#Medicare covering hearing

[momlovesyoubest]

Care Economy Revived By Kamala Harris

Care Economy Bill Failed in 2003 to be revived by Kamala Harris In 2023, President Biden tried to pass a bill on the care economy, but Senator Joe Manchin blocked the bill, saying it was “welfare economy legislation.” So, we have no new Medicare programs covering dental, vision, and hearing, leaving all but the 10% or union members with rotting teeth or $8,000 bills to dentists they cannot…

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #37

Oct 4-11 2024

President Biden announced a new EPA rule that will require all lead pipes in America's drinking water systems to be replace with-in 10 years. This builds on the $15 billion the Biden-Harris Administration has already invested in replacing lead pipes nation wide. The administration's focus on this issue has allowed local governments to greatly execrate their lead pipe replacement plans, before Biden took office the city of Milwaukee's timeline for replacing its lead pipes was 60 years, they're now on track to do it in 10. The EPA says there's no safe level of lead in the human body.

Vice President Harris announced she plans to expand Medicare to cover home health care. Currently those who need long term care, are covered by Medicaid, the health program for the poor so have to spend all their savings before they can qualify. This change would allow more seniors to stay in their homes and offer support to caregiving family members. Medicare also covers the disabled thus proving a game changer for the disabled Americans and their families. The Vice President also endorsed expanding Medicare to cover the costs of hearing and vision care.

Medicare released a preliminary list of 101 generic drugs which it would cover that would cost no more than $2 for a month for enrollees. People have long lobbied to allow Medicare to pay for generic drugs which has been resisted by drug companies. Thanks to President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, and in line with a Biden Executive Order Medicare is now working on bring low cost generic drugs to seniors. The list targets some of the most common prescriptions thus will bring savings to the most people.

Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden announced that the Biden-Harris Administration had blown past its goal of hiring 250,000 student support staff for 2024. The joint effort by the Department of Education, AmeriCorps and Everyone Graduates Center managed to hire 320,000 tutors, mentors, student success coaches, postsecondary transition coaches, and student support coordinators nationwide, its goal for the end of 2025.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $420 million to help get rid of lead paint and other lead hazards from homes. HUD estimates that over 3 million households that have children under the age of 6 live with lead hazards. HUDs grants will go to all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico with particular focus on low income housing.

[reasonsforhope]

"Vice President Kamala Harris is proposing to provide federal funding to cover home care costs for older Americans, aiming to help the “ sandwich generation " of adults caring for aging parents while raising their children at the same time.

Appearing Tuesday on ABC’s “The View,” Harris talked about taking care of her mother when she was dying and personally experiencing the challenges many families face when seeking affordable in-home care for their aging loved ones.

She promised that if, elected in November, she will seek to expand Medicare, the federal health insurance program for older Americans, so that it covers long-term care and includes services like in-home aides. Harris said aides could help seniors do things as simple as preparing meals or putting on sweaters because it is “about dignity for that individual. It’s about independence for that individual.”

Her proposal is a new one just a month out from Election Day but the issue is one that President Joe Biden's administration has been working on for years.

In an effort to soften the effects of inflation, the White House promoted as part of Build Back Better, its legislative agenda that stalled on Capitol Hill years ago, steeply increased federal spending for child care as well as for seniors. After Build Back Better collapsed, the Biden administration continued to promote increasing spending for what it calls “the care economy,” a cause Harris has continued to mention after replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.

“These plans are common sense. They can help family caregivers work and save both families and the federal government money by allowing seniors to stay in their homes instead of being sent to nursing homes,” the Harris campaign said in a fact sheet detailing her proposal. “Medicare at Home will also reduce hospitalizations.”

As part of a blitz of media interviews she’s been doing in recent days, Harris sat down after her appearance on “The View” with radio personality Howard Stern, who said that his mother is 97. Taking care of an elderly parent, he said, “will bankrupt you.”

Such costs have increased pressure on adults caring for their parents and kids simultaneously. In 2019, roughly 30% of family caregivers of older Americans lived in households that included children or grandchildren, according to AARP.

Harris would likely have to work with Congress to achieve key parts of her proposal. Harris’ campaign points to past, similar proposals projected to cost $40 billion annually, but says much of that can be offset by savings achieved through efforts begun by the Biden administration to expand Medicare’s ability to negotiation prices with major drug manufacturers.

Harris is also promising to further expand Medicare to include hearing and vision coverage, while changing existing rules that can allow federal authorities to seize a deceased beneficiary’s home to recuperate costs. [Note: I'm sorry the current rules fucking what] The campaign fact sheet says that practice “means that those homes are not passed on to the seniors’ children, which particularly harms rural and minority families.”"

-via AP News, October 8, 2024

[azspot]

On healthcare, what makes the U.S. system more expensive than it needs to be are the prices providers of medical care are able to charge. The Biden administration made progress in lowering some drug prices. With its control of the biggest purchasers of healthcare in the nation — Medicare and Medicaid — more could be done. Harris is onto this accomplishment, and, along with capping certain drug prices and out-of-pocket expenses, has proposed having Medicare cover the cost of home healthcare aides for seniors, and extending the program to vision and hearing. A related virtue is that the further progress she promises could actually save the government money in the long run. At the same time, the expansion of access to Obamacare she favors will cost money. A more comprehensive approach would mean pursuing a universal, guaranteed healthcare system.

Harris Is No Socialist—But Her Economic Plans Are Far Better Than Trump’s

[bittersweetcanary]

Summoner who experiences Chronic Fatigue & Chronic Pain 

How the Artw cast reacts to a Summoner with Chronic Fatigue & Chronic Pain. The gender of the Summoner is not mentioned, this can be read as enby, man, woman, trans, etc. :D

Special thanks to Cora ( @adcmans ) for helping me come up with ideas!!

BTW IF you want to add anything please do in the comments, I'd love to hear your ideas!! Or reblog!! :D

[Disability Rep | Pronouns of Summoner not mentioned | Gender of Summoner not mentioned | Some Suggestive Text | Tooth Rotting Sweet at times ]

Spica

Spica’s part has some stuff about the MC/Summoner to explain the context a bit.

