Bliz

(Haven't ever read the whole long quote, let alone the article linked.)

Yeah, I suspect that it's possible that the biggest impact the law will have, will be to make shopping more transparent. Between allowing people to make apples to apples comparisons, to allowing them to switch carriers without a penalty, I think it should do a whole lot to encourage private market competition.

I will also observe, though, that that might not be all good. With everybody competing on the exchanges, we all know that they're going to be competing on price. Who has the cheapest plan at the "silver" level, or whatever?

 

I've seen the impact of such "price is the only factor" competition when I was with a small computer store.  Everything got sacrificed in the name of the lowest price.  Companies that used to have carry-in, three year warranties, went to one year warranties, "you have to ship it back to us for service" warranties, and then "call India, spend four hours with them troubleshooting your own computer, and then India will ship you the part.  When it comes in, call India again, and they'll talk you through replacing your own parts, yourself" 

 

Now days, I see that computers come with 90 day warranties. 

 

Want another place to look?  Look at what "price-only" competition has done to air travel. 

 

Companies are going to be under tremendous pressure to cut every corner they can, to fight for lower prices.  Anything they can do, to still just barely meet the legal minimum coverage (on paper). 

 

In short, I anticipate both good and bad consequences, from this new-found competition. 

 

I like to think that the market will support companies that offer quality.  But I've seen enough to know that it isn't guaranteed. 

The Exchange will also have information on customer satisfaction and other things that will give people the option to make choices based on things other than price.  But air travel and healthcare are not an apples to apples comparison.

I probably quoted too much of the article.  It's not much longer than my post.  Give it a read. 

one way they cut costs is to make the provider network smaller, so much for keeping your Dr or care provider if they are not in-network.

another is covered procedures....The NYT's even had a decent write up on it.

some very large hospital systems are not going to be in-network

 

 

unless you pay for it

That may be so.  But is that necessarily a bad thing?

If your preferred doc is too expensive and gets bad results, then is it a bad result that they are no longer in network, and you will have to pay more to use them?  Obviously not the product we were sold, and just a long-term effect this guy predicts.  But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

I love that I explain to you why Obamacare is a fail, you spit out the same reasoning as to why it is a fail, but somehow don't realize it's a fail.

 

People will only be able to afford the CHEAP option.

The Quality option will be unaffordable.

 

As time goes on it will be like the rich and the poor.  The gap between the cheap pricing and the quality pricing will greatly divide.

Insurance companies don't want sick people, they want health people. 

 

I like how you "get it" it just doesn't register.

You really should consider reading the linked article.

Thought this was a very smart take on the anticipated effects of Obamacare (and that this was a more appropriate thread for this article, since everything on the front page right now is about Obamacare as it pertains to the govt shutdown/slimdown/showdown/budgetgate or whatever)

The comparison shopping, and ease of purchase, is going to be the first thing that really hits anyone who has ever bought in the individual market. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2013/10/01/4-ways-new-exchanges-will-radically-alter-health-insurance/
 

Until now, buying health insurance has been a daunting task for most individuals and small businesses. But purchasing health insurance through exchanges will more closely resemble booking a vacation on Expedia or Orbitz. People using this vehicle to enroll will see lots of options, common features among the offerings, and greater transparency around price, quality and consumer ratings.

...

 

1. Exchanges will transform how individuals purchase health insurance
Buying health insurance on the individual market has been confusing. Individuals could search the Internet and shop from multiple carriers and insurance plans. However, with so much variation in plan design and coverage benefits, comparison shopping has been nearly impossible.

 

Once shoppers found the insurance plan they liked, they were then required to submit extensive personal information and undergo medical underwriting. Insurers that spotted pre-existing conditions often denied the applicant’s request for coverage. And whenever people on an existing plan wanted to upgrade, they repeated the entire process and faced being denied expanded coverage.

 

The existing health insurance process might remind shoppers of booking a vacation through a travel agent. Shoppers are presented with few options, little transparency and higher costs (premiums) due to broker fees.

 

Further, insurance companies who sell policies on the individual market often compete by trying to avoid “high-risk” enrollees. Insurance executives understand that a small percentage of patients account for most of the total health care cost. Through their extensive underwriting practices, insurance companies have gotten good at identifying individuals who are likely to need frequent medical care in the future, especially those with chronic disease. By denying coverage to these patients, insurance companies limit their risk, reduce their claims costs and increase their profits. This has made their shareholders very happy.

The ACA, also called “Obamacare,” changes the rules of the game.

 

This legislation requires that insurance companies extend coverage to all Americans, regardless of health status. Furthermore, most individuals who buy coverage through the exchange will be able to select from a relatively common set of benefits and have more transparent access to cost and quality data.

These improvements will change what it takes for health insurers to “win” the game. Rather than focusing on risk avoidance, insurance companies will need to compete at the delivery-system level, where care is provided. If things play out as many hope, the exchanges will dramatically expand insurance coverage. Exchanges may also become the new battleground where care providers compete to offer the best quality, service and price.

