Free Republic

https://vts.inxpo.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowKey=35887 It's time to get in formation. With one month left before Donald Trump takes office, we’ve reached a crucial moment in our movement where we must set a fresh agenda that will lead us in the fight ahead. This Monday, December 12 from 7-8 ET, we invite you to a virtual townhall, “It’s time To Get In Formation: Changing the Way we Fight and Win.” This virtual event will be moderated by CNN contributor and President of Dream Corps, Van Jones and hosted by our very own Arisha Hatch. We have a powerful lineup of movement leaders Linda Sarsour,...

Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt on Wednesday urged all lawmakers to improve on the progress made by the Affordable Care Act, rather than plunge the healthcare industry into chaos if the ACA is repealed and inadequately replaced, or isn't replaced at all. “There should be no pride of authorship,” Slavitt said. “If we can improve upon the things that were started in the ACA, we should do it. It doesn't matter if that comes from a Democrat. It doesn't matter if it comes from a Republican. I would encourage people on both sides of the aisle to say, 'Let's take...

Americans feel government doesn’t serve them, their voice isn’t heard. Most solutions focus on the next political battle. While short-term battles are important, we need long-term solutions more profound than better policies, politicians or parties; we need a better political system. Technology has been blamed for our current political environment; for social and economic disruption that led to disaffection, for spreading fake news. Well-designed technology offers the best chance of creating the political system needed: more participatory, responsive, informed democracy. It just hasn’t been built yet. Silicon Valley invested billions designing technology to improve industries; commerce, communications, travel, transportation. Less...

<p>It was dark and cold that night I stomped down Broadway, talking to my then-boyfriend-now-husband about my feelings. I am always talking about my feelings, and he is always listening. He “mhm”s at the right places and doesn’t interrupt and sometimes says good things at the end. Sometimes he says wrong things, and then I have to explain why those things are wrong, taking us down an emotional tangent that is frustrating and exhausting, but he’s trying to be helpful, I tell myself and breathe. Bless his little heart.</p>

he two million number materialized well before Trump repeated it in his recent 60 Minutes interview. He used the figure in a number of his rallies, including his infamous, Phoenix speech, in which he outlined his immigration plan, and it appears in his plan for the first 100 days in office. The Trump team even shared its official source for the two million criminal immigrant figure with the Washington Post: a 2013 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget report to Congress. So, go ahead, open the report, and scroll to page 1092. You too will find the following line: “ICE...

NBC/Survey Monkey. As of October 23, 2016. It is no surprise that Democrats in the U.S. Congress will oppose Donald Trump but the most important resistance to fulfilling the president-elect's agenda is beginning to emerge from Republicans on Capitol Hill. The party held onto control of the Senate at the Nov. 8 election but by only a thin margin, putting powerful swing votes in just a few hands.

Over the past year, many people have asked what I’ll do after the election. It’s reasonable to assume my public service is connected to my personal politics. But I don’t see it that way. For one, my politics have changed quite a bit after serving in the federal government for 6 years. They haven’t shifted across the simple “left-right” spectrum that does the complexity of our country such a disservice. Instead, while my expectation of what government both can and should do is much more conservative than before, I’ve never been more optimistic that for those things we can do,...

Red-state Democrats and party strategists are already nervously looking past 2016, when they are angling to recapture the Senate, to the 2018 elections, hoping against hope that their party isn’t setting itself up for a titanic midterm backlash that could flip control of the Senate for a third time in three elections. As difficult as the 2016 Senate map has been for Republicans, who had to defend numerous blue- and purple-state seats and could lose their majority, Democrats’ 2018 map looks practically unnavigable. The party starts with five ruby-red seats to defend: Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia....

Oct 24 (Reuters) - The average premium for benchmark 2017 Obamacare insurance plans sold on Healthcare.gov rose 25 percent compared with 2016, the U.S. government said on Monday, the biggest increase since the insurance first went on sale in 2013 for the following year. The average monthly premium for the benchmark plan is rising to $302 from $242 in 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services said. The agency attributed the large increase to insurers adjusting their premiums to reflect two years of cost data that became available.

Fewer than half of physicians are aware of the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), and most of those who do know about it probably wish it would go away. Nevertheless, this law will determine how Medicare reimburses doctors, starting in 2019. ... CMS won’t release its final MACRA rule ... CMS recenty changed the timeline ...

I am on HB visa and using Medicaid benefits for 12 months. I intend to marry a US citizen and I understand that she will be responsible for paying back the medical services I used. Would it help if my get off the program now before we get married...my wrong-doing? Also does my use of Medicaid prevent my adjustment of status from H1B to green card? Expert Judith answers: The law requires you to be paid at least the prevailing wage. How do you qualify for the means tested benefits?

