With families coming together over the next month, President Obama and Organizing for America have arranged a website to guide discussions between individuals without insurance and their concerned family members. The site--complete with printable tips--includes such information as:
Start by asking: “Have you thought about signing up for health insurance on the new marketplace?”
Offer to walk them through it: “Would you like to take some time with me to sign up right now?”
Ask them to make a plan, and commit to it: “When do you plan on signing up?”
Don’t forget to follow up: “Have you signed up yet?”
It further provides information on how to respond to common misconceptions.
Discussion Questions:
Pope Francis has released his first apostolic exhortation, and in it he goes after “a new tyranny” of markets and “idolatry of money.” "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?" he asks. Francis also looked inward, at the Vatican bureaucracy which was the target of scandal under his predecessor. "I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," he said. Further, Pope Francis remarked, ""As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world's problems or, for that matter, to any problems." While religious organizations have long been considered somewhat opposed to the potential greed of capitalism, this represents one of the most directed attacks in recent times.
Over the weekend, Iran reached an interim agreement with the United States and five other great powers (Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany.) The deal would begin lifting some financial sanctions on Iran in exchange for a cap on Iran’s overall production of nuclear fuel. This not-so-grand bargain is meant to create trust for continued negotiations to finally end Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon. While the deal may not strike many as having an immediate impact, it opens potential for long-term breakthroughs.
In recent weeks, two prominent politicians have taken very different approaches to handling drug issues. On Wednesday, Florida Representative Trey Radel announced at a press conference that he would be taking a leave of absence from his congressional seat in Washington. Earlier in the day, the freshman Republican pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine possession and was sentenced to one year of supervised probation. He also plans to enter an inpatient treatment center and acknowledged “dealing with this off and on for years.” In Toronto, on the other hand, Mayor Rob Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine during a drunken stupor but insisted he was not addicted. In response to the vast media attention paid to the allegations and confession, Ford has actually seen his poll numbers remain steady.
In the wake of a seventh case of meningitis on Princeton University’s campus, officials announced Monday that a vaccine for the type B meningococcal bacteria will be available for students on campus starting in December. The vaccine, called Bexsero, was conditionally approved by the FDA on Monday, but the move itself was reportedly inspired by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meningitis causes the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord to swell, leading to mental disabilities, paralysis, and even death. The vaccines will not be mandatory.
New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly bared all in a Playboy interview about Mike Bloomberg’s legacy, the controversy of stop-and-frisk, and how all of New York’s mayoral candidates are, in Playboy writer Glenn Plaskin's words, "full of ***." “It just goes to show you what some politicians will do,” Kelly said, charging that Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and those that ran against him only attacked the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy to win votes. “They’ll say or do anything to get elected. I know all these people. They all claimed to be friends of mine until their mayoral campaigns.” As for outgoing Mayor Bloomberg, Kelly called him “a very intelligent person, and funny.”
The proposed merger between American Airlines and U.S. Airways has achieved a preliminary agreement with the Justice Department. As a result of the tentative deal, the two companies would part with 104 slots at Reagan National in Washington, 34 slots at La Guardia in New York and other slots in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. The agreement would avert a trial on the lawsuit by the DOJ, and was a condition of a ruling allowing American to exit from bankruptcy proceedings. The deal still must be approved by the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia. The merger follows recent trends in the airline industry, including the AirTran Southwest merger. Once completed, the resulting airline will be the largest airline in the world. The merger between American Airlines and US Airways comes after airlines have struggled for decades, cutting costs and slimming down service to turn around a trend of diminishing profits.
The Pakistani Taliban chose hardliner Mullah Fazlullah as its new leader last week, suggesting the organization is moving toward more violent attacks and refusal to compromise. “This is a very calculated step by the Taliban meant to transform it from a tribal group to an ideological group,” said Zia Ur Rehman, a Karachi-based journalist. Fazlullah is a harsh critic of the Pakistani government, and is the first Taliban leader from heart of Pakistan and not the tribal region of North Waziristan—and has weak tribal ties to the area. . Fazlullah, known as “Radio Mullah” for his fiery broadcasts on an illegal FM radio station, is believed to be the mullah who ordered the attack last year on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai.
The Obama administration announced late last week that new regulations will require health insurers to treat mental health coverage like all other aspects of healthcare, the culmination of a long effort to achieve parity for mental health coverage and part of Obama’s effort to curb gun violence. With the numerous recent incidents linking mass shooters with mental health problems, it comes as little surprise that Obama has made a push for this inclusion. The regulations put into effect a 2008 law, and will affect nearly 85 percent of Americans with health insurance. Insurers will be required to pay as much for mental health as they do for medical and surgical procedures, and cannot limit the geographical area where mental health care is covered.
At the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square Wednesday, Pope Francis tenderly held and kissed the head of man severely disfigured. In photos, the Pope can be seen deep in prayer as he holds the man’s head. Pope Francis has worked assiduously to change the church’s image and focus towards the less fortunate in society. Earlier in his address to the crowd, he asked those present to pray for a sick little girl. These activities show a different face to the church since Francis' ascension after the resignation of Pope Benedict. He comforts the untouchables, engages atheists and wades into crowds his predecessors merely waved to, and in doing so, Pope Francis is electrifying the Catholic Church in Italy and perhaps around the world.
Maine Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud announced he is gay in editorials running in newspapers across Maine on Monday, writing that there was an attempted smear campaign against him that forced him to come out. “Allow me to save them the trouble with a simple, honest answer: ‘Yes I am. But why should it matter?’” Michaud wrote. Michaud is running for governor in 2014, and he would be the first LGBT governor in the country if elected. Michaud's announcement takes the total number of gay members of Congress to seven in the House (along with Senator Tammy Baldwin.)
Egyptian political satirist Bassem Youssef, who is often considered Egypt's version of The Daily Show star Jon Stewart, had his show al-Bernameg suspended mere minutes before going on air Friday. The show's channel, privately-owned CDC, said al-Bernameg violated editorial policies and will remain suspended until the problem is solved. Last week, Egypt's public prosecutor ordered an investigation of the show after several viewers complained about a sketch in which Youssef joked about chocolate bars being made in the image of Egyptian Army general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Many Egyptians seem to agree with the decision.