Today, healthcare, next, education. Local control is killing our prospects.

Yes, look at the reprecussions Texas is having on education.

Not sure what you mean Eric-2189088. My two High School aged children go to public Texas schools and my oldest is on track either to enter one of the military academies or TA&M. I am EXTREMELY pleased with the performance of Texas public education. In fact, I would put it against ANY school ANYWHERE. My oldest son (Junior in High school) is in advanced Calculus classes and I am ashamed to say that I can no longer help him with his homework - lol. He is teaching me differentiation. How sad is that? And I prided myself on being fairly intelligent. Anyway - all Texas schools are not bad - some are FANTASTIC.

Typical of our Medicare Medicaid fraud perpetuater governor Dick Scott. Stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye in 2014 Scott, after you pull your head out of you ass maybe you can wipe your face off with some scott tissue.

I am in Alabama..sigh. Need I say more?

Since many States are going bankrupt thank to force union contract full of entitlement for state employees & now present administration pushing for total government control over all, why should the states bother kissing the demo-socialist behinds & fill their friend coffers.

Interesting list. Divided between states that will give half a damn about citizens' heath and put out some effort, and those that don't give a sh*t and are crossing their arms and pouting like little spoiled brats.

The new health insurance exchanges that will be set up by the federal government in those TEA-Republican held regions will provide federally insured backed insurance with protection for the insured. These insurance exchanges will charge insurance companies who want to participate a premium for providing coverage and will adhere to strict guidelines benefiting constituents rather than overpaid CEO's. The party with the fringe on top who so desperately wanted to limit federal intervention have played into Obama's hand and an explosion of federal agents and employees will occur.
The current leadership of the TEA-Republican House and Senate have vowed to cut funding for the programs helping the middle and marginal class and every improvement of the last(111th) Congress. The current(112th) Congress has been obstructive and reticent to help the president achieve the goals of protecting the people. Every state is in play in the mid-term with representation that must be changed to Democratic.
In the next election cycle(the 2014 mid-terms) every effort to recognize who is running under which banner must be made as radical TEA-types used the (R) when they should have used the scarlet (T). The TEA-Evangelical-Libertarian-Republican radicals have all tried to get their candidate in line for the run, but they used the (R) when they ran and should have used the (T), (E) or (L) so the voting public could determine exactly who was running and what he stood for. The public's best bet is to vote for the Democratic side in the 2014 Mid-terms. Every effort to increase the number of swing states to twenty or more with concentration on getting everyone eligible to vote registered to vote. The 2014 Mid-term is crucial to ousting as many of the radical extreme and garner a democratic Congress. And the 2014 Mid-terms are a-coming!

Yep, the "Feds" have done such a good job in ALL OF THEIR GOVERNMENT RUN PROGRAMS. //total sarcasm//

Surprises me that these folks can tie their own shoes. None of them can probably walk and chew gum at the same time without an assistant.

I really like DSHS's TAX on the States who do not set up their own exchanges. Hmmmmm, this came AFTER ObamaCare became law and was not in the legislation.

BTW: There is no such thing as the Democratic Party anymore.....it is called PROGRESSIVE PARTY.

Okay Ido,

Then the Republicn Party is now the REPRESSIVE PARTY.

Given my own states proven lack of concern for decent medical care, I am glad that it will be run at the federal level.

The insurance companies NEED medical costs to be high. Otherwise you would not need their product. Think about it. The insurance industry has shaped the debate to be about COVERAGE. However, the real problem is a simple one. Supply and demand. The AMA has, by design, limited the supply of medical services. What other business requires that YOU call THEM to see if they have enough customers?

Imagine that you would have to call McDonald's and make an appointment, assuming they even are seeing customers today!

Never forget that insurance companies do not provide medical services. And all this talk of "coverage" does nothing to address the real problem which is price fixing, and anti-competitive practices through the AMA's licencing process and congressional lobby to limit competition. Yes, there is a medical-pharmaceutical-cartel that has given us prices that are out of line with what people can pay.

Anyone who tells you that the United States has a "free market" in medicine doesn't know anything about the industry. I suggest that you watch Milton Friedman on youtube discuss the medical-pharmaceutical industry and how they have caused price inflation.

So funny that the Republican Party, that says it wants "states' rights," is so quick to give up those rights to the Federal government when any real work needs to be done. When the health exchanges help Americans, it will only make those Republicans look more wrong.

summmero: There are good schools in Texas, but not good public school history books. Those are edited by a biased committee, which orders the biased books from major publishers, who then print only those books and sell them to the rest of the country. By the way, good luck to your son. I have friends in Texas; I would never associate individuals with their state's policies.

