ObamaCare in Trouble? Exchange provision delayed, as lawmakers push to repeal another
By Jim Angle
Published April 03, 2013
FoxNews.com
Parts of ObamaCare are starting to fray, even before full implementation.
The Obama administration now says a special system of exchanges designed to make it easier for small businesses to provide insurance will be delayed an entire year — to 2015.
“Lots of small businesses struggle with providing insurance for their workers so this was supposed to facilitate it and make it easier for small business to do this,” said Jim Capretta of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. “It was a huge portion of the sale job. When they passed the law in 2010 there were many senators and members of Congress who were saying ‘I am doing this because it’s going to help small businesses.'”
The exchanges were designed to give workers a range of choices supported by dollars from their employers. But now they will have only one choice until 2015, which could mean they can’t shop for insurance that includes their current providers. Capretta said the administration is “way” behind schedule.
Reader says , The truth behind Valley’s fantasy is the massive structure is simply already too big to expand any further
I am glad the Bergen article used the correct measure — the Hospital is going to severely expand, not reduce. Valley tried to get through the night talking about “reductions” in its expansion plans. The truth behind Valley’s fantasy is the massive structure is simply already too big to expand any further, and certainly not on the obese scale presented at last night’s meeting.
From what Valley said last night: The buildings and parking garage will be expanded with a 90% increase in density to what is there now, nearly double the current size. Maximum height will go up to almost 100 feet, further dwarfing surrounding properties. The plan still calls for the same number of parking spaces (2000) so it seems school children and other pedestrians will still face the same amount of increased traffic, despite the claim that certain operations will be conducted elsewhere. There will still be massive excavations impacting our underground water streams, requiring the destruction of bedrock and requiring hundreds of thousands of trips through town by dump trucks carrying off debris. Linwood avenue will be expanded in order to allow for the increased traffic and construction vehicles. (Does this mean the taking of private property from Linwood homeowners?) Today’s technology, we are told, requires larger, single occupancy rooms, yet we are not assured tomorrow’s technology and profit seeking won’t mean large singles are turned into double or triples (and maybe that’s the real reason for the increased number of parking spots.) The loading zone for trucks, with their noise, exhaust, etc., are all being moved down next to BF middle school and the playing fields.
All in all, Valley made it clear that to remain on par with other regional hospitals serving the NorthEast, it needed to expand even if the expansion did not otherwise fit within its space or the neighborhood. Once again, we are being asked to sacrifice our the Village so Valley can remain economically profitable with other major hospitals.
The Mayor asked a very interesting question: last time a prime justification for doubling the Hospital’s size was that overnight hospital beds were needed because of the shrinking number of hospitals. Why then, the Mayor asked, does Valley need the same number of beds as identified in the last expansion plans when Pascack Valley has re-opened down the road. Valley’s answer this time was that it wanted what it wanted. A particularly galling response when one considers Valley uses its financial might (relying on Ridgewood resident donations and funding of Valley’s tax-free status) to fund litigation opposing entities like Pascack Valley from administering to the sick.
I thought one of the most interesting points was not articulated well enough and Valley skirted away from it. Their opening presentation noted that other options, such as moving the entire baby birthing and care operations to another location, was not “feasible.” Valley later explained it was too costly, but it absolutely refused to provide any support for this saying the issue was “private.” In other words, Valley is asking the Village to change its way of public life, while saying the reasons are “private.” Hopefully the Planning Board will see through Valley’s thinly veiled reasons for wanting to expand. I would like to see the Board return to that at the next meeting, and if Valley won’t justify or explain this as one of the reasons for expanding, then the Board should refuse to consider the unavailability of other locations as a reason for expansion.
All in all, a good night for Ridgewood residents who respectfully presented question after question to Valley’s hired guns who sounded absolutely charming, but by the end of the night revealed that, as with the past plan, “these are the things that Valley wants” and that, in and of itself, is the reason the Village should cave and give it to them.
World Autism Awareness Day, Tuesday April 2nd at Dusk
What: Bergen County will be lighting up the County Administration Building in blue in support of Autism Speaks’ “Light It Up Blue” Campaign.
Where: One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, NJ
When: World Autism Awareness Day, Tuesday April 2nd at Dusk
Background: Since 2010 Autism Speaks has sponsored the “Light It Up Blue” campaign in support of World Autism Awareness Day. Many landmarks throughout the world will be lit up in blue. The County Administration Building will join other locations such as airports, bridges, sports arenas, concert halls and houses of worship.
