U.S. Government Before It Becomes Too Powerful
MENLO PARK, CA—In an effort to curtail the organization’s outsized influence, Facebook announced Monday that it would be implementing new steps to ensure the breakup of the U.S. government before it becomes too powerful. “It’s long past time for us to take concrete actions against this behemoth...
www.theonion.com
CNN had a great opinion piece this morning that talks about how Texas going it alone and deregulated is good and how that wasn't the cause of the power grid failure.
Opinion: Texas goes it alone on electric power. That's actually a good thing
The TL/DL
The unregulated electric grid has lead to the most innovation in the country. Many people associate California with green energy, but Texas is actually the leader. Texas both more Solar and Wind energy generation than California. Because Texas is independent from the interstate grid, there is no requirement to go through the federal government to seek approvals to test out new types of energy generation. This means it's far easier, quicker and cheaper to innovate and test new types of power generation and has allowed Texas to create the most green energy. If Texas was its own Country, it would be the 6 largest green energy producer in the world.
In addition to green energy, the deregulations have kept cost down, there is far more competition and over all the consumer wins.
The failure of the power grid was not because Texas is independent from the interstate grid, nor was it from the failure of wind turbines like the Governor said on Fox News.
The failure came from the failure of the Natural Gas. Natural gas is one of the leading forms of power generation in Texas, and the cold weather crippled it. Not only was demand way of for heating, but the distribution system failed because of the cold weather freezing things at plants.
As for not being connected to an interstate grid. The surrounding grids to to Texas were in critical condition as well. Both grids surrounding Texas saw rolling blackouts as well from the failure of Natural Gas power generation from the cold weather. While they didn't see rolling blackouts to the scale of Texas, they were happening. So this proves if Texas had interstate connectivity the blackouts would have still happened. And every well could have effected more people, just spread out over a larger region including many places outside of Texas.
Lastly, which is the part I disagree with. Is that Capitalism and Deregulation had nothing to do with the failure. The failure occurred because both the power companies and the natural gas companies have not invested in updating their infrastructure. Much of the infrastructure is antiquated and hasn't been updated in decades. This same infrastructure also has never been built to withstand extreme weather temps. For example, much of the infrastructure in Texas has been designed to work in temperatures below the freezing point. It was thought not thought to be needed.
To me that sounds exactly like capitalism. Investing the bare minimum to turn the most profit.
This article also fails to mention anything about the electric bills people were seeing in the order of several thousand dollars to 10's of thousands of dollars.
There was another article on CNN about this this morning though.
www.cnn.com
It basically sums this up as Capitalism works until it doesn't. Most of the time it works the best for everyone.
People have the options. Most people choose to have the fixed rate plans they buy through energy resellers, but some to choose to buy their electricity at wholesale market rate through services like Griddy. Griddy says 96.9% of the time their rates are lower than the set fixed rates. And when they are not, its incentive for people to conserve electricity. The article says normally that is a good thing. But when it fails, it fails drastically.
One example of how bad it failed is one City, Denton in the Dallas-Fort Worth area saw an energy bill for $207 million accumulated over just four days. $207 million is 3 times the cities entire costs for electricity in the entire fiscal year of 2020.
Energy suppliers also got hit with these huge bills. Some may file for bankruptcy while many will pass on the cost to fixed rate customers with higher rates next time they renew their contact.
There is some movement in the Texas house looking into options for not sticking consumers with these unreasonable bills.
Many of the consumers who got these unreasonable bills are likely the same consumers with the least ability to pay for them as well. People who choose to gamble on the the market rate plans to save money are likely people who live in or near poverty. Where saving a little money can help them put food on the table or pay rent.
Opinion: Texas goes it alone on electric power. That's actually a good thing
The TL/DL
The unregulated electric grid has lead to the most innovation in the country. Many people associate California with green energy, but Texas is actually the leader. Texas both more Solar and Wind energy generation than California. Because Texas is independent from the interstate grid, there is no requirement to go through the federal government to seek approvals to test out new types of energy generation. This means it's far easier, quicker and cheaper to innovate and test new types of power generation and has allowed Texas to create the most green energy. If Texas was its own Country, it would be the 6 largest green energy producer in the world.
