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Jason: Affordable Care For The Self-Employed
The day I finally got affordable health insurance, I practically ran through the streets yelling the good news. I wanted everyone in Atlanta to know that I was covered. Up until that moment, having insurance had been a constant uphill battle. My struggle to find affordable care began in 2012. I underwent an MRI and the results showed an anomaly in my brain. Following the procedure, I went through a bunch of tests to determine whether it was malignant. Thankfully, doctors assured me that it was benign, and I thought the worst was over. But the MRI results began to follow me. Health insurance companies didn’t care that it was benign—they used it as a reason to deny me coverage.
That’s why I signed up for health insurance through the new marketplace as soon as I possibly could, not only for my peace of mind, but for the good of my business. I chose a gold plan with a $2,500 deductible. It was an incredible feeling that, months later, still hasn’t gone away. I feel like being self-employed no longer means having to fend for myself. Since I got affordable care, my business has grown. I’ve been able to use the savings on my health insurance to hire part-time analysts and assistants to help. As a self-employed person, I feel like I’m finally on a level playing field with my friends who work at large companies with good health care plans.
More here
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Getting covered was one of the best business decisions Jason ever made: ofa.bo/e0dd #ThisIsWhy
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Obamacare (@obamacare) August 15, 2014
The Obama Diary 
Le sigh.
Le Lamps!1!1!
We got tied in a form which makes football the amazing game it is. YOU coughed up a 3-1 lead.
Congrats LL. You and Chips seem to be having a rough football Sunday!
Thank you NW for persistently spreading the #ObamaCare good news!!!
Le sigh times 2.
Thanks, Bob.
Lovely initiative !
Thank yoooooooou Nerdy, endlessly excellent Obamacare coverage!!!
You’re welcome.
ObamaCare is roaring ahead unlike some team that wears red and flamed out today.
*Ahem* Do you happen to know the name of the aforementioned team, Chiparoo? I believe it’s spelled Manchester Uni – LOSERS – ted.
Grr.
/runs
Frank is awesome. I wish him well.
Chelsea is top. Manchester United is the laughingstock.
“March of the Peace” in Moscow: activists say from 10K to 50K participate, official count – only 5K.
Anyway, real patriots came and expressed their position on horrible events in Ukraine.
Russians ask: “Forgive us, Ukraine”. In response, we should say that from now we will use expressions “Putin’s war” and “Kremlin’s aggression” instead of “Russian war/aggression”. Russian citizens deserve it as they are not guilty of actions made by their dictator President Putin.
Looks like SOS Kerry prevented a civil war……..queue the success story breaking on the cables 3…2…1…..who am I kidding?
“…We acknowledge the hard work of many Afghans who made this historic outcome possible, to include the extraordinary effort of the ANSF to provide security. We thank the international community for its mobilization of observers and the unprecedented deployment of United Nations advisors and elections expertise. Finally, we also recognize President Karzai for his strong leadership over the past 13 years, which yielded many gains for the Afghan people, culminating in the first democratic and peaceful transfer of leadership in Afghanistan’s history.
There were serious allegations of extensive fraud during the election, resulting in an unprecedented 100% audit of all ballots. We join the candidates in deploring any fraud in the electoral process, especially any that was committed by those in the electoral institutions who were most responsible for protecting Afghans’ democratic aspirations. Strong efforts were made to conduct a thorough audit, and the audit process was able to identify fraud that was significant in both scope and sophistication. However, there were limitations to the technical audit process in revealing the full extent of the fraud. The candidates and many observers have raised legitimate concerns about irregularities in the electoral process. Despite best efforts, not all of these grievances were – or could be – resolved by the audit. Nonetheless, the final outcome of the election process is legitimate and the results will be transparent. Although the candidates had disputes and serious reservations with the process that could not be resolved, they agreed for the good of the country to resolve the harmful political uncertainty and abide by the outcome of the election. For this reason, the new administration has made electoral reform one of its chief priorities – a goal we support.”
We look forward to an inauguration of the new president and the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer, the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO SOFA, and to deepening our enduring partnership with the Afghan people as we support the new government’s reform agenda.