If anyone is interested in lighting up their building in blue, The Home Depot is offering a specially-marked blue light bulb available online and in-stores. Home Depot will donate $1 from the sale of each specially marked blue light bulb to Autism Speaks.
An Easter Message from Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan
I want to wish all our Christian families in Bergen County a very Happy and glorious Easter Sunday. I hope you get to spend this very special day with your friends and family reliving your long held traditions. On another note, I want to thank the many people who have offered me their good wishes for a speedy recovery from the back problems that required me to seek medical attention. Your cards, flowers and messages of support mean a lot to me and are giving me added motivation to get through the rehabilitation process.
I look forward to returning to my full time duties as County Executive as quickly as possible. In the meantime, my staff continues to keep me updated daily on county business and to forward me all pertinent information about the operations of county government.
Helen Dillon, international garden expert, to visit Ridgewood
Friday, March 29, 2013
BY BETSY MURPHY
CORRESPONDENT
The Ridgewood News
Helen Dillon, called without dispute, ‘the queen of Irish gardeners,” may or may not wear a crown, but certainly she has a loyal and adoring following. Among them, are the members of The Women Gardeners (WGR) of Ridgewood, who are ecstatic in anticipation of her arrival from Ireland when she will speak at the Garden Party Lunch on April 11 at St. Elizabeth’s Church.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WOMEN GARDENERS
Posing in Ireland are back row from left: Linda Steffans, Ann Alford, Carol Lehmann and Anthea Luter. Bottom row from left: Nanette Pigaga, Ruth Nicoll McDevitt, Florence Pope, Liz O’Leary and Judy Collins. Helen Dillon is known as the queen of Irish gardeners.Anthea Luter poses with an amazing plant.
An “international plants woman,” and winner of the Royal Horticultural Society Award, Dillon is an author, columnist, broadcaster, TV personality, lecturer, plant hunter, designer and garden consultant – and delightful.
The WGR sponsors a fundraiser every year, alternating between a garden tour and an Education Day – or Open Day, which on April 11 will offer a flower arranging demonstration, potting shed sale, gifts, a luncheon and Dillon, who will talk and will sign her book, “Down to Earth.
Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, is Christianity’s most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn’t fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.
The exact origins of this religious feast day’s name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.
Easter is really an entire season of the Christian church year, as opposed to a single-day observance. Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter Sunday, is a time of reflection and penance and represents the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the wilderness before starting his ministry, a time in which Christians believe he survived various temptations by the devil. The day before Lent, known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, is a last hurrah of food and fun before the fasting begins. The week preceding Easter is called Holy Week and includes Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus’ last supper with his disciples; Good Friday, which honors the day of his crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, which focuses on the transition between the crucifixion and resurrection. The 50-day period following Easter Sunday is called Eastertide and includes a celebration of Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
Valley Caters to the Busy Woman with Health Screening Events on April 14 and 17
RIDGEWOOD, NJ – March 27 – On Sunday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 17, The Valley Hospital, in cooperation with its Spirit of Women health program, will offer “Done in a Day” to help busy women address those important health screenings that often go delayed or ignored due to scheduling difficulties. Women can choose one or more of six health screenings, which include digital breast imaging (mammography), bone density, women’s pelvic health, heart health assessment, spine screening, and a nutrition evaluation.
Mammography and bone density screenings require a physician’s prescription, and all screenings require appointments. Pelvic health, heart health, spine, and nutrition screenings are offered at no charge. All screenings are performed by nurse practitioners, certified radiology technicians, and other medical professionals. The schedule of screenings is as follows:
Sunday, April 14
7 a.m. – 9 a.m. Heart Health Assessment (requires fasting for 8-10 hours prior)
9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Mammography, Bone Density, Spine Screening
Wednesday, April 17
5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Mammography, Bone Density, Women’s Pelvic Health, Spine Screening, Nutrition Evaluation
Women may register for screening appointments by calling 1-800-VALLEY1 (1-800-825-5391). To allow for more than one health screening, our operators will work with women to schedule multiple appointments during the same visit. Some screenings are not available on both dates. You do not need to be a member of the Spirit of Women program to participate in these screenings.
Congressman Scott Garrett Presented the Silver Medal for Outstanding Service to RHS Senior Heesung Son
Ridgewood NJ, Congressman Scott Garrett Presented the Silver Medal for Outstanding Public Service to RHS Senior Heesung Son .
RHS senior Heesung Son received the Congressional Award Silver Metal for his voluntary public services.
To earn the award, Heesung completed over 200 hours of public service by playing his violin for the elderly in nursing homes and spending time with physically disabled children at Camp Sunshine. He also completed physical fitness and exploration goals. Congressman Scott Garrett presented the award at a ceremony at The Little Theatre on March 27.
