#Individual Mandate

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. at NBC News:

Millions of Americans risk losing subsidies next year that help them pay for health insurance following President-elect Donald Trump’s election win and Republicans’ victory in the Senate. The subsidies — which expire at the end of 2025 — came out of the 2021 American Rescue Plan, and increased the amount of assistance available to people who want to buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. The American Rescue Plan also broadened the number of people eligible for subsidies, extending them to many in the middle class.  

The looming expiration date means that the incoming Congress and next president will need to decide whether to extend them — something Trump and Republicans have already signaled they don’t support, said Chris Meekins, a health policy research analyst at the investment firm Raymond James. “If Republicans end up winning the House, in addition to the Senate and White House, having a GOP sweep, I think the odds are less than 5% they get extended,” said Meekins, who was a senior HHS official in Trump’s first term. Even Democratic control of the House likely won’t save the subsidies, he added.  Several important House races have still yet to be decided. As of Thursday afternoon, House Republicans had won 209 seats, just nine short of the majority, according to an NBC News tracker.  In 2024, more than 20 million people got health insurance through the ACA, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

Since the 2021 subsidies went into effect, enrollment in ACA plans with reduced payments doubled, particularly in Southern red states, said Cynthia Cox, the director of the program on the ACA at KFF, a nonpartisan health care policy research group.  The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, extended the subsidies through 2025. In 32 states where data is available, 15.5 million people receive the subsidies, according to KFF. If the subsidies aren’t extended, the Congressional Budget Office — a nonpartisan agency that provides budget and economic information to Congress — estimates that nearly 4 million people will lose their coverage in 2026 because they won’t be able to afford it.  Enrollment will continue to fall each year, with coverage reaching as low as 15.4 million people in 2030.  

[...] Cox said she expects Republicans to keep dismantling the ACA, similar to Trump’s first term, when they eliminated the tax penalty linked to the law’s individual mandate, which required people to have health insurance or pay a tax. The mandate is technically still in place, but the penalty was reduced to zero. “If Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency, then we might see a repeat of 2017,” she said.  Gostin said eliminating the ACA entirely will be a challenge, even if Republicans control all three chambers.

Millions of Americans could face health insurance coverage loss next year, as subsidies for Obamacare are set to expire.

See Also:

The Guardian: Incoming Trump presidency threatens millions of Americans’ healthcare plans

[totalbenefits]

How income affects your Medicare drug coverage premiums

You could pay a higher monthly premium for Medicare drug coverage (Part D) depending on your income. This includes Part D coverage you get from a Medicare drug plan, a Medicare Advantage Plan with drug coverage, or a Medicare Cost Plan that includes drug coverage. This is true even if your drug coverage is through your employer. Download this bulletin to learn more about extra Medicare drug…

[g1ngerbeer]

what kind of sauce are they putting in the link click audio drama. HELLO? THE LITERAL LAST SCENE OF THE LAST EPISODE?

程小时: 说起来，我们第一次见面，也是在篮球场吧。 陆光: 是啊。 程小时: 你我本无缘，全靠一颗球。 陆光: 我就不该答应你比那场。

cheng xiaoshi: speaking of which, the first time we met was also on a basketball court, wasn't it? lu guang: it was. cheng xiaoshi: (half-jokingly) you and i weren't meant to be [lit. "originally have no fate"?]. this is all because of one basketball. lu guang: i really shouldn't have agreed to play that match.

(the important bits are from google translate because i am bad at mandarin. also i did transcribe this off just the audio + i don't have access to captions or know where to find official transcripts. so i hope i got this right 🙏)

[kiwikiwikiwiii]

Erin Brockovich did not give 634 blow jobs in 5 days so that 6 corporate puppets could strike down the Chevron Doctrine.

[brbgensokyo]

im far to poisoned to miss it but using Idol Harmonies within a song is a very bold and out of pocket (negative) choice for an original song for nier. Wait hold on, the vocalists in question are a virtual idol unit but they're inhouse to Squenix so holy shit.

