Documents We're Waiting On
- Things We're Waiting For: Tracing $8 Million Sent to CCA During Fairgrounds Sale - Pacific Progressive
Nossaman did research on how to use Fairgrounds money to provide opening capital for the Fair Foundation. $8 million was sent to the California Construction Authority during the sale, and there is documentation that indicates this could be the money for the opening capital. We've asked for the money to be traced, and Interim CEO Doug Lofstrom is giving us the run around.
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September 2009
09/30/2009
57% of Americans Believe Health Care Reform is Needed Now
"Opinion in the coming months is hard to predict, but as the focus shifted from the town halls and hot button issues to the President, the Congress and core issues in the legislation that affect people the most, the summer downturn in support was largely erased," said Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman.
The upswing in support is driven by changes among Republicans (49% say families will be worse off compared to 61% in August) and Independents (down to 26% saying worse off compared to 36% in August), with Democrats overwhelmingly favoring reform (77%).
This poll was conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. A complete set of charts with the wording of the questions and a briefing on the poll can be found here.
It's Easy Being Green: Lessons from an Inspiring Film
Read more articles from the "It's Easy Being Green" series
From the Center for American Progress
Every weekend in cities across the country, countless people drag weeks’ worth of laundry to local laundromats and spend several dollars in quarters to get their clothes clean, often discovering that they failed to separate their whites from their darks. For one year New York City author Colin Beavan headed to his bathtub to do laundry—with no quarters or fears of color blending.
In November 2006 Beavan began the one-year No Impact project, in which he challenged himself to make as little environmental impact as possible and blogged about his experiences using energy from a solar panel he installed on his roof. During this year he discovered the art of low-impact laundry—after filling the bathtub with water, Borax, and dirty clothes, Colin would stomp his clothes clean. Co-directors Laura Cabbert and Justin Schein documented the journey in the movie “No Impact Man.”
For Colin, living low impact was not just about turning off the water while brushing his teeth or throwing his plastic bottle in the recycling bin—it was about eliminating as much waste from his life as possible. He started slowly by making his own household cleaners from baking soda and vinegar, and biking around New York instead of taking a cab. After a few months, he eliminated toilet paper from his apartment, opting for reusable rags instead. He eventually turned off all electricity in his apartment, using a cooler instead of the refrigerator and living by the light of a large candle collection.
Continue reading "It's Easy Being Green: Lessons from an Inspiring Film" »
Senate Health Overhaul Plan Offers Employers Penalties, Rewards
by Phil Galewitz, KHN Staff Writer
Earl Stewart at his Toyota dealership in Florida
Earl Stewart, who owns a Toyota dealership in Florida, and Kevin Galvin, who owns a maintenance business in Connecticut, have something in common: Both say they can't afford health insurance for their employees.
But under the Senate Finance Committee bill, which is likely to be the template for any health overhaul legislation passed by Congress, the two would be treated drastically differently: Stewart, who has 130 employees, would be penalized, while Galvin, who has seven workers, would get a big government subsidy to help him pay for insurance for his employees.
That dichotomy illustrates a major theme of the health legislation: How employers would be affected by the Baucus' bill varies greatly, depending on their size, whether they now provide coverage, the average wages of their workers and even the value of the benefits they are now offering.
Generally, small employers, which have the most difficulty affording coverage, would get help from the government through tax credits, which would allow them to recover part or all of the money spent on premiums.
Bigger employers that don't offer insurance could be punished. Those that do provide coverage might see their costs slow over time, if steps to hold down health costs – such as health information technology – actually work.
"In the long term, and through indirect means, it could be favorable to large employers, but nothing in the bill makes lightening strike in terms of bending the cost curve," said Michael Langan, a principal at Towers Perrin in Valhalla, N.Y.
Continue reading "Senate Health Overhaul Plan Offers Employers Penalties, Rewards" »
Federal Employees' Health Benefits Explained
This story was done in collaboration with our partner
What is the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and who is eligible?
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) is the "marketplace" for full-time government employees and qualified retirees to select health and dental insurance offered by insurance companies and employee associations. The federal government is the largest employer in the country and more than 8 million people — including current employees, retirees, their spouses, dependents and survivors — are enrolled in FEHBP.
More on Federal Employees' Health Benefits
- For Federal Workers, Insurance Plan Offers Many Choices
- Audio Slideshow
- Stream Audio: Morning Edition
What kind of plans are offered?
Customers enjoy a wide range of insurance options, from catastrophic coverage plans with high deductibles to health maintenance organizations to high-end plans with many choices of doctors. Last year, the combined total of plans offered around the country totalled 269. While the number of choices for individual workers varies, based on their geographic location, everybody has a choice of at least 10 fee-for-service plans.
FEHBP provides coverage without regard to pre-existing conditions or age. There are no waiting periods for coverage.
How much do plans cost?
The most common plan, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard option for federal workers, set deductibles this year at $300 for individuals and $600 for families. It limits out-of-pocket expenses to $5,000 per family for services from preferred health care providers and $7,000 overall.
Continue reading "Federal Employees' Health Benefits Explained" »
09/29/2009
Direct Stimulus Spending Hits $100 Billion Milestone
by Christopher Flavelle, ProPublica
The $100-billion milestone is a symbolic one. Moreover, as we’ve noted in this space before, the pace of stimulus spending has declined in recent months, from about $1.3 billion daily in its first 100 days to about $570 million a day in September, as large block grants to states gave way to smaller (and slower) spending projects. So while it took seven months for federal agencies to spend their first $100 billion, the next $100 billion may be a longer time coming.
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