ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Obama Health Care Plan

ObamaCare Facts 2013 – We Tell you the Facts, Not The Talking Points

www.obamacarefacts.com

 

We present the Facts on Obama Care (ObamaCare) / The Health Care for America plan. Our goal is to help you understand the basics of the ObamaCare health care plan and bill, so you can decide for yourself what you think of ObamaCare, based on the facts and not the News Radio / TV opinions.

• ObamaCare, Obama Care and Health Care for America are all the same thing. The official name for “ObamaCare” is the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act, a bill signed into law to reform the health care industry.

• Some aspects of Obamacare health care reform are already enacted. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed in 2010, and over 100 million Americans have already benefited from the new health care law.

• ObamaCare requires that insurance plans cover preventative services and stops insurance companies from dropping you when you are sick, as well as offering a number of other reforms and protections.

After you get done reading the ObamaCare facts check out the full, in detail, summary of Obama Care to get the facts on how Obama’s health care reform will really work: The Affordable Care Act Summary

• ObamaCare is a hot button political issue and both sides of the isle will try to persuade you for or against it. Get THE FACTS on ObamaCare and the Plan for Health Care in America.

• ObamaCare’s goal is to provide affordable health insurance for all US citizens and to reduce the growth in health care spending.

• ObamaCare does not replace private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

• The Fact is ObamaCare gives 47 million women access to preventative health services and makes it illegal to charge women different rates than men. Get More ObamaCare Women’s Health Services Facts

• ObamaCare gives seniors access to cheaper drugs, free preventive care, Reforms Medicare Advantage, and closes the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole. The AARP agrees, costs won’t rise because of ObamaCare, if anything the improvements to the system will make seniors health care costs go down.

• 1 in 2 Americans have a “pre-existing” condition they could be denied health insurance for. ObamaCare Chips Away at Pre-Existing Conditions until 2017 when there are no more preexisting conditions for anyone, including high-risk customers.

• 54 million Americans with private health insurance now have access to preventive services with no cost sharing due to the new minium standards of ObamaCare.

• ObamaCare doesn’t ration health care, it protects consumers from the health care rationing insurance companies have been doing for ages.

Did your health insurance premium go up? The Fact is ObamaCare enacts a number of consumer protections including a rate review provision where insurance companies will have to justify rate hikes above 10% to your State and post details online immediately. Yet many Americans are still their premiums rise at alarming rates. Learn More About ObamaCare Insurance Premiums

• Other insurance reforms to curb the cost of premiums are already in action include a Medical Loss Ratio policy and other accountability measures. Many more protections go into effect in 2014, so far the average insurance premium has gone down and Americans saved $2.1 billion in 2012 alone.

• ObamaCare means 21 new taxes, get the facts on how they will affect you, your family and your business. ObamaCare Taxes Facts

• We’ve created a detailed ObamaCare Facts timeline of every protection, benefit and tax laid out by the Affordable Care Act Bill from 2010 to 2022. Health Care Reform Timeline

• ObamaCare’s insurance reform helps to insure millions of Americans each year. 48.6 million Americans went without insurance during all of 2011, compared to 49.9 million in 2010. The rate of uninsured decreased from 16.3% to 15.7%, the biggest percentage drop since 1999 due to the Affordable Care Act.

• ObamaCare takes measures to prevent all types of discrimination in regards to your right to health care, including discrimination based on gender, income and health issues.

• All Americans have the option to stay on their current healthcare plans. No one including seniors will be forced not to have healthcare. That’s an ObamaCare fact.

• ObamaCare reforms and expands Medicaid to an estimated 15 million of our nations poorest. That’s 6.1 million less than the last estimate due to States opting-out out of providing coverage, despite 100% federal funding for the first 3 years and 90% thereafter. ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion

• States will have to spend millions on Medicaid over the next ten years regardless of whether they implement Medicaid Expansion. However, states that do implement ObamaCare’s Medicaid Expansion will reap billions in additional federal dollars.