You explained your condition to him first, less due to trust and more due to wanting to get accommodated for your disability ASAP, and not being totally sure how to go about that. He seems the most reasonable and accountable of the bunch.

At first, he didn’t quite understand but it certainly didn’t take long with your explanation of your condition. Spica helped you through the process of getting medication through the school due to your… Finances being… Low… (*cough* broke, poor, you have nothing now that you fell through a damn rift- *cough*) Luckily the school easily covered it, taking some of the weight of your anxiety off your shoulders. Wow, their Medicare system is nice. Unlike some places.

Since, to your surprise, Spica checked in on you frequently when you dozed off during meetings or when your pace would slow, asking if you were tired if something hurt, or if you needed to rest.

Spica went with you to pick up some school supplies from one of the village shops, mostly just plenty of pencils with big pencil grips which made it easier to hold. The number of times you’ve lost a pencil simply because it rolled off your desk is… To put it simply, a lot. And a backpack to carry your school stuff in as just holding it wouldn’t quite work for you.

You were quite anxious to start using a mobility aid because then you’d have to explain to everyone why… But Spica made sure to explain to the rest of the Guide Committee just why you were using forearm crutches so they wouldn’t bombard you with questions, after asking if that’d be alright of course.

Upon occasion when you were being stubborn, wanting to keep up with the others, Spica would pull you to the side (-if he had to he would grab your arm just above your elbow and sit you down on the nearest couch beside himself-) and would begin to lecture you- reminding you that it is ok to take breaks & rest. Followed by your comment about his sleep schedule had him stuttering for a moment before coming up with a “good reason” as to why that was totally reasonable. Your expression showed your opinion on that.

It’s safe to say you MADE Spica sleep more hours at night when you could, sometimes he’d be too stubborn. One time he was snappy about it, telling you off harshly though he did apologize later it still stung.

Spica immediately offered to help you ready yourself for the day if you ever felt too tired to do so alone, and you took him up on that offer sometimes, if he could spare some time away from his paperwork.

Spica was the first to offer to take you out for breakfast whenever he could, Arcturus sometimes joined the two of you if they happened to both be free though Spica preferred it to just be the two of you.

Pollux

Before finding out

In class when the Summoner would doze off he’d huff, and puff, but never wake them. Once they woke (or he woke them up after class) he’d chew them out over sleeping through class. Sometimes classes. Threatening to leave them asleep in the classroom next time. (which he never does, it doesn’t take you long to catch on)

You have caught him staring more than once, though you play it off as if you totally didn’t notice him with his head down beside you blatantly gazing at you with big stary eyes.

Sometimes when you’d be writing down your notes your hand would twitch and you’d drop your pencil, having pushed yourself too far. Pollux didn’t notice at first but when you’d take breaks from writing he’d ask why and you’d shrug off his question, picking up the pencil and beginning to work again.

And lunch… Pollux couldn’t quite understand why you’d sleep through lunch of all things, the food was always great. Especially the chocolates he usually kept to himself, that he’d brought as his dessert, he’d sometimes share with you and Arcturus.

Pollux never quite got how you couldn’t keep up with him when he’d run ahead, often telling you to exercise more. It felt insensitive, causing you to show him a bit of a cold shoulder afterward though you knew he just didn’t know about your disability.

Sometimes when you were quite tired and just so happened to be sitting beside Pollux you’d unconsciously doze off while leaning against his shoulder. Pollux would stare at you for a few moments after you leaned against him, then look away and cover his face with his hand, but remain still and quiet so as to not wake you. He would stay there till you woke.

Polly would make rude comments about your disgruntled unkept appearance on bad days, pushing stray hairs into place. Huffed and puffed when he tried fixing up your hair, he got better at that over time. It’s become a sort of daily routine for him to play with your hair during class, sometimes you’d play with his too, he loved it when you did and you could tell by how he squeezed his eyes shut and blushed.

After Spica’s explanation at the meeting

Pollux, much like the others, wondered why you weren’t there till Spica began the Guide Committee meeting. It’s safe to say a lot he was confused about was answered by Spica’s explanation. Why you doze off so much, and why your pencils all have those large grips… And the times you’d just dropped something… He brought up as much during the meeting as he found it concerning that you hadn’t told him, him!.. First... Spica was the most reasonable, he supposed, but you two were close!... Right? He’d work with you on assignments all the time! And share notes… And hangout! (totally didn’t say he wasn’t looking to make friends on day 1)

Pollux is a lil jelly that you didn’t tell him first- he pouts about it.

He was a little pouty around you after that but stopped trying to push you to keep up, or chewing you out over dozing off… Pollux slowed down to your pace whenever he realized he’d been walking at too quick a pace for you. He would constantly glance over his shoulder to make sure you were still there.

He MiGhT try to loop his arm around yours, or just blush a little thinking about it. Maybe if you offered up the idea first he’d go for it.

Alpheratz & Sirius missed the meeting… But Vega didn’t?! Maybe it’s that pathfinding magic, maybe it brought him there? Pollux eyed him up and down, sus. 

Will chew anyone out if they harass or bother you at any point about your disability, yap yap BITE!!

The whole hair play routine you two had started kept up, though he’d offer to help you in the morning if that’s okay, totally understandable if you didn’t want someone in your dorm, but it's him so… It’d be ok, right? Just don’t let anyone else in, they might be bad people.

When he and Arcturus showed up at your dorm, they’d be surprised but they are both besties so they help you out together and sometimes you all go out to breakfast at a cafe as a group <3 Sometimes Vega, Alpheratz, Spica, or Sirius might join if they happen to stop by around the same time, or one of them may try to drag you off for themself…

Alpheratz

Before finding out

Alpheratz thought it was a bit weird that you napped nearly as much as him… More than himself sometimes but never questioned it. It was nice having a nap buddy, someone who didn’t nag him for sleeping so often.

After a while he began to expect you to show up at specific nap locations, he’d bring a spare neck pillow just in case you needed one. And a spare blanket.

Sometimes he’d catch you rubbing at your knees or ankles as if they hurt but when he’d as if something happened you’d say you were just a little tired.

When you would yawn constantly throughout the day despite having napped alongside him he suspected something may be wrong, occasionally checking your health with his magic but not totally understanding what he saw. Alpheratz began to look into possibilities while you napped in the library with him.

