The Bronze Plan

BRONZE PLAN: "A good choice if you expect to use a low amount of health services during the plan year." OK, let me ask my body if it plans on using a low amount of health services this year. Let me also ask the car that might hit me while crossing the road not to hit me too hard because I only have insurance to cover me for low amounts of health services.

Fighting Fire with Satire

The Patch blogs are a matter of free speech. We do not care that these blogs do not "entertain" you or make you feel that the patch does not "represent" Medford. What do you think the purpose of this site is? How does it not represent Medford? The posts are from Medford residents arguing freely about an issue in Medford. It is a matter that has gone on for 33 years. We are arguing over the incompetence and hypocrisy of incumbents. It is an election year! More than ever people want these old-timers out and will go to extreme means to discredit them. This is how it works.

Just because they are city councilors does not mean they deserve any of my respect. Just because they go to ribbon cutting ceremonies, benefits, art shows, farmers' markets, and local diners, does not mean they deserve our respect. At the end of the day, less than 10% of Medford voted in the elections last term. It is because of these 10% that 7 councilors work poorly to represent the other 90% of Medford. 

The "photo-shopped" images are a matter of parody. Better yet, it's called political satire. "Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly forbidden."

There has been no other weapon so great in the matter of politics than that of a satirical joust.

Illegal Search for Gun Owners In Massachusetts?

A selectman in Swampscott started a discussion last week about sending in police officers into gun owners' homes in the town to see if their guns are properly stored. He said this idea is to keep children safe. What do you think?

Lets just rewrite the constitution while we are at it. It is getting to that point!

ObamaCare and RomneyCare Are Not The Same

Thank you again, Obama: We've talked about how 3.5 million people have had their private insurance canceled (even though Obama lied and said that if you want to keep your current insurance, you can, don't worry nothing will change). We've talked about how the cancellations are a result of policies not meeting the minimum coverage requirements under Obama's mandate. But how about this new curve ball: being denied subsidized insurance because your employer IS NOW FORCED TO OFFER affordable care.

Here's how it goes in MA....this is a true story about someone I know: she has been on Masshealth for the past year and paid a reasonable premium as most of it was subsidized by the state due to her income eligibility. Her employer did not used to offer insurance. Now, because Obama intends on imposing a $2000 fine PER EMPLOYEE for not offering insurance, the company realized that the total fines for one year would be $90 MILLION. So, the company decided it would be cheaper to offer insurance, pay 60% of each employees' premium, and instead of paying $90 MILLION, they will have to dish out $60 MILLION. It's a little bit better and obviously the smarter choice.

So, because she is now offered reasonable insurance from her employer, and because based on her income, the employer-offered insurance still falls within the "affordable" healthcare. The difference is that she no longer qualifies for public insurance or subsidies. Now she is forced to take her employer offered insurance AND pay a higher premium than she would have on Mass Health. Once again, an example how you may not be able to keep what you used to have, pay more than you used to, and get the same or less coverage.

Thank you Obama; this was really well thought out.

Let's not forget that WE ARE PAYING FOR THEM TO FIX THE FLAWED WEBSITE EVERY DAY. THE ESTIMATE IS $1.2 MILLION PER DAY TO FIX A DAMN WEBSITE!

SO FAR IT IS ESTIMATED IT WILL HAVE COST $300 MILLION TO BUILD A WEBSITE!