Why Not Obamacare?

If you listen to the majority of Republicans Obamacare is a bad law that will run up the National Deficit with it's cost to Taxpayers. This is just not true, and we are already paying for the cost of the Uninsured who go straight to the Emergency Room and then can't afford to pay. Those costs are passed along to the rest of us, and...Lets not reduce the Deficit by implementing those Tax Cuts to the Richest 1%....NOooooo! Just stick it to the the rest of us that can't afford it and keep the richest in our society happy. They don't worry at all about health care. They can afford to buy their own private hospital if they wanted to do so.

The fact that the Private Health Insurance Industry is making huge profits by denying whatever part of your claim that it can. They can drop you if you get really sick, even if you pay your premiums. They can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, and raise your rates to a level where you lose your coverage or have to decide to forgo basic needs like food to pay those premiums, because you know once you are dropped, those pre-existing conditions will keep you from ever getting another company that will touch you. All this is done so that Private Insurance companies can reap those big profits.

Health Insurance Premiums have gone so high that many Americans cannot afford to be insured. If you think this is because these companies are hurting...think again. CEO's of these Companies make HUGE salaries and HUGE PROFITS at the expense of people's lives! Healthcare Reform will force these companies spend 85% of their Profit for actually providing health care!

You and I do not have the money or the resources to fight these large companies when they band together and charge outrageous premiums or deny coverage of claims for things that are necessary and often times life saving to keep their profit margins high. I'm sorry that they won't be able to buy that yacht or that house in the Hamptons, but I think regulation of these Private Companies so that you and I can have health insurance we can afford...is a good thing.

Then there is the Government Run Health care that will be made available and affordable, to those that want it.This is not Socialism, it is Choice. The choice for you to choose a private insurance company that you want, or the choice to use a Government Run Health Insurance Plan.

I find it amusing that most Americans that use Medicare and Medicaid scream absolute bloody murder when there is talk of any cuts to these programs. He-LOOOOOOOO! These ARE Government Health Care Programs.

I also find it amusing that the vast majority of our Senators and Congressmen that oppose Obamacare have absolutely no problem using it for themselves and their families at Taxpayer Expense. This is the height of hypocrisy.

Is Obamacare perfect? No. But why spend millions of Taxpayer dollars on repeal to throw out the good things in this Law? We will again be at the mercy of Big Insurance, lose what we have gained and then have to wait years for the Republicans to decide on their version? Because Big Insurance contributes Big Bucks to Republican's Campaigns!! Why not amend what we have to make it better for all Americans?

Don't make any of this about President Obama's Popularity. You don't have to like him or agree with him.

It is time for us to stand up to the Companies that will put your life in jeopardy to increase their "Bottom Line" and to speak out against the politicians that support and protect them.

Read the article from National Nurses United.org entitled "Healthcare Reform pays big dividends"

Please, Write or Call Your State Representatives and let them know how you feel.

Because...I want to!

Recently in the wake of the latest act of senseless gun violence, I have noticed that the Pro-Gun Activists are throwing screaming fits at the thought of not being able to carry a "High Capacity" magazine in their semi-automatic guns. Many of them have said that it infringes on their Second Amendment Rights. As a retired police officer, I am very comfortable both using and carrying a firearm. As long as I satisfactorily pass a police qualification yearly, I can carry my handgun on my person. Do I feel the need to carry it everywhere pasted openly on my hip? No, I don't!

Do I feel it would be a violation of my constitutional right not to be able to have a 30-round clip in that pistol? No..I don't!

Those of us that have been trained in firearm proficiency, use of force, and most important of all...Gun Safety, have seen what the "untrained" or the "unhinged" can and have done with access to guns and lots of ammo.

The phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility" has never been more true than it is now.

To those of you that scream for No Government Regulation, I say that many of you would make the argument for No State Regulation, etc., etc.... You want everyone to stay the Hell out of your lives and you want to live by your own rules. People in Hell want Ice Water!!! Every Society has it's rules and regulations. These laws and ordinances are not enacted to ruin your quality of life, but to protect the majority of Americans from those of you who have no moral boundaries... or common sense.

The word "Entitlement" is thrown around a lot these days. Lately is has come to represent the people who feel they need to carry their assault weapons everywhere like a "Blankie." It is sad that some of you feel so incomplete without armament. I don't see a Government Conspiracy Theory around every corner. This proposed ban on high capacity clips is not an attempt to keep Americans from their guns. I can still shoot as many rounds as I want, I just can't do it quickly without re-loading....and I don't see a practical application for this in everyday life.

For over twenty years I carried a six-shot revolver and two speed loaders. I was considered a Dinosaur carrying a "Wheel-Gun." I carried a S&W 357 until I was forced to switch to a 40 cal automatic because of Department Policy. Hey, at least I could place those six rounds right where I wanted to on the target every time. "Gun Control is being able to hit your target!"

