[Note for the Toronto commenter – I approved your comment, but it has disappeared.  I have no idea what happened.]

Paul Krugman notes that some health insurance companies are discovering that they have priced themselves out of the market. Too many people and businesses have come to the conclusion that they can’t afford health insurance.

Among the people who actually provide health care, CNN reports on a doctor who wanted to practice medicine, rather than fill out forms for insurance companies:

PHOENIXVILLE, Pennsylvania (CNN) — After 22 years in private practice and seeing people “kicked around by the system,” Dr. Lorna Stuart found herself frustrated with the number of insurance companies and the rules and restrictions that came with them.

“The day-to-day time that I spent on paperwork was increasing, while my patients weren’t getting the good care that I wanted to give them — face-to-face time, one-on-one time,” she recalls. “I vowed to do whatever little I could about this inequity of care.”

[Read more →]

Mea culpa. When I discussed the filibuster of the Ledbetter bill I didn’t make it clear that this was about all types of discrimination, not just based on sex. As ‘Noz, who works in the field of labor law, points out, if you want Repub votes to break the filibuster Dems need to remind them that this affects people who feel they are discriminated against because of their religion.

It doesn’t make any difference what the reason for the discrimination [sex, age, race, religion, et al.], the Supreme Court has imposed a major hurdle to an individual getting justice.

If the Republicans are concerned about a rash of law suits, they could just make the conduct a capital crime and execute a few CEOs and the practice would end, because everyone knows what a great deterrent capital punishment is. 😈

So you’ve heard about the US claims concerning the building the Israelis bombed in Syria.

The BBC reports that the UN probes US Syria reactor claim

The director general of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, has now been briefed by the US on their claims but “deplores” the delay, a statement from the agency said.

“The agency will treat this information with the seriousness it deserves and will investigate the veracity of the information,” the statement said.

The agency was critical of both the US delay in releasing the information and of Israel’s bombing of the site before the IAEA could inspect it.

Fine, but look at the picture of the building that the Beeb uses with this story, a picture of the building in question.

[Read more →]

After Jimmy Carter’s latest trip to the Middle East I fully expect to hear Republicans bringing up the law about private citizens not conducting foreign policy. For the edification of my readers here is the actual law: Logan Act

1 Stat. 613, January 30, 1799
Codified as Title 18 U.S. Code § 953 (2004).

§ 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

May as well “nip this in the bud”, as my favorite deputy used to say.

[Read more →]

Surprised Cat

Oh my!

[Editor: There is something about the shape, size, and placement of this juvenile’s eyes that makes it look like everything is a shock to her.]

Friday Ark