Great report, LP.
#TrustBarack
TY, Bob. I found this development today & the process leading up to this outcome so underreported it’s a shame. The significance can’t be underscored. Both candidates have already agreed to sign the AUMF that Karzai refused to, and I feel the same way about the success of President Obama getting Maliki out of power whitewashed in the same manor.
Thanks LP for posting this. Without you, Bob, other dedicated TODers, and tweets from @StateDept, we wouldn’t know anything about the miraculous work that SOS Kerry continues perform on the world stage – tirelessly…thanklessly….
My pleasure, HF!
Side note: I got my acronyms mixed up in a reply to Bob…meant SOFA not AUMF…..too busy trying watch Colts game & multi-task….BBL
I am crossing my fingers.
I don’t get why the voting results must be kept secrete.
WTG SoS Kerry. Give Peace A Chance.
Eventually, Nena, the results will likely be made public. For now, the concern is that announcing the margin of victory could incite violence among Abdullah’s supporters.
OK…..Thanks Doc.
The reason is that Abdullah Abdullah claims the recount committee did not follow the rules of throwing out questionable ballots, therefore citing the numbers legitimizes a false count. He believes firmly that he won. And I am inclined to agree since he had 46% and large margin over Gani before the revote.
All true, Bill. As noted above, in the reports I’ve read, the primary, immediate reason for not releasing the numbers is the fear that doing so would trigger a violent reaction from Abdullah’s supporters. What’s going to matter in the days/weeks ahead are how quickly Ghani and Abdullah begin convincing Afghans that they are working effectively to improve quality of life. They’ve got a hard road ahead, but they do have an opportunity to begin building a stable society.
And of course, Danielle le DCPlod is just chuffed. But:
“For several years now, sports fans of a certain cast of mind have been declaring their intention to quit watching professional football, on moral grounds. What cast of mind is this? A rare or, perhaps, hypocritical one, to judge by the numbers, which show ever-higher TV ratings for the N.F.L., in spite of the drumbeat of grim news from neurological labs, trainers’ tables, and police blotters. Evidently, unease has emboldened only those whose allegiance to the gridiron was notional in the first place. Either that or all the discussion of modern-day gladiators has produced a rubbernecking effect, in which we keep tuning in to see if the decline of the nation’s most popular form of entertainment is finally upon us. (It is not—yet.)
The trouble with football-related brain injury is one of abstraction. The real damage is separated by years from the jarring (but thrilling) impact that we watch in real time—and, even then, it’s a game of odds. Nearly thirty per cent of players, by the league’s recent admission, will suffer from accelerated cognitive impairment. Yet, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, N.F.L. veterans still live longer, on average, than the general population. (They are wealthier, for one thing, and in some senses healthier—less prone to respiratory and digestive diseases, less likely to commit suicide, even.)…
…There was, on the other hand, nothing abstract about the recently released video of the Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his fiancée, Janay Palmer, in a casino elevator, last February. The fact that they have since married changes nothing about the appalling act of violence, or the gut sense that there ought to be no room in public life for a man who carries out such an act, and no pleasure derived from watching him put such strength to less harmful use. It has become one of those clarifying moments, after which it is no longer possible to immerse oneself in a fog of ambiguity. Another video, released seven months ago, showed Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of the elevator, and was somehow not enough….
…The death of football, according to the declinist scenario, would have to originate with women—mothers who, having read the medical findings, would forbid their sons to play Pop Warner, which in turn would reduce the teen-age ranks aspiring to play under the lights on Friday night, and so on up the chain. That’s a slow process, but disgust with the organization is bound to speed it up. Women are also increasingly angered by the response to domestic violence; in recognition of that, Goodell announced last week that the N.F.L. will earmark some of its profits to help fund abuse hot lines. A league that boasts that some forty-four per cent of its fans are women has to do much more than dress its players in pink for breast-cancer-awareness month to convince those fans that “the best thing on television,” as Leslie Moonves, the head of CBS, put it last week, is family-friendly. Suddenly, the people who talk about abandoning football seem almost to mean it.”