Maybe not with all the annoyances from states who want their citizens sick and uneducated so they will keep voting for them.

Like everything else in this new law it's either spin, weasle words or outright lies.

No they will be ready. it will be just a carbon copy of the Mass. Connector as a bunch of people from it have moved over to the federal governemnt. Just like in MA low wage workers will be able to purchase plans with many restrictions, high deductibles and co-pays. They may not be able to afford to access healthcare, except through the ER, but they will be insured.

Rev-1240041=-==This law is a mess and will always be a mess. This will add to the bills we already have to pay for. This plan was pieced together hastily and the majority of the American People told the government to stop, go back and do it right. Well they didn't listen and now you got what you see a big mess. The Supreme Court should have done their jobs better and thrown the whole thing out of court.

We needed jobs at the time Obama and the Democrats forced this on us and 4 years later we still have no jobs. No jobs and that means no income from taxes and without taxes nothing works. This is the reality of the all mighty dollar. I hope they pick this law apart by the seams and throw it in the nearest dump, never to be seen again.

I am giving out tin foil hats for free to all Republicans as they sure need them what with their doom and gloom conspiracy theories.

It always amazes me how republicans can complain and say things are going wrong and never admit THEY were wrong when their predictions almost always fail to happen.

So this particular POTUS is not allowed a vacation in his home state? He takes one maybe two a year, he always takes Christmas in Hawaii where he is from. It is not like he is in the Monico living large in the casino's with the stars on our dime nor is he on vacation every month.

Dam tired of this. Grow up, put on your big boy pants either be part of the solution or you will never be anything but part of the problem. Its easy to sit on your backside and take pot shots at those who do. What do you do to make life better for your fellow man?

Tired, Hawaii is just another state in the union. Whats the deal?

I hit the dam post up by accident. Same old tired nonsense. Kay said it well.

Yeah this might be the same conversation ans this same old conversation will continue just as long as it needs to be. The Federal Government is moving into your lives in ways it has never did before and some can sit back and think it's a great thing. Well these are the people that like to be controlled by others. This country was built on not letting governments control us. We fought a war because of that and created our own country maybe it's time to start over again.

It's funny, just this week Democrats are talking about changing the Obama-Care law to win back their supporters. Wow and change of heart right after an election. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!

• "We won't know what is in it until we pass it." TRUE
• "You will be able to keep your own Doctor." LIE
• "Your health care premiums will not go up." LIE
• "ObamaCare is not a TAX." LIE

Bottom line: Mr. Obama and his cronies are going to make sure that ObamaCare is transformed into a SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM.....to the U.S. Government. Further, your medical procedures will have to be approved by a GS-3/4 (who is not in the medical field) working at a DSHS desk. And, if you do not obtain proper health care coverage, you will be FINED by TurboTax Geithner and his band of 120,000 IRS employees.

Are you Americans (REP) so uneducated to think that a trip to Hawaii would cost 10 million dollars for your president and that he would actually use tax money to pay for this ? Republicans will really say anything to try and convince anyone of something they just spew out of their mouths, wow. This shows that a healthy country = an educated country = an intelligent country. Thank god I live in a Country where I know I will never have to see a hospital bill or have worry about top notch education. I've always wondered why as soon as i graduated from University as an RN, so many states tried to recruit me, until I worked within your system. Not great standards comparatively !

@Dam: Time to turn off Faux Noise and get out into a wider world. Your statements would be outlandish even on Fox.

@Ido: America is the only "first world" country that does not offer Universal Health Care to its citizens. Somehow you've been hoodwinked into thinking that health coverage for Americans is a bad thing. More fool you.

Only Americans are immortal and don't need healthcare [sic].

Please show me a single human being that is 150 years old, and has never needed any health care.

There are a few people who never go to the doctor, and who die suddenly when they are elderly, but that is a very rare exception; the rest of us have some ailments on occasion.

What is very odd is that the Republicans seem to want to prevent people from having healthcare.

Your arguments have nothing to do with it. The states were encouraged to run their own exchanges because Republicans forced it to be that way because, you know, they like a smaller federal government.

Republicans had NOTHING to do with Obamacare

Larry is right, not one Republican voted for Obamacare. It is solely a Democrat monster.

Romneycare?