He never really kept his appearance up so when you looked messy it didn’t really phase him, though he’d ask teasingly if your messy hair was some sort of new trend.

Finding out

Slept through the meeting assuming it’d be something unimportant- immediately regretted it after Pollux filled him in after he asked you about your mobility aid while the three of you were out at a sweets shop. Alpheratz had been downright staring at your forearm crutches the entire way there, with a very concerned expression.

Pollux scolds Alpheratz- they bicker a little. It’s cute. Then Alpheratz shoves some gummy worms into Pollux’s mouth to shut him up. Pollux stares Alpheratz down, crossing his arms, frowning, and furrowing his brow as he slowly chews the gummy worms.

After finding out

Now he knows what’s wrong and has a better grasp of just what his magic was showing him when he checked up on you.

From then on when you’d nap together Alpheratz made it a habit to check your physical health status using his magic, just to make sure you were ok. Sometimes he would check in to make sure you took your medication, knowing how forgetful you can be.

When he could, Alpheratz would join you, Arcturus, and Pollux for lunch, to spend time with you and make sure you took your meds.

Sometimes, if you seemed more tired than usual or if he saw you over-exerting yourself he’d just pick you up and take you to a comfy spot to nap. After the first few times, you weren’t so surprised. But the first time… You nearly kicked him between the legs and punched his face- in your defense, you didn’t know it was him, AND like wtf- you both laughed it off.

Both of you worked together to make a little “club room” in the back of the library, you both deemed it the Nap Club Tent. It was a sizeable tent- (you guess the only reason the school allowed you to get away with this was because Alpheratz’s grandfather wanted Alpheratz to warm up to him) inside the tent were plenty of blankets, pillows, and a well-padded floor. Some plushies too, those were purely your touch at first, then Alpheratz added some that he thought you’d like.

Sometimes Alpheratz would offer to help you get ready for the day, a slight blush on his cheeks, then he would quickly offer to hire someone else to help care for you if you wanted. 

When you’d go out as a group with Arcturus and Pollux for breakfast he would sometimes join, offering to pay for you and the others though sometimes he’d get up extra early just to take you out by himself.

Arcturus

Before finding out

Arcky found it odd that you would yawn so often, and how you seemed to occasionally limp, but if he pointed it out you’d brush it off and adjust your posture and how you walked. He’d frown, he wasn't sure what was going on but how you acted gave him a bad feeling.

Sometimes when you looked incredibly drowsy while standing he would ask if you needed to sit down with furrowed brows, just what weren’t you telling him? 

When he would ask if something was wrong you’d change the topic with ease, Arcturus couldn’t remember what he’d asked after talking about some other random thing.

He had asked Spica if he noticed it as well… Which led Spica to ask you which kicked off the conversation.

Began occasionally stopping by your dorm in the mornings if he was free after seeing how messy and tired you looked most days, offering to help you prepare for the day. He helped when he could though he would often ask you why you looked so tired.

Finding out

Spica explains the situation to him first, being the only other Fili Pferer & Spica’s most trusted confidant. Arcturus was a little worried and sad that you hadn’t told him personally but understood it was probably difficult to talk about. Still pouted a little. But only a little!

After finding out

He helped to explain your disability to Vega and Pollux with Spica.

Later he ran into Sirius… After being chased by that big black dog!! Scary!! He updated Sirius on the recent meeting, assuming he’d just been too busy with missions to show up! Why else would his friend miss the meeting, he must’ve had a good reason! Though Arcky didn’t push Sirius to tell him why he’d missed the meeting.

Arcturus would constantly check up on you whenever he could. (when random Fili Pfere sorcerers weren’t dragging him around) Sometimes he’d go overboard and continue to ask you what he could do to help till you told him you were alright, only then would he stop and sigh in relief. 

He likes to offer to make food for you, get you a drink, or sometimes he will just leave a snack with a cute little note wishing you well if he finds you napping. (with a little smiley face)

Will also cover you with a blanket and place a pillow beneath your head VERY CAREFULLY if you don’t already have a blanket and/or pillow.

Might gaze at you for a while if you doze off while hanging out with him before sputtering if you ask him why he was staring.

Began to make it a point to stop by your dorm in the morning to help you prepare for the day whenever he was free, knowing that sometimes just keeping up with your hair and skin care was difficult. Then he would walk with you to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Loves having breakfast with you and Pollux, he wishes the others would join you all more often!! Super excited and happy when everyone or almost everyone shows up!!

Vega

Before finding out

Vega arrived at the meeting right on time to Spica, Pollux, and Arcturus’s surprise. He felt that he should be there, for this particular meeting.

It was plain to see that you weren’t getting enough sleep, the bags under your eyes were telling and the yawning at 9 a.m.! Your symptoms stressed Vega out quite a bit to the point he would constantly be on you about getting plenty of sleep. 

Might force you to go back to bed if you doze off during breakfast.

After Spica’s explanation at the meeting

Vega is incredibly worried about you. However, the way he shows this feels more like a nagging older sibling. Sometimes he would give you harsh lectures when you push yourself a little too far.

One time he offered to carry you when you felt too tired to walk, your knees hurting, but when he tried- he apologized so many times after you both fell. His cheeks were utterly red when he looked up at you, atop him, before you got up. From then on, when he was with you he made sure no one blocked your path. 

“ MAKE WAY SUMMONER IS TIRED “

If you ever decided to bring up that one time he tried to carry you he’d just DIE.

Constantly offers to carry anything he can for you just to take some of the weight off your shoulders. He will do whatever he can to help.

Grumpy if he can’t have breakfast with you by himself. Might try to drag you away, if only he could. Will not respond to anyone unless the topic is you. Or if he is talking to you.

Sirius

Before finding out

Sirius didn’t say much, other than teasing you over just what could be keeping you up to make you that tired. “Were you thinking of me last night Summoner~? I’m so flattered~”

Sometimes he would drag you about with him on a random mission or just more fun which hurt your joints a LOT, when you would tell him you needed to slow down and rest he would tell you to keep pushing forward if you ever want to build your endurance. Not giving what you said or your actions a second thought as he brushed you off.

It certainly stung each time he’d brush you off so you began to give him the cold shoulder if he tried to drag you along one of his schemes.

