Quarantined Ebola Nurse Kaci Hickox Released by New Jersey

It is sad to say that this woman is a nurse – a person who is being so self centered and concerned only about herself. At the time of this posting there were over 7000 comments posted to the following article. The overwhelming majority of comments speak to this selfishness that Kaci Hickox is displaying. Nurses have a responsibility to the patient, family and community:

“Nurses need to do their best to ensure that the decisions made are in the best interest of their patient, and to recognize the role of family and community. The nurse needs to respect each patient who may rely on family or community traditions when making medical decisions. ”

“The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining, and improving healthcare environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality healthcare and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective action.”

Yet Kaci appears to be only concerned with herself and the the violation of her basic “human right”. What about our human right?

Good Morning America

The nurse who was angrily battling her enforced quarantine at a New Jersey hospital after treating Ebola patients was released today.

Kaci Hickox tested negative for the lethal virus after she returned to the United States from Sierra Leone and has been outspoken about being held in quarantine since her arrival at Newark International Airport Friday.

The release was announced this morning after Hickox hired a lawyer known for taking human rights cases and they announced their plan to file a federal lawsuit against her mandatory 21-day quarantine.

“I’m so thankful for the immense attention and support I’ve received. I just hope this nightmare of mine and the fight that I’ve undertaken is not in vain!” she wrote in a text to ABC News’ Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser.

The New Jersey Department of Health issued a statement this morning that Hickox has been “symptom free for the last 24 hours,” and that it decided to discharge her after consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention released their own set of guidelines today saying that anyone who did come into direct contact with “Ebola-positive individuals” will require active monitoring and will be quarantined in their home.

Full story: Good Morning America

Family that hosted Ebola patient confined to home

DALLAS (AP) — Four members of a family the U.S. Ebola patient was staying with were confined to their Texas home under armed guard Thursday as the circle of people possibly exposed to the virus widened, while Liberian authorities said they would prosecute the man for allegedly lying on an airport questionnaire.

The unusual confinement order was imposed after the family failed to comply with a request not to leave their apartment, according to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

Texas State Health Commissioner David Lakey said the order would help ensure the four can be closely watched, including checking them for fevers over the next three weeks.

“We didn’t have the confidence we would have been able to monitor them the way that we needed to,” he said.

Full story: Yahoo!

If You’re Uninsured Next Year, Prepare For Your Obamacare Penalty to Soar

Get ready to be hit with a higher penalty starting next year – that is if you are uninsured. If you owe that penalty will not affect you. On the other hand if you get money back from Uncle Sam you can expect to have some or all of that refund held out to be used to fund the penalty.

The Motley Fool

With enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, also affably known as Obamacare, now closed for 2014, I believe it’s fair to say that it’s been a learning experience for all parties involved.

Obamacare, in a nutshell, is a complete transformation of how citizens in this country receive and pay for health care. There have been few precedents in history where such sweeping reforms have been implemented in the health care sector, so a learning curve was to be expected. Consumers had to learn how the law would affect them personally and understand how to make smart decisions by choosing a plan in an open marketplace. Businesses are also still in the process of understanding how part-time and full-time employees will be accounted for and affect their bottom-line. Even insurers have needed time to fully understand the demographics of their enrollees in order to price their premiums properly to both attract consumers and generate profits.

Full story: The Motley Fool

Forget ‘Keep Your Plan’ And The Website, Obamacare Taxes Are Worse

And the news about Obamacare keeps getting better. Taxes taxes and more taxes. Just what a struggling economy and consumers need. More taxes. Then there are the exemptions for those that can gain favor with one politician or another. Thanks Washington, thanks Obama for being so caring and understanding of our very needs.

Forbes

There is no shortage of complaints about the Affordable Care Act, the unfortunately named massive health-care law still roiling the nation. Embarrassing website issues and keep-your-doctor-keep-your-plan backtracking have occupied center stage. Add to that a kind of Hunger Games, the system’s voracious need to sign up young people to offset the cost for others. Come on down, say the advertisements.

It must be underscored that this isn’t only the President’s law. Congress passed it, and it is hard to get past the naming ironies so prevalent in Washington. Taxes and fees abound, and when it comes out of your pocket, it matters little whether a tax or fee label is applied. In 2014, Americans must dig deeper for the health care they need in ways that don’t meet the eye.