[sea-critter]

not multiple of the covid cautious accounts i follow testing positive or being exposed )): it’s surge time and i hate it

[laniusbignaturals]

Also I don't know why but a song I associate with Joshua as the Malpais Legate is "Leviathan" by Dirt Poor Robins. Something about how Malpais means badlands, him having an unhinged moment as seeing himself as a biblical disaster and unholy destroyer.

Well this is certainly White Legs Conflict Coded: Joshua is always remarking on them and their “Great Salt Lake,” and Ulysses characterizes them in similar terms himself, “blood covered ghosts” and such. The other lyrics bring to mind that “vengeful spirit” archetype Siri introduces him as to the player: and you could take the repeated mention of lurking and concealment to allude to Edward’s disallowing of the mere mention of Joshua. Broke bitter bitch.

[spushii]

just had to say you're an actual fucking idiot if you blame the general american populus for The Covid Issue (yes, even the crazy republican conspiracy theorists) and not the government which has proven time and time again that it cares more about greasing the infinite blood money machine than it has or ever will the lives of it's citizens

[jvzebel-x]

🦋

[butch--dean]

My company announced yesterday that they’re making everyone return to office 3 days per week EXCEPT for us in Denver (they’re closing ours bc only four people regularly go in…… of the 100 of us who work here…..) and y’all. It is a shit show

[lathrine]

im reading an article about how vitriolic people visiting the national parks have gotten, and it is SO cathartic to see my exact experiences in grocery retail be restated by the customer service reps working in the parks.

like its awful, obvious. the average customer has gotten so nasty, and the employees Do Not deserve the treatment they’re receiving. but during 2020/2021, people seemed to think that those viral Nasty Customer videos were 1) not common and 2) relegated just to grocery/retail. and i cant speak for every single hospitality and customer service sector and store, but i can say that at my store that sort of vitriolic outbreak became VERY common. not constant, but common enough to bump the baseline up.

my manager and i had a conversation where she said a lot of her friends-- some of whom had been in the hospitality or customer service industry for over a decade-- were considering a career change because it was SO BAD and no one could even fathom how to move forward. none of us could imagine it ever getting better. our New Normal was people screaming at and berating us every day, blaming us for mask mandates and vaccines and supply shortages. threatening legal action and physical violence. of people intentionally trying to get us sick and terrorizing us. everything was an argument with no hope of de-escalation; it genuinely wouldve been less inciting to tell some of those customers “go fuck yourself” than it was to tell them “im so sorry, but.” and all that while we were surrounded by the extremely smothering reality that no one cared if we died and everyone considered us sub-human.

everyone i know who gave a fuck quit shortly after i did, because none of us could handle it anymore. this includes people who’d worked at that store since it opened, some of our most decorated and knowledgeable coworkers.

like. i dunno yall. its kind of like how you cant describe how things just Make Sense as you near the latter half of your 20s; i cant put into words just how horrifically awful customer service was at that time. if you didnt personally experience it, everything we say sounds like an exaggeration and hyperbole.

and i cannot stress this enough: its still that bad. i would imagine most customer service and hospitality places had the same thing happen: a mass exodus of everyone who knew what they were doing because they could not stand the abuse anymore, and a rotating door of new hires that Refuse (rightfully so!!!) to tolerate the abuse. there is a new breed of customer that genuinely Does Not Care about employees and see pleas of humanity and kindness as a challenge to see how quickly they can break the employee at the desk.

this is especially relevant now, with it being the holidays. employees are more short staffed and overworked than ever, and customers some how have even less patience. customers dont plan literally five minutes out, and then blame employees for not materializing their needs before them on a silver platter.

anyways. i dont know how this article ends, but i have a pretty good guess.

[wakewithgiggli]

I have a feeling the people trying to defend this kind of thing are also the people insisting that it's okay to play their media players at maximum volume in public places.

There's such a culture of, "I don't care about other people, and if you want me to think about my affect on other people, you are oppressing me! How dare you tell me I can't do whatever I want, whenever I want! That's so selfish of you."

ppl are rlly trying to defend being on your phone during a movie in the theater what is going on

[hellomegedwards]

Just a Sensible Idealist

Who is a hippy now?

