Grocery Workers Could Strike in Washington State over Loss of Their Health-Care Plans

Obamacare Strikes Again! 30 Thousand Grocery Workers Could Strike In WA State Over Loss Of Their Healthcare Plans

Thirty-thousand workers from four major grocery chains in Washington State could be on the picket line Monday after a disagrement with management over health plans, Fox News reported today.

Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC, and Albertson’s say they will offer health insurance only to employees working more than 30 hours a week, which is required by Obamacare. Under the current contract, workers are covered if they work at least 16 hours a week, but the companies say that costs have risen because of a new tax on their “Cadillac” medical plans in Obamacare. The United Food and Commercial Workers maintains that the move is simply a cash grab. 

These grocers aren’t the only major businesses that have cut health benefits; Home Depot and Trader Joe’s have recently cut health coverage for part-time workers. 

Via: NRO

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Senate Republicans Look to Jam Boehner

Returning from their White House meeting with President Obama, some Republican senators said they are fed up with how Speaker John Boehner and the House GOP have handled the shutdown showdown and are ready to take charge of the debate.

“The House Republicans so far don’t want to get rid of the shutdown. I don’t know in what world we’re faring well under the shutdown, in terms of policy or politics. So, in that sense, yeah, I’d rather have the Senate” take charge, says Arizona senator Jeff Flake.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine is leading negotiations with Democrats over a bill to combine a government funding bill with the debt-ceiling increase along with repeal of the medical-device tax in Obamacare. House Republican leaders have shown a new sense of urgency to deal with Obama in part because of fear that Collins’s plan will gain steam, rolling the more conservative House position.

One scenario that would mirror how several standoffs between Boehner and Obama have ended since Republicans took control of the House in 2010 is for Senate Republicans to help pass a bill deeply disliked by House Republicans, after which political pressure would force Boehner to pass the bill largely with Democratic votes.

While the situation is tense, it does not appear acrimonious, and communication continues between top officials from both chambers. Senator Rob Portman said he met with House Ways and Means chairman Dave Camp last night after Camp attended the House session at the White House, and Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said he had dinner with a House “principal” who had been at the session as well.

Via: NRO

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Christmas spirit dies at White House as ornament-hawking gift shop goes broke

In another sign of the tough times in Washington these days, the White House Gift Shop, long run by a nonprofit group that helps uniformed Secret Service officers and their families, has gone broke.

The Secret Service Uniformed Division Benefit Fund, which traces its roots to the 1940s and for years did business as the official White House Gift Shop, lists more than $600,000 in liabilities in a pending bankruptcy petition in Washington.

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PHOTOS: President Obama's favorite footstool: The famous Resolute desk

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The fund — which operated independently of the White House and Secret Service, and was not a part of the government — disclosed tens of thousands of dollars in assets consisting mostly of Christmas decorations, as well as such trinkets as magnets, puzzles and paperweights, many valued at just a few dollars each.

The price of more than 140 Democratic and Republican mouse pads is listed as “???” in court records, while 10 unsold copies of the book “Adams’ Alligator” go for $8.48.

The bankruptcy petition, filed in June in a case that remains active, doesn’t explain why the fund went bankrupt in the first place, but court records reveal a recent history of tax troubles and litigation.

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President Barack Obama shows military officials the White House Christmas Tree in ...more >

A trustee appointed in the case, Wendell Webster, said in a phone interview Thursday that he is trying to market and sell what assets remain, including a Cal Ripken Jr. commemorative plaque that the fund priced at $500 in bankruptcy papers.

The fund, billing itself as the official White House Gift Shop, operated a retail outlet in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before moving into National Press Club, which the fund has since vacated.

Via: Washington Times

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Sebelius Embarrassed at ObamaCare Signup Event

Sebelius visit fails to reassure as health care website glitches persist

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had a front-row view of the problems plaguing the website that the government established to allow people to shop for health insurance under Obamacare.

Sebelius and Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney were at an enrollment and education event on Thursday at Heinz Field to promote Healthcare.gov, but people who showed up encountered problems in signing up for coverage on the website.

Unable to handle heavy online traffic and riddled with technical glitches, the website has been a source of criticism of the Obama administration and the new Affordable Care Act since its start on Oct. 1.

