August 2020 current events featuring Mr. Nice!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > August 2020 current events featuring Mr. Nice!

Defenestrategy: Oct 24, 2010

Nick Soapdish posted:

https://twitter.com/nmarchio/status/1297636843589074950?s=20

In other news, Rahm Emanuel will advise fish to stay in water and face eating leopards to continue hunting for faces to eat.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 01:28

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 1, 2024 05:52

Bored As Fuck: Jan 1, 2006; Fun Shoe

Nick Soapdish posted:

https://twitter.com/nmarchio/status/1297636843589074950?s=20

Please loving walk into the ocean you god drat terrible human being Rahm

He needs to gently caress off forever and die tired, hungry, and thirsty in a hole. That loving ghoul. He and his generation aren't going to have to live with much of the impact of climate change. And even if they do, he's part of a political and economic elite who will always be sheltered from the effects of disasters. Hundreds of millions will die off from thirst, famine, and natural disasters. And they literally do not give a poo poo about those hundreds of millions of souls. Despicable.

Anyone like him - whose policies literally kill people, bankrupt people, keep people down economically and socially, not to mention gently caress over and harm if not kill everyone in the world by refusing to take drastic measures against the coming climate apocalypse - deserve to be banished from any and all media, and should never be able to hold a public office again. Their stance is, when it comes down to it, anti-human.

The planet doesn't need saving. We do.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 01:38

ded: Oct 27, 2005; Kooler than Jesus

Current event : I am surrounded by fire.

Smoke has been so bad today its even inside the house.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 01:39

CRUSTY MINGE: Mar 30, 2011; Peggy Hill
Foot Connoisseur

More Colorado fire talk. New fire in Park county around Tarryall.

https://krdo.com/news/2020/08/23/thorpe-fire-in-park-county-causing-evacuations/

Colorado Springs is like walking into a bar in the 90s right now.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 01:43

LongDarkNight: Oct 25, 2010; It's like watching the collapse of Western civilization in fast forward.; Oven Wrangler

ded posted:

Current event : I am surrounded by fire.

Smoke has been so bad today its even inside the house.

Unfortunate user name/post combo.

Don't die.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 01:47

Syrian Lannister: Aug 25, 2007; Oh, did I kill him too?
I've been a very busy little man.; Sugartime Jones

LongDarkNight posted:

Unfortunate user name/post combo.

Don't die.

Not an empty quote

# ? Aug 24, 2020 01:47

Brute Squad: Dec 20, 2006; Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human race

LongDarkNight posted:

Unfortunate user name/post combo.

Don't die.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 01:51

ded: Oct 27, 2005; Kooler than Jesus

LongDarkNight posted:

Unfortunate user name/post combo.

Don't die.

Unless even more fires pop up closer to us we should be ok where we are. Just the smoke is a problem right now.

Well unless power gets cut. Then poo poo gets lovely quick.

gently caress I hate pg&e

# ? Aug 24, 2020 02:03

EBB: Feb 15, 2005

Sun was dimmed out a lot today

# ? Aug 24, 2020 02:17

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

EBB posted:

Sun was dimmed out a lot today

Would you say black as sackcloth?

# ? Aug 24, 2020 02:27

BigDave: Jul 14, 2009; Taste the High Country

Stultus Maximus posted:

Would you say black as sackcloth?

Perhaps I would...

# ? Aug 24, 2020 02:33

shame on an IGA: Apr 8, 2005

Suicide Watch posted:

https://www.thecut.com/2020/08/nasa-says-asteroid-is-headed-for-earth-just-before-election.html

It's happening!

2 meters? Who gives a poo poo

# ? Aug 24, 2020 02:46

Godholio: Aug 28, 2002; Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?

EBB posted:

Sun was dimmed out a lot today

This is our new tactic to combat climate change.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 02:58

PeterCat: Apr 8, 2020; Believe women.

https://mobile.twitter.com/nicolesg...genumber%3d5170

Party Platforms and platitudes are BS but the way Trump is putting it out is a lot easier to follow than anything the Democrats have done thus far.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 04:51

Midjack: Dec 24, 2007

The Conways are both leaving their jobs citing family concerns: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/23/politics/kellyanne-conway-george-conway-white-house-lincoln-project/index.html

# ? Aug 24, 2020 05:00

facialimpediment: Feb 11, 2005; as the world turns

Y'all should look up the video. I'm not linking it. There are already reports that he died.

https://twitter.com/Pervaizistan/status/1297747772146364416?s=19

# ? Aug 24, 2020 05:19

Dum Cumpster: Sep 12, 2003; *pozes your neghole*

You just beat be to linking that. loving kids were in the car and he'd broke up the fight cops were called about. Protests in Kenosha look pretty heated

# ? Aug 24, 2020 05:22

Thomamelas: Mar 11, 2009

Midjack posted:

The Conways are both leaving their jobs citing family concerns: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/23/politics/kellyanne-conway-george-conway-white-house-lincoln-project/index.html

Their daughter has been tweeting about emancipation.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 05:29

BIG HEADLINE: Jun 13, 2006; "Stand back, Ottawan ruffian, or face my lumens!"