I was approached by a friendly TTC worker in uniform on the subway in Toronto recently. At first he stood by a nearby pole and watched me for a bit, and then smiled. He was not young but not old, somewhere in that middle ground where they think about death a lot. I smiled back and he opened with “I wish I had been brought up in the sixties”. I would have liked to see my face expression. A wry…

[blogie2705]

Bangladesh: Will there be another Pakistan on India’s western border?

There  is more, which is not meeting the eye in the border state. Bangladesh is experiencing significant unrest once more, with nearly 100 fatalities reported on Sunday as demonstrators demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina engaged in confrontations with security personnel and supporters of the ruling party. In the previous month, violence instigated by student organizations opposing reserved quotas in government employment resulted in at least 150 deaths and thousands of injuries. Below are the details regarding the recent protests and their historical context. The well planned and executed plan with possible help from two neighbouring nations, situation provides them with several entry points into India for various activities. Their objective is to see the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) attain power and extend support to another nation. Hasina endeavoured to maintain a balanced relationship with both Neighbouring nation and India; however, her neutral position did not sit well with another capital city. "Notably, several prominent members of the Islamic student organization successfully engaged with Western-affiliated NGOs by employing the language of democracy and rights," was articulated as part of the strategic planning.

What does the spies reported?

Following the deepening relationship between the Indian and Bangladeshi administrations, the Jamaat-e-Islami, which is supported by the ISI, reportedly obtained considerable financial resources earlier this year aimed at undermining the government of Sheikh Hasina. An intelligence official informed TOI that a notable share of this funding is thought to have come from Chinese organizations based in neighbouring nation

The ICS, recognized for its opposition to India and its jihadist objectives, has been monitored by Indian intelligence for a considerable period due to its operations in areas neigh boring Bangladesh and its connections with the ISI-supported Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI). There is substantial evidence indicating that members of the ICS have received training in both Afghanistan and Neighouring nation. The primary aim of Jamaat or ICS is to create a government in Bangladesh akin to that of the Taliban, with the ISI reportedly providing assurances of support to help realize this ambition.

What was the trigger for the bloody protest?

Protests commenced at university campuses in June following the High Court's reestablishment of a quota system for government employment, which reversed a 2018 ruling by Hasina's administration that had abolished it. Subsequently, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court's decision in response to the government's appeal and ultimately annulled the lower court's ruling last month, mandating that 93% of positions be available to candidates based on merit.

Rising levels of unemployment

FLAGGING ECONOMY, UNEMPLOYMENT

The current turmoil in Bangladesh is largely linked to the lack of growth in private sector employment, which has rendered public sector positions, characterized by consistent salary increases and benefits, particularly appealing. The introduction of quotas has incited frustration among students facing significant youth unemployment, with approximately 32 million young individuals either unemployed or out of educational institutions in a total population of 170 million. The economy, which was previously one of the fastest-growing globally due to the thriving garment industry, has now stagnated. Inflation rates are approximately 10% annually, and foreign currency reserves are diminishing.

The protests in Bangladesh, which initially aimed to reform the quota system, came to a halt following the Supreme Court's decision to abolish the majority of quotas on July 21. Nevertheless, demonstrators resumed their activities last week, calling for a public apology from Prime Minister Hasina regarding the violence, the restoration of internet services, the reopening of college and university campuses, and the release of individuals who had been detained.

In the recent weeks, the protest’s  , they have since evolved into a broader protest against Prime Minister Hasina and the Awami League Party. The demonstrators have made it clear that their primary demand is for Hasina to resign, while the government claims that the agitation is being orchestrated by the Bangladesh.Demonstrations have persisted even after the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court annulled the High Court's order that had triggered the crisis. The ruling body declared that 93% of positions in government services would be allocated based on merit, with only 5% of jobs set aside for freedom fighters and their descendants. Additionally, a 1% quota has been designated for tribal communities, individuals with disabilities, and sexual minorities.

https://www.businesstoday.in/world/story/bangladesh-unrest-do-isi-neighouring nation-have-a-hand-in-conspiracy-to-oust-sheikh-hasina-heres-what-we-know-440315-2024-08-06