After Arcturus’s explanation

Spica didn’t specify what the meeting was about beforehand so he just skipped it. Or maybe he would’ve anyway? He’s busy, but with what? O-o sus.

When Arcturus showed up, with the black dog playfully giving chase, he was told what the meeting was about. Though he brushed Arcturus off at first. But when Arcturus mentioned that it was about you, Sirius listened.

How’d he not notice sooner? When thinking back, it seemed quite obvious…

Your pained expression to the sheer amount of times you dozed off… You even told him you needed a break so many times and he just brushed you off… He swore at himself for not thinking more about your health. Adding to the list of things he loathes about himself.

After finding out

Sirius was noticeably more careful around you, not yanking you about or pushing you to keep up with him. Instead, he would pull you into little hidden nooks to hide or teleport away with you in his arms, to hide from the other Sorcerers when he blew something up again.

Slowly you warmed up to him after he began to actually listen to you, but you were always at least a little wary of his intent.

To make up for his carelessness he spoiled you as much as you would let him for a good month, he swore to get you anything if you’d forgive him but you just wanted him to understand and that he did. And still got you things he knew you liked.

If you felt too tired to apply makeup(if you wear that), nail polish, clean your face, and or fix your hair in the morning he’d be there to help, offering to do so when you looked worse for wear and insisting that you call him whenever if you need help getting ready for the day ahead at any time! He would be there, anything for his Summoner.

Sirius also just loved to get to do your hair and nails, and help you choose out a cute outfit for the day! Totally didn’t attempt to peek at you changing like a perv. Denies it after he was caught. Doesn’t try again, but teases you, asking if you’d give him a show.

Beats Alpheratz at getting up early just to take you out to breakfast first, will tease him about it if Alpheratz asks where you’ve been.

Sirius ends up taking you to breakfast quite often when he isn’t out on a mission, sitting beside you with his hand on yours.

[misfitwashere]

Friends,

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling more anxious about the outcome of the upcoming election. I’m still nauseously optimistic, but the nausea is growing. 

I’m as skeptical of polls as any of you, but when all of them show the same thing — that Kamala Harris’s campaign stalled several weeks ago, yet Trump’s continues to surge — it’s important to take the polls seriously. 

Harris will give her closing message to the American people tomorrow at a rally on the National Mall’s Ellipse in Washington. 

Over the last several weeks, she’s focused on Trump’s threats to a woman’s right over her body and to the rights of all Americans to a democracy. 

Tomorrow night, though, she needs to respond forcefully to the one issue that continues to be highest on the minds of most Americans: the economy. 

She must tell Americans simply and clearly why they continue to have such a hard time despite all the official economic indicators to the contrary: It’s because of the power of large corporations and a handful of wealthy individuals to siphon off most economic gains for themselves. 

Most Americans are outraged that they continue to struggle economically at the same time billionaires are pulling in ever more wealth. Most know they’re paying too much for housing, gas, groceries, and the medicines they need. They also know that a major cause is the market power of big corporations.

They want someone who’ll stand up to big corporations and the politicians in Washington who serve them. 

They want a president who’ll be on their side. A president who will crack down on price gouging, who will bust up the monopolies and restore competition, who will fight to cap prescription drug costs, who will get big money out of politics and stop the legalized bribery that rigs the market for the rich, and who will make sure corporations pay their fair share and end tax breaks for billionaire crooks. 

A president who will put working families first — before big corporations and the wealthy. 

Harris needs to say she will be this president. 

Her policy proposals support this. She’s committed to strong antitrust enforcement — cracking down on mergers and acquisitions that give big food corporations the power to jack up food and grocery prices, prosecuting price-fixing, and banning price gouging. She needs to remind voters of this. 

She also says she’ll raise taxes on the rich, provide $25,000 in down-payment assistance to help Americans buy their first home, restore the Expanded Child Tax Credit to $3,600 to help more than 100 million working Americans, and introduce a new $6,000 tax cut to help families pay for the high costs of a child’s first year of life. 

All should be parts of her speech tomorrow about why she will be the champion of working people. 

She wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, make stock buybacks more expensive, and expand Medicare to cover home health care — paid for with savings from the expansion of Medicare price negotiations with drug manufacturers.

She needs to frame all of this as a response to the power of big corporations and the wealthy — and say in no uncertain terms that she’s on the side of the people, not the powerful. 

If she fails to do this in her closing argument, Trump’s demagogic response will be the only one the public hears — that average working people are struggling because of undocumented workers and the “enemy within,” including Democrats, socialists, Marxists, and the “deep state.”

Harris should fit her message about democracy inside this economic message. If our democracy weren’t dominated by the rich and big corporations, fewer of the economy’s gains would be siphoned off to them. Average working people would have better pay and more secure jobs and be able to afford to homes, food, fuel, medicine, child care, and eldercare. 

A large portion of the public no longer thinks American democracy is working. According to a new New York Times/Siena College poll, only 45 percent believe our democracy does a good job representing ordinary people. An astounding 62 percent say the government is mostly working to benefit itself and elites rather than the common good.

In her closing argument, Harris should commit herself to reversing this, so government works for the common good. 

Harris started her campaign in July and early August by emphasizing these themes about the economy and democracy. 

But in more recent weeks, she’s focused mostly on Trump’s particular threat to democracy. Her campaign seems to have decided that she can draw additional voters from moderate Republican suburban women upset by Trump’s role in fomenting the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

That’s why she’s been campaigning with Liz Cheney and gathering Republican officials as supporters. And why she has chosen to give her closing message on the Ellipse — where Trump summoned his followers to march on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. 

Yet when she shifted gears from the economy to Trump’s attacks on democracy, Harris’s campaign stalled. I think that’s because Americans continue to focus on the economy and want an answer to why they are still struggling economically. 

If Trump gives them an answer — although baseless and demagogic — but Harris does not, he may sail to victory on November 5. 

Hence in her closing message she must talk clearly and frankly about the misallocation of economic power in America — lodged with big corporations and the wealthy instead of average Americans — and her commitment to rectify this.

[tomorrowusa]

House Republicans may be relieved that they finally have a Speaker after 22 days of infighting. But the rest of the country should worry that there's a far right extremist second in line to the presidency. "MAGA Mike" Johnson is even more extreme than Trump on some issues.

