Tag Archives: insurance

And not because they’re poor or uninsurable.

Source.

The Supreme Court today began hearing the case to repeal the Affordable Care Act on the basis of its constitutionality. The public sessions started Monday with 90 minutes of lively debate on a legally dense, but nonetheless important, question. It boils down to whether the health care law’s key provision is a “tax” that could prevent the court from considering …

Today is the two year anniversary of the bill’s passage and Think Progress provides the above infographic.

Right wing actress Patricia Heaton has resurfaced on Twitter days after suspending her account in the wake of widely-criticized tweets backing Rush Limbaugh’s “slut” comments about Sandra Fluke. As least Heaton’s apology is a real one, unlike Limbaugh’s.

Insurance giant United Healthcare has ranked the “healthiest states” according to factors like diet, exercise, smoking, obesity, etc. For the fifth year in a row, Vermont is the nation’s healthiest state. States that showed the most substantial improvement include New York and New Jersey, both moving up six places, largely because of improvements made in smoking cessation. Idaho and Alaska …

“Despite the tough fiscal climate in which our government finds itself, working to provide access to care is no longer simply a moral imperative, it is essential if we are to truly end this epidemic. We stand with this administration in its efforts to fight this terrible disease, but urge those at all levels of government to rise to the …

Yesterday Fort Lauderdale’s mayor and city commission unanimously authorized domestic partner benefits for LGBT city employees. All city perks currently offered to the legal spouses of city employees will be available.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Arizona may not revoke domestic partner insurance benefits for gay employees of the state. For now, Gov. Jan Brewer can suck it. In a unanimous opinion, the three-judge panel agreed the state is not obligated to provide health insurance for its workers or their families. “But when a state chooses to …

Statistics geek Nate Silver charts the rare history of hurricanes and tropical storms in the northeast. According to Silver, a direct hit from a Category 1 storm could cost New York City as much as $22 billion in economic damages.

In November 2010, El Paso’s Pastor Tom Brown organized a ballot referendum banning the city from offering domestic partners benefits. Only after the measure passed did the city realize that it was so broadly written, it would also ban benefits for retired cops and firefighters. Nevertheless, yesterday a federal judge upheld the ban. The ordinance forcing the city of El …

Over the weekend, eight horses were burned alive in their rural Ohio barn in an arson attack on a property owned by a gay man. The words “fags are freaks” were found spray-painted on the barn. Today a $5000 reward has been offered for the name of the perpetrator. Brent Whitehouse hopes a reward of up to $5,000 offered by …

Talking Points Memo on the clip below: In a significant escalation of the progressive campaign to make Republicans pay a political price for voting to end Medicare, the progressive advocacy group Americans United for Change will run broadcast TV ads in the districts of Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Chip Cravaack (R-MN), and Paul Ryan (R-WI). “What are …

Orange County, Florida commissioners have unanimously approved extending benefits to the partners of gay county employees. Via Watermark: In their pre-vote comments, many commissioners took the time to recognize Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who led the effort in 2008 to extend benefits to same sex domestic partners of city employees, and former Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart, who crusaded …