The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
Home renovation projects can be exciting but challenging endeavors. While the prospect of transforming your living space is thrilling, it’s essential to approach renovations with careful planning and awareness of potential pitfalls. Many homeowners make common mistakes that can lead to unexpected costs, delays, and even dissatisfaction with the final result.
Continue reading 6 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Home Renovation Projects
We discuss with experts what problems startups face and what a university graduate should do to avoid them.
Whether you have the idea of developing betting apps for Android and iOS or other entertainment, you will find our tips helpful.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Patrick Anderson of Anderson Economic Group has released a new study. As it turns out, buying a Tesla or another EV won’t save money.
Continue reading Electric Vehicles Won’t Save The Planet And Won’t Even Save You Money
When looking for new car insurance, one of the main things you will be doing is looking for an acceptable value policy. It may be that you are looking for insurance that is cheaper than your last one to save some cash, or you want more coverage for the same rate. Car insurance is a competitive market, meaning that many providers will offer deals to convince people to swap over to them, and as a buyer, you can take advantage of this. For example, FreewayInsurance.com is known for offering affordable car insurance and great coverage.
Continue reading What is the cost of car insurance: Tips to keep your costs down?
Faced with the difficulties of benefits reform, some stakeholders’ instincts have been to stand still and resist change. The state’s current position, however, is untenable: It faces an $82 billion pension deficit which, in the absence of funding increases beyond the realm of reason, will lead to state workers’ pensions beginning to run out of money within a decade. Credit ratings agencies this week again stressed the state’s need to reduce its employee benefits costs. Moody’s Investors Service concluded in assessing the state’s creditworthiness: “Without meaningful structural changes that improve the affordability of the state’s liabilities, the state’s structural imbalance will persist and/or pension liabilities will grow, and the state’s rating will continue to fall.” Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
Record Number of Americans Put off Medical Treatment Due to Costs
Cost Still a Barrier Between Americans and Medical Care
by Rebecca Riffkin
In U.S., 33% have put off medical treatment because of cost
More put off treatment for serious conditions than non-serious
More with private insurance put off treatment in 2014 than 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. — One in three Americans say they have put off getting medical treatment that they or their family members need because of cost. Although this percentage is in line with the roughly 30% figures seen in recent years, it is among the highest readings in the 14-year history of Gallup asking the question.
Since 2001, Gallup has asked Americans each November if they have put off any sort of medical treatment for themselves or their families in the past 12 months. Last year, many hoped that the opening of the government healthcare exchanges and the resulting increase in the number of Americans with health insurance would enable more people to seek medical treatment. But,despite a drop in the uninsured rate, a slightly higher percentage of Americans than in previous years report having put off medical treatment, suggesting that the Affordable Care Act has not immediately affected this measure.
Among Americans with varying types of medical coverage (including no coverage), uninsured Americans are still the most likely to report having put off medical treatment because of cost. More than half of the uninsured (57%) have put off treatment, compared with 34% with private insurance and 22% with Medicare or Medicaid. However, the percentage of Americans with private health insurance who report putting off medical treatment because of cost has increased from 25% in 2013 to 34% in 2014.
Thirty-five percent of lower-income Americans — those with annual household incomes under $30,000 — report putting off medical treatment in the past 12 months, down from 43% in 2013. More upper-income Americans, on the other hand, report delaying treatment, with percentages rising from 17% in 2013 to 28% this year. The percentage of middle-income Americans who have put off medical treatment remains roughly the same as last year, at 38%.
Americans More Likely to Put Off Treatment for Serious Conditions
Those who indicate that they have put off medical treatment in the past 12 months are asked to rate the seriousness of the underlying condition or illness. This year, 22% of Americans say they have put off medical treatment for a “very” or “somewhat serious” condition. This is double the 11% who say they have put off treatment for a non-serious condition. Furthermore, the percentage who have put off treatment for a serious condition has increased slightly since 2013.
https://www.gallup.com/poll/179774/cost-barrier-americans-medical-care.aspx
How Much Will The Super Bowl Cost Taxpayers? Impact On New York/New Jersey Residents In 2014
By Christopher Zara
on January 28 2014 7:19 AM
On Sunday, Super Bowl XLVIII will descend upon MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., with the force of a thousand polar vortexes. And while more than 100 million eyeballs are expected to be glued to their TVs that evening, it’s worth pointing out that not everyone will be watching the big game. (A rerun of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is on ABC if anyone’s interested.)
But whether you care about the Super Bowl or not — if you live in New York or New Jersey, you’re paying for it, and not just with traffic disruptions and rowdy bar-goers. Taxpayers in both states will have to shoulder some of the burden: Security, mass transit, local promotions — it all costs money, and the region is apparently sparing no expense.
