Terry Cooke, Principal at www.terrycooke.com China Seminars and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, talks about Etopia News and its efforts to inform the public about crucial renewable energy news, recorded from Philadelphia, PA, on December 27, 201
Monday, December 27, 2010
Terry Cooke on renewable energy in the U.S. and China, part 2
Terry Cooke, Principal at www.terrycooke.com China Seminars and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, talks about renewable energy policy and practice in China and the U.S., recorded from Philadelphia, PA, on December 27, 2010
Terry Cooke on renewable energy in the U.S. and China, part 1
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
America’s Health Insurance Plans spokesperson comments on pre-existing conditions and the “individual mandate”
The recent decision by a Federal judge in Virginia declaring the “individual mandate” provision of the new health reform act unconstitutional makes it more likely that the question of that law’s constitutionality will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
While waiting for this development to unfold, Etopia News contacted the industry group America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and asked them about the insurability of persons with pre-existing conditions if the individual mandate were finally declared unconstitutional.
Robert Zirkelbach, their press secretary, promptly replied, providing a link to, and summary of, some background information on the subject, along with a statement, to be attributed to him, from the AHIP on this subject.
The background report, from Milliman, Inc., can be accessed here. Here’s the report’s summary:
“Guarantee issue requires insurers to sell an individual health insurance policy without regard to a person’s health. Community rating requires that all consumers pay the same or similar premiums without regard to age, gender or health status. According to the report, these initiatives have the potential to cause individuals to wait until they have health problems to buy insurance. This could cause premiums to increase for all policyholders, increasing the likelihood that lower-risk individuals leave the market, which could lead to further rate increases. If this continues, the pool or market could essentially collapse or shrink to include only the high-risk population.”
Here’s what Mr. Zirkelbach said, on behalf of AHIP:
“Throughout the health care reform debate there was broad agreement that enacting guarantee issue and community rating would cause significant disruption and skyrocketing costs unless all Americans have coverage. States that have implemented these laws without covering everyone have seen a rise in insurance premiums, a reduction of individual insurance enrollment and no significant decrease in the number of uninsured.”
We’ll need to wait for a while for a final resolution of the constitutionality of the individual mandate, but it appears clear already that if it is determined to be in violation of the Constitution, there will be some serious problems for the overall viability of the health care reform law and its implementation.
While waiting for this development to unfold, Etopia News contacted the industry group America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and asked them about the insurability of persons with pre-existing conditions if the individual mandate were finally declared unconstitutional.
Robert Zirkelbach, their press secretary, promptly replied, providing a link to, and summary of, some background information on the subject, along with a statement, to be attributed to him, from the AHIP on this subject.
The background report, from Milliman, Inc., can be accessed here. Here’s the report’s summary:
“Guarantee issue requires insurers to sell an individual health insurance policy without regard to a person’s health. Community rating requires that all consumers pay the same or similar premiums without regard to age, gender or health status. According to the report, these initiatives have the potential to cause individuals to wait until they have health problems to buy insurance. This could cause premiums to increase for all policyholders, increasing the likelihood that lower-risk individuals leave the market, which could lead to further rate increases. If this continues, the pool or market could essentially collapse or shrink to include only the high-risk population.”
Here’s what Mr. Zirkelbach said, on behalf of AHIP:
“Throughout the health care reform debate there was broad agreement that enacting guarantee issue and community rating would cause significant disruption and skyrocketing costs unless all Americans have coverage. States that have implemented these laws without covering everyone have seen a rise in insurance premiums, a reduction of individual insurance enrollment and no significant decrease in the number of uninsured.”
We’ll need to wait for a while for a final resolution of the constitutionality of the individual mandate, but it appears clear already that if it is determined to be in violation of the Constitution, there will be some serious problems for the overall viability of the health care reform law and its implementation.