An historic context that dates back to 1972

Following the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the country underwent significant transformations in its social, economic, and political structures. A fundamental promise underlying the establishment of the state was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's commitment to ensuring justice for those who had endured sacrifices and hardships in the struggle for freedom against the Neighbouring national military. Upon his return to Dhaka in 1972, Mujib took decisive steps to implement a quota system for freedom fighters, known as Mukti joddhas. Additionally, he established a separate quota for Bangladeshi women who had suffered atrocities at the hands of the Neighbouring national military. However, after Sheikh Mujib's assassination in 1975, the quota system experienced modifications. The provisions for freedom fighters were weakened, and the scope of the quota was broadened to include marginalized groups within society, encompassing women, individuals from underdeveloped regions, and ethnic minorities or tribes

Why were students protesting in Bangladesh?

The protests started in early July, driven by the peaceful demands of university students to eliminate quotas in civil service jobs. These quotas, which reserve one-third of positions for the relatives of veterans from Bangladesh's war for independence from Neighbouring nation in 1971. The foundation of these protests stems from a contentious quota system, which allocates up to 30% of government positions to the relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence against Neighbouring nation. The Bangladesh Police have resorted to using tear gas against the protesters.

Protests regarding the quota system have emerged due to a significant decline in the number of freedom fighters eligible to benefit from it over the years. This reduction has resulted in the underutilization of the quota for its intended purpose, thereby increasing the likelihood of its misuse. Critics argue that while it was justifiable to provide reservations to freedom fighters during their active years in the workforce, the practice of extending these reservations to their descendants—first to their children and subsequently to their grandchildren—has raised concerns. This opposition is further fueled by allegations that any shortfalls in the reserved seats are being compensated by granting quotas to members of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League party.

The political landscape of Bangladesh has been predominantly influenced by Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and her political party, the Awami League. Over time, opposition parties and government critics have increasingly expressed concerns that the quota system for freedom fighters serves as a mechanism to cultivate a faction of loyalists within the bureaucracy, thereby securing the Awami League's ongoing governance.

A possible dubious ploy supported by external fore

According to high-level intelligence sources, two nations played a significant role in the crisis in Bangladesh that resulted in Sheikh Hasina's departure. CNN-News18 was the first outlet to report on the potential resignation of Hasina from her position as Prime Minister. Unverified report indicates, David Burgan, based in the United Kingdom, along with activist Pinaki Bhattacharjee, Tarique Rehman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and the proprietors of Netra News, were identified as the principal coordinators. They orchestrated a social media campaign targeting her and were responsible for the military maneuvers as well as the initiation of a fabricated narrative on social media platforms.

Reports are emerging that a fabricated narrative regarding Prime Minister Hasina was constructed by the United States concerning the issue of "free and fair elections." Furthermore, the US imposed sanctions on Bangladesh's elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) due to allegations of human rights abuses. It is noted that the BNP has significant influence within this context. Additionally, Yunus Hasan, a Nobel laureate associated with Grameen Bank and accused of corruption in Bangladesh, is also active as a lobbyist in the United States, as per the sources. The sources indicated that the lobbying efforts by four to five prominent individuals, combined with Hasina's unwillingness to comply with American demands, contributed to the situation's deterioration.

An additional factor was her geographical closeness to Neighouring nation, as perceived by Western nations. In contrast, Tarique has promised the West that upon regaining power, he will sever connections with Neighouring nation and prioritize Western interests in Bangladesh, according to sources. Another tactic involves maintaining regional instability, which would also pose challenges for India, thereby diverting its attention to Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Neighouring nation, as reported by sources. Furthermore, Neighbouring nation's Inter-Services Intelligence has significantly contributed to these efforts, operating both directly and indirectly in support of Western objectives, according to sources.

Role of neighboring enemy nation which is inimical to India’s growth cannot be ruled out, which expect an anti-India government to be formed in Bangaldesh, to ferment contestant trouble, destabilize the country, possibly create a civil war like situation, which will directly impact India and especially the border stage of Bengal and Assam populated with a sizeable minority community. A foreign intelligence agency is leveraging an anti-India organization along with its student faction to exacerbate the situation in Dhaka. Jamaat is perceived to have strong ties with Neighbouring nation, receiving covert financial support intermittently. Recently, an atypical action was observed, which is generally not undertaken by diplomatic missions. The Neighbouring national embassy encouraged students to seek refuge within the mission if necessary. Such conduct is rarely exhibited by diplomatic entities. As a result, they gain access to various border entry points into India for a wide range of activities. Their objective is to see the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ascend to power and extend support to Neighbouring nation.

