The Last Blog of March 2010
Welcome to another week at Bogworld. Hey! You got four new cartoons last week. If you knew the week I had you should be impressed that I got that many cartoons done and posted. Seriously, it was the week from hell.
Lets jump right into it, shall we?...
You Say You Want A Revolution?
The Conservatives failed to stop healthcare reform, so now many of them are now talking about gathering up their guns and talking about revolution. Its disturbing.
First of all, all those protesting Tea Party members might be surprised to hear that the healthcare reform bill they have been told is the end of America as we know it, actually benefits the vast majority of them in significant ways.
That’s right people, you’re calling for a revolution because your government took steps to keep you healthier, put more money in your pocket, reduced the deficit significantly and protect you from being bilked by insurance companies.
I’ve been hearing a lot of Conservative politicians yelling, “Lets get Big Government out of our lives!” Why is it so much better for Big Insurance or Big Banking or Big Corporations to be a part of our lives? How on earth are you possibly served better by a for-profit entity looking after your health and well being than you are by a government entity?
Why are you okay entrusting law enforcement, fire fighting, and national security to the government but not okay with them overseeing and regulating healthcare on your behalf?
Its a fact that health insurance companies have jacked up their fees 60% in the last year. This healthcare reform bill put the brakes on that. The bill makes it hard for insurance companies to deny you services.
How is that not a good thing?
Did the insurance companies ever offer you that before the government stepped in?
Will taxes go up. Yes. But only for those making more than $100,000 a year. And in most cases for those folks they are only going to see a 1% bump in taxes. Lets be honest, if you make more than 100 grand and your accountant cannot figure out enough deductions so you don’t even feel that 1% increase, you need to find a better accountant.
That being said, we would pay 1% more in taxes if it meant better roads, right? We’d pay that if it guaranteed better schools for our kids, right? We’d pay that in a second if it meant a stronger defense, right? So why are we griping when a tiny tax hike that won’t effect the vast majority of us, yet has the biggest potential for raising the quality of life for every one of us?
Really? THAT’S what you Conservatives what to revolt over?
Whats REALLY in the healthcare bill?...
I grabbed this from Yahoo News.
Here are 10 things you need to know about how the new law may affect you:
1. Your Kids are Covered
Starting this year, if you have an adult child who cannot get health insurance from his or her employer and is to some degree dependent on you financially, your child can stay on your insurance policy until he or she is 26 years old. Currently, many insurance companies do not allow adult children to remain on their parents' plan once they reach 19 or leave school.
2. You Can't be Dropped
Starting this fall, your health insurance company will no longer be allowed to "drop" you (cancel your policy) if you get sick. In 2009, "rescission" was revealed to be a relatively common cost-cutting practice by several insurance companies. The practice proved to be common enough to spur several lawsuits; for example, in 2008 and 2009, California's largest insurers were made to pay out more than $19 million in fines for dropping policyholders who fell ill.
3. You Can't be Denied Insurance
Starting this year your child (or children) cannot be denied coverage simply because they have a pre-existing health condition. Health insurance companies will also be barred from denying adults applying for coverage if they have a pre-existing condition, but not until 2014.
4. You Can Spend What You Need to
Prior to the new law, health insurance companies set a maximum limit on the monetary amount of benefits that a policyholder could receive. This meant that those who developed expensive or long-lasting medical conditions could run out of coverage. Starting this year, companies will be barred from instituting caps on coverage.
5. You Don't Have to Wait
If you currently have pre-existing conditions that have prevented you from being able to qualify for health insurance for at least six months you will have coverage options before 2014. Starting this fall, you will be able to purchase insurance through a state-run "high-risk pool", which will cap your personal out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare. You will not be required to pay more than $5,950 of your own money for medical expenses; families will not have to pay any more than $11,900.
6. You Must be Insured
Under the new law starting in 2014, you will have to purchase health insurance or risk being fined. If your employer does not offer health insurance as a benefit or if you do not earn enough money to purchase a plan, you may get assistance from the government. The fines for not purchasing insurance will be levied according to a sliding scale based on income. Starting in 2014, the lowest fine would be $95 or 1% of a person's income (whichever is greater) and then increase to a high of $695 or 2.5% of an individual's taxable income by 2016. There will be a maximum cap on fines.
