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A feature, not a bug of an oligarchy and an economy run by effective monopolies.
Not against the rules, so I corrected the title.
Medicare Advantage is a huge scam created during Dubya's term to turn Medicare into a profit source for insurance companies. It's sold by sales reps that say they "don't have any reason to push it over Medigap plans", but the truth is the commissions paid are far higher for an Advantage plan than for a Medigap plan. Those commissions can continue for decades and mean hundreds of thousands of dollars more income for those sales reps.
Those sales reps also routinely tell people they can switch to a Medigap plan if they aren't satisfied with an Advantage plan but neglect to mention that switching is only possible (for most people) for a few months after becoming eligible for Medicare. Once those months are up nearly everyone is stuck with an Advantage plan for the rest of their lives.
Advantage plans look good at first because if care is not needed, monthly costs can be much lower than for a Medigap plan, but nearly everyone needs more care as they age. When that care is needed costs of an Advantage plan can far exceed that of a Medigap plan. Once stuck with an Advantage plan, subscribers get to deal with companies that make extra profit off of denying care. Insurance companies consistently do that even if they're breaking the law because the profits far exceed the penalties.
If you or are your parent are going to go on Medicare, be very careful before choosing an Advantage plan. Make sure you know exactly what you're getting into before signing on the dotted line.
All nine Republican senators running for reelection this year voted against the right to access contraception:
- John Barrasso
- Marsha Blackburn
- Kevin Cramer
- Ted Cruz
- Deb Fischer
- Josh Hawley
- Pete Ricketts
- Rick Scott
- Roger Wicker
Rents in my area have gone up 60% in the past 4 years and lots of people I know can no longer afford to rent the homes they own, nor could they afford to buy them now. A fixed rate mortgage makes housing expenses stable for decades. That's something that is almost never considered when comparing renting and owning.
Polls matter a lot when they start moving. There are plenty of people who pay no attention at all to news or politics. and those people are slowly finding out that Trump is now a convicted felon and may soon be wearing an orange jumpsuit.
No matter how the "Law and Order" GQP attacks the American Criminal Justice System, western societies have centuries of experience dealing with convicted felons. It is a stain that won't wash out.
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Another tip: On Android phones, Tasker can be used to automatically activate Wireguard tunnels to your own or a commercial VPN host. Taskernet.com has one project that activates WG when off specific wifi networks, and another that I wrote that allows you to activate a tunnel on demand only when you open specific apps. Great if you want to access a home server occasionally (without detectable open router ports) or want an extra layer of security when running a financial app.
And the world was shocked because he is someone the law protects but does not bind.
Trump is currently being protected by Supreme Court justices who are literally deciding whether he's bound by any law. You can bet that same conservative majority would make sure he's protected by all of them.
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect. - Francis M. Wilhoit
Yet another reason to avoid the deep south.
A couple of retired women I spoke to prior to the 2016 election voted for the shitgibbon because Hillary had been "running a pedophile ring" and had "ordered hundreds of murders". Russian / GQP propaganda was very effective.
The word is "bribes."