• 25 States have opted out of setting up a State Run Health Insurance Exchange. This leaves the federal tax payer responsible for providing care for their constituents. 19 are running a State Exchange, 7 set up joint exchanges. Find out more about ObamaCare’s State Run Exchanges

• ObamaCare provides $20 billion in tax credits for as many as 4 million Small Businesses to offset the cost of purchasing insurance on the Health Insurance Exchanges.

• Only the top 3% of small businesses will have to pay the additional 0.9% ObamaCare Medicare tax increase.

• Only .2% of businesses have over 50 employees and don’t already offer insurance to full-time workers. Providing these folks with insurance is the only “employer mandate” in ObamaCare.

• Over half uninsured Americans are small business owners, employees or their dependents. Learn the Truth Behind the ObamaCare Small Business Taxes, How They Affect America’s Biggest Job Creators.

• Want single payer? Come 2017 states will be able to get a waiver to set up their own approved health care solution, as long as it meets the standards of ObamaCare.

• Starting OCT 2013 insurance companies will compete to be your healthcare provider via a health insurance exchange pool, this helps to decrease insurance premiums for all Americans.

• The CBO Estimates 19 million Americans (of the 23 million estimated to use the exchange) will Receive Tax Credits to Purchase Insurance on the Exchanges.

• Due to Tax credits and up-front assistance Americans making under 400% of the FLP (roughly $88k for a family of 4) could see up to a 60% reduction in the cost of health insurance premiums.

• Employers can use SHOP, a part of the exchange, to purchase affordable coverage for their workers.

• Uninsured Americans cost the American healthcare system an additional $49 billion. Only 12% of uninsured families pay their hospital bills in full, this includes families making over $88k a year. These costs affect insurance premiums, ObamaCare helps to reduce this spending drastically.

• Annual limits for insurance premiums can be no more than 11% or less than 1.5% of your modified adjusted gross income, when insurance goes on sale via the health insurance exchanges in 2014.

• Members of Congress will purchase their health care through the health exchange like the rest of us (who chose not to opt out and pay a tax, are covered by Medicaid or choose to stay on their existing insurance) Get more facts about the ObamaCare Insurance Exchange

• In 2011 ObamaCare helped around 86 million Americans use free preventative services that had previously been subject to co-pays or deductibles.

• ObamaCare aims to improve community health care centers in an effort improve health care for those who cannot afford private health care.

• Obamacare doesn’t increase the deficit, it is projected to cut the deficit by over Trillion dollars over the next two decades.

• ObamaCare offers countless benefits and protections that have been rolling out since 2010 and continue into 2022. Find out more about the Benefits of ObamaCare

• In 2013 American Employers with more than 25 or less employees may receive tax breaks of up to 35% (25% non-profits) of the cost of their employees insurance premiums. In 2014 in increases to 50% (35%).

• Employers with more than 50 employees must insure their workers or pay a tax (like the current state run unemployment and workers compensation programs)

• ObamaCare won’t cause 650,000 Jobs to be lost as some of it’s detractors say (the number isn’t even in the CBO report on The Affordable Care Act). The often misrepresented quote stated that the only job loss ObamaCare may actually cause are from those who cut back their hours, since they will no longer have to rely on their jobs for their families health care. In fact most reports show that ObamaCare will create new jobs.

• ObamaCare doesn’t regulate health care, it regulates health insurance. What is ObamaCare?

• If an you or your family chooses not to purchase healthcare through the Online Health Insurance Exchange, they can still buy private insurance, get insurance through work or Medicare / Medicaid. Those who chose to not participate will pay an income “penalty” tax to help cover the rest of us. In other words it’s a tax, not a mandate, no one is actually forcing you to have health insurance.