Thomamelas posted:

Their daughter has been tweeting about emancipation.

Yeah, imagining living in that house...Mom works for Trump, and Dad is butthurt that we don't have a *competent* fascist in the White House that makes him feel better about being a Republican.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 05:33

Thomamelas: Mar 11, 2009

BIG HEADLINE posted:

Yeah, imagining living in that house...Mom works for Trump, and Dad is butthurt that we don't have a *competent* fascist in the White House that makes him feel better about being a Republican.

Yeah, she loving hates them. There have been a couple of news articles citing her tweets and this isn't normal teenager/parent conflict. They were playing whack a mole with her twitter and tik tok access for a while but gave up apparently.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 05:42

Johnny Five-Jaces: Jan 21, 2009

facialimpediment posted:

Y'all should look up the video. I'm not linking it. There are already reports that he died.

https://twitter.com/Pervaizistan/status/1297747772146364416?s=19

no one knows right now. there are a ton of reports saying he's in the ICU and going to make it, and equally as many saying he died

he gets shot 7 times in the back at close range so if he makes it it will be a miracle

Kenosha already on fire, Milwaukee and Madison probably going to be on fire as well they should. gently caress the racist rear end police.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 06:09

Johnny Five-Jaces: Jan 21, 2009

double post: here is a stream of various protests in Kenosha and sympathetic protests in other cities: https://twitch.tv/woke

On the Kenosha one, two guys with ARs strolled up to Kenosha PD's SWAT vehicle and told them to leave before something bad happens to them. god bless.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 06:12

BIG HEADLINE: Jun 13, 2006; "Stand back, Ottawan ruffian, or face my lumens!"

I've yet to see it reported on any medium that doesn't print anything they read in a tweet, but allegedly/supposedly KJU is in a coma and his sister's now the de facto leader of North Korea.

What does that make this, the third time he's died/been at death's door?

# ? Aug 24, 2020 07:55

Milo and POTUS: Sep 3, 2017; I will not shut up about the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I talk about them all the time and work them into every conversation I have. I built a shrine in my room for the yellow one who died because sadly no one noticed because she died around 9/11. Wanna see it?

Bored As gently caress posted:

Anyone like him - whose policies literally kill people, bankrupt people, keep people down economically and socially, not to mention gently caress over and harm if not kill everyone in the world by refusing to take drastic measures against the coming climate apocalypse - deserve to be banished from any and all media, and should never be able to hold a public office again. Their stance is, when it comes down to it, anti-human.

They're literally the enemies of mankind and the great evil of our age

# ? Aug 24, 2020 08:07

Milo and POTUS: Sep 3, 2017; I will not shut up about the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I talk about them all the time and work them into every conversation I have. I built a shrine in my room for the yellow one who died because sadly no one noticed because she died around 9/11. Wanna see it?

Dum Cumpster posted:

You just beat be to linking that. loving kids were in the car and he'd broke up the fight cops were called about. Protests in Kenosha look pretty heated

Oh boy can't wait to see the ~~RWM~~ MSM hatchet job

# ? Aug 24, 2020 08:10

ded: Oct 27, 2005; Kooler than Jesus

BIG HEADLINE posted:

I've yet to see it reported on any medium that doesn't print anything they read in a tweet, but allegedly/supposedly KJU is in a coma and his sister's now the de facto leader of North Korea.

What does that make this, the third time he's died/been at death's door?

Seems to happen any time he isn't seen in public for more than a week. Dude dies more than Phil Coulson.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 10:04

BIG HEADLINE: Jun 13, 2006; "Stand back, Ottawan ruffian, or face my lumens!"

ded posted:

Seems to happen any time he isn't seen in public for more than a week. Dude dies more than Phil Coulson.

It's bad even when RT starts dunking on a semi-major customer of Russian goods and services:

https://mobile.twitter.com/RT_com/status/1297836046789554178

# ? Aug 24, 2020 11:09

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

PeterCat posted:

https://mobile.twitter.com/nicolesg...genumber%3d5170

Party Platforms and platitudes are BS but the way Trump is putting it out is a lot easier to follow than anything the Democrats have done thus far.

How many of these are recycled from his 2016 campaign?

# ? Aug 24, 2020 11:49

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

https://twitter.com/blakehounshell/status/1297685292032417792

https://twitter.com/CT_Bergstrom/status/1297715092759302146?s=20

# ? Aug 24, 2020 11:59

shame on an IGA: Apr 8, 2005

"Teach American Exceptionalism"

# ? Aug 24, 2020 12:00

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; bone shaking.
soul baking.

End cashless bail and keep people locked up pre-trial.

That�s just loving monstrous.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 12:11

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Mr. Nice! posted:

End cashless bail and keep people locked up pre-trial.

That�s just loving monstrous.

Not for the for-profit prison industry that donates to your PAC!