Full story: Forbes

Obamacare Whac-A-Mole

Yahoo! News

The wheels began to come off Obamacare in 2011 when the administration announced that the “CLASS Act,” a provision to provide long-term disability care, was, in the words of Kathleen Sebelius, “totally unsustainable,” and would be discontinued.

What was the problem? The White House website had boasted: “No taxpayer funds will be used to pay benefits under this provision … Safeguards will be put in place to ensure its premiums are enough to cover its costs.”

Full story: Yahoo! News

ObamaCare’s Troubles Are Only Beginning

The Wall Street Journal

The White House is claiming that the Healthcare.gov website is mostly fixed, that the millions of Americans whose health plans were canceled thanks to government rules may be able to keep them for another year, and that in any event these people will get better plans through ObamaCare exchanges. Whatever the truth of these assertions, those who expect better days ahead for the Affordable Care Act are in for a rude awakening. The shocks—economic and political—will get much worse next year and beyond. Here’s why:

The “sticker shock” that many buyers of new, ACA-compliant health plans have experienced—with premiums 30% higher, or more, than their previous coverage—has only begun. The costs borne by individuals will be even more obvious next year as more people start having to pay higher deductibles and copays.

Full story: WSJ

Harry Reid staffers exempt from Obamacare exchanges

So while many government staffers are being asked by their bosses to sign up through the Obama exchanges – there are those who work for Senator Harry Reid who will be exempt from using the Obama exchanges. While it is true that our representatives have the option to exempt their staff – Senator Harry Reid is the only one… only one to exercise that right. GOP House Speaker John Boehner – a staunch opponent of Obama Care has directed his staff to sign up.

If the exchanges are good enough for the American public then it should be more than adequate for Federal employees – including Senator Harry Reid and his staff.

CNN

Washington (CNN) — Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, one of Obamacare’s architects and staunchest supporters, is also the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the law’s new exchanges.

Reid is the exception among the other top congressional leaders. GOP House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have all directed their staffs to join the exchange, their aides said.

Full story and video: CNN

Obamacare signs up its first dog, so there’s that, at least

While many people are having a hard time signing up for care through HealthCare.gov it is comforting to know that our pets may have an easier time getting the health care coverage they need.

Yahoo! News

Hey, at least dogs aren’t having a problem getting on Obamacare.

Shane Smith of Fort Collins, Colo., recently found a little surprise when he signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. After proceeding through all the registration hurdles with Connect for Health Colorado, he learned that his dog Baxter had gotten insured, not Smith himself.

Full story: Yahoo! News

Can We Accept The President’s Non-Apology Apology on Obamacare

The Fiscal Times

Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, but President Obama Thursday evening appeared to be as miffed about personally “getting burned” by the controversial launch of the Obamacare website as he was troubled by the inconvenience it has caused millions of Americans during the past month.

Moreover, he gave a less than rousing endorsement of his embattled Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, who has repeatedly apologized for the snafus and technical glitches that have dogged the HealthCare.gov website since it went live Oct. 1.

Full story: The Fiscal Times

You Can Keep Your Health Plan*

The “secret footnote” why of course – why didn’t we all notice the secret footnote that explained before hand what many are experiencing now. That you CAN keep your insurance plan – well just not YOUR insurance plan. Sorry….. What we were in fact being told is that the President’s comment about keeping your health care plan was meant for those whose plans met the criteria set out by Obamacare. How silly of the American people for not realizing this when having Obamacare shoved down our throats.

The Wall Street Journal

President Obama has intoned “if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan” hundreds if not thousands of times. Sometimes he has even added that “no one will take it away, no matter what” or “nothing will change, period.”

But now that reality is repudiating the President’s unequivocal promise, Democrats want you to know that there was always a secret footnote: If you’re losing a health plan you liked, the President didn’t mean your plan.

Liberals now argue that Mr. Obama was mostly correct but his claim should have been caveated with a clause that people could keep their plans as long as they met ObamaCare regulations. This asterisk somehow wasn’t mentioned until millions of policies started to be terminated as ObamaCare-noncompliant.

Full story: The Wall Street journal