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Healthcare (Insurance) Reform

Here’s the text of an email I recently received from the American Medical Association’s “Patient Action Network” concerning the Senate Healthcare bill. 

“The U.S. House has passed its version of health system reform legislation (H.R. 3962) and now U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has produced a bill in the Senate: H.R. 3590 (if you are confused because a Senate bill number has “House Resolution” in front of it, don’t worry—it’s not a typo. It’s because there is new spending in the bill, and all spending bills have to technically come from the U.S. House).

Prior to Thanksgiving, the Senate voted to allow the floor debate on H.R. 3590 to proceed. This bill contains a number of provisions the AMA thinks are good for the nation’s health care system, but it also includes some that the AMA opposes and will work to change, as explained in a letter to Senator Reid.

Please note that there will be many, many amendments offered to this bill. For instance, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) reportedly has 10 amendments of his own to offer. If each of the 100 senators has a similar number, you can imagine how long it may take to debate and vote on each one. So the bill in its current form will not be the final bill that the Senate votes on. Because of this, the AMA has chosen to defer judgment on H.R. 3590 until later in the Senate floor debate, based on those amendments. You can follow the daily updates of amendments offered.”

The letter from the AMA to Senator Reid is interesting as is the long list of amendments to the bill to be considered.  Only if you truly have nothing to do would I recommend going to the daily updates of amendments link as it’s tedious and also confusing.

One item of interest – since legislation that generates ‘revenue’ must come from the House of Representatives, the ‘leader’ of the Senate has chosen to ‘steal’ a bill already passed by the House and change the text to become the Senate’s Healthcare bill.  The ‘stolen’ bill, H.R. 3590 is an act “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes.”  It’s unclear whether or not this legislation or its language will reappear elsewhere.

For Texas Veterans

There are a number of benefits offered to veterans in Texas through the Texas Veterans Commission.  Probably the one that has the most financial benefit is the Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans.  There is a graduated scale of exemptions based on disability percentage.  You can find out more at the TVC home page.  Look under State Benefits – More Benefits.

Iraq/Afghanistan deployment tied to respiratory woes.

CHICAGO (Reuters Health) – U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan face an increased risk for developing respiratory symptoms, including persistent or recurring cough and shortness of breath, a large-scale military study has shown.  Combat stress along with air pollution could be to blame, researchers say.

The findings stem from the Millennium Cohort Study, an ongoing study designed to investigate long-term health consequences related to military service.  Among nearly 39,000 military personnel free of persistent or recurring cough or shortness of breath at the outset, 14 percent of "deployers" to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq suffered new respiratory symptoms compared with 10 percent of "non-deployers" not assigned to those war zones, the researchers found.  (Source: Reuters)

VA to Survey Households

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a national survey of Veterans, active duty service members, activated National Guard and reserve members, and family members and survivors to learn if they are aware of VA services.   (For more see:  VA Survey)

Military Retirement Pay

If you receive military retirement pay and if you have established an account with the DFAS MyPay website you can view and print your Retiree Account Statement for 2010 now.  I noticed that my monthly pay went down a bit due to an increase in Federal Income Taxes – the comment section has the following statement:  “Due to recent legislation your federal withholding tax has changed.”  No comment as to exactly which ‘recent legislation’ this was, however.

Reminder – there is no pay increase in 2010 because military retirement pay follows the same COLA formula as Social Security, which is also not being increased this year because of the Cost of Living calculation.  Ditto for VA disability pay, in most cases.

The Stories about Christmas

You can find several stories about Christmas, including the History of Santa Claus, Why Christmas is Celebrated on December 25th, and even how to glass ornaments are made on the History Channel website.  Good to share with your kids / grandkids, etc.  I suggest you let the whole set of videos just run…some commercials involved but they are not too bothersome.

Windows 7 Unformation (yes, it’s mispelled on purpose)

If you were thinking of getting Microsoft’s Windows 7 Family Pack upgrade (the one that allows the Operating System to be loaded on up to 3 PCs for a $150 price, you should know that it may be impossible to find.  Here’s the note I found on the Microsoft website:  “Thank you for your interest in Windows 7. The Windows 7 Family Pack offer has ended.”

More Honors!

“A bronze statue of a young Barack Obama in shorts and a T-shirt — and what appears to be a Nobel medal around his neck — has been erected at a park in Jakarta, Indonesia, near the school where the future U.S. president studied as a child, according to news reports.
The likeness of a 10-year-old Obama — his hand extended with what appears to be a butterfly resting on it — cost $10,600 and now stands in a corner of Menteng Park, according to the Jakarta Globe and AP.
A paraphrased quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is inscribed on the statue’s base: "The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams," reports AP.
“The statue is being erected to inspire Indonesian children and help them remember that they can be whatever they set their hearts on,” Ron Mullers, chairman of the Indonesia-based Friends of Obama Foundation, explained to the Globe.
The statue is set to be officially unveiled by Jakarta’s governor Thursday.”

© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC  (Politico.com)

Exercise is Bad for You?

If you’re a middle-age weekend warrior who likes to hit the basketball court or hockey rink, take note: A new study suggests that high levels of physical activity boost the risk of internal knee damage that could lead to osteoarthritis.  The study found that the injuries occurred in middle-age people who showed no symptoms and had a healthy weight. They were more common and more severe in those who exercised more, although lower-impact activities such as swimming and cycling might actually be beneficial, according to the researchers.

The findings "speak to the importance of low-impact aerobic activity, especially in knees that are aging and may not be as resilient as they used to be," said Dr. Joseph Guettler, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at William Beaumont Hospital in Bingham Farms, Mich.

The problem is that bone and cartilage in the knee can develop cracks and fissures that worsen over time, "much as a pothole or crack in the pavement can become significant as cars keep driving over that area," said Guettler, who’s familiar with the study findings but didn’t take part in the research.  When people develop these sorts of problems, "we know that they’re going to have an increased risk for arthritis later on in life," he said.  Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, develops when cartilage deteriorates in joints and causes bones to rub against each other.   (For more see:  Medline)

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Disclaimers

This newsletter and blog is solely for the enjoyment of its readers.  None of the information contained in this newsletter or on the blog is to be considered as legal or financial advice as the author is neither a lawyer or financial advisor.  In so far as it is possible to determine the material is correct but has not necessarily been fully researched or verified; here’s the bottom line – you use it at your own risk.  Wherever possible the source of the information for a particular article is displayed  as a reference.

Products mentioned in this newsletter / blog  have NOT been provided by a manufacturer or reseller and anything remotely resembling a review is actually just a description of personal experience or a reference to comments made by others, with citations as available.  In other words, no compensation has been provided for product comments, period.

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