Recent comments

  • Reply to: Wendell Potter on The Ed Show   14 years 3 weeks ago
    I'd like to hear a little more on the practical effects of insurance companies not insuring children and raising rates for families of kids with pre-existing conditions. If I had no dependents, I might opt for one of these no-kids companies. But might that mean that the pool of insured people in one of these plans weighs heavier toward upper age groups, and ergo, higher premiums to cover their ever-increasing health care costs? I'd keep shopping. Conversely, those companies that refuse to write kids would be losing a large pool of healthy customers (unless there are more kids falling off bikes, etc, than I'm aware of), and, in the process, their parents (young to middle aged adults, with, presumably the biggest payout going to maternity bills) Can no-kids companies sustain the practice over time? Or is this a short-term ploy to scare health reform supporters? Is this a problem 'the market will solve'? Or will the law itself bring these companies into compliance? (I'm really not sure of the enforcement aspects of the reform law, so will appreciate info from anyone who has facts.) Ultimately, I favored, and still do, universal, single-payer health care that works well for other developed countries. Hopefully, when we've seen a few improvements from this first phase of reform, voters will feel freer to look at how other countries (e.g. Canada) do it, and to listen less to the scare talk that has kept the US's first effort far short of what it could have been.
  • Reply to: Smoking in the Movies: Under-the-Radar Cigarette Advertising?   14 years 3 weeks ago

    I'll have to confirm that. I am was a smoker and after I finally quit I found it really difficult to cope with smoking scenes in movies. I was luck I got the support I needed from the close ones and I also had treatment at Narconon. The bottom line is that smoking scenes have a real impact on smokers.

  • Reply to: Wendell Potter on The Ed Show   14 years 3 weeks ago
    As a very recent former health insurance industry insider, I can tell you that what Wendell Potter stated is absolutely true. The company I worked for decided to no longer accept child-only applications effective July 1, 2010. We were advised that this would take place in May 2010. Hence, they found a way to exclude children "legally." Another shady practice that has been put in place since July is for families who have a child with a pre-existing condition. This family's premium will skyrocket and may be completely unaffordable to the family. Please keep in mind that this is for individual health insurance coverage, not for those of us who are fortunate enough to have group insurance benefits through an employer. The individual market is a very, very different world from the group or employer-sponsored insurance that most Americans have. It is truly an evil system and after several years, I could no longer justify working in it.
  • Reply to: Pentagon Rejects Its Own Pundit Program Whitewash   14 years 3 weeks ago
    Yes, I totally agree with your ideas. The content on your blog is the most important and you should strive to make it as unique and well-written as you can.
  • Reply to: March as "One Nation" on October 2, 2010!   14 years 3 weeks ago
    This sounds like a very productive march. In my opinion, amongst the different agendas for this movement - job creation, equal justice, and quality public education, education seems the most important to me. Education for the young as well as those currently unemployed is essential. For the unemployed, if a person who can speak decent english could be taught how to use a computer and write a decent essay, they could easily find a job online. That's how millions of people in India are earning a living. Shouldn't Americans get a slice of that job pie too?

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