Mama Carol

I haven't yet seen the full text of the tax law changes that are coming. I've got to get through two courses of other things before I tackle taxes this fall. I do tend to be conservative, in all things. Some of these are about the same as my coverage which is $432 a month. Except mine isn't a 80/20 or 70/30 policy. I have a deductible for some things but co-pays for doctor visits. Mammogram is free but I have to pay the radiologist to read it. Some of my labs are subject to the deductible. I have yet to get a bill on labs this year.

Whatever. Some people love it, some people hate it. Most people have to wait longer and longer for treatments and even routine doctor appointments. But it's wonderful! Just ask anyone. You don't live to be 58 and not know a lot of people. Hell, just my family is probably a couple of hundred. My mom's side of the family. Always been a good judge of character, too. Wonderful post!! Yes, things can turn around on a dime. They really and truly can.

Higher income earners will be required to pay additional taxes.

I know enough.

Sometimes you are stuck with two or more horrible options. Does your family live on the street so you can pay for a college education? Do your kids go without proper food so you can stop working and get more skills? Sometimes there just simply isn't enough money to do the things you know you need to do, like get a better education and the things you have no choice in doing, like paying for food and shelter. Nice to see someone who has never taken off the rose-colored glasses and for whom life has been nothing but a bed of roses. I just hope that reality never bites your ass because

But I live here. I just recently read that the wait time for a mammogram in England is 70 days. That's so much better than our system of having to wait a week or two. This is a couple of years old but it's probably still pretty close to accurate. * The U.K (60%) and Canada (57%) had the highest numbers of persons who had to wait four weeks or more to get to see a specialist physician. In the U.S., only 23% reported a wait of four weeks or more for specialty care. * The U.S. also did very well on measures of wait times for non-emergency or elective surgery. Only 8% of surveyed

I know college grads with in-demand degrees that can't get jobs with health insurance. So again, congratulations. And don't talk to me about working your butt off. Until you've worked 18-20 hours a day, seven days a week for four years out of four years AND taken care of your family, you have no clue about working your butt off. You might have been working yours off to climb the corporate ladder but that's not the same as WORKING your ass off. FYI, my middle daughter is 40. She's in college full time to become a nurse. She works weekends as a caregiver and works part-time during

Congratulations on always having had health insurance. That's awesome for you. I ended up having to have surgery because I didn't have health insurance and didn't have money to go to the doctor when I broke my foot, the first time. We had a business, rent, mortgage, utilities for two places, three kids at home and barely two dimes to rub together that weren't already spoken for. I ended up having to postpone treatment for a genetic condition because I didn't have health insurance and didn't have money to go to the doctor. And as above, we had a business, rent, mortgage, utilitie

The table below illustrates how out-of-pocket costs can differ among three insurance companies that offer a Silver Plan. Silver Plan Out-of-Pocket Costs 30% of costs of enrolled population 30% of costs of enrolled population Deductible$250 or $2,000 Coinsurance 30% or 15% As you can see in the table, deductibles and coinsurance can vary significantly among Silver Plans. Even though both Silver Plan examples cover 70% of medical costs, this coverage applies to the entire enrolled population. Some individual may receive more cost sharing and some less depending on the med

Doesn't matter. You still gotta cough up that money somehow. It's now the law that you MUST have healthcare insurance. Is this a great country or what??

It's little wonder that people in general are scared of guns. Guns have been made out to be evil. Even toys aren't allowed. It's such a sad commentary on life. I don't remember what show it was, as I wasn't really watching it but listening to it, but the other night I heard the line "gun, shoot someone". And then nothing happened because guns don't fire by themselves and guns don't kill people. People kill people. I thought that was the best example of that I'd ever heard. The last time I looked, teachers were de facto government employees, teaching what the government has

Well, you have to look at their successes! Iraq, Food Stamp program, VA, overseeing the mortgage companies and banks, the fight against drugs and crime. To know they will be handling your healthcare sort of gives you a warm fuzzy feeling doesn't it?

Sure "we" will. So, do you think the the government, that can't even do most things efficiently or effectively should handle your health care? Why do you think they would be any better or more efficient at handling it than your employer. After all the vast majority of employers don't handle the healthcare insurance themselves anyway. They have insurance carriers and many have "benefit administrators" who handle all that. Your "employer" may not have any more input into it than you do.

Absolutely!! No more than higher priced health insurance equals better health care.

This from the Pensacola News Journal this morning: Before tax credits that work like an upfront discount for most consumers, sticker-price premiums for a mid-range benchmark plan will average $328 a month nationally for an individual, comparable to payments for a new car. But averages can be misleading. When it comes to the new health care law, individuals can get dramatically different results based on their particular circumstances. Where you live, the plan you pick, family size, age, tax credits based on your income, and even tobacco use will all impact the bottom line. All those vari

I've said for years that "zero tolerance" really means "zero brains" and "zero common sense". And to say "thank your lawmakers" is just passing the blame. It just makes them idiots, too.

I'm talking 1/3 of pay BEFORE taxes!!! And if I started up my business again, I'd have to work eight or nine month just to pay the insurance and the start up costs (which are outrageous here). Well, unless I got really, really lucky and got a dozen clients right off the bat. I think I'll just stay home, go to the river to swim and go to the bay to watch the porpoises. Who needs work anyway?

That right there is what scares me. It scares me that I'll have to pay $700 a month for health insurance for 14 or 15 months and THEN wait for the subsidy to be sent when I submit my 2014 return. And like I said in an earlier reply, I'd love to go back to work. I don't want to pay 1/3 of what I make for health insurance when I can stay home (go to the beach and down to the bay) and pay $55 a month instead of $700. I suspect there are a lot of people who would do the same thing, particularly if they are my age.

Like I said before, it seems ridiculous that kids are protected at the bus stop by the long arm of the school law but the school can't do a single thing about some kid beating the snot out of another ON THE BUS. But heaven forbid someone have a pellet gun or water pistol NEAR the bus stop. Someone has their priorities all wrong.

It's because a lot of people know asinine when they see it. It's a difficult concept to resolve within yourself. How something so STUPID could be real.

We surmised that this man was having really bad health problems and was not working, just based on the time we heard the two of them talking. I was happy to hear the doctor giving him referrals to these organizations that could help him.

So in other words, what one does in their OWN yard, if it's near a bus stop, comes under the rule of the school? Even if the kids aren't AT the bus stop? Amazing. Schools can police private property because it's "near" a bus stop but can't stop a kid from beating the snot out of another kid ON THE FREAKIN' BUS.

But apparently these kids were not AT the bus stop, just near it. On private property.

Nope just me. He's covered by Medicare.

We were at the surgeon's office this morning when the doctor was explaining to one of his patients that there are programs SPECIFICALLY to help people who don't have health insurance. He gave the man contact information for these programs. He said "they have the financial resources to help you". So much for patient privacy. The man was in the room next to us. We could hear everything he and the doc talked about. How is it if there is no way for people to get health insurance if they have health problems but there are programs out there to help them? This doctor referred this man