Election denier, climate skeptic, anti-abortion: seven beliefs of new US House speaker Mike Johnson

He tried to overturn the 2020 election In the modern Republican party, supporting Donald Trump’s lie about voter fraud in his defeat by Joe Biden is hardly an outlandish position. But Johnson took it further. After the election, he voiced support for Trump’s conspiracy theory that voting machines were rigged. Later, he was one of 147 Republicans to object to results in key states, even after a pro-Trump mob attacked Congress on January 6, a riot now linked to nine deaths and hundreds of convictions. [ ... ] He was a spokesperson for a ‘hate group’ Before entering politics, Johnson worked for the Alliance Defending Freedom – designated a hate group by the Southern Law Poverty Center, which tracks US extremists. According to the SPLC, the ADF has “supported the recriminalisation of sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ+ adults in the US and criminalisation abroad; defended state-sanctioned sterilisation of trans people abroad; contended that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to engage in paedophilia; and claimed that a ‘homosexual agenda’ will destroy Christianity and society”. [ ... ] He opposes LGBTQ+ rights In state politics and at the national level, Johnson has worked to claw back gains made by LGBTQ+ Americans in their fight for equality. In 2016, as he ran for Congress, he told the Louisiana Baptist Message he had “been out on the front lines of the ‘culture war’ defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage, and other ideals like these when they’ve been under assault”. He has since led efforts for a national “don’t say gay” bill, regarding the teaching of LGBTQ+ issues in schools, and is also opposed to gender-affirming care for children. On Wednesday, Rev Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, said: “Johnson has made a career out of attacking the LGBTQ+ community at every turn." His positions are out of touch with the clear majority support for LGBTQ+ equality in our country. His new leadership role is just further proof of the dangerous priorities of the GOP and the critical stakes for our democracy – and for LGBTQ+ Americans – in 2024.” [ ... ] He is stringently anti-abortion Johnson has maintained a relatively low profile in Congress but when last year the supreme court removed the right to abortion, Johnson celebrated “a historic and joyful day”. Though Dobbs v Jackson returned abortion rights to the states, Johnson has co-sponsored bills for a nationwide ban. And as he neared his position of power, footage spread of striking remarks in a House hearing. “Roe v Wade did constitutional cover to the elective killing of unborn children in America, period,” Johnson said. [ ... ] He wants to cut social security and Medicare As those comments indicate, Johnson wants to cut programs on which millions rely. Such cuts are widely regarded as a political third-rail – Trump has used the issue to attack Republican presidential rivals, saying only he will defend such benefits – but Johnson is far from alone in wanting to swing the axe. He is an advocate for ‘covenant marriage’ When he married his wife, Kelly, in 1999, the couple agreed to a “covenant” marriage: a conservative Christian idea that makes it harder to divorce. The Johnsons promoted the idea on ABC’s Good Morning America. [ ... ] He is a climate skeptic In 2017, Johnson told voters in his oil-rich home state: “The climate is changing, but the question is, is it being caused by natural cycles over the span of the Earth’s history? Or is it changing because we drive SUVs? I don’t believe in the latter. I don’t think that’s the primary driver.”

You'd really have to try hard to find somebody worse than MAGA Mike. But we're not without the power of the vote; we need to use that power every chance we get.

November 7th is Election Day in many parts of the US. Most notably...

Ohio's statewide ballot measure to restore reproductive freedom by placing a woman's right to choose in the Ohio Constitution. A YES vote on Issue 1 takes abortion out of the hands of the gerrymandered GOP legislature.

Kentucky's Democratic governor is up for re-election.

The Virginia legislature is up for election. If Republicans gain control of both chambers they will try to ban abortion; reproductive tyranny is part of the GOP agenda whenever they hold a trifecta in a state. There's also a special election to fill a vacancy for a US House seat in VA-04.

The state legislature in New Jersey is up for election.

There are judicial elections in Pennsylvania including for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. There's also a special election to fill a vacancy in the Penn House of Representatives which is currently tied 101 Democrats – 101 Republicans.

All state offices in Mississippi including governor and legislature are up for election. Surprisingly, polls show the GOP incumbent governor ahead by just 1% with 10% undecided.

Like Mississippi, all state offices in Louisiana are up for election.

Rhode Island has a special election to fill a vacancy for a US House seat in RI-01.

^^^ Those are just the highlights. There are elections of some sort in most states on November 7th.

Republicans may grumble at times, but they always turn out for elections. They have a disproportionate amount of power in the US because they vote while many of their liberal neighbors stay home or become too ideologically persnickety.

Allegedly "moderate" GOP House members ultimately fell in line and unanimously backed a far right Speaker.

Elections at all levels count. Speaker "MAGA Mike" Johnson got his start in politics in the Louisiana legislature. He is now the highest ranking GOP elected official in the US.

There's no such thing as an unimportant election. Vote in the November 7th election and actively encourage like-minded friends, family, and neighbors to do so as well.

Be A Voter - Vote Save America

[riflebrass]

1. Medicare isn't all it's cracked up to be. They have all kinds of gaps in their coverage. Every year they come out with a phonebook full of what they will or won't cover. In fact there's a huge market for health insurance that fills all the gaps.

2. Look at Canada's healthcare system. Their assisted suicide program has been skyrocketing for the last couple of years. They're not just reaching out to the terminally ill. They're trying to pressure the physically disabled and the mentally ill because it's cheaper to just kill a paraplegic than it is to install a stair lift in the house. I see no reason why our own government would be more generous with our tax dollars.

3. The government isn't simply going to let hospitals run autonomously then pay the bill. If the government is going to fund it they will demand complete control. As it is the department of Veteran's Affairs is notorious for being poorly run. I'm always hearing vets complain about being on the phone for hours on end being transferred from one person to another to FINALLY hopefully get an appointment several months out. The actual sanitary standards of VA hospitals are pretty god-awful too. I've seen reports of one soldier who had an infected wound with maggots in it. Another report of a man who had died in a room and somehow nobody checked on him until a couple of days later. I don't really compile these articles as I come across the but I do know they're shitty.

