Flap Your Lips Friday
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 11th, 2013
Good morning!
I love touting Obamacare. We worked hard on it to get it passed and into law, and now it is time to reap the benefits. If you aren’t checking out Obamacare to see what it can do for you…what are you waiting for? Perhaps you just need to know more information. I’ve got you covered. :)
A write from Think Progress:
It’s Time to #GetCovered
BY CAP ACTION WAR ROOM ON OCTOBER 1, 2013 AT 6:19 PM
Obamacare is Open for Business
Today marks a huge milestone in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Health insurance marketplaces opened this morning and millions of Americans, many of whom are currently uninsured and may never before have had access to coverage, began shopping for a quality, affordable health plan.
CREDIT: HEALTHCARE.GOVIn fact, President Obama said today that interest in the insurance marketplaces had exceeded all expectations. While this enormous amount of interest has led to some glitches (which the president said officials were working to address as quickly as possible), things are moving along in states across the country:
National website: A senior Obama administration officialreported that just three hours after Obamacare’s open enrollment period launched, the national Healthcare.govsite had one million visitors. That’s five times more users on the site than the number of users who have ever visitedMedicare.gov at the same time.
California: The Golden State celebrated its first Obamacare enrollee at 8:45 am Pacific Standard Time. Since then, state residents have tweeted that they’re “impressed” with how easy it is to use the exchange’s app, and the site is “working like a charm for Californians.”
Colorado: In Colorado, the exchange site opened for business at 8:00 am Mountain Standard Time. Three hours later, state officials had completed the first enrollmentsand the site had logged over 34,500 unique visitors.
Connecticut: Despite a few initial glitches with its website, Connecticut signed up its first Obamacare enrolleeby 9:30 am. And at that point, 764 other people had active applications for the state’s exchange. “For a site that’s been up for 25 minutes, it’s not bad,” the CEO of Connecticut’s new insurance marketplace, Kevin Counihan,noted. By about 11:30 am, the state had logged 10,000 visitors to its website. By about 2:00 pm, state officialsreported that they had fielded 17,000 phone calls from residents and enrolled 44 people for coverage.
District of Columbia: DC’s exchange opened for business at 8:00 am. By noon, about 1,500 DC residents had created accounts, according to a spokesperson for the exchange. Creating an account is the first step for people who want to shop for coverage and eventually buy a new plan under Obamacare. The District hasn’t yet experienced any issues with its website.
Florida: MSNBC reports that community health care clinics in Orlando are experiencing long lines as low-income people are visiting to learn more about their options under Obamacare. The CEO of a community clinic in Miami that primarily services uninsured Floridians told MSNBC that Tuesday represents a “new day” for low-income patients who can now gain affordable coverage.
Illinois: By noon on Tuesday, more than 42,000 people had visited the website for Illinois’ exchange.
Kentucky: Kentucky is the only Southern state that’s chosen to participate fully in health care reform by both expanding Medicaid and operating a state-level exchange. So far, it’s paying off. Between midnight and 10:30 am on Tuesday, Kentucky’s website had more than 24,000 visitors. The employees working to manage the exchange processedmore than 1,000 applications for health insurance by 9:30 am.
New York: In the first two hours that New York’s exchange website was open to the public, 2 million people visited the site. That’s a huge chunk of the population that stands to benefit from Obamacare. Approximately 2.6 million New York residents are currently uninsured, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Rhode Island: After Kaiser Health News solicited feedback from people trying to sign up for Obamacare, a Rhode Island resident responded with a positive experience. “Rhode Island site working fine. So many choices at so many price points! Something 4 everyone. I’m ecstatic,” Annabelle Leigh tweeted.
Virginia: Paula Thornhill, a 31-year-old mother of seven, was the first person to apply for a new plan in Prince George’s County. Her husband has health insurance through his job, but they couldn’t afford to pay the extra premium costs to cover her as well. “I’m relieved that they did come out with this affordable health care,” she told the Washington Post. “I’m relieved.”
All of this comes in spite of the GOP’s multi-year effort to derail, delay and destroy Obamacare, which has now culminated in Republicans shutting down the federal government in a spiteful and desperate bid to stop millions of Americans from gaining the security of quality, affordable health care.
Want to get in on the Obamacare party? Here’s four things you can do right now:
- Visit HealthCare.gov: This is the central hub for all things health care and will help you locate more information and sign up for coverage through one of the new marketplaces. As President Obama said today, check it out and “then show it to your family and your friends and help them get covered, just like mayors and churches and community groups and companies are already fanning out to do across the country.”
