December 30, 2013

My Father's Cousin (WWII Vet) Turned 100

The family had a party for him at the assisted living facility where he is living. Everyone showed up to congratulate him. Harold's still sharp as a tack, and had a wonderful time.

I wanted to share some photos because the highlight of the day was when he received a congratulatory letter from the President. He's also supposed to have the flag that flew over the Capitol yesterday delivered to him. Harold commanded a platoon in Italy in 1944. He's a really fantastic guy.

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December 5, 2013

Discussion I'm having on FB. Can someone with knowlege about the ACA help me out?

A good friend of mine's wife just posted this on FB. They recently moved from NY to PA. She opened up a little craft and art shop last month. Lot's of people dissing the ACA in her discussion. I could use some ammunition.

Her post:

"Well, folks....(my shop) will most likely be shutting it's doors soon (after just opening in November). I don't qualify for health coverage through the "Affordable" Care Act - one must earn $11,460 to qualify and I don't, and won't for a while yet. (my husband)'s new job (and all the ones he looked at) are only providing affordable heath insurance for the individual employee. If you want two person or family coverage it's $1300 per month. Yes, you heard me correctly, $1300 per month. I also have to say that my experience with the government website, the customer service reps, and the information provided to me has been a nightmare. From information not being able to be accessed, to reps who don't seem to know what they are doing, to calls not returned, I have been more than frustrated. Only to be told this in the end...If you don't qualify for Medicaid (I don't, I won't), and you don't qualify for the "Marketplace" (I don't make enough), then please visit your local clinic for your healthcare needs. So, for all the imagined people this "act" was supposed to help, there are real people like me who are without health insurance for the first time in their lives. So, I will now search for work that will make the government happy if I want to qualify for something we can afford. The customer service rep told me my dream shop just "sounded like a hobby anyway". I bet he has health insurance."

I asked her a few questions, and this was her response to me:

"we would have purchased healthcare for me through husband's new job.( I've always had it through my own employment, or his.) That was until we found out that all the employers he was looking at made huge changes to how they cover their employee's dependents. They will cover individual employees, but they pass along the much higher rates for family coverage. That's when I started looking at the ACA. If I have to purchase it privately, not through the Marketplace, it will cost $800 to $1,000 per month just for me, unless I choose a plan with a very high deductible, like a $6000 deductible. Then it would be around $500 per month. So, the very least it will cost for us both to be covered is around $800 per month, and the most would be $1300 per month. I don't know about you, but I think that's a lot of money! I've been working for most of my life, and health insurance was always doable through employers - until now. The only thing that I know of that has changed is The "Affordable" Care act. You think maybe they should have read what was in it, and thought about how it would affect the working class who work for private employers?"

Anything I can tell her? Any advice? I've always had my health insurance through my work, so I don't have any idea what it would be like to get it on my own.

September 2, 2013

OK... Hello

I've been lurking here for many years, but only felt compelled to sign up a few weeks ago. I don't expect to post much. I'm much more comfortable reading everyone else's comments. There are some really knowledgeable people here, and I'm always more interested in learning.

I grew up on a dairy farm in upstate NY, and I work in manufacturing now. Also played in a band back in the 90s that no one has heard of.

Here's a photo from a recent trip I took. That's all I've got to introduce myself.

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