Lotta money to be made in the impending unrest.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 12:20

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Actual solid evidence for Covid reinfection

https://twitter.com/cwylilian/status/1297830744509698050

Previous claims of reinfection could not be verified and were potentially due to false positive tests for one of the 2 infections etc. This has viral genome sequence for both indicating a clear difference for the 1st and 2nd incidence.

Good part is that the patient was asymptomatic in 2nd infection, bad part is that they were producing virus and could be a spreader. It's not so 'doom and gloom' as all that though. Could just mean that if a viable vaccine gets produced that you're going to need boosters with it.

There is not enough data here to determine if it would typically present as asymptomatic in a 2nd infection more often or not though. If I had to guess I would say that would be more common, because you'd probably get some partial immunity from the 1st time that might keep it from really lighting up the host and keeping viral titers lower. Speculation though.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 13:10

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; bone shaking.
soul baking.

According to current numbers, the top 1% of the country owns ~50% of the stock market in America and the top 10% owns 87%. 90% of america owns less than 13% of the stock market the feds have poured trillions into this year.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 13:27

pmchem: Jan 22, 2010

Mr. Nice! posted:

According to current numbers, the top 1% of the country owns ~50% of the stock market in America and the top 10% owns 87%. 90% of america owns less than 13% of the stock market the feds have poured trillions into this year.

That showed up in my twitter feed this morning:

https://twitter.com/LizAnnSonders/status/1297855294350012418?s=20

It's not a good thing, of course. But note that the numbers are only very slightly changed over the past 30 years. Also, so people are not misled, the Federal Reserve has put exactly zero into the stock market this year.

What they HAVE done (and I've posted about in BFC threads), is poured trillions of liquidity into the bond market, depressing yields, making stocks and mortgages (housing!) relatively more attractive, thus supporting non-bond asset prices. So in the end it's a similar effect -- but it's better if people clearly understand how all this works.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 13:36

PeterCat: Apr 8, 2020; Believe women.

Mr. Nice! posted:

According to current numbers, the top 1% of the country owns ~50% of the stock market in America and the top 10% owns 87%. 90% of america owns less than 13% of the stock market the feds have poured trillions into this year.

Watch as the crew at CNBC don't understand that most people have been experiencing a recession for 40 years and that the "Investor Class" isn't most people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8T7e9q7Fpc

# ? Aug 24, 2020 13:39

PeterCat: Apr 8, 2020; Believe women.

That Works posted:

https://twitter.com/blakehounshell/status/1297685292032417792

https://twitter.com/CT_Bergstrom/status/1297715092759302146?s=20

No more of a letter to Santa than everything Biden outlined in his acceptance speech. And the bullet point list is a much clearer message than burying your ideas under pages of policy that you don't intend to enact anyway.

Check out Trump's plan vs what Biden wants you to read:

Joe Biden.com posted:

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, with Vice President Biden standing by his side, and made history. It was a victory 100 years in the making. It was the conclusion of a tough fight that required taking on Republicans, special interests, and the status quo to do what�s right. But the Obama-Biden Administration got it done.

Today, the Affordable Care Act is still a big deal. Because of Obamacare, over 100 million people no longer have to worry that an insurance company will deny coverage or charge higher premiums just because they have a pre-existing condition � whether cancer or diabetes or heart disease or a mental health challenge. Insurance companies can no longer set annual or lifetime limits on coverage. Roughly 20 million additional Americans obtained the peace of mind that comes with health insurance. Young people who are in transition from school to a job have the option to stay covered by their parents� plan until age 26.

But, every day over the past nine years, the Affordable Care Act has been under relentless attack.

Immediately after its passage, Congressional Republicans began trying again and again to repeal it. Following the lead of President Trump, Republicans in Congress have only doubled down on this approach since January 2017. And, since repeal through Congress has not been working, President Trump has been unilaterally doing everything he can to sabotage the Affordable Care Act. Now, the Trump Administration is trying to get the entire law � including protections for people with pre-existing conditions � struck down in court.

As president, Biden will protect the Affordable Care Act from these continued attacks. He opposes every effort to get rid of this historic law � including efforts by Republicans, and efforts by Democrats. Instead of starting from scratch and getting rid of private insurance, he has a plan to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice, reducing health care costs, and making our health care system less complex to navigate.

For Biden, this is personal. He believes that every American has a right to the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have access to affordable, quality health care. He knows that no one in this country should have to lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling wondering, �what will I do if she gets breast cancer?� or �if he has a heart attack?� �Will I go bankrupt?� He knows there is no peace of mind if you cannot afford to care for a sick child or a family member because of a pre-existing condition, because you�ve reached a point where your health insurer says �no more,� or because you have to make a decision between putting food on the table and going to the doctor or filling a prescription.