We might have to watch “REAL” football. Who would I cheer for? 😎
Which guy takes his shirt off the most, that’s how I’ll choose.
🙂
Great to see you posting, CaroMae!
Thanks Bob. Good to start catching up. Good to read your posts too. Sounds like very good needs in ME and SOS Kerry today. Did the Secret Service give any reason for the lax reaction to the fence jumper?
Haven’t seen any of their excuses yet, Carol. And, I could care less about what they say except for the part about what they will do the next time someone jumps the fence.
Agreed!
The Denver vs. Seahawks game should be a good one. I have a feeling your boy Peyton has had this one marked on the calender since the SuperBowl, and Seattle doesn’t look as proficient as last year….I watched the Chargers game last week and was not impressed. My prediction…Carol’s Broncos 34….Richard Sherman’s Hawks 26
My Colts are finally looking like a professional team after 1rst 2 week debacle….up 30-0 halftime, but we are playing the Jaguars 😀
I hope you’re right. Closing the iPad now to go watch. We can’t be any worse than we were at Super Bowl.
Great to “see” you CarolMae – hope all is better with the eyes
Eyes are great, vertigo gone, other stuff I’m working on. I came here just to post to you tonight.
And if our PM would believe in global warming & support other than fossil fuel – it would be really good.
So nice to see you back – take care.
😊
CarolMae!!!!! Hello!
Hello! 😻
Hello!
Oh my dear friend, how are you?
Well, at least Lewis Hamilton is back in the F1 lead, and Nico Rosberg was a DNF.
It always has been.
The nitpickers do for they Have Nothing……..Nada……Zero…..None…..Zippo…..Zilch…..to add.
So they name call, distort, lie, cheat and use the Media as their propaganda echo chamber.
Exactly…
Thanks Nerdy for your tireless efforts to highlight the benefits of the ACA.
This self-employed woman thanks you!
Unfortunately this self-employed woman also has to work Sundays 🙂 Bye for now….
Thanks, MadameSoph.
Have a great day.
Love ACA Post NW. Thank you.
Au ⭐ for LL.
SoS is meeting with Iran Official at 2:15 PM EDT in NY today.
Thanks, Nena.
The Cop on the right , his eyes say it all 😉
What? Seriously?
Be afraid ISIS terrorists….be VERY afraid….
Uh Oh terrorists – R.I.P.
Good west coast morning, TOD! Greetings from Las Vegas!
Should be underway now ….
Important ….
Something might be coming down the pike when President Obama’s shows up on Tuesday. Iran has a chance to make a deal in the next few days.
Hi Don, we can hope for a deal but I think it unlikely to happen this week. Would be great if it does. They may need all the time up to the Nov deadline.
Good response Bob. Khameniei.ir just demonstrated some intellectually lazy thinking – something you would expect of the US Media. I hope he reads (and heeds) your tweet! 🙂
Let’s hope so, hf2. He is dealing with the first ever, American President who has the moral and intellectual capacity to change the fundamental nature of the relationship between Iran (Persia) & the United States. The five US leaders who I think would make outstanding US Presidents and would likely continue such an historical and essential change are VP Biden, Gov O’Malley, Gov Patrick, Senator Warren & Ambassador Power (who, unfortunately, is Constitutionally prohibited from running).
And the timing just may be right. It is hard to imagine much good coming from ISIL but the world just may unite against them. Thank heavens PBO started his overtures as soon as he was elected. We would not be having the discussions that are taking place today but for him. I agree with your list but I’m not sure any of them would have taken it as far as PBO has with his never ending perseverance.
Agree, Foxfire. My list is of those who I think have the moral and intellectual capacity to follow in PBO’s foot steps. Whether any of them would have had the capacity to initiate we will never know.
Thank You TOD Ambassador, Doc Bobfr 😉
Best Tweet today.
Wow……May There Be Peace.