2. Exchanges will transform how small-group health insurance is purchased
Small-business owners who choose to cover all of their employees have had to meet a variety of regulatory requirements. Because most small businesses have limited in-house expertise on health benefits, they typically depend on brokers to guide them through the process. The cost of the broker’s service can add 5 to 10 percent to the total cost of the premium. Providing multiple insurance plan options raises the costs even further. That’s why many employees at small businesses are often limited to one plan. Further, if the employer decides to shift coverage from one insurance carrier to another, the employees may not be aware of the changes in benefits until they require care. This can result in individuals having to change physicians based on the company’s available network.

 

The federally mandated small-business exchanges will eliminate many of these issues. Similar to the individual market, these small-business exchanges will offer employees of small businesses a choice. They’ll receive a relatively standardized set of plan options and greater transparency on quality and cost. Most significantly, employers will see an expanded choice of insurance carriers and lower transactional costs, resulting in reduced premiums.

 

3. Exchanges will be a “disruptive innovation”
Similar to what has already happened in travel, retail and finance, once online options are made available, health care will be disrupted. The transformation will happen in stages.

 

Initially, three groups will purchase coverage through the exchanges: those who are currently uninsured, those individuals whose current coverage is not compliant with the requirements of the ACA, and owners of small businesses wanting to streamline the process of providing insurance to their employees. But over time, the advantages of the exchanges as compared to current options will make progressively larger groups of purchasers more interested in using this approach – through either government-sponsored or private exchanges.

 

At first, some of the larger businesses may be reluctant to join. They may suspect the overall population insured through exchanges will be sicker than their current employees. They will worry that their rates will go up if they switch. But over time, the advantages of low transactional costs, more insurance options and relatively stable premiums will entice new companies to join. And once this happens, the risk pool will stabilize, rates will decrease and it will be only a matter of time until most Americans obtain their insurance coverage in this way.

4. Insurers will demand better performance from care providers 
Health care providers – doctors, hospitals and integrated delivery systems – will be forced to compete at a higher level for their patients in the future. Why? Because patients will enjoy greater transparency – knowing which providers offer the best quality, service and price. And because insurers won’t be able to manipulate the risks involved with insuring more people, they’ll look to providers to improve performance.

 

In most communities today, regardless of the insurance products offered, the list of doctors and hospitals offered in each provider network is virtually the same. As a consequence, competition among insurance companies is less about medical care delivery and more about their own administrative expenses and customer service. Today, once the relative health risk among the different insurance companies is factored out, the difference in price and health outcomes is relatively small.

 

In the future, to stay competitive, insurers will need to increase value for their customers. They’ll do so by including in their networks only those physicians and hospitals that provide higher quality at a lower cost. This will require providers to improve the processes and outcomes of the care they deliver.

This shift in competition will begin a virtuous cycle. The lower cost, higher-quality insurance plans will attract more people. A growing membership base will give them greater leverage to demand increased efficiency, higher quality and superior outcomes from doctors and hospitals in their networks. This, in turn, will result in further market-share growth as more consumers see the value.

 

And over time insurers that offer the best value – rather than those who enroll the healthiest individuals – will dominate. And of course, the physicians who are both efficient and able to demonstrate better outcomes will gain the most contracts and attract more patients.

 

Don’t expect to see these changes unfold today or on Jan. 1.

 

Expect Jan. 1 to be only the beginning of industry-wide transformation. It will take time for every state to work through the operational and technical challenges associated with the exchanges. And it will take a few more years for the exchanges to drive the necessary systemwide improvements. But once in place, this Expedia-like service will be the preferred route for individuals and small businesses. And we can expect that – similar to travel, retail and finance – once Americans go down this path, they won’t want to go back.

 

Yeah I did not last long.

Suicide league thread

Seems to me judging by all of her pictures online that her life revolves around alcohol. Every picture she either has a bottle in her hand or a shirt with the brand of alcohol on it. Add in her online username, well I think we can see where this is going.

You also have to remember that what you are seeing has gone through two selection processes to push that narrative. 

She has this vodka samm thing when she's drinking.  I've certainly known more than one person with "drunk persona" things that are funny among friends.  And what sorts of pictures is she going to put on a "vodka samm" twitter feed?  Ones of her in a modest outfit going to church?  Of course not.  Pictures with bottles/drinks, and alcohol-branded clothes.  Then it's being edited through again, when Huffington decides which pictures to post along with the story.  Again, not every picture from her twitter feed, just the ones that best feed the narrative.

I'm not saying you're entirely wrong.  But it's a shaky foundation to make judgments about her life revolving around alcohol more than the average college student's does.

I saw this yesterday and forgot to post it.

 

Brutal.

Roger Goodell has just fined #34 his allowance for a month for the cheap shot at 0:25.

That's about 30x more real than the CGI stuff that gets thrown around these days.

Seriously.  That costume is awesome.

I wonder how long it took before this guy noticed that the Falcons logo looks like an "F"

How are you watching the wire. Meaning what service?

I'm currently watching Mad Men. Still on season one. I'm not eating it up the same way I did SOA and Breaking Bad but it's good. Lots of other shows on my DVR that take up most of my TV time.