In the coming months, Joe Biden will build on today�s plan by rolling out his proposals to tackle some of our greatest public health challenges � from reducing gun violence to curing devastating diseases as we know them like cancer, Alzheimer�s, diabetes, and addiction.
THE BIDEN PLAN TO PROTECT & BUILD ON THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

I. GIVE EVERY AMERICAN ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE

From the time right before the Affordable Care Act�s key coverage-related policies went into effect to the last full year of the Obama-Biden Administration, 2016, the number of Americans lacking health insurance fell from 44 million to 27 million � an almost 40% drop. But President Trump�s persistent efforts to sabotage Obamacare through executive action, after failing in his efforts to repeal it through Congress, have started to reverse this progress. Since 2016, the number of uninsured Americans has increased by roughly 1.4 million.

As president, Biden will stop this reversal of the progress made by Obamacare. And he won�t stop there. He�ll also build on the Affordable Care Act with a plan to insure more than an estimated 97% of Americans. Here�s how:

Giving Americans a new choice, a public health insurance option like Medicare. If your insurance company isn�t doing right by you, you should have another, better choice. Whether you�re covered through your employer, buying your insurance on your own, or going without coverage altogether, the Biden Plan will give you the choice to purchase a public health insurance option like Medicare. As in Medicare, the Biden public option will reduce costs for patients by negotiating lower prices from hospitals and other health care providers. It also will better coordinate among all of a patient�s doctors to improve the efficacy and quality of their care, and cover primary care without any co-payments. And it will bring relief to small businesses struggling to afford coverage for their employees.

Increasing the value of tax credits to lower premiums and extend coverage to more working Americans. Today, families that make between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level may receive a tax credit to reduce how much they have to pay for health insurance on the individual marketplace. The dollar amount of the financial assistance is calculated to ensure each family does not have to pay more than a certain percentage of their income on a silver (medium generosity) plan. But, these shares of income are too high and silver plans� deductibles are too high. Additionally, many families making more than 400% of the federal poverty level (about $50,000 for a single person and $100,000 for a family of four), and thus not qualifying for financial assistance, still struggle to afford health insurance. The Biden Plan will help middle class families by eliminating the 400% income cap on tax credit eligibility and lowering the limit on the cost of coverage from 9.86% of income to 8.5%. This means that no family buying insurance on the individual marketplace, regardless of income, will have to spend more than 8.5% of their income on health insurance. Additionally, the Biden Plan will increase the size of tax credits by calculating them based on the cost of a more generous gold plan, rather than a silver plan. This will give more families the ability to afford more generous coverage, with lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.

Expanding coverage to low-income Americans. Access to affordable health insurance shouldn�t depend on your state�s politics. But today, state politics is getting in the way of coverage for millions of low-income Americans. Governors and state legislatures in 14 states have refused to take up the Affordable Care Act�s expansion of Medicaid eligibility, denying access to Medicaid for an estimated 4.9 million adults. Biden�s plan will ensure these individuals get covered by offering premium-free access to the public option for those 4.9 million individuals who would be eligible for Medicaid but for their state�s inaction, and making sure their public option covers the full scope of Medicaid benefits. States that have already expanded Medicaid will have the choice of moving the expansion population to the premium-free public option as long as the states continue to pay their current share of the cost of covering those individuals. Additionally, Biden will ensure people making below 138% of the federal poverty level get covered. He�ll do this by automatically enrolling these individuals when they interact with certain institutions (such as public schools) or other programs for low-income populations (such as SNAP).Learn more about how Biden�s plan for health care benefits communities of color >>

II. PROVIDE THE PEACE OF MIND OF AFFORDABLE, QUALITY HEALTH CARE AND A LESS COMPLEX HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Today, even for people with health insurance, our health care system is too expensive and too hard to navigate. The Biden Plan will not only provide coverage for uninsured Americans, it will also make health care more affordable and less complex for all.

The plan�s elements described above will help reduce the cost of health insurance and health care for those already insured in the following ways:

All Americans will have a new, more affordable option. The public option, like Medicare, will negotiate prices with providers, providing a more affordable option for many Americans who today find their health insurance too expensive.

Middle class families will get a premium tax credit to help them pay for coverage. For example, take a family of four with an income of $110,000 per year. If they currently get insurance on the individual marketplace, because their premium will now be capped at 8.5% of their income, under the Biden Plan they will save an estimated $750 per month on insurance alone. That�s cutting their premiums almost in half. If a family is covered by their employer but can get a better deal with the 8.5% premium cap, they can switch to a plan on the individual marketplace, too.

Premium tax credits will be calculated to help more families afford better coverage with lower deductibles. Because the premium tax credits will now be calculated based on the price of a more generous gold plan, families will be able to purchase a plan with a lower deductible and lower out-of-pocket spending. That means many families will see their overall annual health care spending go down.

The Biden Plan has several additional proposals aimed directly at cutting the cost of health care and making the health care system less complex to navigate. The Biden Plan will:

Stop �surprise billing.� Consumers trying to lower their health care spending often try to choose an in-network provider. But sometimes patients are unaware they are receiving care from an out-of-network provider and a big, surprise bill. �Surprise medical billing� could occur, for example, if you go to an in-network hospital but don�t realize a specialist at that hospital is not part of your health plan. The Biden Plan will bar health care providers from charging patients out-of-network rates when the patient doesn�t have control over which provider the patient sees (for example, during a hospitalization).