Carlos Frías Art featured at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, Carlos Frías long thought he would be spending his days painting and exhibiting his latest artisticendeavors, but his life’s work took a back seat to the working life.
Fortunately, all that opportunity also pays for lots of art supplies and offers a fresh perspective, and so returning to his formal training as a fine artist,Carlos has enhanced his repertoire with new series and conceptual images.
Not too long ago, Carlos earned his BFA in Painting from Parsons School of Design in New York City.It was the next natural step after receiving his Associates in Painting and Illustration from Altos de Chavón School of Design in the Dominican Republic. Carlos’s many accolades serve as a testament to his commitment and talent as an artist, but what he now craves is the personal success that comes only with time and experience.
Carlos’s latest works reflect a new intention. They incorporate his desire to create subtly stimulating and provoking pieces with the aim of reminding his audience of humanity’s ties to its fleeting present and ensuing past. In his pieces Carlos evokes his childhood in the Dominican Republic, then a journey to a new life, and his constant endeavor to coalesce yet appreciate all of the individual elements that have brought him to where he is today, somewhere between here and there.( https://carlosfrias.com/biography.html )
The exhibit runs through April 7 at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place. Hours are by appointment. Call 201-444-6625.
RHS senior Heesung Son has received the Congressional Award Silver Medal for his voluntary public services
Ridgewood NJ , RHS senior Heesung Son has received the Congressional Award Silver Medal for his voluntary public services. To earn the award, Heesung completed over 200 hours of public service by playing his violin for the elderly in nursing homes and spending time with physically disabled children at Camp Sunshine.
He also completed physical fitness and exploration goals. Congressman McGarrity presented the award at a ceremony at The Little Theatre on March 27.
Sebelius: Yep, ObamaCare is raising insurance costs
By: John Hayward
3/27/2013 07:46 AM
A watershed moment in the ongoing disaster of ObamaCare, as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius finally admits that health insurance premiums are rising because of the President’s health insurance takeover, per the Wall Street Journal:
Ms. Sebelius’s remarks come weeks before insurers are expected to begin releasing rates for plans that start on Jan. 1, 2014, when key provisions of the health law kick in. Premiums have been a sensitive subject for the Obama administration, which is counting on elements in the health law designed to increase competition among insurers to keep rates in check. The administration has pointed to subsidies that will be available for many lower-income Americans to help them with the cost of coverage.
The secretary’s remarks are among the first direct statements from federal officials that people who have skimpy health plans right now could face higher premiums for plans that are more generous. She noted that the law requires plans to provide better benefits and treat all customers equally regardless of their medical claims.
“These folks will be moving into a really fully insured product for the first time, and so there may be a higher cost associated with getting into that market,” she said. “But we feel pretty strongly that with subsidies available to a lot of that population that they are really going to see much better benefit for the money that they’re spending.”
Ms. Sebelius added that those customers currently pay more for their health care if their plans have high out-of-pocket costs, high deductibles or exclude particular types of coverage, such as mental health treatment. She also said that some men and younger customers could see their rates increase while women and older customers could see their rates drop because the law restricts insurers’ ability to set rates based on age and gender.
Bill Gates’ $100 million database to track students Corporations gaining access to grades, addresses, hobbies, attitudes
By Michael F. Haverluck
Over the past 18 months, a massive $100 million public-school database spearheaded by the $36.4 billion-strong Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been in the making that freely shares student information with private companies.
The system has been in operation for several months and already contains millions of K-12 students’ personal identification ‒ ranging from name, address, Social Security number, attendance, test scores, homework completion, career goals, learning disabilities, and even hobbies and attitudes about school.
Claiming that the national database will enhance education, the main funder of the project, the Gates Foundation, entered the joint venture with the Carnegie Corporation of New York and school officials from a number of states. After Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify Education (a division of News Corp) spent more than a year developing the system’s infrastructure, the Gates Foundation delivered it to inBloom ‒ a nonprofit corporation recently established to run the database.
Reader says No matter how much lipstick the developers put on these pig Projects, they are still going to be pigs
Sure, the developers are more than willing to put up one way signs and / or traffic lights in front of the new Projects so the hundreds of cars passing in and out of the Projects each day will be able to speed along their way through the rest of the Village. The problem is that Ridgewood Ave, Prospect, Linwood, Glen, etc, are all going to be more busy than they were before, and the Villagers are going to bear the expense of more traffic, reduced home values, road work, and all the other things that go along with city streets. The proposals under consideration are simply going to push traffic through the rest of town, meaning more traffic on our over-burdened roads from the 1.000′s of additional car trips generated by any where from 400 to 800 more cars owned by the new families in the Projects.