- Call the Obamacare hotline: Trained counselors are standing by at 1-800-318-2596 and can help callers in more than 150 different languages.
- Help educate yourself and your friends, family and coworkers: ThinkProgress put together 20 questions you have about Obamacare and are afraid to ask. Find answers to your own questions and then share this post on Facebook and Twitter.
- Show your support on social media: VisitGetCoveredAmerica.org and change your avatar on Twitter or your profile picture on Facebook to help spread the word that Obamacare is open for business and it’s time to #GetCovered.
BOTTOM LINE: Obamacare is the law of the land, isn’t going anywhere, and is working. Republicans may have closed down the government but the Obamacare insurance marketplaces are open for business and it’s time to get covered.
****
Readers: What can Obamacare do for you? Perhaps it’s time you check it out and start flapping your lips. Blog me.
And since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month…just what is Obamacare doing for women you may ask? Well…some women are so delighted over Obamacare that they are flying their wigs in celebration! Thank you president Obama for truly caring about women!
Social Butterfly: That is hilarious! I wish I had time to have a drink and get a little tipsy so I could indulge in the fun! Oh…and I signed.
Janis: My kind of girl. I like the way you think.
Brenda: Loved the Miley Cyrus video!
Cherri: I am with you!! I just LOVE the girls on my blog too. A perfect note to end my write and begin my day. :)
Peace Baby.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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October 11th, 2013 at 5:24 pm
Take Yes for an Answer
October 11, 2013
End the Shutdown Today
The Republican attempt at a piecemeal approach to governing is nothing more than a political gimmick and a non-starter. Our colleagues across the aisle have shut down the government – and they can’t cherry-pick their way out of it. The government shutdown could be over in hours if Republicans could stop being the party of “no” and just take “yes” for an answer. Democrats have already stated that they are ready to cooperate.
Two hundred Democratic Members of the House have signed a letter saying that they are willing to accept Speaker Boehner’s budget number for six weeks even though we do not like this number, nor do we think it is adequate. But the fact is: we dislike shutting down the government more than we dislike this short-term budget. This is about cooperation, about reopening the government and restoring the essential services that millions of American families rely on.
Aside from the ongoing government shutdown, we are facing another imminent deadline—our nation is fast approaching our debt limit, which must be raised in order to ensure the full faith and credit of the United States. We do not think a six week lift of the debt limit is the right way to go. If we can raise the debt limit for at least one year, we can perhaps provide some stability and certainty for the markets that a six-week rise will not afford.
So we have said “yes,” to opening the government. We have cooperated. I hope that the Speaker will give us a vote so we can see where this Congress stands on the serious responsibility that we have been entrusted with by the American people. If the Speaker will accept the number that we have accepted—his number—then the government can reopen tomorrow.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi on the floor of the House of Representatives demanding a vote to allow an end to the government shutdown.
TRUST Our Neighbors
Last week, Governor Jerry Brown signed his name to legislation that honors our history and upholds our heritage as a nation of immigrants. By enacting the TRUST Act, California is protecting its communities, ensuring effective law enforcement, and, once again, leading by example.
Authored by one of our Assemblymen, Tom Ammiano, the TRUST Act restores public trust and promotes public safety by ensuring immigrants are not afraid to work with local law enforcement officials out of fear of their immigration status. These reforms, along with the new law approving drivers’ licenses for undocumented immigrants, reflect a significant step forward in the path to fixing our broken immigration system.
We in the House of Representatives have taken the next step by introducing legislation to secure our borders, protect our workers, unite our families, and provide an earned pathway to citizenship – the core principles of commonsense comprehensive immigration reform.
Honoring Our Fallen Heroes
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Army Captain Jennifer Moreno, a 2010 graduate of the University of San Francisco’s School of Nursing, who was killed in action this week while serving as an Army nurse in Afghanistan. Captain Moreno volunteered for the highly competitive Special Operations Cultural Support Team, and lived for service, justice, and compassion. We honor her dedication and her devotion, and our eternal thanks will always remain with the servicemen and women like Captain Moreno who keep us and our nation safe.
Captain Moreno, the first member of her family to attend and graduate college, is survived by her mother, brother, and two sisters. This week Congress passed, and the President signed into law a bill to ensure her family receives her military death benefit. She was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and promoted to Captain.
