Affordable Care Act, President Obama, Medicare, Social Security, Healthcare.gov, Rollout

Bumpy Healthcare Rollout Fuels Critics, Hinders Enrollment
By Mildred Robertson

It is unfortunate. A unique opportunity exists for people who have little or no health insurance coverage in America. That opportunity, however, is being undermined by bad politics (an oxymoron) and a poor implementation plan.

It is unfortunate that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was not properly tested before its rollout on October 1, 2013. That bumpy start gave the naysayers just what they needed to be able to confidently say, “I told you so.” Because of the rough start, many have begun to give credence to the Ted Cruzes and the Sarah Palins of this world who hate all things Obama, and anything that might smack of the government serving the poor. 

Meanwhile, millions continue to forego needed healthcare, or find their way to an emergency room to service healthcare needs that could have been prevented, or treated at a much lower cost. And don’t misunderstand who is paying for the high cost of treating the uninsured. It is you and me. 

President Obama will bear the blame if this social experiment fails. It is not blame that he should necessarily shoulder alone, since he has had to battle an opposing party that has attempted at every juncture to derail universal healthcare for America’s most vulnerable. The plan we have is not the plan he wanted. But it was what he could get from a cantankerous Republican-led House and a skittish Democratic Senate.

The GOP attack has been constant and consistent, while offering no alternative to a problem that must be solved. They have created a pervasive fear in the American public that implementation of the Affordable Care Act will result in the collapse of the healthcare system and will create a drag on the economy.  Even staunch universal healthcare supporters have balked in recent days as the news about the rollout continues to be shaky at best.

The fact of the matter is that healthcare.gov was never intended to meet the needs of citizens in all 50 states. Originally, that was a task intended for each individual state, with assistance from the government. Instead, the federal government had to step in to fill the breach when Republican led states refused to set up healthcare exchanges and enroll Medicaid recipients.

Data indicates that those states running their own healthcare exchanges, as intended, are doing relatively well. It is the 20 or so that did not that have helped to swell the numbers attempting to access the healthcare.gov. website and thereby exacerbate issues associated with the rollout.  

Let us not be naïve. No endeavor of this magnitude could be expected to be without glitches. The implementation of both Medicare and Social Security were no less controversial than the ACA. Those social programs were ultimately successful and should serve to calm the fears of supporters, who admittedly expected better planning and a more precise anticipation of possible difficulties with implementation.

Unfortunately, many have already ventured on the site, and left with a sour taste in their mouth. It may be difficult to get them to give it another try.

Signing up is not necessarily simple, and for those states who offer their citizens no assistance, each must do his or her own research to determine how best to navigate the system, or to find the resources necessary to help them log on and make the best choice for their families. Many who most need the service are the least well equipped to navigate the process.

It is important that all who believe in the Affordable Care Act and support its implementation talk to family, friends and neighbors and encourage them to log on and sign up. It remains to be seen whether ACA is the best legislation for achieving universal healthcare, but it is the best that we could get in this contentious environment.

We should applaud President Obama for fighting for the right of every American citizen to have access to quality healthcare.  We should work diligently to remove the obstacles that hinder the ACA from meeting its full potential. Then we must work to refine it, so that it can provide the health and economic benefits that are possible if we can bring down the cost of healthcare and increase its availability to all Americans.

If you are interested in signing up for ACA but are not sure where to start, there are a number of resources available, even in states that do not offer a healthcare exchange.  To help you learn to navigate the process, go to: https://www.healthcare.gov/get-covered-a-1-page-guide-to-the-health-insurance-marketplace/ or call 1-800-318-2596.

Navigators, who are individuals trained to answer your questions about ACA, can also be found by contacting local churches, nonprofit organizations or health clinics.

REFERENCES:
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/10/28/what-about-social-securitys-rollout/
http://elder-clinic.law.wfu.edu/files/2013/11/2013-11-11-NC-County-by-County-In-Person-Assister-Resource-Directory.pdf

Minimum Wage, Increase, Gallup Poll, Senate Democrats, Living Wage

TEMPORARY GLITCHES DON’T DIMINISH VALUE OF AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
By Mildred Robertson

It’s not like we didn’t know that there would be glitches in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as “Obamacare.” It is the most ambitious social program of its kind in the last 50 years.