I do see the need for our Military or Law Enforcement to have access to more rounds and faster re-loading in the course of their duties. Their jobs are hard enough. For those who feel the need to shoot birds or spray Bambi or Thumper with hundreds of rounds...I say, you have freedom.

You have the freedom to move to a country where there are no gun laws. See how that works for ya!

Collateral Damage from Violent Rhetoric

When I watched the news coverage of the mass shooting in Tuscon, Arizona the phrase "Second Amendment Remedies" instantly came to mind. Political Candidates like "Loose Cannon",Sharron Angle, will of course, take no responsibility for anything they said about relying on "Second Amendment Remedies" resulting in death and injury. Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords may have been the target of the attack, but since she was shot first at point blank range, what was the motivation to shoot the rest of the crowd? Lives were lost or forever shattered by the acts of a coward who could not find a peaceful way to air his grievances and chose instead to shoot unarmed Americans who were unaware of his issues.What about their Constitutional Rights?

Sarah Palin loves her references to guns, and her now infamous map graphic with Cross hairs strategically placed in the Districts of those who don't share her views. Congresswoman Giffords' District was on that map. Let's not forget her statement saying, "Don't Retreat...Reload!" Is she that dim? Many disgruntled Americans see Sarah Palin as a beacon of hope for the future of America. She is idolized by many who feel that she is their voice and speaks for them. If Sarah Palin says it, then it must be okay. Maybe guns and violence is the solution to what is wrong with the Government. This is not a vague reference that can be loosely interpreted. Way to go, Mama Grizzly!

The beauty of this country is that we have the right to Free Speech. While it may be our Constitutional Right to say what we feel, are we to be released from our moral obligations as Human Beings to take responsibility for inciting or condoning the use of guns and violence against unarmed politicians or those that surround them? Are we to be shot because our political beliefs differ? Maybe in a Third-World Country, but not in the United States of America.

In an except,"The Washington Post reports that several Tea Party activists and organizers in Arizona have expressed shock over the tragedy but denied that their figureheads' war- and gun-themed statements had anything to do with it." I am not surprised that these people who talk about the tyranny in government and revolution with specific references to violence claim that they are not responsible for an unstable or mentally ill person who commits senseless, cowardly, violence to get his 15 minutes of fame. This 22-year old man, planned this. It was a premeditated act.

I, like many others, knew this day would come. It was only a matter of time until the violent rhetoric turned into real violence against real people.

As Dorothy Thompson once said,
"Peace is not the absence of conflict
but the presence of creative alternatives
for responding to conflict -- alternatives
to passive or aggressive responses,
alternatives to violence."

Here is where American Jobs have gone!

It has been quite awhile since I have posted to this blog. After watching the umpteenth news story about companies in this country sending american jobs overseas, I decided to see if there was a list of these companies on the Internet.

I was surprised to see that CNN's Lou Dobbs had done a show called "Exporting America" and there if you click on the link;
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/popups/exporting.america/content.html

You will find an alphebetical list of these companies. I am not a big political rabble rouser, but I believe that if enough of us choose not to spend money on businesses that aren't hiring us, maybe something will change. I harbor no ill will to those that live in another country and need to survive, but the survival of America is at stake here. We either don't make it here or don't buy it here.

Isn't it time to make our voices heard in a peaceful way that hits these businesses where it really hurts...on their "Bottom Line."

Bank of America will not help you

Every time I see a Commercial for Bank of America that portrays them as helping their customers get through this bad economy...I want to choke.
They represent themselves as the good guys, willing to work with you to get you through tough times.
This is an out and out LIE!
What BOA fails to mention, is the bottom line is really all they care about.
I went from a 9% interest rate to over 29%.
This was not a gradual increase over time and my payments have never been 30 days late.
I called them to talk about my options in reference to my two accounts.
If they could lower the exorbitant interest rates, I would be able to make my payments and maybe have a little breathing room. What a joke!
I spoke to a young woman and explained the situation. She asked a million questions, which I expected, and what she said next blew me out of the water!!!
We can't lower your interest rates because we're not sure you will be able to pay us!
"WHHAAAAT?!!!!
If you lower the rate, I would be able to pay my bill to you....Now you are telling me that you won't lower the interest rate, making it possible for me to make my payments....and what do you think that will do? If I can't make the payments at all...how are you supposed to get your money?
Now, how stupid is that?
Take less interest and get your money...or
leave the interest at 29% and get NO money.

It is a "No-Brainer.

Until the bottom fell out of the economy, I paid my balance each month in full for years.
Well, as all of you know...Stuff happens. I retired and am on a fixed income. My husband's business has dropped to almost nothing and the cost of living has gone up.