In addition to green energy, the deregulations have kept cost down, there is far more competition and over all the consumer wins.
The failure of the power grid was not because Texas is independent from the interstate grid, nor was it from the failure of wind turbines like the Governor said on Fox News.
The failure came from the failure of the Natural Gas. Natural gas is one of the leading forms of power generation in Texas, and the cold weather crippled it. Not only was demand way of for heating, but the distribution system failed because of the cold weather freezing things at plants.
As for not being connected to an interstate grid. The surrounding grids to to Texas were in critical condition as well. Both grids surrounding Texas saw rolling blackouts as well from the failure of Natural Gas power generation from the cold weather. While they didn't see rolling blackouts to the scale of Texas, they were happening. So this proves if Texas had interstate connectivity the blackouts would have still happened. And every well could have effected more people, just spread out over a larger region including many places outside of Texas.
Lastly, which is the part I disagree with. Is that Capitalism and Deregulation had nothing to do with the failure. The failure occurred because both the power companies and the natural gas companies have not invested in updating their infrastructure. Much of the infrastructure is antiquated and hasn't been updated in decades. This same infrastructure also has never been built to withstand extreme weather temps. For example, much of the infrastructure in Texas has been designed to work in temperatures below the freezing point. It was thought not thought to be needed.
To me that sounds exactly like capitalism. Investing the bare minimum to turn the most profit.
This article also fails to mention anything about the electric bills people were seeing in the order of several thousand dollars to 10's of thousands of dollars.
There was another article on CNN about this this morning though.
How Texas's deregulated market for power led to exorbitant electric bills
Those closely familiar with Texas's energy market say these thousand-dollar electric bills are less a bug than a feature of the state's deregulated system.
www.cnn.com
It basically sums this up as Capitalism works until it doesn't. Most of the time it works the best for everyone.
People have the options. Most people choose to have the fixed rate plans they buy through energy resellers, but some to choose to buy their electricity at wholesale market rate through services like Griddy. Griddy says 96.9% of the time their rates are lower than the set fixed rates. And when they are not, its incentive for people to conserve electricity. The article says normally that is a good thing. But when it fails, it fails drastically.
One example of how bad it failed is one City, Denton in the Dallas-Fort Worth area saw an energy bill for $207 million accumulated over just four days. $207 million is 3 times the cities entire costs for electricity in the entire fiscal year of 2020.
Energy suppliers also got hit with these huge bills. Some may file for bankruptcy while many will pass on the cost to fixed rate customers with higher rates next time they renew their contact.
There is some movement in the Texas house looking into options for not sticking consumers with these unreasonable bills.
Many of the consumers who got these unreasonable bills are likely the same consumers with the least ability to pay for them as well. People who choose to gamble on the the market rate plans to save money are likely people who live in or near poverty. Where saving a little money can help them put food on the table or pay rent.
Chucktshoes
Well-Known Member
Yes, so much this.
This is an old story from 2015. Tanden is firmly in the pocket of big business and will eschew party values when it conflicts with the narrative of her corporate and billionaire donors. Also, yes, she advocated that we charge Libya for the bombs we dropped on them.
The emails, provided to The Intercept by a source authorized to receive them, are particularly illuminating about the actions of Tanden (right), a stalwart Clinton loyalist as well as a former Obama White House official. They show Tanden and key aides engaging in extensive efforts of accommodation in response to AIPAC’s and Lewis’ vehement complaints that CAP is allowing its writers to be “anti-Israel.” Other emails show Tanden arguing that Libyans should be forced to turn over large portions of their oil revenues to repay the U.S. for the costs incurred in bombing Libya, on the grounds that Americans will support future wars only if they see that the countries attacked by the U.S. pay for the invasions.
