Night Owl Chat – Rest in peace, BB

”The blues has lost its king, and America has lost a legend. B.B. King was born a sharecropper’s son in Mississippi, came of age in Memphis, Tennessee, and became the ambassador who brought his all-American music to his country and the world. No one worked harder than B.B. No one inspired more up-and-coming artists. No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues.

Three years ago, Michelle and I hosted a blues concert at the White House. I hadn’t expected that I’d be talked into singing a few lines of “Sweet Home Chicago” with B.B. by the end of the night, but that was the kind of effect his music had, and still does. He gets stuck in your head, he gets you moving, he gets you doing the things you probably shouldn’t do – but will always be glad you did. B.B. may be gone, but that thrill will be with us forever. And there’s going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight.”

– President Barack Obama

The blues are not about depression. The blues are about finding joy and life in the face of sorrow. And BB King sang about life and love. In honor of his life, a night owl chat.

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Sweet Little Angel

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The Thrill is Gone

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West Wing Week: The 50th State!

$7 Billion In Savings?! Thanks, ObamaCare

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Tara Culp-Ressler: Thanks To Obamacare, Hospitals Saved More Than $7 Billion Last Year

According to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), hospitals saved at least $7.4 billion last year, thanks in large part to reforms under Obamacare. The savings reflect a reduction in the so-called “uncompensated care” that hospitals provide to uninsured Americans, and are even greater than HHS officials predicted they would be at the beginning of this year. Since people without insurance typically don’t have any means to cover their medical bills, the cost of their treatment ends up falling on the hospital itself. Therefore, as more people gain coverage, it become less expensive for hospitals to care for their patients.

More than 16 million previously uninsured Americans have gotten covered under Obamacare, contributing to the biggest drop in the national uninsurance rate over the past four decades. The savings have been most pronounced in the states that agreed to accept Obamacare’s optional Medicaid expansion, which seeks to extend public insurance to additional low-income people. Nearly 70 percent of the savings documented in the HHS report — a total of $5 billion — occurred in the 29 states that have expanded Medicaid. And, if every state had agreed to add more people to their Medicaid rolls, their hospitals could have saved an extra $1.4 billion.

More here

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Thanks to Obamacare, hospitals saved more than $7 billion last year http://t.co/huNXwAgsBV

— Mia Farrow 💙🏳️‍🌈 🌻 (@MiaFarrow) March 23, 2015

Like other surveys, a new RAND analysis finds a 16.9 million drop in uninsured adults as the ACA went into effect.http://t.co/Kwl2r93lIw

— Larry Levitt (@larry_levitt) May 6, 2015

President delivers remarks at National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service

11:0 EDT: The President delivers remarks at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service; U.S. Capitol

Early Bird Rise and Shine

On This Day: President Barack Obama bumps fists with a child in the crowd following the ceremony honoring the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies on the South Portico of the White House, May 15, 2009 (Photo by Samantha Appleton)

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Today

11:0 EDT: The President delivers remarks at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service; U.S. Capitol

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https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/598886362503340034

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On This Day: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, his partner Diana Taylor, and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as they stand near the Virgil Wall during a tour of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, in New York, N.Y., May 15, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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MoooOOOooorning!

Night owl chat – Late happy birthday, Stevie!

Ladies and gentlemen, Stevie Wonder.

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Part Time Lover

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Living For The City