I guess if you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about this is the conclusion you'd come to for sure. It definately lays out how Liberals think that's for sure. Try this one on: how about the liability for the decisions made in Washington would fall on the States so they're saying "it's YOUR mess YOU run it AND get the blame!" Now Liberals are running around whining about the taxes being paid by medical manufacturers in the bill they wrote. Amazing how predictable all of this has been. And then there's folks like you who would double down. Brilliant.

May not be a bad idea, the most efficient programs in health care are Medicare and Medicaid. They are under strict guidelines on administrative costs. The Carriers that bid on them are under a microscope and do get audited. There is no profit to be made, the money is well handled. Its the polar opposite of the FEP Health Plan that is out to bid annually like any other insurance policy. A universal policy would most likely be handled on a state by state basis and have more bang for its buck than what most policies have on the books now. The insurance companies are scared, many big insurance companies (coughs) Blue Cross is outsourcing like mad to get their costs down in preparation.

If you are talking about medical manufacturers like the scooter people, maybe the tax will be enough to put them out of business. Think of all the money saved. And how is BC outsourcing? Are they outsourcing their medical insurance business?

You get calls or get answers on calls from people who hardly speak English, that's how.

Heil Obama??? Why don't federal government stay out of lives & do their job?

Medicare and Medicaid... two programs that are undergoing even harsher restrictions due to the money that has been funneled out of it only to redistributed to " Medicare and Obamacare" are efficiently run programs? I have heard senior citizens solemnly tell me how they are trying to get into doctor's office only to be told they do not take Medicare any longer. Let's punish the senior citizens that have gotten to a point in their lives and hoped they would be settled only to discover they are having to pay out even more for any service.

The Republicans, not the Democrats, cut Medicare under Bush, and now want to cut it much further. The Democrats have only tried to streamline the Medicare / hospital payments, but that could be adjusted if needed; the Republicans want to tie Medicare cuts to their "fiscal cliff" proposals to cut spending.

Fix-News has duped people into thinking that Obamacare cut Medicare, but if you look at the Boehner fiscal cliff plan, you will get a real lesson about the Republican attitudes towards the elderly.

the hospital is approved and given oversight by the State. Same with Doctors, nurses and insurers. Each state has various special issues of concern that they address.

That said ANY hospital you go to will treat you and bill your insurer in your state. some payments might be a bit different due to being out of state but now zero. Get a plan from a national insurer you'll be fine. They work in every state.

But if I no longer have a home state? No property, no residence address? What state do I get coverage in? And what about of "out of network"? Clearly, if my "primary care physician," assuming I even have one, is 2.000 miles away, I can't see him/her for a referral. Won't that trigger the higher deductible and greater expenses for me? Why is that reasonable? It seems that in the long run, national coverage is the best alternative, not based upon specific states.

where do you file your taxes? If you say you don't then you're a criminal so why are we fixing your self selected problem? Not trying to be mean but just pointing out the obvious. Btw if you go into a hospital and explain it the way you did here they may toss you in the psych ward! Be careful dude!

There are a few reasons why. There are state mandated coverage issues that vary from state to state. One state may have a law on the books that says that a certain procedure must be covered in one state, yet that may not apply across state lines unless it is what they call extraterritorial. As a consumer you are also way open to insurance fraud when you purchase insurance across state lines. Example those companies you see on the television selling policies. (Right now Medicare Supplement Policies are big business) Long story short, and by no means is this meant to insult anyone, health insurance is complex, I had to take special classes on how to read the contracts. I think the intent is only to protect the people as consumers not to curtail your rights.

Kal, I have filed taxes with an address of "Itinerant , no fixed address". I was living out of a backpack for a few years.

I know that it is a tax issue, but you might want to look into a few different options. Ask a lawyer about it. Some people have one locality they call home. Sure, you end up paying taxes to a locality and state, but you also may be missing benefits if you have no address anywhere. I do not know if a mail-drop or something else might be required. It is best to find out from a lawyer about it. This not only applies to medical insurance, but also auto insurance, RV insurance (assuming you have an RV), and also legal protection. Residence is more complex in some states than others.

Naw, we'll be bankrupt long before that. Anyway's when people see how they were lied to about reform they'll be hunting liberals with dogs.

That is the true basic logic behind obama care, See people only the federal gov can help you & give all you need to survive. If wasn't for the annoying Constitution & Congress getting in the way of this want be king & queen , the democrat Heil Obama would be manatory by 1215 wouldn't need any more elections.