The Government won't bail me out like they did Bank of America.
Actually, I helped because taxpayer money was used to bail them out.

Now that BOA has repaid the Government and gave their CEO a Hundred Million Dollar Bonus...yes, you read that right...they are back to their old money grubbing selves.

Open your eyes if you are thinking of switching your business to BOA.
Anyone can have a job loss or lose some income and I guarantee you don't want to have to deal with these people if you get in a bind.

Shame on you Bank of America!!!

Chris and Rihanna, Just the Beginning

I don't know why any of you are surprised at the bad behavior of celebrities.

It is commonplace that they are arrested for DUI's, they have drug and alcohol problems and they are sometimes bad parents.

I was not shocked that Rihanna went back to a man whose abuse is escalating. What is sad is that ordinary people want to model their lives after celebrities.

I feel that we will be hearing more bad news from this couple. Being famous does not keep you safe from being murdered by your lover or spouse. It doesn't make you better or smarter. It doesn't erase your issues.

I am sad to say that young women will look up to her, and they will be abused over and over. Some will end up dead because they imitated Rihanna and stayed in a bad situation.

In the course of my police career, I have seen far too many victims of domestic abuse. I have tried to help all of them, but many believed that they deserved nothing better, that they were somehow responsible for an abuser who was not willing to control physical violence, but who demanded total control over them...looking for any excuse to vent anger. victims are systematically separated from their Independence...from family and friends. Isolated and afraid that any little thing will spark violence. Run and I will find you and kill you. On top of that, children of abusers feel that this is normal behavior and perpetuate the violence in their own lives They are all victimized and truly prisoners in their own homes.

I was a victim of domestic abuse, and the first time I was hit, I forgave. The second time I left and never looked back.

Domestic violence is an epidemic that needs to be stopped. I vowed that I would never be abused again. I also made it a point to tell men that I started relationships with that if they ever caused me intentional physical harm, that they had better kill me because it would be the last thing they would ever do in this life. I guess they believed me because I never had a lover lay a hand on me in anger since.

I married a man who would never physically hurt me. I trust him completely.

I know you are thinking... back then,would I really have done it? You Betcha!

Say "No" to Humana Insurance...It's a Rip-Off!!!

I have had Humana Insurance for many years. I want to warn anyone thinking of getting Humana as an insurance provider.

This company is geared to their own profit and not your health care. Humana makes you jump through hoops to get even the most basic information.

The certificate of coverage is the document that sets out the parameters of your policy and coverage.

You can't access it on the Humana website. What a surprise!!! They can look it up for you but it akes a couple of days! A couple of days to tell you what your coverage is. If you ask them to send it or fax it to you, they refuse. They refuse to send you the certificate of coverage on your own policy.

Any thing you really need to figure out exactly what you will have to pay, is kept from you. Even if you manage to get a peek at your certificate...they change definitions at will.

Let me give you a couple of examples. I had a small town doctor who uses the local hospital to process his lab work. He drew my blood in his office and then sent the blood to the hospital which is only about 2 miles away. I didn't think to ask what lab he would use.

Quest Diagnostics is much farther and the specimens would have to be mailed. Imagine my surprise when I get popped with a $100.00 co-pay instead of $10.00 for lab work.

The insurance said it was "out patient" care. By their definition, you must be treated at the hospital and confined for less than 23 consecutive hours. When I told them I was never treated at the hospital, I was told that my blood was there, so a part of me was treated at the hospital. How ridiculous is that.

It gets better.

If you go to the hospital, you are required to find out every person that could possibly be involved in your treatment, and make sure that they are "In-Network". In a large facility, this could be hundreds of people. My husband asked Tabitha, "You're saying that I have to call the hospital and ask for a list of every person that could possibly be involved in my treatment, and check each and every person to make sure they are "In-Network"??? Tabitha said "Yes". This is so far past ludicrous, it is almost funny, except that the policy holder...You...have to deal with a Tabitha when you call.

Nowhere in the certificate does it say that, but this is what Tabitha, the all knowing Humana Representative had to say.

I was also told that if the Doctor or Facility had a different billing address, that Humana would deny the claim. She said that even if the facility had the same tax I.D. number, if the address was not identical, they would deny the claim.

We have stacks of letters and paperwork because of this company.

My poor husband has spent hours and hours on the phone because of Humana. Their answer has been that we can always "Appeal" these decisions.

I have insurance to safeguard me against paying huge medical expenses and still am paying hundreds of dollars in expenses that aren't covered.

I would love to get another Insurance carrier, but the city I retired from, has a contract with this "Rip-Off" company. I have no choice.

My husband is self-employed and is on my insurance. His monthly premium is almost $500.00 dollars a month. I can tell you...you don't get what you pay for with Humana. They use any and every opportunity to deny your claim, so beware!!!