Health Care Industry Full Steam Ahead In
Implementing Reform

post from ThinkProgress on 24 April 2012 09:00:03 AM. © ThinkProgress

The changes unleashed by health care reform may survive regardless of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, health care executives predict. Just like states — some of which have taken big steps to implement the measure — a growing number of industry officials say the law has “unleashed momentum for changes in the market and provided benefits” that they want to keep. “The Affordable Care Act has many component parts, and it’s likely that even if the court rules that sections of the law are unconstitutional, other sections of the law will remain in effect or be reinstated through other congressional action,” said Grand View Hospital CEO Stuart H. Fine, reflecting the growing consensus that hospitals and the health insurance industry see the ACA as the law of the land and are moving quickly to implement many of its changes.

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http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/04/24/469802/industry-aca/

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Econ 101: April 24, 2012

post from ThinkProgress on 24 April 2012 09:00:03 AM. © ThinkProgress

Welcome to ThinkProgress Economy?s morning link roundup. This is what we?re reading. Have you seen any interesting news? Let us know in the comments section. You can also follow ThinkProgress Economy on Twitter.

Allegations that Walmart bribed Mexican government officials has sparked a a Department of Justice investigation. [Bloomberg]

European austerity programs are coming under criticism as one European nation after the next falls into recession. [New York Times]

Austerity measures are leading to higher debt in European nations, according to a new analysis. [CNBC]

According to the latest Trustees’ report, Social Security can pay full benefits until 2033 and 75 percent of benefits after that, unless the program is changed. [Associated Press]

The White House and Senate Democrats are looking to close a business tax loophole in order to pay for an extension of the current interest rates on federal student loans. [Wall Street Journal]

Facebook’s profits and revenue fell in the first quarter of 2012, just weeks before the company goes public. [Financial Times]

A judge ruled yesterday that tweets written by Occupy protesters are fair game for prosecutors. [Reuters]

Common education standards adopted by most states three years ago are in the process of being implemented. [Education Week]

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/04/24/469805/econ-042412/

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April 24 News: Renewable Industry Supports
110,000 UK Jobs, Could Support 400,000 by 2020, Report Finds

post from ThinkProgress on 24 April 2012 09:00:03 AM. © ThinkProgress

A round-up of the top climate and energy news. Please post additional links below.

Renewables “help jobs and growth”: The renewable energy industry supports 110,000 jobs in the UK and could support 400,000 by 2020, a report says. [BBC]

Barack Obama has launched a new green re-election site hoping to make up with environmental voters ahead of next November’s vote. Environmentalists for Obama is aimed at organizing green voters, who have had a complicated relationship with the Obama White House. [Guardian]

The extended closure of the San Onofre nuclear plant due to safety concerns has led some to speculate ? or hope ? that the plant will be shuttered for good, but the chief nuclear officer for plant operator Southern California Edison said he doesn’t believe the problems signal the plant’s demise. [Los Angeles Times]

The UK and US will work together to develop “floating” wind turbines to harness more offshore wind power at a potentially lower cost, the government said on Monday. [Guardian]

Why is Jon Huntsman going rogue? Having utterly flopped in the Republican primaries, the former Utah governor now seems intent on trashing the party. [Daily Beast]

China?s leaders are finding it?s a lot tougher to create a world-beating electric car industry than they hoped. [Associated Press]

For seven decades, Pemex, Mexico?s state-owned oil monopoly and a mainstay of the government?s revenue, regulated itself ? which is a polite way of saying it could do pretty much as it pleased. [New York Times]

Demand for solar panels in Germany, the world?s largest market for the equipment, may hold up until the third quarter, according to the biggest builder of sun- powered plants. [Bloomberg]

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/24/469819/renewable-industry-supports-11
0000-uk-jobs-could-support-400000-by-2020-report-finds/

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On This Day In History April 24

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 24 April 2012 09:00:00 AM. © Docudharma - Front Page

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow GazetteThis is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.Find the past "On This Day in History" here. (Click on images to enlarge)April 24 is the 114th day of[...]

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http://www.docudharma.com/diary/29699/on-this-day-in-history-april-24

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Obama Campaign Has No Idea How to Inspire
Environmentalists

post from TheGreenMiles.com on 24 April 2012 08:36:00 AM. © TheGreenMiles.com

The Barack Obama campaign has apparently made a decision to run to the right of mainstream America on environmental issues. That's their choice, but if they don't want to fire up environmentalists to fight to re-elect President Obama, why are they now launching a ham-handed Environmentalists for Obama campaign?