I get the appeal of universal healthcare. Our current healthcare system is shit. Dealing with private insurance is shit. I'm by no means saying what we have now is working, but if our government clearly cares so little about us I can see things getting a lot worse if we hand the whole thing over.

[doberbutts]

would you mind talking a bit in depth about your experience with top surgery consultations + going through insurance and such?

im disabled and on SSI/SSDI and medicare supposedly covers top surgery, but there are few surgeons who actually accept it. im scared about going through the consultation process and having medicare deny me top surgery at the last minute, and i know you had similar issues with your insurance.

no pressure, but i’d love to hear about your experiences and if you have any tips

I mean I have yet to successfully have top surgery but I am (partially) on medicaid and medicaid has already approved my surgery so it's just a matter of convincing my work insurance to approve it so medicaid can cover the portion my work insurance doesn't.

In my state more places take the state insurance than don't, but again my state is very blue and this is sort of by design. Unfortunately I don't know that I can help advise you further because I now have a new top surgery date but now I have to, you know, wait for that date to come.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ian Millhiser at Vox:

Moyle v. United States should have been a very easy case. A federal law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), requires nearly all hospitals to provide “such treatment as may be required to stabilize the medical condition” of “any individual” who arrives at the hospital’s ER with an “emergency medical condition.” Though the law does not specifically mention abortions, EMTALA is written in capacious terms — requiring covered hospitals to perform an emergency abortion when that is the appropriate treatment to resolve a patient’s medical emergency.

And yet, last January, the Supreme Court effectively nullified EMTALA, at least for patients who require abortion. Moyle, which the Court will hear the last full week of April, asks whether this nullification should be made permanent. The case involves a conflict between the federal law and Idaho’s unusually restrictive anti-abortion statute, which permits physicians to perform an abortion when “necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman,” but not when a patient’s pregnancy only threatens to disable or seriously harm them. EMTALA, meanwhile, requires most hospitals to provide whatever care is necessary to stabilize a patient who is at risk of “serious impairment to bodily functions,” “serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part,” or other nonfatal consequences that are defined as medical emergencies by EMTALA. So, for example, if a patient’s uterus could be destroyed, but she is likely to survive if untreated, EMTALA requires hospitals to perform an abortion if terminating the pregnancy would stabilize the patient’s medical condition.

When federal law conflicts with a state’s law, the Constitution provides that the federal law “shall be the supreme Law of the Land” — and thus the state law is “preempted.” EMTALA also contains a provision stating that state and local laws must give way “to the extent that the [state law] directly conflicts with a requirement of this section.” So, again, Moyle should be an easy case, and a federal district court ruled in 2022 that Idaho’s abortion ban must give way to EMTALA when a pregnant patient has a medical emergency that must be treated with an abortion. Last January, however, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked this district court’s order, reinstating Idaho’s sweeping abortion ban while the justices ponder the Moyle case. That’s a strong sign that, despite EMTALA’s clear text, the justices could permanently neutralize the federal law’s protections for people who must have an abortion to avoid catastrophic medical consequences. (No justice publicly dissented from this temporary order, but justices sometimes disagree with the Court’s orders but do not note their dissent.)

Moyle is a test of whether these justices will follow the text of a clearly drafted law

EMTALA is a reasonably straightforward statute. It only applies to hospitals with emergency rooms, and only to those hospitals that accept Medicare funds. That’s most hospitals because Medicare provides health coverage to Americans over the age of 65. The primary purpose of this law is to ensure that hospitals provide emergency medical care to patients who may not be able to pay for it. But the law is also written in expansive terms. It states that “if any individual ... comes to a hospital and the hospital determines that the individual has an emergency medical condition,” the hospital typically must “stabilize the medical condition.” (In limited circumstances, the hospital may transfer the patient to another facility.) [...]

Idaho also wants the Supreme Court to fundamentally alter the balance of power between Congress and the states

Idaho’s two legal teams also make a pair of arguments that seek to weaken Congress in fundamental ways and to place novel new limits on the federal government’s ability to preempt state laws. The first of these arguments is that EMTALA — or, at least, the Biden administration’s textualist reading of EMTALA — violates something called the “major questions doctrine.” The major questions doctrine claims that Congress must “speak clearly” if it wishes to give a federal agency the power to decide a question of “vast ‘economic and political significance.’” This doctrine is not mentioned in the Constitution or in any federal law, and appears to have been made up entirely by Republican appointees to the Supreme Court.

Even if you accept this made-up doctrine as legitimate, however, it is not at all clear why it is relevant to the Moyle case. By its own terms, the major questions doctrine only applies when a federal agency claims the authority to decide an important policy question. But no federal agency — meaning, an agency within the Executive Branch — has made any policymaking decision of any kind in Moyle. Rather, the question is whether a law enacted by Congress requires Idaho hospitals to perform emergency abortions. Idaho, in other words, is arguing that a made-up legal doctrine, which appears in no legal text and that was fabricated entirely by judges, should be read to limit Congress’s ability to decide important policy questions. If the Court agrees, that would be an extraordinary transfer of power from an elected Congress to an unelected judiciary. The state’s strongest legal argument, meanwhile, turns on the fact that EMTALA’s obligations only apply to hospitals that accept federal Medicare funds.

[...]

The Court’s decision in Moyle is likely to determine whether some women live or die

Theoretically, Idaho’s law permits abortions when necessary to save a patient’s life. Many other states with abortion bans have broader exemptions on the books, which theoretically permit an abortion when a patient faces serious health consequences that may not be life-threatening.

In practice, however, women in many states with strict abortion bans have struggled to obtain lifesaving or otherwise medically necessary care. In one case, a Texas woman with a nonviable pregnancy was told she had to wait to receive an abortion even though her body was discharging blood clots and a strange-smelling yellow liquid, Her doctors eventually agreed to induce labor after her vagina started to emit a dark, foul-smelling fluid.

This happened, moreover, despite the fact that Texas law permits abortions when a patient “has a life-threatening physical condition” or faces a “serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function” that relates to their pregnancy. Incidents like this are common because many state legal provisions permitting emergency abortions have never been interpreted by any court, or have been interpreted largely by Republican judges who are hostile to abortion. So hospital lawyers often cannot know in advance when their state’s courts will allow doctors to perform an abortion, and doctors who guess wrong risk very serious criminal charges. If the Supreme Court reads EMTALA to say what it actually says in Moyle, that would relieve some of this uncertainty. It would mean that doctors or patients who cannot obtain a state court order permitting an emergency abortion could also seek such an order from federal court. It would also mean that, over time, a body of case law would develop establishing when federal law entitles someone experiencing a medical emergency to an abortion.