I think the only time I watch live TV anymore is when I'm watching a sporting event.

I'm currently watching The Wire as well.  S2 Ep 2 up next.  I borrowed from a friend who has the series on DVD. 

Not sure about other providers, but HBO's OnDemand lineup on DirecTV is awesome.  As far as I can tell, it's every episode of every series they've ever done, new or old.  The Wire, Oz, Band of Brothers, Sopranos, Game of Thrones...everything.  I'll be ordering it for a month or two soon to watch S3 of Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire.

Has anyone watched Orange is the New Black?

I've been hearing good things.

There are a lot of people who run out in front of cars to sue the driver for insurance money in Russia, so people are buying Dash Cams to protect themselves.

 

Something like this happened to a friend of mine.  When she was 16 she was driving near a VA hospital in Tampa, and a guy in a wheelchair wheeled himself right out in front of her car and she hit him.  SHe was hysterical of course, no clue what to do.  Lucky for her someone who worked at the VA saw the whole thing and came to her rescue.  Apparently the wheelchair guy was well-known to the folks at the VA for pulling this scam often, and the witness basically told the guy to hit the road and leave her alone. 

Desperate times, I guess. 

Well it worked.  Didn't find any loose wires and the sensors were plenty clean.  I unplugged it (apparently these problems are sometimes electrical and fixed with a reset), increased the force with which it opens the door, plugged it back in and it worked fine.

Unplugging and plugging back in is the duct tape of the 21st century.  Fixes just about anything.

It may be an issue with one of the folding panels being bent for some reason or one of the bars connecting the panels.  I had this happen when I accidently pulled out of the garage with my tailgate open.  I bent one of the panels so it wouldn't go down all the way.   I just hammered it out (gently) with rubber mallet.  It worked, just my garage door makes some loud noises when it's closing.

Interesting.  There is a small dent on the top panel, from when someone with lumber or something sticking out of the back of a pickup truck backed too far into my driveway.  But that happened a few years ago and this is a recent problem.  Still, possible it could have gotten a little worse.  Did that bend prevents yours from working manually?  I can open mine manually without any problem. 

Hmm, thats weird...quick google search seems to think its the sensors...but also it seems like most people have the problem when trying to close the door not open it. 

Yeah, I saw that too.  It is weird.

I'm going to try taking a closer look at the sensors tonight just to make sure that they're clean and that there aren't any loose wires.  I don't think that's the source of my problem though.  I should probably just unplug it and plug it back in.  The classic fix...

Anyone have experience with garage door openers?

On 1 of ours, the opener will only work if you press and hold the button wired in the garage until the door is all the way open.  A quick press and release (which used to work fine) and the door will only go up about a foot, then it stops suddenly.  Pressing and holding the button in the car does not work.  I've unlocked the garage door and manually opened and closed, and it goes smoothly and there aren't any areas where I feel like I'm forcing it.  No obstructions, and the sensors are lined up fine.  Press and release to close the door works fine.

Any suggestions before I bite the bullet and pay someone to come out and try to fix it?

It's both.

 

These two female Russian athletes kissed on the winners podium to protest their country's anti-gay propaganda law.

maybe, maybe not.

http://news.msn.com/pop-culture/russian-runners-kiss-athletes-say-it-was-celebratory

That was just painful.

She had zero independent knowledge or thought, and pretty much no information at all about him or his book, other than the author's name and religion. 

Compare and contrast:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-july-17-2013/reza-aslan

Trailer for the new movie from Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity", looks awesomely terrifying.  I am a HUGE fan of his last movie, Children of Men.  Love his style for shooting action scenes like this.  This trailer is a 2 minute single shot. 

Letter from candidate for VT homecoming queen to Sub Pop records.  Wow, lol. 

But what really gets me...maybe even more than the fact that this person clearly has no clue who Nirvana is...is the stationary.

http://subpop.tumblr.com/post/56280869076/earlier-today-in-the-sub-pop-mailbag-we-received

it seemed to get smaller no matter what I did.

80s hottie thread

People who run onto the field are idiots.  And selfies are a little lame.  But somehow the two combined...

And a vine of her doing it:

This was at the final game of the college world series. 

Donald Trump gets owned in Twitter battle with Danny Zucker, writer for Modern Family:

 

http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/06/donald-trump-twitter-feud-with-modern-family/

 

(Linked because of some language.)

Oh my god that was tremendous.  This one might be his best:

Break out your periodic table:

(or you can read the explanation here, but it has some language.  http://totalfratmove.com/this-is-100-the-best-yearbook-quote-youll-read-all-year/

But because you're in a wheelchair, you get a 7 out of 10 for creativity. I know, I'm a buzzkill.

 

As for advancing the thread though:

I think you need to delete that one for being the pic equivalent of circumventing the profanity filters, which would give you "mother****er" instead of with just one asterisk in the middle.

Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card email advertisement said:

 

 

Eating out earns you 2 times the points

okay, not from a forum post, but a piece of junk email I just got...