With just 3 short years and much opposition to the implementation of Obamacare, it is no small wonder that some of the millions of Americans flocking to the website these last several weeks have had some difficulty. To launch a program of this size and complexity, it would be naïve to expect smooth sailing from day one.

But as we turn on the nightly news, we hear pundits from the right and the left criticizing the program; some who have never even ventured onto the site to navigate the system and examine options. When have you ever experienced the rollout of a new computer program without glitches?

Many want to pronounce the program “dead on arrival.” This pronouncement would be pre-mature at best and diabolic at worst. This program offers hope to millions of uninsured Americans, many of them the working poor, who are forced to go without the most basic healthcare because of staggering healthcare costs. This, in the most prosperous nation on earth.

According to Cheryl Smith, a senior practitioner at Deloitte, a research and consulting firm, nothing like this has ever been attempted on this scale. In an article published by “Stateline,” a daily news service of the Pew Foundation, Smith said that people might compare the ACA rollout to Medicare Part D or to Medicare itself. But she says there is no comparison. “Nothing like this has ever been done on this scale,” she says.
 

ACA’s aim is to enroll 16 million uninsured Americans into health insurance plans or an expanded Medicaid. Health experts such as Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institute remind us that, “When you’re dealing with tens of millions of new clients, mistakes are inevitable.”

Let’s give the administration time to work out the glitches. That can’t be done in three weeks, or even three months with a program of this magnitude. I personally believe it will be worth the wait.

If you listen above the din of the naysayers, you will hear stories of people who have done the comparisons, and found that the ACA offers them real cost savings. You will find that previously uninsured working poor can finally afford to buy health insurance. You may even hear that ACA has spurred economic growth.

I anticipate the five-year anniversary of the implementation of ACA. I daresay it will no longer be called “Obamacare,” because it will be a huge success.

Healthcare, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act, ACA implementation, Glitches

TEMPORARY GLITCHES DON’T DIMINISH VALUE OF AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
By Mildred Robertson

It’s not like we didn’t know that there would be glitches in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as “Obamacare.” It is the most ambitious social program of its kind in the last 50 years.

With just 3 short years and much opposition to the implementation of Obamacare, it is no small wonder that some of the millions of Americans flocking to the website these last several weeks have had some difficulty. To launch a program of this size and complexity, it would be naïve to expect smooth sailing from day one.

But as we turn on the nightly news, we hear pundits from the right and the left criticizing the program; some who have never even ventured onto the site to navigate the system and examine options. When have you ever experienced the rollout of a new computer program without glitches?

Many want to pronounce the program “dead on arrival.” This pronouncement would be pre-mature at best and diabolic at worst. This program offers hope to millions of uninsured Americans, many of them the working poor, who are forced to go without the most basic healthcare because of staggering healthcare costs. This, in the most prosperous nation on earth.

According to Cheryl Smith, a senior practitioner at Deloitte, a research and consulting firm, nothing like this has ever been attempted on this scale. In an article published by “Stateline,” a daily news service of the Pew Foundation, Smith said that people might compare the ACA rollout to Medicare Part D or to Medicare itself. But she says there is no comparison. “Nothing like this has ever been done on this scale,” she says.
 

ACA’s aim is to enroll 16 million uninsured Americans into health insurance plans or an expanded Medicaid. Health experts such as Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institute remind us that, “When you’re dealing with tens of millions of new clients, mistakes are inevitable.”

Let’s give the administration time to work out the glitches. That can’t be done in three weeks, or even three months with a program of this magnitude. I personally believe it will be worth the wait.

If you listen above the din of the naysayers, you will hear stories of people who have done the comparisons, and found that the ACA offers them real cost savings. You will find that previously uninsured working poor can finally afford to buy health insurance. You may even hear that ACA has spurred economic growth.

I anticipate the five-year anniversary of the implementation of ACA. I daresay it will no longer be called “Obamacare,” because it will be a huge success.

Obamacare, Affordable Care Act, North Carolina, Health Exchange, Medicaid

OBAMA’S HISTORIC HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE LAUNCHES DESPITE OPPOSITION

By Mildred Robertson

Today marks the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, better known as “Obamacare.” Under the Affordable Care Act, families with incomes falling between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level will qualify for subsidies to help them purchase health insurance coverage in the new health insurance marketplaces referred to as “exchanges”.

It is expected that up to 1.5 million North Carolinians will be shopping for health insurance on the new health exchange offered through the federal government. Although the state of North Carolina chose not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, officials estimate roughly 70,000 new North Carolinians may enroll in Medicaid through the program.