• Obamacare cuts $716 billion of waste from Medicare and reimbursements to private Medicare Advantage plans and reinvests it into Obama’s health care reform. In other words $716 billion is saved and then $716 billion is reinvested back into Obamacare and Medicare. Doctors and hospitals almost universally agree on this reform.

• 19 million Americans will receive tax credits to help pay for healthcare and most middle class Americans will actually save thousands on healthcare via tax cuts (this has been going on for the past 3 years already)

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare) reduces costs of premiums to millions of families and small businesses and provides billions dollars in tax relief – the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history.

• The healthcare industry, specifically doctors will be rewarded for quality over quantity.

• The Affordable Care Act allows Religious institutions to choose to be exempt from providing controversial contraception and reproductive health services to women. Multiple businesses have also received an exemption after taking the ruling to court.

• The Affordable Health Care Act doesn’t just focus on insurance, it also reforms the parts of the healthcare system that aren’t working or are costing the tax payer money. For example, by focusing on preventive measures instead of just treatment ObamaCare will save tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives.

• The ObamaCare fact is the average American will save money under Obamacare. In fact many Americans are already paying less for health care services.

• Obamacare cuts the national deficit by over two hundred billion dollars during it’s first 10 years.

• ObamaCare aims to make it easier for small businesses to provide coverage to workers by offering Tax Credits to employers who enroll their workers in private healthcare plans.

• One of the main goals of ObamaCare is to ensure that all preventative care will be free on all insurance plans. Private insurance plans that are grandfathered in and are all ready in place will be exempt until they lose their grandfathered status.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: The “ObamaCare” Bill is currently signed into law. There are many people who would like to see ObamaCare repealed. If Obamacare is repealed millions of Americans will be without proper health coverage and insurance companies will continue to be able to deny healthcare for preexisting conditions. Without healthcare reform America will continue suffer the consequences of a health care system controlled by private companies, who’s bottom line is money and not health. Help ObamaCare Facts to spread the truth about President Obama’s health care reform.

 

Seattle Seahawks rally to defeat Washington Redskins

Seahawks-RedskinsGregg Rosenthal, Around The League editor, www.nfl.com

The Seattle Seahawks found themselves in an unfamiliar position early in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins, trailing by two touchdowns. They didn’t blink.

Pete Carroll‘s crew will play the Atlanta Falcons next week after dispatching the Redskins 24-14, scoring 24 unanswered points to close out the game. Robert Griffin III finished the game on the bench, but his presence in the final six minutes wouldn’t have made a difference late because the Seahawks‘ defense was too dominant. The Seattle Seahawks found themselves in an unfamiliar position early in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins, trailing by two touchdowns. They didn’t blink.

Pete Carroll‘s crew will play the Atlanta Falcons next week after dispatching the Redskins 24-14, scoring 24 unanswered points to close out the game. Robert Griffin III finished the game on the bench, but his presence in the final six minutes wouldn’t have made a difference late because the Seahawks‘ defense was too dominant.

 

Top 10 ways to beat the post-Christmas blues

www.realbuzz.com, healthy active living

Make a plan

After the excitement of Christmas, going back to a regular, mundane routine is enough to lower anybody’s spirits. A good way to alleviate this feeling of ennui is to create something to look forward to. Depending on your budget and lifestyle, this could be anything from planning a night out to booking a trip away. Whatever you plan, make sure it is something you will really look forward to, then start counting down the days.

laughterExercise your funny bone

Laughter has been proven to be an extremely effective mood booster; releasing endorphins which instantly raise spirits and give a feeling of wellbeing. To help raise your spirits, grab a funny DVD or book and spend a few hours exercising your laughter muscles.

Brave your fears

If you are feeling listless and uninspired following the Christmas period, there is nothing guaranteed to energize you so much as stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a few risks. Make a commitment to doing one thing a week (or day) that makes you feel scared and takes you out of your comfort zone.  Whether it is something small (like starting a conversation with a stranger) or big (like emigrating to another country), conquering your fears is guaranteed to put you in a positive mood.

