In response to Trump's actions against abortion
Source

For those at the back of the class this is a satirical publication.

Otherwise known as the "Onan Bill"

That depends. Some retirees have medical plans, but those are becoming increasingly rare. There is medicare, but retirees pay varying amounts to top it up and one weakness of medicare has always been a lack of prescription plans.

In CH, for example, once you've hit your franchise, you pay 10% of everything, including meds, which makes it more palatable. Meds are separate from hospital and physician care. in the US, each insurer seems to have a formulary allowed meds/price list - setting price and allowing various versions of drugs. It's an extra deep layer of administration which serves to undermine health care, physicians ability to suggest the best care and it doesn't always manage cost effectively.

There are prescription plans if you're older and low income, and they can help, but if you're in the big middle, it can be rough going.

In the good ol' days some employers offered retiree employee packages. But those days are gone for many. (ETA: Snap, Edot.)

A fine example of all that is wrong with US insurance: My FIL had a gold plated health insurance program courtesy of his employer. He retired as an officer of the company, which entitled him to continue that gold plated coverage in retirement. At the same time this company, under new management, cut insurance coverage for it's part time rank and file, a large portion of the company's employees. So many of it's current workers were left without insurance while retired folks kept theirs. Crazy.

I also know many people who were promised excellent retiree coverage, put in their 45 years and then... company sold off, new management, "Thanks for your lifetime of service and by the way, sorry - screw you, you are on your own." The promised retiree insurance was taken away overnight.

(Happened with pensions, too.)

To address the retiree issue, at age 65 the federal Medicare program that covers health insurance for seniors takes over. One has paid into Medicare all one's working life, and while it is not free, one continues to pay premiums*, for the most part they are less expensive than plans on the private sector. But even then coverage can run out (think long term nursing care) - at which point there is (hopefully) Medicaide, a bare-bones federal program for low income people, or.... well... remember the initial plot of Breaking Bad?




* A note to Americans living overseas:

Do remember that the current medicare system requires you to sign up and pay for Medicare part B by age 65, even if you do not live in the US and thus cannot benefit from it. If you do not enroll when eligible and later return to the US and enroll, your monthly premium will be increased by a X times the unenrolled eligible years. See here:
https://www.americansabroad.org/basic-medicare/

So if you think that returning is even a remote possibility, research this issue.




However... given that Ryan and McConnel are determined to crater not only the ACA but also have their eyes on Medicare and Soc Sec, interesting times, as in the Chinese curse, ahead.

Why should Americans have to pay for abortions in other places around the world they had nothing to do with?

No American money has ever been used for abortions in other countries. That is a flat out "falsehood".

Other arms of organisations that perform abortions have been funded (e.g. family planning clinics) but it is very much a clear division of money, none of which has been, or is allowed to be used for abortions.

Please don't spread such falsehoods to try and make a point. That is fake news.

I have a question for our American members who may not have voted for Trump, and I've already asked my American friends the same question, so am curious to see the answers here....

If/when Trump builds the wall between the US and Mexico, would you expect the next Democratic President to have it demolished?

READ THE ARTICLE! These are clinics that give advice to women on all female health issues, including about abortion is that could be an option for the person in question to consider. Some may also provide an abortion service, but others don't. Trump has, once again because this isn't the first time a President has done this, told them if they even effectively mention the world abortion they could lose their funding.

"Donald Trump has signed an executive order to ban federal money going to international groups which perform or provide information on abortions.

The US president's order shows he "wants to stand up for all Americans, including the unborn," his press secretary Sean Spicer said.

The executive order - known as "the Mexico City Policy" - is likely to concern pro-choice groups, already wary of his anti-abortion stance.

Mr Trump supports a US abortion ban.

But this is not the first time a foreign funding ban has been put in place. Republican President Ronald Reagan first created the Mexico City Policy in 1984 introducing the ban, only for the Democrats to later rescind it under the Clinton administration.

The policy requires non-governmental organisations receiving federal funding to agree to "neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations".

For decades, it has been the case that no US money can be spent on overseas abortions but the Mexico City policy takes that a step further.

In 2009, Barack Obama ended the policy, which had been reinstated under President George Bush's tenure."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38724063

To be clear, the Executive Order Trump signed on Monday is to bar any US funding for any international organisations that perform or prescribe abortions.

There have been organisations that have received US funding, and performed or prescribed abortions. This is no longer the case.

of course it will be demolished. and everyone is going to be there taking selfies and pieces as souvenir because they imagine themselves to be in berlin 1989

The latest term being used by the Trump mob is 'Alternative Facts'.

I dont know if i should laugh or cry.

cheers
SC

Never. That'd be like Obama giving up his drones, or mass surveillance.

Trunp just adds to the realism being sponsored by russia.

The friends I've asked have all said...In principle, it should be demolished, but in practice, it means spending even more public money, so it would depend on the individual President.

Leave it up as a lasting memorial to an inept president, something akin to Ed Miliband's monolith...

Trump derangment syndrome? OMFG, do you guys talk to each other and use that term?

Lets all go back to the 1950s and label anyone you don't like with a mental disorder.

If they work in a plan to stop the carnage of drug cartels through those smuggling routes, that wall would definitely be worth it. The level of violence there is insane, and it is somewhat immoral to ignore it.


A physical wall may not be practical in some terrain. An electronic wall of sensors, drones and robots may be more effective.

Sounds like he is planning a revenue stream from the wall. Perhaps in the form of border taxes, tarifs or crossing fees. He could possibly cut Mexico into that revenue stream, as he said they would be paying for it.

I heard estimates of $20B for the cost wall. We have a $60B annual trade deficit with Mexico. It could possibly be paid for in short period of time.

All the best moral government build walls, the best walls, moral walls