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Archive for October 4th, 2013
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Oct
13
ObamaCare Has You Covered
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Yahoo: Michelle Obama: What Every Mother In This Country Deserves
Back when Barack and I were first starting out and building our life together, our finances were a constant source of stress. For years, we struggled to pay off our student loans and pay down our mortgage while keeping up with childcare bills and all the other expenses that come with having a family. But we were lucky: we had jobs that gave us health care. So twelve years ago, when our baby daughter Sasha woke up sick one night, I didn’t think twice about taking her to the pediatrician in the morning, because I knew our insurance would cover the cost of that visit. And thank God I did, because our doctor took one look at her and sent us straight to the emergency room, worried that Sasha might have meningitis — a diagnosis that was later confirmed at the hospital.
During the three long days Sasha spent in the hospital, our only worry was about our baby girl’s health. The care she received probably cost thousands of dollars, but we didn’t spend a single minute worrying about money because we knew our insurance plan would cover the bills. Every mother in this country deserves this kind of security for herself and for her family — and more than anything else, that’s really what the new health care law is all about.
More here
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The President has spoken. Go follow @ObamaCare on Twitter
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Actress Jenna Ushkowitz
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Actress Nina Dobrev: “Im Canadian. We have healthcare for all. If you dont have insurance go to [HealthCare.gov] and #GetCovered ,Because w/o it, youre naked,” she posts to Instagram.
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President Obama and Vice President Biden walk to buy lunch at a sandwich shop near the White House, October 4
04
Oct
13
ObamaCare: Working For Americans
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USA Today: Review: Healthcare.gov A Winner Despite Glitches
The most important is whether HealthCare.gov meets its fundamental task — creating a marketplace with an array of choices and competitive prices. The other is whether it explains insurance so people understand it — how to buy it, why they should, how the law’s subsidies work, and helps them start grasping which policy works for them.
On those counts, HealthCare.gov is an out-of-the-box success. To look at HealthCare.gov, especially knowing some Internet history and health insurance, is to understand it will sell tons of insurance. To start with, 2.8 million people crashing a site on Day One is considered a high-class problem. “It shows they’ve hit the target,” says venture capitalist David Jones, ex-chairman of health insurer Humana. “It’s obvious.”
More here
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https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/385895822828654592
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Karen Weise: People Are Calling This ObamaCare Insurance Exchange In Tears
When the exchange opened—17 minutes later than the 8 a.m. scheduled start time—the website and call centers were flooded with inquiries. Walsh said that in the first few hours“it was just raw emotion calling in.” People eager for insurance, at times in tears, wanted to get coverage that they didn’t have before.
“They were calling up saying, ‘Can I get my coverage today so I can see my doctor this afternoon?’” he says. “That is in one sense moving but also frustrating because, sure, you can sign up—but the coverage can’t be effective until Jan. 1.”
Walsh says his team has been working around the clock, so much so that on Wednesday he sent one of his development managers home to take a nap. “He didn’t want to quit, but his brain wasn’t working anymore,” Walsh says.
More here
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Christopher Weaver: Meet One Of The First ObamaCare Enrollees
Leslie Foster, a 28-year-old freelance filmmaker in Hollywood, is among the first to sign up for an insurance plan. After spending several hours browsing the California insurance “exchange” late Tuesday night—when traffic was lower and the online marketplace operated more smoothly—Mr. Foster made his choice at about 10 a.m. Wednesday.
At $62 a month in direct costs to him, the plan, offered by managed-care firm Health Net Inc., is “a great deal,” Mr. Foster said. Because he earns only about $20,000 a year doing freelance videography and odd jobs, Mr. Foster qualifies for federal subsidies that cut deep into the premiums for health plans available in the new marketplaces, which opened Tuesday morning.
More here
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https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/385890635468648448
https://twitter.com/LAHealthCOOP/status/385805619724156928
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04
Oct
13
Chat Away
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04
Oct
13
Rise and Shine
President Barack Obama participates in a video teleconference with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, in the Situation Room of the White House, Oct. 4, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern)
11:15AM: Pres. Obama and VP Biden receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
1:15PM: Press Sec. Jay Carney Briefs The Press
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ABC: President Obama Cancels Entire Asia Trip
President Obama has cancelled the rest of his trip to Asia next week, pulling out of summits in Indonesia and Brunei because of the ongoing government shutdown, the White House announced tonight.
“The president made this decision based on the difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of a shutdown, and his determination to continue pressing his case that Republicans should immediately allow a vote to reopen the government,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a written statement.
The president had planned to travel to Asia this weekend to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bali, Indonesia, and the East Asia Summit in Darussalam, Brunei.
More here
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https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/385797135876513792
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Vicki Needham: September Job’s Report Gets Pink Slip Amid Shutdown Drama
The Labor Department says it will not release the September jobs report Friday because the government remains shutdown. “Due to the lapse in funding” the Bureau of Labor Statistics will not be issuing the report as scheduled, the department said of the delay in a statement Thursday afternoon. An alternative release date has not been scheduled.
As the shutdown began Tuesday, all but three of the statistical bureau’s 2,400 employees were furloughed. Without a stage, the highly-anticipated monthly report that gauges the economy could create more problems. The lack of data could further shake already unstable financial markets that are reacting to the shutdown and looming debt limit. The Dow Jones dropped below 15,000 on Thursday and lost nearly 137 points.
More here
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Texas Tribune: Wendy Davis Makes It Official, Enters Governor’s Race
State Sen. Wendy Davis, standing on the stage where she got her high school diploma more than 30 years ago, finally announced Thursday what has been anticipated, telegraphed and talked about for weeks: She is running for Texas governor.
Davis promised to be an advocate for those who feel they no longer have a voice in the halls of the Texas Capitol, to fight for more education dollars and to take on Republicans leaders who she said are listening to their campaign contributors instead of average Texans.
More here
The Obama Diary 
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