Karl Gerth on "As China Goes, So Goes the World," part 2
Karl Gerth, author of "As China Goes, So Goes the World," talks about the emergence and implications of a consumer-based economy and society in China, recorded from South Carolina on December 19, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Karl Gerth talks about "As China Goes, So Goes the World," part 2
Karl Gerth, author of "As China Goes, So Goes the World," talks about the emergence and significance of a consumer-based economy and society in China, recorded from South Carolina, December 19, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Chuck DeVore on California's cap-and-trade regulations
former California Assemblymember and U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore explains his views on the recently-announced AB 32 cap-and-trade regulations, recorded on December 17, 2010
Karl Gerth on "As China Goes, So Goes the World," part 1
Karl Gerth, author of "As China Goes, So Goes the World," answers a few questions about his book before the Internet connection crashes. More soon. Recorded from South Carolina on December 18, 2010.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sandia Labs “will fully cooperate” with GAO recommendations on classified nuclear supercomputing upgrade
On December 9, 2010, U.S. Representatives Henry A. Waxman, Edward J. Markey, and Bart Stupak released a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identifying serious weaknesses in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plans for recovering and reconstituting the classified supercomputing system in the event of a disaster or other service disruptions.
According to their joint press release:
“NNSA’s classified supercomputing systems are critical to our nation’s modern nuclear weapon development and testing program,” said Rep. Waxman, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. “It is a matter of national security that NNSA be prepared to maintain the continuous operations of these supercomputers in the event of a disruption. I urge the agency to address the GAO’s recommendations and to implement effective and comprehensive contingency and disaster recovery plans at all three of its nuclear laboratories.”
Etopia News contacted the three national laboratories involved in nuclear research (Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, and Los Alamos) for comment on the report’s recommendation. On December 17th, Sandia National Laboratories provided this statement:
“Sandia National Laboratories will fully cooperate with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on the recommendations in the Government Accountability Office report on information security. Because the report is addressed to the NNSA, we are referring further questions to them for their consideration.”
According to their joint press release:
“NNSA’s classified supercomputing systems are critical to our nation’s modern nuclear weapon development and testing program,” said Rep. Waxman, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. “It is a matter of national security that NNSA be prepared to maintain the continuous operations of these supercomputers in the event of a disruption. I urge the agency to address the GAO’s recommendations and to implement effective and comprehensive contingency and disaster recovery plans at all three of its nuclear laboratories.”
Etopia News contacted the three national laboratories involved in nuclear research (Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, and Los Alamos) for comment on the report’s recommendation. On December 17th, Sandia National Laboratories provided this statement:
“Sandia National Laboratories will fully cooperate with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on the recommendations in the Government Accountability Office report on information security. Because the report is addressed to the NNSA, we are referring further questions to them for their consideration.”
A Change in the Congressional Climate on Health Care, No Comment on Cancun
Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry A. Waxman, who has a few days left to enjoy that position, issued the following statement in response to the December 13, 2010, ruling on the constitutionality of the “individual mandate” provision of the Affordable Care Act by federal district judge Henry Hudson:
“There have been almost 20 cases filed challenging health reform. All the others that have come to judgment have been dismissed. We always knew that there was a chance that one or two judges would buck the clear legal consensus that the law is constitutional, just as some judges once ruled that Social Security was illegal.
“But one way or another, this question is clearly headed to the Supreme Court. When it gets there, I am confident that cooler heads will prevail and that the health reform law will be upheld in full.”
He also had something to say about the results in Cancun:
“The nations of the world have reached a balanced agreement to work to fight global climate change and promote clean energy. This is a good step forward, building on the Copenhagen Accord and setting the stage for further progress as nations take actions consistent with this agreement.”
Republican Representative Fred Upton, of the Sixth District in Michigan, will be replacing Representative Waxman in January as Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Under the headline: “Top priority in the new Congress will be full repeal of the job-killing health care law,” here’s what he had to say about the decision declaring the “individual mandate” to be unconstitutional:
“Today, a U.S. District Court ratified what many Americans have known for the past year: the health care law is not only bad policy, it is unconstitutional as well. This decision strikes a blow for freedom and the enduring constitutional principles of our forefathers.
“When the health care law was being debated, Energy and Commerce Republicans warned that Obamacare represented an unprecedented intrusion by government into the lives of American citizens. At the time, we argued that the individual mandate violated Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution – the Commerce Clause – because it purported to regulate an individual’s ‘inactivity.’ If the government could compel individuals to engage in activities they wished to avoid – such as the purchase of health insurance – what restrictions could there possibly be on government’s power?