Tackle market concentration across our health care system. The concentration of market power in the hands of a few corporations is occurring throughout our health care system, and this lack of competition is driving up prices for consumers. The Biden Administration will aggressively use its existing antitrust authority to address this problem.

Lower costs and improve health outcomes by partnering with the health care workforce. The Biden Administration will partner with health care workers and accelerate the testing and deployment of innovative solutions that improve quality of care and increase wages for low-wage health care workers, like home care workers.

III. STAND UP TO ABUSE OF POWER BY PRESCRIPTION DRUG CORPORATIONS

Too many Americans cannot afford their prescription drugs, and prescription drug corporations are profiteering off of the pocketbooks of sick individuals. The Biden Plan will put a stop to runaway drug prices and the profiteering of the drug industry by:

Repealing the outrageous exception allowing drug corporations to avoid negotiating with Medicare over drug prices. Because Medicare covers so many Americans, it has significant leverage to negotiate lower prices for its beneficiaries. And it does so for hospitals and other providers participating in the program, but not drug manufacturers. Drug manufacturers not facing any competition, therefore, can charge whatever price they choose to set. There�s no justification for this except the power of prescription drug lobbying. The Biden Plan will repeal the existing law explicitly barring Medicare from negotiating lower prices with drug corporations.

Limiting launch prices for drugs that face no competition and are being abusively priced by manufacturers. Through his work on the Cancer Moonshot, Biden understands that the future of pharmacological interventions is not traditional chemical drugs but specialized biotech drugs that will have little to no competition to keep prices in check. Without competition, we need a new approach for keeping the prices of these drugs down. For these cases where new specialty drugs without competition are being launched, under the Biden Plan the Secretary of Health and Human Services will establish an independent review board to assess their value. The board will recommend a reasonable price, based on the average price in other countries (a process called external reference pricing) or, if the drug is entering the U.S. market first, based on an evaluation by the independent board members. This reasonable price will be the rate Medicare and the public option will pay. In addition, the Biden Plan will allow private plans participating in the individual marketplace to access a similar rate.

Limiting price increases for all brand, biotech, and abusively priced generic drugs to inflation. As a condition of participation in the Medicare program and public option, all brand, biotech, and abusively priced generic drugs will be prohibited from increasing their prices more than the general inflation rate. The Biden Plan will also impose a tax penalty on drug manufacturers that increase the costs of their brand, biotech, or abusively priced generic over the general inflation rate.

Allowing consumers to buy prescription drugs from other countries. To create more competition for U.S. drug corporations, the Biden Plan will allow consumers to import prescription drugs from other countries, as long as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has certified that those drugs are safe.

Terminating pharmaceutical corporations� tax break for advertisement spending. Drug corporations spent an estimated $6 billion in 2016 alone on prescription drug advertisements to increase their sales, a more than four-fold increase from just $1.3 billion in 1997. The American Medical Association has even expressed �concerns among physicians about the negative impact of commercially driven promotions, and the role that marketing costs play in fueling escalating drug prices.� Currently, drug corporations may count spending on these ads as a deduction to reduce the amount of taxes they owe. But taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for these ads. As president, Biden will end this tax deduction for all prescription drug ads, as proposed by Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

Improving the supply of quality generics. Generics help reduce health care spending, but brand drug corporations have succeeded in preserving a number of strategies to help them delay the entrance of a generic into the market even after the patent has expired. The Biden Plan supports numerous proposals to accelerate the development of safe generics, such as Senator Patrick Leahy�s proposal to make sure generic manufacturers have access to a sample.

IV. ENSURE HEALTH CARE IS A RIGHT FOR ALL, NOT A PRIVILEGE FOR JUST A FEW

Joe Biden believes that every American � regardless of gender, race, income, sexual orientation, or zip code � should have access to affordable and quality health care. Yet racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination permeate our health care system just as in every other part of society. As president, Biden will be a champion for improving access to health care and the health of all by:

Expanding access to contraception and protect the constitutional right to an abortion. The Affordable Care Act made historic progress by ensuring access to free preventive care, including contraception. The Biden Plan will build on that progress. Vice President Biden supports repealing the Hyde Amendment because health care is a right that should not be dependent on one�s zip code or income. And, the public option will cover contraception and a woman�s constitutional right to choose. In addition, the Biden Plan will:
Reverse the Trump Administration and states� all-out assault on women�s right to choose. As president, Biden will work to codify Roe v. Wade, and his Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate the constitutional right to an abortion, such as so-called TRAP laws, parental notification requirements, mandatory waiting periods, and ultrasound requirements.
Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The Obama-Biden administration fought Republican attacks on funding for Planned Parenthood again and again. As president, Biden will reissue guidance specifying that states cannot refuse Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and other providers that refer for abortions or provide related information and reverse the Trump Administration�s rule preventing Planned Parenthood and certain other family planning programs from obtaining Title X funds.
Just as the Obama-Biden Administration did,President Biden will rescind the Mexico City Policy (also referred to as the global gag rule) that President Trump reinstated and expanded. This rule currently bars the U.S. federal government from supporting important global health efforts � including for malaria and HIV/AIDS � in developing countries simply because the organizations providing that aid also offer information on abortion services.