SCOTUS is set to hear a pair of cases regarding EMTALA and abortion this week. The pair of cases, Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States, deal with Idaho's abortion ban regarding hospitals and abortion when the life of the pregnant person is at risk of death or serious harm otherwise.

See Also:

HuffPost: The Supreme Court Is About To Debate Whether States Can Outlaw Life-Saving Abortions

[generalchelseamayhem]

Unpopular Opinion: "Men suffer from toxic (you know what goes here) and Women suffer from sexism" is a fancy way of saying women are allowed to snap from trauma, whereas men should blame themselves and make sure they're never a danger to anyone else.

And boy, does society love that last one. Victim blaming at its finest.

This ask hits kind of a personally relevant note for me, so apologies if this is longer than you expected.

I think there's some kind of logic behind this, like people will say this about a woman on the assumption that she has exhausted every possible avenue of help, and found no help forthcoming, whereas they will say the other thing about a man on the assumption that help has been offered to him and he flatly refused to take it. Men will do anything rather than go to therapy! etc. etc.

And I think what this misses is the ways that everyone, including these same people, can even unknowingly disincentivise men from actually getting help.

I haven't told anyone I know IRL about this, but yesterday, I started therapy. It's costing me money out of my own pocket because Medicare only covers about 65% of the full price of an appointment—and that's if you've already gone to a GP and paid more money to get a referral. I digress. The point is, every single one of my friends I opened up to about my problems was like "Dude. Seek help. Now." It kinda made me feel ashamed for opening up about my problems in the first place, to anyone other than a trained professional. Yes, there was also a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th place, so I can understand how it might have been hard to deal with, but the feeling remained.

Eventually, it reached the point where I could no longer justify my "self-improvement using only myself" regimen against my punishingly restrictive budget. Not only because my ability to cope reached an end, but because my budget finally got a bit more relaxed. So I listened to my friends and booked an appointment with my GP, then with a psychologist she referred me to.

First impressions are everything, and I have to be frank, I don't think I built much of a rapport with this guy. But the main issue was—

If you've ever had mental health issues, what's the one thing that always prevents you from seeking help?

Correct, that your problems are tiny and not worthy of consideration next to the grand scale of human suffering. Why should the psychologist be helping you, when there are actively suicidal people or people in prison or abuse survivors, all with way worse problems than you, whom he could be helping instead?

People around you will insist that all mental health struggles are valid, that there isn't, like, a minimum standard for how desperate you need to feel before you seek help.

I wasn't really sure how to start, so I just told him the story of what happened to me during the pandemic. The way my ex and I drifted apart, the way I sacrificed some of my needs during that time to make sure hers were met, the financial pressure I felt from my parents cajoling me into buying a house, other seemingly close friends (at least 3 of them?) ghosting me without the slightest explanation.

And all he could say at the end, when I'd run out of things to talk about, was "What do you want me to do here?"

I can understand why a question like that might be asked in therapy settings, but hearing it so bluntly like that... it genuinely made me feel like my problems were insignificant on a scale I hadn't imagined. It was said in a way that suggested there was nothing here for us to latch onto, nothing for us to improve upon, just me whining about stuff that happened ages ago. It hurt.

Obviously I didn't have much of an answer to give. If I knew what to do about the things that were making me feel sad, I would have done them myself without paying $60 for a middle-man to tell me to do them. Broadly speaking, I would like the bad feelings to go away and my awkward behaviour in certain situations to stop! Was that not obvious? You're the expert! If you listened to me talk for 40 minutes and you don't think there's a clear and obvious way forward, what does that say about the scope and severity of my problems?

I don't think I'll stick with this guy. My point here is, I think people should be a lot more careful about recommending therapy to men, because they can be so careless about dismissing men's problems out of hand with the other side of their mouth. Whether that takes the form of mocking people for male tears, or chastising them because women aren't your therapists and can't be expected to perform that kind of emotional labour, or any other of a number of subconscious biases that still insist "Your problems aren't actually real."

To be quite honest, I don't even think therapy will be a productive avenue for me. That kind of thing never factors into these conversations though, and I think that's because a lot of "men need therapy" discourse is entirely performative.

[rogue-ai-cat]

I'm hearing my mother screaming on the phone with her MA provider. Can base Medicare cover vision, hearing, and dental already so old folks with false teeth, hearing aids, and glasses can ditch these abusive "advantage plans" that are constantly denying her treatment and prolonging her pain unnecessarily!?

[compo67]

finally finished a resume i promised a friend. once i concentrated on it, it went pretty fast. concentration just isn't my friend this week. it's quite possible that i have been distracted... (H)

it was quite warm today, and very windy. looks like it'll be the same tomorrow.

pain was at a 7/10 today. the highest it's been in a few weeks. i napped some of it off, used a muscle gun, put on my back brace, and slapped on a pain patch, plus ate an edible. i'm still in pain, but it's down to a 6.

i am impatiently waiting to hear back from a potential job. i also have an appointment with my HR instructor tomorrow. last week she said she misses our chats, so i reached out and we booked this time. it sounds like she may also have a job opportunity? maybe?

my mentor wants to meet for lunch on saturday. okay, fine. but only after the game.

my eyes have been hurting, like they hurt in 2022. back then it was inflammation of the eyes. i have a feeling that's returned. it would make sense with this flare. i had a helluva time making an appointment with my ophthalmologist (type that 10x fast, sheesh) and the soonest they could get me in is next Monday.

so i booked an appointment for tomorrow at the Costco optical thing. hopefully they can check my pressure and see what's wrong instead of just you know... checking my prescription.

i am a bit frustrated with my body lately. and worried about how i am going to hold down a full-time job with this body of mine. i suppose all i can do is try. though i hate when i have to push through pain.

also, i want orville peck's Show Pony on vinyl but i do not have $40 to spend on music right now o_o

i also also want anthony hurd's book of art but do not have the $57 to spend on a book right now o_o

i paid almost $300 for my mounjaro today. god damn medicare donut hole. at least i picked out and enrolled in a new advantage plan for 2025. i'm crossing my fingers and toes that it covers my Orencia infusions.

okay. i need to rest. but.

do i dare sneak a bite of tiramisu???

yes. yes i do.