No matter how much lipstick the developers put on these pig Projects, they are still going to be pigs. Some may be mislead by a bit of make-up, however, so we need to keep speaking up before our officials are fooled into kissing these porcine projects.
NJ TRANSIT PREPARES FOR MONDAY’S EXPECTED WINTER BLAST
Full System Wide Cross-Honoring in Effect Monday to Offer Customers Additional Travel Options
March 24, 2013
NEWARK, NJ — With another winter blast zeroing in on the Garden State starting late tonight, NJ TRANSIT operations, customer service and police personnel are again taking steps to minimize delays and ensure service reliability and safety. All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip.
To offer customers additional travel options during the expected inclement weather conditions, NJ TRANSIT will offer full system wide cross-honoring on Monday, March 25, enabling NJ TRANSIT customers to reach their final ticketed destination through an alternate travel mode—rail, light rail, as well as on both NJ TRANSIT bus and private bus carriers.
For example, customers who normally take the bus from Rutherford to the Port Authority Bus Terminal may use their ticketed bus pass on the train from Rutherford to New York Penn Station. Similarly, customers who normally take the bus between Atlantic City and Lindenwold may use their ticketed bus pass on the train instead. Customers using their tickets or passes to travel to a destination other than the destination printed on their original ticket will be subject to the appropriate additional fare if applicable.NJ TRANSIT is preparing to minimize disruptions and delays to the extent possible, particularly in light of the potential for icy conditions and heavy, wet snow which are both expected across portions of the Garden State. Locomotives will be strategically positioned across the rail system to rapidly respond in the event of a disabled train.
Additionally, the agency will closely monitor the crowds at New York Penn Station, Hoboken Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal and make adjustments to service as necessary.
Customers are advised of the following:
• Systemwide: NJ TRANSIT plans to operate a regular weekday schedule Monday, March 25. Depending on the impact of the storm, it may be necessary for NJ TRANSIT to modify service as conditions change.
• Bus Service: While every effort will be made to continue operating bus service throughout the state, customers may experience delays or detours on their routes in the event of extreme winter weather conditions. Customers are advised to plan accordingly and anticipate disruptions to bus service.
Travel Advice:
• For the latest travel information, visit njtransit.com or access our Twitter feed at @NJ_TRANSIT prior to starting your trip. In the event of delays or service adjustments, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system, which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your cell phone, PDA or pager. (If you are not yet a My Transit subscriber, we encourage you to sign up at www.njtransit.com/mytransit) Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555 or from broadcast traffic reports.
• Listen closely to public address announcements at stations for late-breaking service information.
• Build additional travel time into your trip to a station, terminal or bus stop.
• Stairs, flooring and platforms can be slippery, so please use caution when walking along wet surfaces or any outdoor surface exposed to the weather. Use extra care when boarding or exiting buses and trains.
• Report slippery or unsafe conditions to bus operators, train crews or NJ TRANSIT staff.
• If you park, ensure your car is stocked with a snow brush and ice scraper so you can clear your car upon returning to the lot.
NJ TRANSIT is well prepared to handle the impending winter weather:
• Snow plows and salt spreaders are ready for service and snow-removal contracts are in place with outside vendors.
• NJ TRANSIT is well-stocked with 16,000 bags of snow-melting supplies, and hundreds of shovels and snow blowers.
• NJ TRANSIT has performed maintenance and testing on its two rail-mounted jet snow blowers in the event they are needed to help clear train tracks of snow and ice, particularly in rail yards.
• More than 750 rail switches, switch heaters and overhead wires were inspected as part of NJ TRANSIT’s preventative maintenance program.
• Onboard heating systems, thermostats, weather stripping and electronic components have been inspected on NJ TRANSIT rail cars, light rail cars and locomotives.
• Bus maintenance personnel have inspected and performed necessary maintenance on a fleet of nearly 2,200 buses – from the heating and airbrake systems, to the engine fluids, tires, windshield wipers and doors.
Ridgewood Water’s billing system is under renovation!
Ridgewood Water is currently implementing an improved billing and customer service program. During this change our Customer Service Representatives will provide you with the best service possible but there may be occasional delays in providing routine, corrected, and final bills.
Once the new system is fully operational, customers will have the option to receive their bills by email instead of conventional mail. E-bills and conventional bills will be payable by credit card and automatic bank transfer in addition to checks, money orders and cash.
We are excited to be bringing these improvements to our customers and have more features in development.