7. You'll Have More Options
Starting in 2014 (when you will be required by law to have health insurance), states will operate new insurance marketplaces - called "exchanges" - that will provide you with more options for buying an individual policy if you can't get, or afford, insurance from your workplace and you earn too much income to qualify for Medicaid. In addition, millions of low- and middle-income families (earning up to $88,200 annually) will be able to qualify for financial assistance from the federal government to purchase insurance through their state exchange.
8. Flexible Spending Accounts Will Become Less Flexible
Three years from now, flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will have lower contribution limits - meaning you won't be able to have as much money deducted from your paycheck pre-tax and deposited into an FSA for medical expenses as is currently allowed. The new maximum amount allowed will be $2,500. In addition, fewer expenses will qualify for FSA spending. For example, you will no longer be able to use your FSA to help defray the cost of over-the-counter drugs.
9. If You Earn More, You'll Pay More
Starting in 2018, if your combined family income exceeds $250,000 you are going to be taking less money home each pay period. That's because you will have more money deducted from your paycheck to go toward increased Medicare payroll taxes. In addition to higher payroll taxes you will also have to pay 3.8% tax on any unearned income, which is currently tax-exempt.
10. Medicare May Cover More or Less of Your Expenses
Starting this year, if Medicare is your primary form of health insurance you will no longer have to pay for preventive care such as an annual physical, screenings for treatable conditions or routine laboratory work. In addition, you will get a $250 check from the federal government to help pay for prescription drugs currently not covered as a result of the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole".
However, if you are a high-income individual or couple (making more than $85,000 individually or $170,000 jointly), your prescription drug subsidy will be reduced. In addition, if you are one of the more than 10 million people currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan you may be facing higher premiums because your insurance company's subsidy from the federal government is going to be dramatically reduced.
All this and a bonus of reducing the National Debt by hundreds of billions of dollars over time.
Hardly something to revolt over, is it? I bet there are plenty of angry Tea Party members out there who would directly benefit from the passing of this bill they think they hate so much. Maybe with a little knowledge about what they are really protesting, they will settle down a little bit. Maybe.
How To Train Your Dragon- The second review.
Not many movies demand a second positive review. I reviewed HTTYD last weekend when I first saw an advanced screening. I feel like I complained a little too much about the Viking characters having Scottish accents. At a passing glance, that might have sounded like I gave the movie a negative review.
Let me make this clear, HTTYD does NOT deserve a negative review! This is one of the best family friendly movies I have seen since UP!.
Avatar might have been first out to feature marvelous 3D dragon flying. But HTTYD took their lead and turbo charged it. The flying in HTTYD is breathtaking and in some cases a little motion sickness inducing. Since this movie is not trying to be hyper realistic like Avatar, it can get away with being a balls to the wall roller coaster ride first and a heartwarming coming of age story second. And in a nutshell that really does sum up HTTYD.
The folks over at Dreamworks have been playing on the edge of greatness for some time now. The first Shrek movie was really good but in retrospect it relied too much on pop culture and too little on its own culture to be a classic. The Madagascar movies had the loveable characters but again suffered from pop-culture overkill most of the time. Kung Fu Panda came closest to greatness. Its story felt original and it had plenty of charm. Monsters vs. Aliens was like a step backwards. I liked the movie but it was too intent on spoofing 1950s monster classics (what kid in 2009 is versed in 1950s horror movies?) and not focused enough on standing on its own feet. Now finally we get HTTYD. This is a home run. This movie proves that someone at Dreamworks animation understands its about good story telling and likeable characters. Get those two components in place, THEN wow us with the action and the 3D stuff. That’s the formula they stumbled upon for HTTYD and wow does it work well!
HTTYD is one of those movies you can bring your kids to see, but you really don’t need to in order to have a wonderful time. This is 90 minutes of solid entertainment!If you do not see it in 3D, and preferably IMAX 3D, you are missing something truly amazing!