Honored and Humbled
I feel very blessed, honored, and humbled to be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame this weekend in Seneca Falls, New York. The women’s rights and suffragist movement was born at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. When I became Democratic Leader and then Speaker of the House, I was standing on their shoulders – and then others can stand on mine. But there is still much work to do, because When Women Succeed, America Succeeds.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.
best regards,
October 11th, 2013 at 5:32 pm
My mother finally has insurance. She is 41. I was born when she was 19 and she got a pre-existing condition from my birth. She lost her insurance when her boss went out of business and she started her own. That pre-existing condition kept her out of the market.
Thank you Obama from the both of us.
October 12th, 2013 at 8:04 am
Say what you will about Anonz but it is rumored that he may have saved this country from a civil war and the world from a world war. Everyone in the highest levels are talking about an attempted coup here in the United States.
It is rumored that 6 top Generals were working with a small cadre of super rich white men. They were going to on 21Oct 13 demand the resignation of Obama and Biden so that the Head of the House John Boehner would be president. He and some other republicans are suspected of being part of the coup.
The dollar would collapse on the world market if it was learned that a coup was possible in the one considered stable nation in the world. So nothing can be said and none of the conspirators can be touched, at least not openly. Anonz, unlike Obama wants heads to roll.
So far the Generals responsible for demanding Obama and Biden’s resignation less they launch a nuclear attack upon Russia and China have been fired. Air Force General, in charge of Nuclear Missiles, Maj. General Michael Carey and Vice Admiral Tim Giardina the Second in Command of U.S. Strategic Command. There will be more resignations or firings.
Vice Admiral Tim Giardina was the deputy commander of U.S. nuclear forces. Strategic Command is responsible for all American nuclear warfighting forces, including nuclear-armed submarines, bombers and land-based missiles.
Maj. Gen. Michael Carey was removed from command of the 20th Air Force, which is responsible for three wings of intercontinental ballistic missiles — a total of 450 missiles at three bases across the country.
Boehner and 14 House members including 3 Democrats, along with 15 Senators all republican were part of a plot to shutdown the government and default on the US debt to put the country and the rest of the world in a state of panic. Then they would tell the world that both heads of the executive branch decided to step down to insure world confidence and to save the country.
Boehner would step in and declare that a presidential new election would be held to coincide with the 2014 mid term elections. 12 democratic Senators who said they would only be a part of the coup once it was pulled off were poised to switch parties to give the republicans a majority in both Houses of Congress after the election of Romney as President.
A secret sampling of the mood of the country has shown that white fear of losing control over the country has made it extremely likely that a coup against the black president would not only be accepted but welcomed. Plans were set up to prevent any woman or OTW from ever reaching that pinnacle of political success again.
Key assassinations were planned in both the political arena and private sector to insure that the coup would move along smoothly. There is more, much more to this story. Anonz is out for blood.
October 13th, 2013 at 8:00 am
Stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 13th, 2013 at 8:24 am
The 5 Mortal Enemies of Your Health
Newport Natural Health Reader:
Here it is, October already, and we all know what’s ahead – weeks of holiday preparation followed by parties, dinners, and celebrations. So, before the holidays get underway, please join me for a refresher course on healthy living. All you need to do is read the guidelines below, and act on the ones that are appropriate for you. Doing so will help you thrive – rather than just survive – through the stress and challenges ahead.
These topics are so important, I’ve grouped them together as the five mortal enemies of your health. These factors are responsible for more disease and death than most people imagine. Strong language, yes, but believe me, I see patients every day who are barely able to function because they did not take my advice or assumed these “rules” only apply to other people.
Here are the five health risks that cannot be ignored:
1. Sugar consumption
2. Continuous sitting
3. Environmental toxins
4. Electro Magnetic Frequencies (EMFs)
5. Food allergies and sensitivities
Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Sugar: How Sweet It Isn’t
In an earlier newsletter, I told you about the well-established link between cancer and sugar, a discovery that was awarded the Nobel Prize in the 1930s. In spite of that, food manufacturers and processors have managed to convince the public that sugar is a harmless substance. Now, it’s found in nearly every pre-made food imaginable, including everything from pasta sauce and bread to salad dressing. As a result, the average American consumes close to 200 pounds of sugar every year – compared to our grandparents’ intake of about one pound in an entire year!
Not surprisingly, cancer is just about as common as sugar, with 50 percent of Americans facing a cancer diagnosis at some point in their life. But cancer is not the only concern when it comes to sugar. Obesity rates in this country are steadily rising, along with serious health complications, such as prediabetes, diabetes, fatty liver, and joint difficulties. And if you’re still skeptical, don’t forget that sugar has been shown to be as addictive as some of the worst illegal drugs, like cocaine.