Consumers will not have to determine their own eligibility for subsidies, and the same application used to apply for private coverage in the exchange will be used to determine eligibility for Medicaid coverage. Therefore, if you meet the income qualifications and apply through the exchange, you will be enrolled in Medicaid.

Because North Carolina turned down Medicaid expansion and declined $27 million in federal assistance to inform citizens about the new healthcare exchange, North Carolinians will pay more and have fewer choices than people in states that embraced the Affordable Care Act. Only two carriers will sell subsidized plans in the state; Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Coventry Health Care of the Carolinas.

Also, the state’s most vulnerable will still be left without insurance. Some people with wages too high to qualify for Medicaid, but who earn too little to qualify for credits on the exchange will be left uninsured.

In order to get the word out about the new health exchanges, federal grants have been provided to non-profits across the state to dispatch “navigators” to help citizens learn about and enroll in the health exchange. In North Carolina, some county social services departments will provide office space for these navigators.

For more information on the Affordable Care Act, or to enroll, go to www.healthcare.org.

Jonathan A. Ferrel, Florida A&M, Charlotte, NC, Randall Kerrick, Racial Profiling, Police Shooting

FERREL MURDER EXAMPLE OF “OPEN SEASON” ON BLACK MEN
By Mildred Robertson

I remember among my first lessons in kindergarten was that, when you were in trouble, there were a couple of strangers you could count on to help you…firefighters, and policemen. They were there to protect and serve you – right?

Well back in 1957, going to a predominately white school, that was a pretty accurate description for most of my classmates. Unfortunately, that is not a lesson Black children can take to heart.

It was a fatal mistake for Jonathan A. Ferrel, a former football player for Florida A&M, to assume that police had arrived to rescue him following his automobile accident on September 14, 2013 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ferrel had climbed from his wrecked vehicle in northeast Charlotte, and walked to the nearest house seeking help. It was around 2:00 a.m. in the morning, and the lone woman who answered the door called the police. That was a reasonable action for her to take. I understand her reaction. It is the reaction of the police that must be called into question.

Ferrel, probably assuming that he would finally get the help he needed, ran toward the police. The police did not see a citizen in distress – they saw a Black man, a criminal, a suspect, running toward them.

There was no benefit of the doubt for Ferrel.

He was running toward them, so he had to be some kind of threat, right? So, it was okay to use lethal force, right? And so, another Black man, whose only crime appeared to be living while Black, had his life snatched from him by racism and ignorance.

Perhaps the Charlotte police learned something from the Trayvon Martin case. They quickly reversed their position that the shooting was appropriate and lawful, and concluded that 27 year-old police officer Randall Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon. They charged him with voluntary manslaughter and released him on $50,000 bail. It still remains to be seen, however, if Ferrel and his family will get justice in the end.

We recently celebrated the 50th year of the March on Washington and MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and we witnessed a man of Black ancestry win the highest office in the land. Yet, Black people across America are seldom judged by the content of their character, at least not at first glance.

This story and others like it are far too common. It is time that we stop lamenting the demonization of the Black man in America and do something about it. It will not be an easy task, because the news media and pop culture have created a caricature of what it means to be black that is accepted by most of America.

It is apparent that the states cannot meaningfully address this issue. It is a national issue, and a national response is required. Just as Lyndon B. Johnson found that federal action was required to ensure justice for the nation’s Black citizens back in the 60’s, it is time for the federal government to step up and address the issue of racial profiling that has resulted in the murder of numerous unarmed Black men under the guise of self-defense.

How many innocent Black men must die a violent death before someone says—ENOUGH! It is time the federal government declares an end to the open season on Black men.

Joe Scarborough Doesn’t Understand Dynamics of “Stop and Frisk”

By Mildred Robertson

I started Tuesday morning as I usually do, watching “Morning Joe.” Some days I can take it – some I can’t. This was one of the mornings when Joe’s pontifications rubbed me—more than usual—the wrong way. The panel discussed New York City’s stop and frisk law.

As has been occurring since the Trayvon Martin tragedy and ill-conceived verdict, a bunch of white men discussed what it must be like to be young, black, and well – existing. They rolled out the stop and frisk numbers, indicating that only 1 in 10 of the profiled individuals stopped actually even got a citation, let alone charged for a serious offense.