Reducing our unacceptably high maternal mortality rate, which especially impacts people of color. Compared to other developed nations, the U.S. has the highest rate of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth, and we are the only country experiencing an increase in this death rate. This problem is especially prevalent among black women, who experience a death rate from complications related to pregnancy that is more than three times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic white women. California came up with a strategy that halved the state�s maternal death rate. As president, Biden will take this strategy nationwide.

Defending health care protections for all, regardless of gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies could increase premiums merely due to someone�s gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Further, insurance companies could increase premiums or deny coverage altogether due to someone�s HIV status. Yet, President Trump is trying to walk back this progress. For example, he has proposed to once again allow health care providers and insurance companies to discriminate based on a patient�s gender identity or abortion history. President Biden will defend the rights of all people � regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity � to have access to quality, affordable health care free from discrimination.

Doubling America�s investment in community health centers. Community health centers provide primary, prenatal, and other important care to underserved populations. The Biden Plan will double the federal investment in these centers, expanding access to high quality health care for the populations that need it most.

Achieving mental health parity and expanding access to mental health care. As Vice President, Biden was a champion for efforts to implement the federal mental health parity law, improve access to mental health care, and eliminate the stigma around mental health. As President, he will redouble these efforts to ensure enforcement of mental health parity laws and expand funding for mental health services.

In the months ahead, Biden will put forward additional plans to tackle health challenges affecting specific communities, including access to health care in rural communities, gun violence, and opioid addiction.

SUPPORTING HEALTH, NOT REWARDING WEALTH

Joe Biden believes in rewarding work, not just wealth � and investing in hard-working Americans� health, not protecting the most privileged Americans� wealth. Warren Buffett said it best when he stated that he should not pay a lower tax rate than his secretary.

The Biden Plan will make health care a right by getting rid of capital gains tax loopholes for the super wealthy. Today, the very wealthy pay a tax rate of just 20% on long-term capital gains. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the capital gains and dividends exclusion is the second largest tax expenditure in the entire tax code: $127 billion in fiscal year 2019 alone. As President, Biden will roll back the Trump rate cut for the very wealthy and restore the 39.6% top rate he helped restore when he negotiated an end to the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy in 2012. Biden�s capital gains reform will close the loopholes that allow the super wealthy to avoid taxes on capital gains altogether. The Biden plan will assure those making over $1 million will pay the top rate on capital gains, doubling the capital gains tax rate on the super wealthy.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ? Aug 24, 2020 13:45

AreWeDrunkYet: Jul 8, 2006

PeterCat posted:

No more of a letter to Santa than everything Biden outlined in his acceptance speech. And the bullet point list is a much clearer message than burying your ideas under pages of policy that you don't intend to enact anyway.

Check out Trump's plan vs what Biden wants you to read:

You're comparing a speech and an agenda. Here is the Democrats' adopted agenda position on healthcare, but keep pretending they're the same thing:

quote:

Democrats have been fighting to secure universal health care for the American people for generations, and we are proud to be the party that passed Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Being stronger together means finally achieving that goal. We are going to fight to make sure every American has access to quality, affordable health care. We will tackle the problems that remain in our health care system, including cracking down on runaway prescription drug prices and addressing mental health with the same seriousness that we treat physical health. We will fight Republican efforts to roll back the clock on women�s health and reproductive rights, and stand up for Planned Parenthood. And we will tackle the epidemics of substance abuse and gun violence, which each claim tens of thousands of lives every year.

Securing Universal Health Care
Democrats believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and our health care system should put people before profits. Thanks to the hard work of President Obama and Democrats in Congress, we took a critically important step toward the goal of universal health care by passing the Affordable Care Act, which has covered 20 million more Americans and ensured millions more will never be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Democrats will never falter in our generations-long fight to guarantee health care as a fundamental right for every American. As part of that guarantee, Americans should be able to access public coverage through a public option, and those over 55 should be able to opt in to Medicare. Democrats will empower the states, which are the true laboratories of democracy, to use innovation waivers under the ACA to develop unique locally tailored approaches to health coverage. This will include removing barriers to states which seek to experiment with plans to ensure universal health care to every person in their state. By contrast, Donald Trump wants to repeal the ACA, leaving tens of millions of Americans without coverage.

For too many of us, health care costs are still too high, even for those with insurance. And medical debt is a problem for far too many working families, with one-quarter of Americans reporting that they or someone in their household had problems or an inability to pay medical bills in the past year. Democrats will also work to end surprise billing and other practices that lead to out-of-control medical debt that place an unconscionable economic strain on American households. We will repeal the excise tax on high-cost health insurance and find revenue to offset it because we need to contain the long-term growth of health care costs, but should not risk passing on too much of the burden to workers. Democrats will keep costs down by making premiums more affordable, reducing out-of-pocket expenses, and capping prescription drug costs. And we will fight against insurers trying to impose excessive premium increases.