Get active

Although feeling glum is unlikely to put you in the mood to exercise, getting up and active is actually one of the best things you can do. Exercise not only releases mood boosting endorphins, but if weight gain is one of the things getting you down following Christmas it will help you to quickly shift those excess pounds. Get out in the fresh air for a run, or try a spot of yoga or Tai Chi to help put you in a better frame of mind.

salmonWatch what you eat

While it may be tempting to bury your sorrows under piles of junk food, a healthy diet is actually much more effective at helping you feel good. Some mood-boosting foods to stock up on are those containing B vitamins (which help the brain produce serotonin) such as wholegrains, nuts and marmite, and those containing Omega-3 fatty acids (which can help lift depression), such as oily fish or flaxseeds.

Don’t be SAD

If you think that the darkness and cold weather surrounding the festive season might be contributing to your blues, you may be one of many people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If you find that you feel more depressed or lethargic over the autumn and winter months, it may be worth investing in a SAD light box which can help reduce the negative effects caused by the lack of natural light during this season.

Be selfless

If you find that you are fixated on your mood post Christmas, it is a good idea to distract yourself by putting the focus on to others. Take some time out to do some volunteer work, or if you are short of time make a commitment to doing one small act of kindness a day such as listening to a friend’s problem or smiling at a stranger. Not only will helping others distract you from your own feelings but it will help you put things into perspective. As an added bonus, smiling is contagious and helping others feel happy will also put you in a better mood.

Perk up your social life

Spending time with others can be one of the greatest mood boosters, but you can’t always rely on everybody else to make the plans. If your social life could do with a boost following Christmas, it’s time to get proactive. Pick up the phone and give someone a call or arrange to visit someone who lives a long way away. Alternatively, take up a hobby or join a club and start meeting some new people to spend time with.

Get your finances in order

One of the reasons many people feel blue after Christmas is because they have worries over their finances – and the damage Christmas has wreaked on them – hanging over their head. Rather than worrying about it, sit down and sort out your financial situation. See what shape you are in financially and, if necessary, set yourself a budget for the next few months or so. This may make you feel even worse right now but going on in ignorance means that your worries will only eat away at you. Face your finances, work out how to move forward, and then you can move on happier.

Ring the changes

If the thought of going back to your regular routine is really depressing you, perhaps you should see this as a sign you need to make some changes. Although everyone feels a bit down about returning to work, if the thought is really making you blue then maybe it’s time to think about changing your job. Alternatively, perhaps you need to think about ditching another aspect of your lifestyle that is making you unhappy; your partner, perhaps, or those extra pounds in weight. Look at what needs to be changed then make a plan to tackle it in small steps. Instead of despairing over the end of Christmas, go in to the new year motivated and ready to kick-start your best year yet.

 

Michael Moore’s Poetic Plea to Obama: “Dear Mr. President, Please Let Leonard Peltier Come Home”

www.democracynow.org

 

Singers Harry Belafonte and Pete Seeger hosted the “Bring Leonard Peltier Home in 2012 Concert” at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Friday, December 14th to raise awareness of Peltier’s 37-year ordeal and plea for executive clemency from President Obama. Peltier is the Native American activist and former member of the American Indian Movement who was convicted of aiding in the killing of two FBI agents during a shootout on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. Among those who spoke was Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore, who read a poem he wrote urging Peltier’s release.

Influenza claims three lives in Snohomish County

Vaccination is the best protection against this severe flu; plenty of vaccine in the county

Press Release, Suzanne Pate, Snohomish Health District, www.snohd.org

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — The Snohomish Health District reports three residents of Snohomish County died in recent days from the severe flu that is circulating throughout Western Washington. A Bothell woman in her 40s, an Everett woman in her 80s, and an Edmonds woman in her 80s died in late December in Snohomish County hospitals. All had underlying medical conditions.