Sebelius, who is making similar trips to cities across the country to spread the word about the website, told the audience of about 100 people that Healthcare.gov was “open for business.”

“Believe me, we had some early glitches,” said Sebelius, who was introduced by Rooney, a backer of the law. “But it's getting better every day.”

At the back of the room, it was a different story. About 20 people armed with laptops and certified by the government to sign up people for coverage were meeting with uninsured people, answering questions and fruitlessly trying to access the website.

LaKesha Lowry, 41, came to the event to find out about her health insurance options. But the North Side resident said she was not able to access the site, even with the help of a certified application counselor.

“It said, ‘Try again later,' ” Lowry said.

Asked about the ongoing problems with the website and the fact that people at a government enrollment event couldn't sign up, Sebelius told reporters that she didn't know what problems were affecting service at Heinz Field. The government has made hardware and software upgrades to improve the site, she said, and it is working for many people.

“We're working to ensure it's easy to use,” Sebelius said, noting that more than 13 million people have visited the site, an “extraordinary” level of traffic.

Technicians, she said, are “working around the clock to add capacity.”

Via: Fox News

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How Much Is Your Health Insurance Going Up?

Have you gotten a letter from your insurance company about your premiums going up? Has your employer told you that more will be coming out of your paycheck to pay for your health plan?

President Obama promised that Obamacare would lower premiums by $2,500. But instead, Americans everywhere are facing higher premiums because of Obamacare.

George Schwab, who lives in North Carolina, was notified in a letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield on September 23 that his current plan doesn’t meet Obamacare’s benefit requirements and would be canceled at the end of the year. While Blue Cross did suggest a comparable plan, it was $980 more than what he now pays.

“The President told the American people numerous times that… ‘If you like your coverage, you can keep it,’” Schwab told The Charlotte Observer. “How can we keep it if it has been eliminated? How can we keep it

Via: The Foundry

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STUDY: OBAMA ADMIN MOST SECRETIVE SINCE NIXON

A new report issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) asserts that the Obama White House is the most insular in decades, and the worst since the Nixon Administration for its secrecy and lack of transparency. The report was based on interviews with upper echelon Washington reporters and news organization chiefs.

Even New York Times Washington correspondent David Sanger admitted, “This is the most closed, control freak administration I’ve ever covered.”

The study examined the Obama Administration’s fight with Edward Snowden, its “Insider Threat Program” that encourages government employees to spy on other’s behavior, and the lack of transparency shown by the administration.

Other factors leading to the journalists’ conclusions included the Justice Department's subpoenas of reporters’ phone logs and emails; the invasion of Associated Press phone records; and the White House’s charge that a Fox News reporter was an “aider, abettor and/or conspirator” of an indicted leaker who had been charged.

Many of the top journalists claimed that “officials are reluctant to discuss even unclassified information with them because they fear that leak investigations and government surveillance make it more difficult for reporters to protect them as sources.” R. Jeffrey Smith explained, “I worry now about calling somebody because the contact can be found out through a check of phone records or emails. It leaves a digital trail that makes it easier for the government to monitor those contacts.”

Other quotes from reporters included one saying that the Obama administration’s attitude toward the press was a “real problem,” and another stating that the Obama White House smacks of “unprecedented secrecy and unprecedented attacks on the press.”

Of course, the White House crew went into denial mode in the report; Press Secretary Jay Carney said that “the idea that people are shutting up and not leaking to reporters is belied by the facts.” National security adviser Ben Rhodes echoed, “We make an effort to communicate about national security issues in on-the-record and background briefings by sanctioned sources. And we still see investigative reporting from non-sanctioned sources with lots of unclassified information and some sensitive information.”

Via: Breitbart

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Thousands of Doctors Fired By United Healthcare

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)-- In the midst of major changes in health care, United HealthCare has sent thousands of pink slips to Connecticut doctors.

Termination letters went to physicians caring for Medicare patients.

Those letters were sent out to doctors caring for 'Medicare Advantage' patients.

It's a plan, marketed to Seniors to provide additional services through UnitedHealthCare.

A mix of primary care and specialty doctors are affected by it. And it comes at a questionable time.

Open enrollment for Medicare starts next Tuesday, and it's still not clear at this time as to which doctors are still in the United network.