Democrats will fight any attempts by Republicans in Congress to privatize, voucherize, or �phase out� Medicare as we know it. And we will oppose Republican plans to slash funding and block grant Medicaid and SNAP, which would harm millions of Americans.

We will keep fighting until the ACA�s Medicaid expansion has been adopted in every state. Nineteen states have not yet expanded Medicaid. This means that millions of low-income Americans still lack health insurance and are not getting the care they need. Additionally, health care providers, clinics, hospitals, and taxpayers are footing a higher bill when people without insurance visit expensive emergency rooms.

Democrats believe your zip code or census tract should not be a predictor of your health, which is why we will make health equity a central part of our commitment to revitalizing communities left behind. Democrats believe that all health care services should be culturally and linguistically appropriate, and that neither fear nor immigration status should be barriers that impede health care access.

Supporting Community Health Centers
We must renew and expand our commitment to Community Health Centers, as well as community mental health centers and family planning centers. These health centers provide critically important, community-based prevention and treatment in underserved communities, prevent unnecessary and expensive trips to emergency rooms, and are essential to the successful implementation of the ACA. We will fight for a comprehensive system of primary health care, including dental, mental health care, and low-cost prescription drugs by doubling of funding for federally qualified community health centers over the next decade, which currently serve 25 million people.

Democrats also know that one of the key ingredients to the success of these health centers is a well-supported and qualified workforce in community-based settings. We will fight to train and support this workforce, encourage providers to work with underserved populations through the National Health Service Corps, and create a comprehensive strategy to increase the pool of primary health care professionals.

Reducing Prescription Drug Costs
It is unacceptable that the United States pays, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and that too many Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 cannot afford to fill their prescriptions. A lifesaving drug is no good if it is unaffordable to the very people who need it most. And many drug companies are spending more on advertising than on research. The largest pharmaceutical companies are making billions of dollars per year in profits at higher margins compared to other industries while many stash their profits in offshore tax havens. Meanwhile, they charge Americans thousands of dollars for new drugs�often at much higher costs than in other developed nations. Democrats are committed to investing in the research, development, and innovation that creates lifesaving drugs and lowers overall health costs, but the profiteering of pharmaceutical companies is simply unacceptable.

We will crack down on price gouging by drug companies and cap the amount Americans have to pay out-of-pocket every month on prescription drugs. We will prohibit anti-competitive �pay for delay� deals that keep generic drugs off the market, and we will allow individuals, pharmacists, and wholesalers to import prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies in Canada and other countries with appropriate safety protections. Democrats will also fight to make sure that Medicare will negotiate lower prices with drug manufacturers.

Enabling Cutting-Edge Medical Research
Democrats believe we must accelerate the pace of medical progress, ensuring that we invest more in our scientists and give them the resources they need to invigorate our fundamental studies in the life sciences in a growing, stable, and predictable way. We must make progress against the full range of diseases, including Alzheimer�s, HIV and AIDS, cancer, and other diseases, especially chronic ones. We recognize the critical importance of a fully-funded National Institutes of Health to accelerate the pace of medical progress.

Combating Drug and Alcohol Addiction
We must confront the epidemic of drug and alcohol addiction, specifically the opioid crisis and other drugs plaguing our communities, by vastly expanding access to prevention and treatment, supporting recovery, helping community organizations, and promoting better practices by prescribers. The Democratic Party is committed to assisting the estimated 20 million people struggling with addiction in this country to find and sustain healthy lives by encouraging full recovery and integration into society and working to remove common barriers to gainful employment, housing, and education. We will continue to fight to expand access to care for addiction services, and ensure that insurance coverage is equal to that for any other health conditions. We think it is time for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor, and state regulatory agencies to fully implement the protections of the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act of 2008�which means that American medical insurers, including the federal government, will need to disclose how they make their medical management decisions.

We should also do more to educate our youth, as well as their families, teachers, coaches, mentors, and friends, to intervene early to prevent drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. We should help state and local leaders establish evidence-based, age-appropriate, and locally-tailored prevention programs. These programs include school-based drug education programs that have been shown to have meaningful effects on risky behavior; community-based peer mentorship and leadership programs; and after-school activities that deter drug use and encourage life skills.

Treating Mental Health
We must treat mental health issues with the same care and seriousness that we treat issues of physical health, support a robust mental health workforce, and promote better integration of the behavioral and general health care systems. Recognizing that maintaining good mental health is critical to all people, including young people�s health and development, we will work with health professionals to ensure that all children have access to mental health care. We must also expand community-based treatment for substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions and fully enforce our parity law. And we should create a national initiative around suicide prevention across the lifespan�to move toward the HHS-promoted Zero Suicide commitment.