The Obama campaign released this video in conjunction with Earth Day, but as ClimateProgress' Joe Romm points out, it makes no mention of global warming, the biggest threat to Earth's life and ecosystems. That's why I say the Obama campaign is running to the right of America - poll after poll shows a majority of Americans understand the threat posed by climate change, but the Obama campaign has apparently chosen to ignore the majority's concerns and instead woo the skeptical minority. Best of luck with that.

Also noticeably absent from President Obama's Earth Day outreach to environmentalists - wildlife. The video shows beautiful landscapes and depicts them as great habitats for mountain bikers and little else. Really? Not even a quick shot of a bald eagle, that great Endangered Species Act success story?

I was most confused and frankly insulted by the Obama campaign having their man go on and on about "energy independence." This is supposed to be the environmentalist pitch and you're talking to me not about less drilling and fewer oil spills, but about national security?

Environmentalists are ready to be fired up to re-elect President Obama. But if his campaign doesn't know how to drop the cold-blooded calculated messaging for even two minutes to inspire their base, a key opportunity could be lost.

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGreenMiles/~3/Q89fHRgXkvI/obama-campaign-has-no
-idea-how-to.html

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Cheers and Jeers: Tuesday

post from Daily Kos on 24 April 2012 08:34:16 AM. © Daily Kos

C&J Banner

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE?

24 Hours Later: Thank You!!!

You really came through in our C&J fundraiser yesterday for Netroots for the Troops. Our goal was $1,000. You dug deeper than that and donated a combined total of $2,100. Ya big-hearted lugs.

Some donor comments:

The Nation owes [our troops] a debt of gratitude---here is one small part.
Thanks for your service.
In honor of my nephew, serving in the Third Brigade at FOB Shank, Afghanistan.
Thank you for your many sacrifices.
Thank you for being there.
We remember.
May you all come home SOON and safely!
NFTT Rocks!
BiPM made me do it!

If you missed it yesterday, you can still donate by clicking here. Every little bit helps as we plan for Packing Day on June 9th at Netroots Nation in Providence. Netroots For The Troops, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization. Translation: your donation is tax-deductible.

Thanks again. I'm still working on the logistics, but one way or another I'm having all of your babies.

Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/kC1z8Zdc3P0/-Cheers-and-Jeers-Tues
day

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Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Orrin Hatch
survives his toughest hurdle in Utah

post from Daily Kos on 24 April 2012 08:01:04 AM. © Daily Kos

Want the scoop on hot races around the country? Get the digest emailed to you each weekday morning. Sign up here.Leading Off:

? UT-Sen: In case you missed it over the weekend, the state parties held their nominating conventions in Utah. The marquee event was the Utah Senate race, where various hardcore conservatives were hoping to send insufficiently right-wing Orrin Hatch down the same road as Bob Bennett in 2010 (who finished third at convention, ending his career then and there). Hatch was much better prepared than Bennett, though, and going into Saturday the real question wasn't whether he'd survive the convention but whether he'd clear the 60% needed to win the nomination outright and avoid a primary.

In the end, he didn't, despite most polls showing he would: he got 59.2%, forcing him into a primary with second-place finisher ex-state Sen. Dan Liljenquist. Hatch remains the favorite here, given that the June 26 primary is a broader, less doctrinaire slice of the population. We hadn't given much thought to who his Democratic opponent would be, but the name less familiar to the netroots (though probably more familiar to Dems on the ground in Utah) won: former state Sen. Scott Howell won the nomination outright against tech businessman (and 2006 Senate race loser) Pete Ashdown.

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/qAPLu2ZFt-Y/-Daily-Kos-Elections-M
orning-Digest-Orrin-Hatch-survives-his-toughest-hurdle-in-Utah

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Ozzie Guillen and the Electoral College

post from Occasional Planet on 24 April 2012 08:00:31 AM. © Occasional Planet

Florida Marlin manager Ozzie Guillen voiced some opinions on Cuban leader Fidel Castro and was immediately suspended by Major League Baseball for five games. Among his words were, ?I love Fidel Castro. I respect Fidel Castro, you know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but [...]Related posts:

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http://www.occasionalplanet.org/2012/04/24/ozzie-guillen-and-the-electoral-colleg
e/

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Please thank the Catholic church for throwing the
US election to Obama

It's that time, every four years, when the Catholic leadership tries to throw the US elections to the Republicans.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called for two weeks of public protest in June and July against what it sees as growing government encroachment on religious freedom.