[robinruns]

Ugh, I love being a weather nerd, but it still stresses me out. There's something probably super deep and meaningful about how weather just happens to us and all we can do is prepare ourselves for it by dressing appropriately or having a safety plan in place or whatever. So when the forecast calls for severe weather today through Sunday, its stressful! The worst part is no one knows for sure what will be happening and interprets data differently or uses different models or whatever.

I tend to find Max Velocity on YouTube to be the most chill, I guess you could say. Like he'll tell you "yea there might be an outbreak," but he'll be very clear on when and where. Whereas you get like Ryan Hall, and he's like, "Saturday there is gonna be severe weather from the Upper Penninsula of Michigan to the Texas/Mexico border!" Like 😐 I know I should just pick one and stick with them for the forecasts, but I do like all of these weather guys on YouTube for one reason or another.

Anyway. Speaking of leaving things up to someone else, I sent an email back to the potential running coach that I'd like to make this official. But until she gets back to me with the paperwork and stuff, I don't have my workouts for next week and that's such a weird feeling. Like yes, I will have probably have 6 days of workouts, with 3 of them being base building runs, but I don't know specifics and that's such an odd feeling for me.

So much letting go of control and letting things just happen as they will. It's very strange for me.

On another topic of things I can't control but wish I could: my mom seems to be in the middle of a depressive episode, but being a boomer, will not go to therapy even if Medicare covers it, which leaves me to hear all about it. Like her spiraling about her friend who lives a couple blocks away walking over with her wife to drop off a birthday present and how my mom won't be able to control Shandy and how she won't even be able to fake being appreciative! Only to have her reply 15 minutes later that it was fine and the dogs were well behaved and blah blah blah. Like this is how she is all the time. She freaks out about something, spirals and catastrophizes, and then whatever it is resolves, and it's fine. And the only one she talks to about it is me. 😮‍💨 and then I come on here and dump it all over you guys... wait fuck I'm the asshole here.

So anyway if I don't get a sweet treat after work I'm gonna snap 🙂

[rainofaugustsith]

- In 2022, 63.7% of adults age 65 and older had a dental visit in the past 12 months. - 22% of those ages 65-74 and 55% of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss. - Of the estimated 43.9 million Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older in 2015, approximately 40.5 million (92.4%; 95% CI, 91.6%-93.1%) reported using eyeglasses for either distance or near vision correction. Fun fact of the day: Medicare, the insurance for seniors and some disabled people in the USA, does not cover hearing aids, eyeglasses or dental care. If you're wondering why so many older USAmericans live in poverty, consider the costs of these things out of pocket.

[transsextual]

absolutely no obligation to answer this at all but i saw your post abt yr hysterectomy and i was wondering if you are receiving that procedure as gender affirming care or something else ? i just have been trying to look into how to go about something like that and if it’s a gac thing i’d love to hear more about yr process ! regardless i hope the procedure goes well & am sending you good thoughts

hello!!! yes, it is considered gender affirming care. i'm getting my procedure done thru kaiser permanente, and i'm from CA. i'm also a little over a year on testosterone, and in order to start testosterone i had to get a diagnosis for gender dysphoria from a kaiser affiliated therapist (done in one 45 minute session (with a trans therapist!)). given that i already had that diagnosis, i can't say for sure that you'd need one within kaiser to be approved for a hysterectomy as GAC, but i'd imagine you probably would. my process was long & inconsistent because it consisted of mostly phone calls + appointments + reading&signing contracts, all things that almost physically pain me, but here's what it has looked like thus far:

- talked to my primary doctor about a referral to the center for reproductive health for fertility preservation + hysterectomy as gender affirming care

- she gave me a referral to the kaiser offices in the bay area, since that's where most of northern CA's gender affirming surgeries + procedures happen

- got a call from an RN to schedule an appointment with a fertility preservation specialist + a gynecologist

- gynecologist appt was first, she gave me the rundown on types of hysterectomies & told me i had the option for fertility preservation and that, because i live in CA and have non-MediCare insurance, i have partial coverage for fertility preservation services in a situation where i'm undergoing an operation that could lead to infertility.*

*we have a bill here, SB600, that basically illustrates that if you are undergoing a medical procedure that could result in infertility (like a hysterectomy or hormone replacement therapy) AND your insurance is something other than MediCal, fertility preservation care is at least partially covered by your insurance, and is treated as medically necessitated basic care.

- i said yes, I'm in the process of taking care of fertility preservation stuff & that is really valuable information to me, thank you!

- she referred me to a therapist to discuss different hysterectomy procedures + recovery time + resources for care, as well as a surgeon to have a consultation with

- few weeks after that was my appointment with the fertility preservation specialist, and we discussed how egg freezing works, what my options were in terms of continuing/stopping testosterone for a while*, and established a loose timeline we wanted to follow. she also ordered some labs (blood drawings) for me.

*the most research about egg freezing has been done on menstruating people, so while it's an option to stay on testosterone during the process, i opted to go off of it just because there are less unknown variables there, which comforts me

- met with surgeon for consultation, she read the notes my fertility preservation doc had taken, asked me some basic medical questions (re: drug use, sexual activity, etc), and we settled on a tentative date for my surgery

- had a mostly useless therapy(?) session to discuss hysterectomy recovery, settled on the operation i wanted, took notes about recovery time, etc, but most of my questions had already been answered by my surgeon + fertility preservation specialist.

- that brings us to about now. i haven't had any other appointments, but my current to do list consists of:

getting those labs done for fertility preservation

signing contracts about health+safety info, legal info, and other services related to fertility preservation

getting my birth control removed

right now, i'm aiming to have my birth control out by the middle of the month (June), egg retrieval complete by early July, and my hysterectomy is scheduled for the end of July. fertility preservation has been and will be by far the most annoying part of the process for a number of reasons, but if you're just looking into a hysterectomy it should be much more straightforward.