A possible role of another neighboring nation cannot be ruled out which must also be in the scanner of Indian security top-brass. However, they maintain strong business relationships with Hasina. The evident indication is the assault on Hindus, which is also aimed at fostering anti-India sentiments. If this situation is not managed, the next phase will involve the initiation of terrorist activities.

As reported in prominent news channel, the role of a neighbor that is aligned with as more advantageous. An intelligence source cited in a TOI report suggests that "the assistance from Neighouring nation's ministry of state and security is believed to have played a supportive role, given Neighouring nation concerns regarding Hasina's 'balancing act' in her interactions with both India and Neighouring nation. A government in Dhaka that is influenced by Neighouring nation would undoubtedly align more closely with Neighouring nation interests."

What next?

in the wake of Hasina's exit, the chief of the Bangladesh army is scheduled to engage with leaders of the student protest movement, as the nation looks forward to establishing a new government. The Students Against Discrimination initiative has put forth Nobel Prize winner Mohammad Yunus as a candidate to lead an interim administration.

[drdemonprince]

It’s true that America has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the industrialized world, with only 62% of eligible adults turning up to the polls on a good year, and about 50% on a typical one. But if we really dive into the social science data, we can see that non-voters aren’t a bunch of nihilistic commie layabouts who’d prefer to die in a bridge collapse or of an untreated listeria infection than vote for someone who isn’t Vladimir Lenin. No, if we really study it carefully, we can see that the American electoral system has a series of unique features that easily account for why we find voting more cumbersome, confusing, and unrewarding than almost any other voters in the world.

Let’s take a look at the many reasons why Americans don’t vote:

1. We Have the Most Frequent Elections of Any Country

Most other democratic countries only hold major elections once every four or five years, with the occasional local election in between. This is in sharp contrast with the U.S., where we have some smattering of primaries, regional elections, state elections, ballot measures, midterm elections, and national elections basically every single year, often multiple times per year. We have elections more frequently than any other nation in the world — but just as swallowing mountains of vitamin C tablets doesn’t guarantee better health, voting more and harder hasn’t given us more democracy.

2. We Don’t Make Election Day a Holiday

The United States also does far less than most other democracies to facilitate its voters getting to the polls. In 22 countries, voting is legally mandated, and turnout is consequently very high; most countries instead make election day a national holiday, or hold elections on weekends. The United States, in contrast, typically holds elections on weekdays, during work hours, with minimal legal protections for employees whose only option to vote is on the clock.

3. We Make Registration as Hard as Possible

From Denmark, to Sweden, to Iceland, Belgium, and Iraq, all eligible voters in most democracies are automatically registered to vote upon reaching legal adulthood. Voting is typically regarded as a rite of passage one takes part in alongside their classmates and neighbors, made part of the natural flow of the country’s bureaucratic processes.

In the United States, in contrast, voter registration is a process that the individual must seek out — or more recently, be goaded into by their doctor. Here voting is not a communal event, it’s a personal choice, and failing to make the correct choice at the correct time can be penalized. In most other countries, there are no restrictions on when a voter can register, but in much of the United States, registering too early can mean you get stricken from the voter rolls by the time the election rolls around, and registering too late means you’re barred from voting at all.

4. We Make Voters Re-Register Far Too Often

In countries like Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands, voter registration updates automatically when a person moves. In the United State, any time a person changes addresses they must go out of their way to register to vote all over again. This policy disadvantages poorer and younger voters, who move frequently because of job and schooling changes, or landlords who have decided to farm black mold colonies in their kitchens.

Even if a voter does not change their address, in the United States it’s quite common for their registrations to be removed anyway— due to name changes, marriages, data breaches, or simply because the voter rolls from the previous election year have been purged to “prevent fraud” (read: eliminate Black, brown, poor, and left-leaning members from the electorate).