“That is why today’s decision striking down the individual mandate is so welcome. While the legal fights over the health care law are just beginning, our Committee will vigorously weigh in and assert our oversight authority to ensure that the federal government is returned to its properly limited role. Our top priority in the new Congress will be repealing the job-killing health care law.
“In the months ahead, we will be holding hearings on the unconstitutional aspects of the health care law and other critical health care challenges facing our nation. In the meantime, we urge the administration to cease and desist its efforts to implement the law and work with Congress on reforms that actually reduce costs for consumers in a free-market, constitutionally permissible manner.”
As this article was published on Friday, December 17th, Representative Upton’s press secretary had not been able to get back to Etopia News with a comment from his boss about the climate conference in Cancun.
“There have been almost 20 cases filed challenging health reform. All the others that have come to judgment have been dismissed. We always knew that there was a chance that one or two judges would buck the clear legal consensus that the law is constitutional, just as some judges once ruled that Social Security was illegal.
“But one way or another, this question is clearly headed to the Supreme Court. When it gets there, I am confident that cooler heads will prevail and that the health reform law will be upheld in full.”
He also had something to say about the results in Cancun:
“The nations of the world have reached a balanced agreement to work to fight global climate change and promote clean energy. This is a good step forward, building on the Copenhagen Accord and setting the stage for further progress as nations take actions consistent with this agreement.”
Republican Representative Fred Upton, of the Sixth District in Michigan, will be replacing Representative Waxman in January as Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Under the headline: “Top priority in the new Congress will be full repeal of the job-killing health care law,” here’s what he had to say about the decision declaring the “individual mandate” to be unconstitutional:
“Today, a U.S. District Court ratified what many Americans have known for the past year: the health care law is not only bad policy, it is unconstitutional as well. This decision strikes a blow for freedom and the enduring constitutional principles of our forefathers.
“When the health care law was being debated, Energy and Commerce Republicans warned that Obamacare represented an unprecedented intrusion by government into the lives of American citizens. At the time, we argued that the individual mandate violated Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution – the Commerce Clause – because it purported to regulate an individual’s ‘inactivity.’ If the government could compel individuals to engage in activities they wished to avoid – such as the purchase of health insurance – what restrictions could there possibly be on government’s power?
“That is why today’s decision striking down the individual mandate is so welcome. While the legal fights over the health care law are just beginning, our Committee will vigorously weigh in and assert our oversight authority to ensure that the federal government is returned to its properly limited role. Our top priority in the new Congress will be repealing the job-killing health care law.
“In the months ahead, we will be holding hearings on the unconstitutional aspects of the health care law and other critical health care challenges facing our nation. In the meantime, we urge the administration to cease and desist its efforts to implement the law and work with Congress on reforms that actually reduce costs for consumers in a free-market, constitutionally permissible manner.”
As this article was published on Friday, December 17th, Representative Upton’s press secretary had not been able to get back to Etopia News with a comment from his boss about the climate conference in Cancun.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
CRC Commissioner Stan Forbes talks about its work
Stan Forbes, a "decline-to-state" member of California's Citizens Redistricting Commission, talks about that group's mission, activities, and plans, in an interview recorded from Sacramento, California, on December 15, 2010
CRC Commissioner Barabba talks about its work
Vincent Barabba, a Republican member of California's Citizens Redistricting Commission, talks about that group's mission, activities, and plans, in an interview recorded from Sacramento, California, on December 15, 2010
CRC Commissioner Dai talks about its work
Cynthia Dai, a Democratic member of California's Citizens Redistricting Commission, talks about that group's mission, activities, and plans, in an interview recorded from Sacramento, California, on December 15, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
A Call for Comments on Proposed CRC Slate
Margarita Fernandez, spokesperson for the California State Auditor's Office, calls on Californians to comment on the proposed slate of six additional members of the Citizens Redistricting Commission, recorded from Sacramento, California, on December 13, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
