If the Senate bill passes, here’s what happens immediately
A quick list, because there seems to be a great deal of confusion:
Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until age 26
Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
Free preventative care for all
Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be cheap, they’re still better than total exclusion and get some benefit from a wider pool of insureds.
Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.
The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.
Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.
Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment)
remind me what’s so terrible about this–how does this bring about Armageddon again?
D called me this morning and told me our first priority of the day was to get new vibrators (both of ours have been out of commission). That said, she swooped down to my house from her Castle of Awesomeness in her Chariot of Ford, picked me up, and away we went to A Woman’s Touch.
We spent a good hour at A Woman’s Touch. Oh man, there are so many options. The staff there, incredible. They gave us free testers of lube, as it was our first time there. They answered all of our questions and when I hemmed and hawed for 25 minutes about whether to drop the mad dollas on the above piece of genius, or get a $30 toothbrush looking vibrator, they didn’t lose their patience….they offered us chocolate! So, I settled on the Nea and D bought the Lily. Essentially, they are the same, except D’s (see below) has a silicone finish (less slippery).
Selling points…they are small and are easily useable solo AND during sexo. They also have mad power and motors guaranteed for a year. The batteries last for 7 hours, and that is in between charges. That’s right, they charge like a cell phone! HUGE SELLING POINT for me and D. Your big O doesn’t get interrupted by dead batteries! I swear, it’s a baller device, and they come in cases that look like a diamond necklace should be inside. They are sweet looking, design oriented. It’s like the iPhone of vibrators (eee!), and I for one, am pleased. D will have to let us know how she likes hers.
I thought I’d try mine out solo first, but Junior the NSA dropped by and got to do the honors. It was UBER great, and now his fears of being replaced have tripled, thanks to my sweet Nea. I might be out of commission for a little while…..I’m just sayin’. Aaawwwiiiiiinkk!
i have been needing (wanting, i suppose, in the strictest sense of the word) some nice cold-weather boots for a long time now, i’d say for a few years. i figured the other day that if i’d just bitten the bullet 3 years ago and bought a nice pair for $300-$400, i’d have definitely gotten my money’s worth by this year. so i think i should do it and get some.
now, where i live, there’s no need for fancy high-heeled sexpot boots. it gets icy and disgustingly cold here, so those just aren’t practical. plus, i’d end up with deformed feet at best and a broken ankle at worst if i walked around every day in boots like those. so i like these boots i found because they are leather (they’ll wear well, be relatively warm and last a long time), and they’re practical in both a comfort and stylistic sense (flat, so relatively comfortable, and they’ll dress up nicely with tights and a skirt if i want to look nicer, but i can wear them with jeans and a jacket if i just want to be comfortable). i think i should finally do it. thoughts, anyone?
Our girl, D, just informed me that Ian’s Pizza’s Macaroni and Cheese Pizza made it onto This Is Why You’re Fat. D is a Pizza Slut and she, .m., and I definitely had our share of this very pizza while we were at good old University. This news sort of made me feel famous. Or maybe that loss of feeling in my left arm was due to the heart attack this pizza induced. Either way. Thanks, D!
.m. and I love us some ink. We’re pretty particular about what goes on our bodies, though, which is why I only have 2 thus far, and she has 3. We’re at the point where we’re both ready for another and would like to get them together. They don’t need to match (actually, would almost prefer they wouldn’t), but it would be fun if they corresponded somehow.
Oh man, that PacMan one, that just looks like swapping splooge (we don’t do that!!).
Anyways. So, we’re trying to come up with something most especially neat. Ideas would be appreciated. What would epitomize our Pinky Links friendship? We’re just not normal enough. Hello Kitty tramp stamps, butterflies, roses, and meaningless tribal designs just won’t cut it. We’re just not those kinds of girls. So what do we do?! Any ideas from our Blogamari (thanks Cupcake Heartbreak!)? From the folks we knows? From my MOM?
it happened today! the governor of Maine, John Baldacci, signed legislation legalizing gay marriage in the state! woohoo! the legislation is called LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.”
one of the cooler aspects of this particular story is how Governor Baldacci’s personal views changed after his listening to a thorough and respectful debate on the issue. “In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.”
Baldacci continued, “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage… This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State.”