Imagine 😉
International Day of Peace. The Sun moves into Libra tomorrow 9/22/14 at 10:29pmEDT (7:29pmPDT) marking the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Vernal Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. The Moon will conjunct the Sun at 1.08 Libra on Wednesday 9/24/14 at 2:14amEDT (11:14pmPDT on 9/23/14). And, Pluto turns stationary direct at 8:34pmEDT 11.00 in the sign of Capricorn. (Pluto represents the Underworld of Darkness. In the human spirit as well. But all things must come into the Light to be recognized and dealt with. The Shadows cannot exist forever. They know it. We all know it. That doesn’t make it any less frightening or dangerous.) Blessings, many blessings. We live in powerful times. Thank you, President Obama, for leading the way to the mountaintop.
Thank you MP.
First Afghanistan and now Yemen ….
Peace 😉
Thanks NW for not putting me in moderation. 😊 communication works great.
I agree with Jason, pre-existing conditions affect a lot of people. It’s a relief.
Partly cloudy day in The Wood. A/C isn’t on. Watching BBC2. Life is good.
Hmmmmmm. Good afternoon/night, TODobots! I glided down the front page for a quick overview of the day’s posts, and the first thing I noticed was that the Blog Queen was now resorting to threats. smh… Quite sad!
LOL!!!! You’re asking for a miracle Bob!
It was my nice way to tell McCrash just how full of it he is …. 🙂
Superb article and a must read. Jim Wright is brilliant, as usual.
Hello TOD. It’s been a very busy day and just in last few minutes have I been able to check in and try to catch-up. Interesting when I saw the beginning of this thread and Jason’s story because I had just read a link provided on our local NBC station Facebook page. After reading just the headline, I took a deep breath and read the comments. Typical “Obummer” hate in full force. You can imagine so I don’t need to say any more. I am going to share the link. I predict that this is going to mightly stir the pot when this gets fully into the news cycle. It has to do with the tax credits people took when they signed up for health insurance. This will really stir up the right–it includes Obamacare and the IRS and “the government.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/tompor/2014/09/21/susan-tompor-tax-refunds-will-be-cut-for-some-who-get-health-credits/15958211/
We best get prepared and I sure hope the administration is prepared!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Don,
PBO just sent a text saying he doesn’t appreciate your constantly dissing his game soccer! 🙂
Talk about unintended consequences ….
“Several days earlier a 7-unit tank group ended up under the same kind of attack. All the tanks were destroyed, together with their crews.
The Russian command naturally tried to hide the fact that their servicemen died, as well as the fact that the Russians are being mass-murdered by ‘brave Novorossiya soldiers.’
Meanwhile, however, it looks like such things cannot be hidden. This is what the soldiers are writing to their families, who already know for sure where their husbands and sons are and what the hell they are doing there:
“In Debaltsevo, this is not the first time Novorossiya mercenaries have been attack us with artillery fire. Of course, they can sign off the losses as a miscalculation, but we were surrounded by a steppe. Within the past few days the mercenaries, the terrorists, violated the ceasefire over 40 times. They are shooting directly at our Russian (!) columns, and demanding help from the Russian government in determining the status of their bandit republic.””
Vlad’s boys aren’t happy and Vlad can’t keep a lid on it, either.
Bob, the part that’s really amazes me is that these Russian soldiers expected anything else but ferocious resistance. They can sniff at the idea of a “bandit” republic, but this is the Ukrainian forces home and they have a right to defend it. By being there in the first place, they (the Russians), not Ukrainians, are violating the peace treaty. I guess hypocrisy doesn’t bother Russians anymore than it does Republicans.
that’s amazing.
Imagine 😉
Impressive!
I’m not a fan of Scott Pelley and haven’t watched 60 Minutes in ages but scheduled it to record tonight. He is in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, to interview the Peshmerga about their fight against ISIL. Could be interesting. I have a friend here from Kurdistan, most of his family remains in Iraq, and he is so proud of their fight.
Nerdy’s tweets:
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/09/21/an-afternoon-laugh-or-two/
I hope that this is what Putin is afraid of……it can ONLY lead to a better Peaceful resolution in Ukraine.
Science! Blinded Me 😉 with Science!