“We may be facing the most severe flu season since 2009,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum. “I urge everyone over 6 months of age to get an annual flu shot. It’s still the best weapon we have to fight the flu strains that are circulating this year. Wash your hands often, stay home if you are sick, and cover your cough!”

Snohomish County is well supplied with flu vaccine in providers’ offices as well as community clinics, pharmacies, and the Snohomish Health District clinics. The Health District stocks about 1,000 doses of adult vaccine, and 300 doses of children’s vaccine. More is available as needed.

Dr. Goldbaum noted that this year’s vaccines appear to be well matched for the two strains of influenza A and one strain of influenza B that are circulating this year. The three strains are H1N1A, H3N2A, and B/Wisconsin. The dominant strain is H3N2, which can cause more serious illness. As of Jan. 2, a surveillance report from two area hospitals shows 52 people have been hospitalized with flu symptoms since Nov. 1 in Snohomish County.

During the 2010-2011 influenza season, we received reports of 16 persons hospitalized with influenza; there was one death reported due to influenza. During the 2011-2012 season, 39 were hospitalized and there were two deaths. Thus, in Snohomish County this season to date compared with each of the past two entire seasons, more people have been hospitalized for or died from influenza.

The Washington State Department of Health reported three deaths in December in King and Pierce counties. Lab-confirmed deaths are reportable although many flu-related deaths may go unreported because they are not lab-confirmed or tested for influenza. The CDC estimates that up to 49,000 people could die from the flu this season.

Flu shots are especially important for people at high risk for complications from the flu, including young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women and women who recently gave birth, and people with certain medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and neurologic conditions. You need a fresh flu vaccine every year; last year’s vaccine won’t work on the current circulating strains.

Visit CDC for more information about the 2012-2013 flu season. To find flu vaccine in your ZIP code, go to the Flu Vaccine Finder page. You also can find good health tips and background about the flu at the Department of Health website.

Established in 1959, the Snohomish Health District works for a safer and healthier Snohomish County through disease prevention, health promotion, and protection from environmental threats. Find more information about the Health Board and the Health District at http://www.snohd.org.

Thomas Paquin

Tom PaquinTom was born on August 22, 1947 in Tacoma, WA, and he went to be with the Lord on January 2, 2013.

He resided in Tacoma, WA most of his life. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1967, and he was a dedicated Lincoln Abe fan. He also held season tickets to the Tacoma Rainiers for many years. He was a fast-pitch coach for the boys and girls club until his health began to deteriorate. He loved the holidays and birthdays, so he made sure that those times were special. He was very dedicated to his family, and he was the best daddy.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Lavita Lamm, his father, Augusta Wooster, and his brothers, Johnny Paquin, Ernie Wooster, and William Craft.

He was survived by his brothers, Larry and Gary Wooster, his children, LaDawn Brewster, Dameon Criteser, and Angelica Paquin, and his grandchildren, NaTasha Brewster, Angelia, Isaac, and Lily Paquin.

There will be a dinner and a rosary held Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 5pm in the Tulalip tribal gym 6700 Totem Beach Road Tulalip, WA 98271, and his service will be held Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 10 am also in the Tulalip tribal gym.

Tulalip Tribes Diabetes Day 2013, Jan 16

Tulalip Diabetes DayProviding culturally sensitive diabetes health care to promote the overall well-being of our people

Join the Karen I Fryberg Tulalip Health Clinic staff on Wednesday, January 16 for Diabetes Day 2013.

The event is schedule for 9:20 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., and will being 8:00 a.m. with an opening prayer and song. Lunch will be served at noon.

Clinic staff will be offering comprehensive Diabetic Services for all Tulalip Tribal members and authorized patients of the Karen I Fryberg Tulalip Health Clinic.

 

 

Tribes monitor Hooper Creek after culvert removal

A cutthroat trout is counted and measured in newly accessible habitat in Hooper Creek.
A cutthroat trout is counted and measured in newly accessible habitat in Hooper Creek.