Can’t imagine the holidays without pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, and luscious hot chocolate? No need. An occasional sweet treat is fine, unless you are currently being treated for cancer. In that case, I would recommend skipping as much sugar and as many simple carbohydrates (food made with white, refined flour, for example) as possible.
If you’re not consuming sugar at every meal, then a cookie or a scoop of ice cream occasionally is not a deal-breaker. But keep in mind, if you eat fast food or prepared, processed foods, you are, whether you know it or not, consuming sugar.
I strongly urge you to start reading food labels for sugar content. Don’t forget that sugar often masquerades by other names, including sucrose, fructose, lactose, dextrose, galactose, maltose, and concentrated juices, like grape or apple, and/or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In fact, one doctor just dubbed HFCS “alcohol without the buzz,” which is a nice way of saying it has no nutritional value.
Sitting: The New Smoking
Remember a few years ago when deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the medical term for blood clots deep within the leg, was in the news? At the time, DVT was considered a result of sitting in an airplane for hours at a time. But what about sitting at work, in front of the television, or while reading? Well, it turns out that prolonged sitting under any circumstances is not a good idea – and that goes for those who exercise regularly, too, and not just because of DVT.
In the past few years, several clinical trials have shown major health benefits for people who exercise moderately – in other words, no heavy lifting! – and avoid prolonged sitting. That simply means that every 20 minutes or so you should stand up, move around for a couple of minutes, and then return to whatever it was you were doing.
The idea that brief periods of not sitting could improve health might seem silly, but research shows how damaging it can be to ignore this advice. British scientists, for example, observed a nearly 150 percent increase in the risk of heart disease, a 112 percent increase in the risk of developing diabetes, and a nearly 50 percent increase in premature death among people who spent the most time sitting – and that applies to those who exercise regularly as well as those who do not. In addition, other research has shown substantial brain benefits in older individuals who exercise moderately and regularly.
Meanwhile, an Australian study found that people who watch television for six hours a day – and presumably sit while doing so – shortened their life expectancy by almost five years. Personally, I think standing up every 20 minutes or so is a pretty small price to pay for an extra five years!
Environmental toxins: An Epidemic of Disorders
As a practicing physician, I see people every day who are suffering from auto-immune disorders and degenerative diseases that used to be considered rare or were found only in the very elderly. What has changed in recent decades that could trigger these types of ailments? The answer I keep coming back to is environmental toxins.
During the past few decades, environmental chemical usage has exploded. Some 4 billions pounds of toxins are released into the environment each year, and that is in the U.S. alone. Some of these chemicals are found in cleaning supplies, while others are used in non-stick cookware, plastics, personal care products, clothing, and home furnishings, such as furniture and mattresses that are chemically treated to resist fire. Other chemicals go directly into the air, water, soil, farm animals, and – eventually – our food.
As a doctor, I know how difficult it is to detoxify and remove some of these substances from the body, particularly lead and mercury. REMEMBER, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SAFE LEVEL OF LEAD, MERCURY, ARSENIC, OR OTHER HEAVY METALS IN THE HUMAN BODY.
Your liver is your best friend when it comes to detoxification. You can help by minimizing your use of plastic, eating organic food as often as possible, drinking lots of fresh, filtered water, and getting at least eight hours of deep, restful sleep each night, which allows your cells to do some serious repair work. Exercising to the point of breaking a sweat is another good way to flush unwanted toxins from your body.
In addition, eating organic, whole foods, especially vegetables, provides you with substances known as phytochemicals that protect against toxins and various diseases. You’ll also benefit from the fiber in veggies. Fiber encourages healthy elimination and toxin removal.
Then there’s my personal favorite: green foods. I start every day with a heaping helping of juiced greens (kale, cucumber, spinach, parsley, and cilantro, plus a little organic coconut cream and raw honey). Greens are also available in dietary supplement form to help remove the all-too-common plastic ingredient, bisphenol A (BPA), from the body. BPA is a known endocrine-disrupting chemical, linked to hormone imbalance, cancer, and many other ailments.
Electro Magnetic Frequencies (EMFs): The Unseen Threat
Technology has made our lives easier, but it has also resulted in more exposure to radiation. Electro-magnetic frequencies (EMFs) – by-products of devices like kitchen appliances, cellular and cordless phones, handhelds like Blackberries and gaming platforms, as well as wireless internet (WiFi) – are particularly troubling because they are everywhere.