Maps by Center for Immigration Studies based on Census shows detailed information on immigrants (legal and illegal) at county level 1990-2014. The analysis focuses on adults. Adults directly affect job market, politics and potential voters, they reshape the culture. In 1990 immigrants were at least 20% of adultsin 44 counties, by 2014 they were 20% in 152 counties. In 1990, only 1 in 8 Americans lived in a county at least 20% adult immigrants, by 2014 nearly 1 in 3 Americans. Since 1990 immigrant share of adults more than quadrupled in 232 counties. By county In GA: Stewart <1 to...

The scheduled initial rollout of the Military Health System's new multibillion-dollar electronic health record system has been delayed, at least for several months. The Defense Department is blaming the pause on an “aggressive schedule and issues identified during testing.. The first go-lives “will move in a few months,” the statement said. The proposed new EHR system, called MHS GENESIS since a renaming in April, was to be initially deployed in December at a select group of facilities in the Pacific Northwest. In July 2015, a consortium led by defense contractor Leidos, Accenture Federal Services and Cerner Corp. won the $4.3...

No activist can work in the public policy process for long without running across one or more conspiracy theories. How should you react to these theories? What do you have to know about these theories to make a difference as an activist? These questions will be answered in the newest FREE training webinar with Morton Blackwell. Conspiracy Theories airs Wed, Aug 10 at 3:00 PM EST. Register for the Leadership Institute’s free webinar with Morton Blackwell, Conspiracy Theories. LI's founder and president, Morton Blackwell, will be in the studio sharing his insights on conspiracy theories. Mr. Blackwell has been a...

Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt has a lot of explaining to do. And a lot of listening. In recent months, the agency issued draft rules carrying out what's intended to bring transformational change to the way Medicare pays physicians. It also rolled out a slew of experiments with payment and delivery reforms, including its first mandatory demonstration programs. In the process, Slavitt has become highly visible on social media and in person, and he has developed a reputation for unusual candor in conversations with healthcare leaders and clinicians. Slavitt spoke last week with Modern Healthcare managing editor Gregg Blesch. This...

Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually in Georgia on uncompensated care for the uninsured. The uninsured may not have coverage but they do get sick; one way or another, we all pay for their care in a way that is terribly inefficient. • Money should follow people. It is important to support the institutions and providers that make up Georgia’s safety net, but solutions should be people-centered, not institutioncentered. • Innovation requires flexibility and choices. Micromanaging every last detail is a recipe for the status quo. The accompanying table shows the most recent data on the average enrollment...

JD Hayworth just had Paul Ryan opponent Nehlen on TV. Nehlen is the extreme case of a non-politician. Newsmax has been announcing all day he would be on just before the Cruz speech. So Nehlen had time to prepare. Nehlen was totally unprepared. At the end JD asked how supporters could get in touch with Nehlen. Nehlen stumbled around and eventually came up with a web address. Why was there not a campaign sign behind Nehlen with dot com, twitter and other addresses on the campaign sign. If Nehlen wins, or even comes close it will be a the anti-Paul...

MIAMI —The man on the table at Ryder Trauma Center in Jackson Memorial Hospital has been shot four times, in the forearm, chest, flank, and thigh. Dr. George Garcia spends two hours operating on him, removing bullet fragments, closing blood vessels and repairing tissue. By the time he’s tied the last suture it’s 2 a.m. Garcia tosses his blood-stained gloves in the trash and goes out to tell the victim’s father his son will be fine. Then Garcia’s pager signals that an ambulance is on its way with another shooting victim. And so, he heads to the observation bays to...

As America reels from yet another mass shooting, inevitable questions resurface about guns laws and the nation's pervasive firearm culture. Here is a look at per capita weapons data, based on the ATF's National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and 2013 data from the U.S. Census... ...it does not include categories like pistols, which make up a large percentage of the guns in the U.S.

We conclude that (hospital) CEOs are heavily driven to perform on government pay for performance metrics, but less so to metrics that currently fail to correspond to a reimbursement requirement. (Conclusion first here) Truven Health Analytics™ and Mercer teamed to investigate whether there is a correlation between CEO compensation and hospital performance on a balanced scorecard. The study showed there is a strong alignment for the highest level of performance. However, the study also found that 80% of hospitals do not perform well on a balanced scorecard. Instead, compensation appears to be designed to incent the CEO to pursue metrics...