The Connecticut State Medical Society is fighting back. The biggest concern is patient access to healthcare.

"What the government is looking for is to manage better care by adding a patient centered medical home so that you have a doctor who is totally invested with taking care of every aspect of the patient and coordinating it. This is clearly not a patient centered decision," said Dr. Michael Saffir, President of CT State Medical Society.

Dr. Saffir says the State Medical Society is in contact with UnitedHealthcare. They are also asking doctors to call United to find out why they were terminated without cause as notified in the letter.

Via: WTNH

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California – Where Illegal Immigrants are Legal

It seems like a lifetime ago when the U.S. Senate passed a bill to revise our immigration laws.  The bill — which was touted by some as the cure to our immigration problems — went to the House of Representatives and died.  The House stated they wanted to deal with the issue in pieces and not have another monster bill like Obamacare or Dodd-Frank, each of which have massive unintended consequences.  Without federal action, California is stepping into the breach to resolve the issue for all Americans.

This column previously wrote that to make any progress on immigration, two truths would have to be accepted:  First, there would have to be legitimate enforcement of our borders with a real fence along the southern border.  Second, that we would have to deal with the estimated eleven million illegal immigrants within our borders, and kicking them out was not a solution.  Well, the leaders of California have taken hold of the second part while ignoring the first.

It starts with the fact that the California Legislature passed a bill that would allow an estimated 1.4 illegal immigrants to obtain California drivers licenses.  Though California was not the first state to pass this law, it certainly is the most significant.  The law provides for a change in procedures that would eliminate the need to have a social security number.  The law states that an applicant for a driver’s license will no longer have to provide proof that they are legally in the United States to obtain a license.

The first ramification of this is that the law specifically requires that the license be separately identified.  But the law then states: “it is a violation of law to discriminate against an individual because he or she holds or presents a license issued under these provisions.”  That means if you are an employer in the state of California you must treat an illegal immigrant with a driver’s license just like an American citizen.

The counterpoint to this is the federal government just started a new crackdown on employers in states like California with large immigrant populations.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is warning employers they can be hit with strong civil penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.  But, if the employer in California discriminates against illegal immigrants, they are subject to civil damages.  Talk about can’t win for losing.

Via: California Political Review

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New Ann Coulter book rages at GOP with 'change or die' theme

Best-selling conservative author Ann Coulter, who has used her nine books to launch vicious attacks on Democrats, is turning her guns on Republicans in a new book out Monday, calling Florida Sen. Marco Rubio a hypocrite, urging donors freeze contributions to the GOP, and demanding that only governors or senators run for the party’s presidential nomination.

Her point in “Never Trust a Liberal Over 3 -- Especially a Republican” is to shake the party out of its doldrums in time for the 2014 and 2016 elections.

“Elections matter. We’re trying to make the country a better place. But if our candidates don’t win, we can’t do that,” she writes. “This isn’t a game. We aren’t picking basketball brackets. Bad things happen when Republicans lose elections and Democrats have veto-proof majorities,” she adds in the book provided in advance to Secrets.

While she is most noted for skewering liberals in her weekly columns and nine previous New York Times best sellers, “Never Trust” puts her on a path for a head-on collision with the establishment Republican Party and even a favored 2016 presidential candidate as she urges the GOP to purge itself of failed tactics, lazy consultants, and gripless potential candidates.

Take Rubio. He is one of the party’s leading 2016 candidates, but Coulter dresses him down for promising effective immigration reform while campaigning for the Senate but spitting out a more liberal alternative once elected.

She quotes him slamming amnesty for illegal immigrants as a Senate candidate in 2010. “And then he got to Washington and his big legislative initiative was a path to citizenship for illegal aliens! Yes, Rubio’s plan to solve the problem of illegal immigration from Mexico is to bring them all here,” she scolds.

The fashionable pundit pummels the party for wooing untested politicians for president. “Why are any congressmen or businessmen showing up in our presidential primaries? They are never going to get the nomination,” she says.

The solution is a governor, just like four of the last six presidents. “I don’t care if it makes you feel good, conservatives: Do not ever, ever considering running a presidential candidate who has not been a senator or preferably a governor. No, not even our beloved Ben Carson. What are we concentrating on? That’s right: winning.”

Via: Washington Examiner

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