So much anxiety, unfounded accusations and misleading hyperbole. Try looking up the global history and the facts on how other industrialized and developed nations handled the implementation of universal health care before you critics start promoting your unfounded imagery of, "doom and gloom," before these programs have even begun.

Federal Health Insurance Exchanges are an excellent start for all the States than can't or won't create their own, but the nation as a whole is still behind the curve. Like any new national programs undergoing its rollout, give it a few years for all the states to get it right.

And economic historians here and abroad predict that after the U.S. fully phases in all aspects of "Obamacare," costs for American health care will drop dramatically, just as it has for most of the 50 foreign countries that also implemented their own form of universal health care coverage for all of their citizens.

--------------------------------------------------------

While 'Obamacare' under fire, universal care catches on globally

Excerpts:

Even as the Obama administration comes under scrutiny for overhauling healthcare and requiring all citizens to have insurance in the United States, the idea of universal healthcare is taking off elsewhere around the globe, according to a new report from the Council on Foreign Relations.

Government plans that aim to ensure universal health coverage have been launched everywhere from Kyrgyzstan to India to Brazil. Though the programs differ from country to country, they share the idea of splitting the costs of care broadly so that a sudden illness doesn't plunge someone into poverty.

Expanding health coverage has created some striking success stories elsewhere in the world: Six years after Thailand started its program, both rich and poor people ended up spending half as much on unexpected health catastrophes as they had previously, according to the report.

Yet "health coverage is not a guarantee of lower out-of-pocket costs or reduced financial hardship," the report finds. In the Philippines, for instance, private hospitals sometimes charged higher prices to treat people using government insurance, hiking their out-of-pocket costs to generate the same revenue.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/04/while-obamacare-under-fire-universal-care-catches-on-globally.html

Here's a Map of the Countries That Provide Universal Health Care (America's Still Not on It)

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/heres-a-map-of-the-countries-that-provide-universal-health-care-americas-still-not-on-it/259153/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care

Google to find out the real costs to the individual for Obamacae. The costs per person have been out there since its existence.

You poor thing. Being penalized for them young jerks getting cancer when your so healthty. Shame on them people. Heck, if I was as upset as you, I would do what the unamerican draft dodgers did in the Vietnam Draft. I would leave this country. If your under so much stress of a president that would like all americans having health insurance, that can't be cancel of insurance after catching cancer or other medical reasons. Then take your healthy body to another country. Glad I could help you on your problems boraboy. Oh yeah, if you haven't had a car wreck in your 32 years, do you pay car insurance?

IF boraboy has a car, then yes he needs insurance. boraboy DOES NOT need to have car insurance if he does not own a car. Even if poor little deb gets in a car accident in HER CAR, boraboy does not have to also buy insurance just to cover her a**. Deb is responsible for having her own insurance to cover the bills. And, if she does not have insurance, she can then be sued, still making her driving ability HER OWN RESPONSIBILITY.

So, poor little deb, your comparison does not work out very well.

shhhhhh, its a secret. It wont be a tax, honest....................... Become muslim, they are exempt from it.

Wait a minute Letusreason...the Federal government does such a fine job with these government agencies:

1. AMTRAK

2. Post Office

3. Fannie and Freddie

4. FHA

5. Social Security

6. Medicare

By normal accounting means, all are technically bankrupt!

Based on that why would you feel they cannot administer another program?????

Post Office- I mailed some documents and funds via priority mail on December 4th. As of this morning it is still lost. It went to the wrong city first and then that city on December 7th said they sent it to the correct post office about 45 minutes away. Yet it still hasn't arrived at the correct postal distribution center, much less delivered.

And the response of the postal supervisor to me on the phone? "Well it will be delivered eventually"

That is government service epitimized

I don't believe it.

Exactly Shepherd. Those finer little details are buried in the plethora of information that Obama released after he was re-elected. I have skimmed through it already. For those that did not think the middle class or anyone else's taxes were not going to go up, that was a flat out lie.

So you get your rocks off when THEY play screw the voter?????

Long time ago. Google it. Unfortunately your own state set the price of your plans. Initially Floriduh charged the highest in the nation. Our former attorney general and legislators thought they would kill the program by doing so.

If you'd been hospitalized for a couple of days recently for diagnostic tests, you'd understand that the problem is not executive salary's.

Hospital and medical group profits is the problem in Pinellas County Florida. What problem are you suggesting?