Joe pointed out that if similar stops were made in upper Manhattan, the numbers of those found actually committing a crime would probably not be that different. So, why, might you ask, am I particularly irritated with Joe Scarborough for this morning’s coverage.

It is because, apparently, he does not listen.

After hearing numerous African Americans, many his peers, explain to him how Black mothers and fathers must counsel their children to interpret any encounter with police as possibly a life threatening one, he still doesn’t get it.

The discussion turned to the fact that it is not the stop and frisk law that is so distasteful to African Americans. In fact, many who live in crime-infested neighborhoods appreciate aggressive policing. They just want that aggressive policing to be impartial, just and universal.

Joe goes on to say that aggressive policing wouldn’t work in upper Manhattan. Were he to be stopped and frisked on numerous occasions, he pontificated; he would demand the officer’s name and badge number. He’s a lawyer, you know. He knows his rights!

Again, Joe doesn’t listen.

Those words might work coming from his mouth, or the mouth of someone who looks like him. For my son, that might mean a beating, and perhaps a trip to the morgue. That’s the part he doesn’t get. That is the point of the outrage.

But not just outrage—pain.

It pains me that my 20-something year old son, running for a bus in Escondido, California, strapped with his college backpack was profiled by a police officer. I was pained that he suffered the inconvenience of being stopped. That he endured the insult of being called boy. That he suffered the humiliation of being asked why he was in the neighborhood – the neighborhood he lived in. That he had to PROVE that he lived there.

It was irrelevant that he was on his way to work. That he was running to catch the only bus that would get him to work on time. That he had his backpack because he was not going to be able to come home before heading off to school. The officer just saw a black man running in a white neighborhood early in the morning. To the police officer, it was obvious. He must be carrying stolen goods.

And Lord help, when my son told me the story, he said he told the police officer he was running to catch the bus so he could get to work on time, and because he was stopped, that might not happen. As a mother, my heart jumped in my chest. I told him to never do that again. I reminded him of Rodney King. By the luck of the draw, he didn’t get a “Rodney King” cop and he made his bus and made it to work on time.

My son told me he was sorry that his actions had upset me, but that he was a man, and that he demanded to be treated like one. I was proud—but terrified.

I remain terrified. Because I know who my son is, I fear his encounters with the establishment. Although my heart goes out to her, I don’t want to be like Trayvon Martin’s mother.

That’s what Joe Scarborough doesn’t get. My son was not raised in the hood. He is not a gang banger. He doesn’t carry weapons. He doesn’t sell drugs. But profiling can see none of that.

All it can see is that he is Black. That makes him suspect. That means he does not have the luxury of looking a police officer in the eye and saying "I need your name and badge number" without fear of repercussion. That means his rights, are not like your rights, Joe.

And therein lies the problem.

MSNBC Accusation Causes Call to Boycott Koch Products

Are They Funding Zimmerman Defense?

By Mildred Robertson

There is information circulating which indicates the Koch brothers have financed George Zimmerman’s lawyers and legal fees, an allegation they vehemently deny. What they do not deny, however, is that they are among the architects of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which pushes conservative policy-making across the nation, including gun laws like “Stand Your Ground,” attacks on women’s rights, and assaults on voting rights.

It appears allegations about the connection between the Koch brothers and their possible involvement in the Zimmerman defense were first made on MSNBC. Now there is a push for people to boycott Koch products based on those allegations. People who oppose this injustice, are being asked to ban together with other like-minded people and boycott these Koch products:

·         Angel Soft Toilet Paper

·         Brawny Paper Towels

·         Dixie Plates, Bowls, Napkins and Cups

·         Mardi Gras Napkins and Paper Towels

·         Quilted Northern Toilet Paper

·         Soft & Gentle Toilet paper

·         Sparkle napkins, Paper Towels

·         Vanity Fair Napkins

While I do not know what the truth is at it relates to the Koch brothers financing of George Zimmerman’s legal fees, it appears to me that progressive individuals who believe in justice, equality and fair play should have already been boycotting Koch products.

I appreciate the hoopla, because it has helped me become aware of what those products are, so I can ensure that none of them turn up in my pantry.

Obviously, MSNBC hit a nerve, because the internet is full of messages with the Koch brothers crying foul. That means that this concrete example of why it matters how the Koch brothers use their money may make some people less inclined to give it to them.