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, www.nwifc.org

When Sierra Pacific replaced an inadequate culvert with a 45-foot bridge over a tributary to the Skagit River, enough sediment had accumulated behind the fish barrier to fill 30 dump trucks.

Biologists with the Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) monitored the channel, habitat quality and fish distribution before and after the 2008 culvert removal in Hooper Creek near Concrete. SRSC is the natural resources management arm of the Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle tribes.

As the landowner, forest products company Sierra Pacific is required to fix culverts that block fish passage.

Forest and fish biologist Mike Olis was pleasantly surprised to discover an increase in habitat quality downstream of the project area. A year after the bridge was built, Olis counted almost three times the number of the large pools (with at least 3 square feet of surface area and 1 foot of residual depth) fish need to feed, rest and stay cool.

“We were expecting some pool-filling from the released sediment,” he said. “The increase in pools is good for the fish.”

Hooper Creek’s resident cutthroat trout quickly took advantage of the newly accessible habitat. In 2009, a year after the project was completed, surveys found 23 trout above the new bridge, including one as far as about a half mile upstream. In 2010, there were 137 fish. Of those 101 were younger than one year.

Coho also spawn in Hooper Creek, but year-to-year spawner surveys don’t necessarily reflect changes in habitat following the culvert removal because run sizes vary. More coho were seen spawning after fish passage was restored, but there also was a larger coho run that year. What the numbers do show, however, is that the release of 300 cubic yards of sediment didn’t have a negative effect on coho spawning.

For more information, contact: Mike Olis, SRSC biologist, molis@skagitcoop.org or 360-708-2809; Kari Neumeyer, NWIFC information officer, 360-424-8226 or kneumeyer@nwifc.org.

Grovers Creek Coho Used for Stormwater Runoff Study

Coho-runoff-experiment-Grovers-Kate-Julann-Nov-2012-2267-thumbnail-300x200
Biologists place a coho (inside the PVC tube) in a bin of stormwater runoff.

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, nwifc.org

Using fish from the Suquamish Tribe’s Grovers Creek hatchery, federal agencies and their partners are determining just how lethal polluted urban highway runoff is to salmon.

Staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NOAA) have been working with the tribe to expose a small number of adult coho spawners to polluted urban runoff.

“We know that toxic contaminants in stormwater are bad for salmon, and that adult coho are dying prematurely in urban watersheds throughout Puget Sound,” said Jay Davis, a USFWS contaminants specialist.  “The current study is designed to help us determine the underlying cause of death.”Last year, agency scientists exposed adult coho to cocktails of chemical contaminants that were prepared in a lab to simulate stormwater runoff.  The fish were largely unaffected by artificial mixtures of metals and petroleum hydrocarbons.

However, when exposed to actual urban runoff this fall, the spawners quickly developed the familiar symptoms of pre-spawn mortality syndrome. Symptoms include a gaping mouth, and loss of orientation and balance. Affected fish display these symptoms just before they die, and adult coho became symptomatic after just two to four hours of being exposed to the stormwater.

Blood and tissues were collected from the hearts, gills, and livers of the coho. Genetic analyses of these samples are expected to show physiological stress in fish, such as heart or respiratory failure. Samples from coho exposed to stormwater will be compared to samples from unexposed fish and symptomatic spawners found in Seattle-area streams this fall.

“Urban runoff is a very complex mixture,” Davis said. “But we’re getting closer to understanding why stormwater is so lethal to coho.”

“The tribe has been a good partner to work with,” said Nat Scholz, a NOAA research zoologist and ecotoxicology manager. “We like to use the Grovers Creek facility because of the easily available coho, the facility’s abrupt saltwater-freshwater transition, and the availability of protected space to do the exposures and tissue collections. The findings should be applicable throughout Puget Sound, including Kitsap.”

The contaminated water is taken for disposal to Kitsap County’s wastewater treatment plant in Kingston.