5. We Limit Access to Polling Places & Mail-in Ballots

In many countries, voters can show up to any number of polling places on election day, and showing identification is not always necessary. Here in the United States, the ability to vote is typically restricted to a single polling place. Voter ID laws have been used since before the Jim Crow era to make political participation more difficult for Black, brown, and impoverished voters, as well as for those for whom English is not their first language. Early and absentee voting options are also pretty firmly restricted. About a quarter of democracies worldwide rely on mail-in ballots to make voting more accessible for everyone; here, a mail-in ballot must be requested in advance.

All of these structural barriers help explain why just over 50% of non-voters in the United States are people of color, and a majority of non-voters have been repeatedly found to be impoverished and otherwise marginalized. But these populations don’t only feel excluded from the political process on a practical level: they also report feeling completely unrepresented by the available political options.

6. We Have the Longest, Most Expensive Campaign Seasons

Americans have some of the longest campaign seasons in the world, with Presidential elections lasting about 565 days on average. For reference, the UK’s campaign season is 139 days, Mexico’s is 147, and Canada’s is just 50. We also do not have publicly funded campaigns: our politicians rely upon donors almost entirely.

Because our elections are so frequent and our campaigns are so long and expensive, many American elected officials are in a nearly constant state of fundraising and campaigning. When you take into account the time devoted to organizing rallies, meeting with donors, courting lobbyists, knocking on doors, recording advertisements, and traveling the campaign trail, most federally elected politicians spend more time trying to win their seat than actually doing their jobs.

Imagine how much work you’d get done if you had to interview for your job every day. And now imagine that the person actually paying your wage didn’t want you to do that job at all:

7. Our Elected Officials Do Very Little

Elected officials who spend the majority of their hours campaigning and courting donors don’t have much time to get work done. Nor do they have much incentive to — in practice, their role is to represent the large corporations, weapons manufacturers, Silicon Valley start-ups, and investors who pay their bills, and serve as a stopgap when the public’s demands run afoul of those groups’ interests.

Perhaps that is why, as campaign seasons have gotten longer and more expensive and income inequality has grown more stark, our elected officials have become lean-out quiet quitters of historic proportions. The 118th Congress has so far been the least productive session on record, with only 82 laws having been passed in last two years out of the over 11,000 brought to the floor.

The Biden Administration has moved at a similarly glacial pace; aside from leaping for the phone when Israel calls requesting checking account transfers every two or three weeks, the executive-in-chief has done little but fumble at student loan relief and abortion protections, and bandied about banning TikTok.

The average age of American elected officials has been on a steady rise for some time now, with the obvious senility of figures like Biden, Mitch McConnell, and the late Diane Feinstein serving as the most obvious markers of the government’s stagnancy. Carting around a confused, ailing elderly person’s body around the halls of power like a decommissioned animatronic requires a depth of indifference to human suffering that few of us outside Washington can fathom. But more than that, it reflects a desperation for both parties to cling to what sources of influence and wealth they have. These aged figures are/were reliable simps for Blackstone, General Dynamics, Disney, and AIPAC, and their loyalty is worth far more than their cognitive capacity, or legislative productivity. Their job, in a very real sense, is to not do their job, and a beating-heart cadaver can do that just fine.

You can read the rest of the list for free (or have it narrated to you on the Substack app) at drdevonprice.substack.com!

[transmutationisms]

that cop therapist post is probably not wrong (i don't know the stats offhand but i would not be surprised if there's a cop to psych professional pipeline, at least for jobs that don't require grad degrees) but it's also irritating that it's missing the more fundamental point that psychiatric institutions are carceral institutions and psychiatry as a discipline serves a carceral function. serve time in court mandated 'treatment' or serve time in jail / prison. act in a way deemed too aberrant and get medicated or institutionalised against your will. etc. this applies regardless of whether your psych or therapist trained as a cop or social worker or physician and it's why people who think "defund the police" means "replace them with psychiatric intervention" are not just foolish but dangerous. psychiatry is part of the carceral apparatus, structurally; its practitioners are cops, structurally; stop redirecting this to complain about individuals or specific career paths