With millions of appliances, plus additional millions of cell phones and computers, and tens of thousands of cell towers operating in this country, we are being bombarded by electro-pollution. You can’t see it, touch it, or smell it, but experts are now calling these unseen threats “dirty electricity.” And, in spite of how common EMFs are in our lives, we have very little information about how the dirty electricity affects us.
What we do know about the health impact of electronics is not good. Studies show that electro-magnetic frequencies can affect the body’s biological clock, causing such symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disorders, and chronic insomnia. There is also evidence that EMFs disrupt blood sugar management, which could affect anyone with diabetes or pre-diabetes and interfere with pain-relief medication.
To avoid electro-pollution from EMFs, I recommend you use electronic devices sparingly, particularly those with variable speed options. Hair dryers, microwave ovens, fans, heaters, and similar appliances release large amounts of EMFs. Instead, do as much as possible by hand to minimize your use of these devices.
Furthermore, if you have access to the circuit breaker that supplies electricity to your bedroom, switch it off every night. Or unplug electrical devices in your home when they are not in use, particularly those in your bedroom that could be emitting dirty electricity while you sleep. If you have an electric alarm clock, for example, replace it with a battery-powered version.
There are other ways to reduce your EMF exposure through a practice known as “grounding” or “earthing.” This is based on the theory that being in contact with the Earth’s own electrical impulses enhances your body’s immune system, helping reduce pain, stress, and inflammation, while improving sleep and stimulating circulation and waste removal. It’s another good reason to spend a little time walking barefoot in a park or on the beach.
There are a number of devices that help the process, including earthing shoes, mattress pads, and more, which allow you to connect with the Earth’s energy. Simply type “earthing” into your favorite search engine, and you will find plenty of resources.
Until we know more about EMFs, these kinds of small changes can minimize your exposure to electro-pollution.
Food Allergies and Sensitivities: What’s Eating at You?
Most of my patients know which foods cause them digestive problems. Rich sauces, for instance, spicy fare, or acidic foods like coffee or tomatoes often upset the stomach. In these cases, many patients find relief either by avoiding those foods or by using digestive enzymes and/or hydrochloric acid supplements.
As I’ve noted in earlier newsletter, problems with digestion among people over age 40 tend to be about too little stomach acid rather than too much. That’s the opposite of what conventional medicine claims, but trust me – they are wrong.
Meanwhile, one “healthy” food is turning out to be a problem for many people. Wheat, once considered a staple food, is turning out to be less beneficial than we thought, even for people who do not have celiac disease. Like sugar, wheat is used as an ingredient in so many things that it’s very challenging to avoid.
But more and more often these days, when patients come to me with worrisome symptoms that don’t respond to various treatments, I suggest taking a “wheat-cation” and going off wheat for a month to see if the situation improves. More often than not, they notice a big difference without wheat.
Another excellent move for anyone with digestive woes is to try probiotic supplements. These friendly intestinal bacteria are especially helpful to anyone who has taken antibiotics, which destroy both the good and bad bacteria in the body. There are many kinds of probiotics available today. I suggest looking for supplements that contain at least 10 billion live organisms – and follow the dosage instructions on the product you choose.
As you can see, it’s not all that difficult to maintain good health, even during stressful times. Start with a nutritious diet of whole foods, chosen with your specific needs in mind. So, for example, if you have blood sugar management problems, your meals should be low in sugar and simple carbs.
Or, to detoxify your system, juicing and organic foods are the way to go. Add about 30 minutes of moderate, daily exercise, plenty of fresh, filtered water, a good night’s sleep, and a few targeted supplements to cover all the bases, and you should be able to sail through the coming holiday season whirlwind without problems.
As one of my patients once observed, “Getting healthy is like being in an airplane and putting on your oxygen mask before helping others with theirs. If I’m a wreck, I’m not going to be able to take care of anyone else or even enjoy what I have. So I’m going to fix myself first, and deal with the rest later.”
Thrive in Health & Wellness,
Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:04 am
I am winter – weary
Of old snow reatreating
Slowly beyond the frozen oak,
The haggard wind plucking
Its arthritic branches.
I am spring – hopeful,
Searching for the scent
Of the wind billowing out
The ferny plumes of forsythia,
For the hint of crocuses and
The sun – warmed air
Slowly thawing hidden pools.