The protests are expected to include priests and nuns and thousands of Catholic parishioners. Some activists expect civil disobedience, which could lead to powerful images of priests and nuns being led away in hand restraints.

Can't be long now until they start cutting off communion to Democrats.

I always get a kick out of two things when the Catholic leadership tries to influence US elections on behalf of Republicans.

1. That the Catholic leadership actually acts as if it still has any moral authority whatsoever after aiding and abetting, and continuing to cover up, the decades-long serial rape of children; and

2. That it pretends to represent some huge Catholic constituency when it views don't even represent a majority of US Catholics. Meaning, if you want to do the bidding of American Catholics, watch these people protest then do the opposite of what they're asking for.

Key findings from the [PPP] survey include:

-57% of Catholic voters support the new policy President Obama announced yesterday allowing women who work for religiously-affiliated hospitals and universities to receive coverage for prescription birth control without requiring Catholic institutions to pay for the coverage directly. Only 29% oppose the policy because they believe it still goes too far in requiring birth control coverage; additionally 5% oppose it because they think Catholic hospitals and universities should be required to pay for this coverage. Catholic women are particularly positive toward the policy, with 59% of them expressing support.

-With the inclusion of President Obama?s solution for religiously-affiliated institutions, Catholics favor the requirement that health plans cover prescription birth control by a margin of 54% to 42%. Catholic Democrats (80% - 17%) favor the requirement by virtually the same margin that Catholic Republicans (16% - 79%) oppose it; significantly, politically independent Catholics favor the requirement by an 18-point margin (56% to 38%). Catholic women also favor it by an 18-point margin, while Catholic men favor it by a 4-point margin.

But even better? The more the fringe Catholic leadership rabble-rouses on this issue, the more it actually hurts Romney, according to PPP:

-This issue has the potential to cause Mitt Romney trouble with Catholic voters in the fall. 51% say they side with Barack Obama on this issue, while only 38% prefer
Romney?s position. Hispanic Catholics, a group Romney must make in roads with, go with Obama 59/32 on the policy and Catholic women do so by a 54/35 margin. Catholics ave been a key swing voting group in recent elections, supporting George W. Bush in 2004 and then Obama in 2008. Obama?s even-handed approach on this issue has him positioned well with Catholics for the fall.

And it may just throw control of the US House to Democrats, again from PPP:

-Congressional Republicans risk losing their majority in the House and squandering any opportunities in the Senate by continuing attacks on the popular birth control benefit.

The trick here for the Obama administration, and campaign, is to make sure that any stories about the Catholic protests explain WHY people are protesting - namely, the Obama birth control benefit policy that most Catholics agree with.

As for the protests themselves, someone needs to counter-protest with a group of five year old boys holding signs saying "you lost your moral authority when you covered up my rape." The only way to chasten the Catholic leadership is for them to know that every single time they try to force all Americans to live under Catholic doctrine Americans will be reminded that these are the same people who to this day still protect child rapists.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Americablog/~3/wzDqqF29e_I/please-thank-catholic-c
hurch-for.html

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Morning CheckUp: April 24, 2012

The next health care overhaul? Look to employers: “If the Supreme Court strikes down President Barack Obama’s health care law, employers and insurance companies — not the government — will be the main drivers of change over the next decade and maybe even longer. They’ll borrow some ideas from Obamacare, and push harder to cut costs.” [AP]

California’s working poor would lose a lot if health reform law dies: “If the healthcare reform law is thrown out by theU.S. Supreme Court ? as many fear could happen based on the comments of conservative justices ? more than 700,000 low-income Californians could lose a once-in-a-lifetime chance to obtain affordable health insurance.” [LA Times]

Al Franken defends health reform: “Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) waded into an old partisan debate Monday when he wrote that skeptics of the 2010 healthcare law might simply not have the right facts. “I ask the American people not to fall victim to disinformation. There are no death panels. The Affordable Care Act cuts the deficit,” he wrote. [The Hill]

Planned Parenthood targeted as Ohio considers grant restrictions: “Ohio lawmakers are considering a budget provision like one that caused five of six Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas to lose funding and, the group says, left poor women without access to preventive health care.” [Bloomberg]

Most hospitals expect health reform to cut revenue: “About 55 percent of hospitals are bracing for a decline in revenue because of health care reform, according to a new survey.” [Cincy Biz Blog]

G.A.O. calls test project by Medicare costly waste: “Medicare is wasting more than $8 billion on an experimental program that rewards providers of mediocre health care and is unlikely to produce useful results, federal investigators say in a new report.” [NY Times]

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/04/24/469798/morning-checkup-april-24-2012/

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