NONE OF THIS should be surprising. The Nation previously investigated CAP’s once-secret list of corporate donors, documenting how the group will abandon Democratic Party orthodoxy whenever that orthodoxy conflicts with the interests of its funders. That article noted that “Tanden ratcheted up the efforts to openly court donors, which has impacted CAP’s work. Staffers were very clearly instructed to check with the think tank’s development team before writing anything that might upset contributors.”
Since that article, CAP, to its credit, has provided some greater transparency about its funding sources. As the Washington Post’s Sargent reported earlier this year, “CAP’s top donors include Walmart and Citigroup,” and also “include the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents leading biotech and bio-pharma firms, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.” Other large CAP donors include Goldman Sachs, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Bank of America, Google and Time Warner.
Still, many of its largest donors remain concealed. That is disturbing because of persistent reports that CAP manipulates and suppresses its own writers’ opinions to suit the interests of its donors. One former CAP staffer described to The Intercept the not-so-subtle ways they were pressured to abandon positions that offended CAP’s donors; the staffer was directed to meet with corporate lobbyists who argued against his progressive position on a widely debated political controversy, and was told by CAP officials that his views were “bad” and “unhelpful.”
Leaked Emails from Pro-Clinton Think Tank Reveal Censorship and Pandering to Israel
The Center for American Progress censored its own writers to placate anger from AIPAC and embraced some shockingly extreme policies of militarism.
Neera Tanden’s nomination being defended and opposed by some of the folks that have picked sides shows the level that blind partisanship stands in the way good sense. I don’t understand why the purported progressives in congress are defending her and I honestly don’t understand why Republicans like McConnel are opposing her. She should be a person that (principled) progressives, (principled) conservatives, and (principled) libertarians should be able to unite in their opposition. On every level that matters, she’s a bad person.
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
This is thoughtful reasoning on why someone should oppose her nomination but so far no Senator has presented this rational for voting against her nomination. Maybe Bernie will adopt this tact once he realizes her ship is sunk. Everyone else is just hung up on the mean tweets which makes them all look like hypocrites.
Chucktshoes
Well-Known Member
Because they are.
All of them.
When you only pretend to hold different values and views for public consumption, civility is paramount.
The housing market in the Tahoe area is blowing up.
With people in the Bay area working largely from home right now many of those folks are buying second homes in Tahoe.
In an example of how much the housing market has blown up looking at the listing history of this property.
www.zillow.com
It was listed for 270k back in 2012. Last November 470k. Now this property listed at 650k.
And this appears to be a common story in the area.
What does this mean for the housing market in general. And is this happening outside of other cities?
Will property values further be driving up by those who can afford 2 homes and further push the lower middle class into poverty?
With people in the Bay area working largely from home right now many of those folks are buying second homes in Tahoe.
In an example of how much the housing market has blown up looking at the listing history of this property.
3695 Primrose Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 | MLS #139677 | Zillow
This 2116 square feet Multiple Occupancy home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is located at 3695 Primrose Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA.
www.zillow.com
It was listed for 270k back in 2012. Last November 470k. Now this property listed at 650k.
And this appears to be a common story in the area.
What does this mean for the housing market in general. And is this happening outside of other cities?
Will property values further be driving up by those who can afford 2 homes and further push the lower middle class into poverty?
Max Sterling
Well-Known Member
Are the Mannequins just there for scale? Or does the current tenant live like that?The housing market in the Tahoe area is blowing up.
With people in the Bay area working largely from home right now many of those folks are buying second homes in Tahoe.
In an example of how much the housing market has blown up looking at the listing history of this property.
3695 Primrose Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 | MLS #139677 | Zillow
This 2116 square feet Multiple Occupancy home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is located at 3695 Primrose Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA.
It was listed for 270k back in 2012. Last November 470k. Now this property listed at 650k.
And this appears to be a common story in the area.
What does this mean for the housing market in general. And is this happening outside of other cities?
Will property values further be driving up by those who can afford 2 homes and further push the lower middle class into poverty?
My house is about doubled in value in 8 years in the suburbs of Atlanta.