Supporting Those Living with Autism and their Families
Democrats believe that our country must make supporting the millions of individuals with autism and those diagnosed in the future and their families a priority. We will conduct a nationwide early screening outreach campaign to ensure that all children, and in particular children from underserved backgrounds, can get screened for autism. We will expand services and support for adults and individuals transitioning into adulthood, including employment and housing assistance. And we will push states to require health insurance coverage for autism services in private insurance plans as well as state marketplaces so that people with autism are not denied care.

Securing Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice
Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice. We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion�regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured. We believe that reproductive health is core to women�s, men�s, and young people�s health and wellbeing. We will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers, which provide critical health services to millions of people. We will continue to oppose�and seek to overturn�federal and state laws and policies that impede a woman�s access to abortion, including by repealing the Hyde Amendment. We condemn and will combat any acts of violence, harassment, and intimidation of reproductive health providers, patients, and staff. We will defend the ACA, which extends affordable preventive health care to women, including no-cost contraception, and prohibits discrimination in health care based on gender.

We will address the discrimination and barriers that inhibit meaningful access to reproductive health care services, including those based on gender, sexuality, race, income, disability, and other factors. We recognize that quality, affordable comprehensive health care, evidence-based sex education and a full range of family planning services help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.

And we strongly and unequivocally support a woman�s decision to have a child, including by ensuring a safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth, and by providing services during pregnancy and after the birth of a child, including adoption and social support services, as well as protections for women against pregnancy discrimination. We are committed to creating a society where children are safe and can thrive physically, emotionally, educationally, and spiritually. We recognize and support the importance of civil structures that are essential to creating this for every child.

Ensuring Long-Term Care, Services, and Supports
Our country faces a long-term care crisis that prevents too many seniors and people with disabilities from being able to live with dignity at home or in their communities. The vast majority of people who are aging or living with a disability want to do so at home, but face challenges finding and affording the support they need to do so. Programs that emphasize independence rather than institutionalization must be better structured to support them. Democrats will take steps to strengthen and expand the home care workforce, give seniors and people with disabilities access to quality, affordable long-term care, services, and supports, and ensure that all of these resources are readily available at home or in the community.

Protecting and Promoting Public Health
Investment in our nation�s crumbling public health infrastructure is critical to ensuring preparedness for emerging threats; for preventing disease, illness, and injury in communities; and for promoting good health and wellbeing. Inadequate access to public health services has a disparate impact on poor, rural, and minority communities where public health services are a significant source of health care. Democrats will fight for increased investments in public health to better address emerging threats and the needs across our country. To further that end, the Democratic Party will continue to oppose Republican attempts to cut public health services and funding. We will ensure adequate funding of public health education at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school levels as well as adequate funding of residency training programs in public health, preventive medicine, and its subspecialties.

We must take a number of proactive steps so that all Americans�regardless of location, income or history�have the opportunity to live full, healthy lives. Democrats will fight for increased investments and coordination in public health to better address emerging threats as well as persistent needs across our country. Health equity among Americans remains elusive�higher income is strongly associated with longer life expectancy and the gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest Americans is increasing. We continue to see unacceptable differences in health outcomes by race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. A growing body of research demonstrates the link between social factors�such as poverty, unemployment, experience of discrimination, and housing instability�and poor health. Democrats will continue to pursue policies addressing these social factors and empowering communities to respond to their most pressing health needs.

Ending Violence Against Women
Democrats are committed to ending the scourge of violence against women wherever it occurs �whether in our homes, streets, schools, military, or elsewhere. We will continue to support the Violence Against Women Act to provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to combat this problem. We will support comprehensive services for survivors of violence and increase prevention efforts in our communities and on our campuses. Democrats will fight to bring an end to sexual assault�wherever it occurs, including on campuses� because everyone deserves a safe environment where they can learn and thrive, not live in fear. We will provide comprehensive support to survivors, and ensure a fair process for all on-campus disciplinary proceedings and in the criminal justice system. We will increase sexual violence prevention education programs that cover issues like consent and bystander intervention, not only in college, but also in secondary school.

Preventing Gun Violence
With 33,000 Americans dying every year, Democrats believe that we must finally take sensible action to address gun violence. While responsible gun ownership is part of the fabric of many communities, too many families in America have suffered from gun violence. We can respect the rights of responsible gun owners while keeping our communities safe. To build on the success of the lifesaving Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, we will expand and strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws; repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to revoke the dangerous legal immunity protections gun makers and sellers now enjoy; and keep weapons of war�such as assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines (LCAM�s)�off our streets. We will fight back against attempts to make it harder for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to revoke federal licenses from law breaking gun dealers, and ensure guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists, intimate partner abusers, other violent criminals, and those with severe mental health issues. There is insufficient research on effective gun prevention policies, which is why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must have the resources it needs to study gun violence as a public health issue.

# ? Aug 24, 2020 13:56

shame on an IGA: Apr 8, 2005

PeterCat posted:

No more of a letter to Santa than everything Biden outlined in his acceptance speech. And the bullet point list is a much clearer message than burying your ideas under pages of policy that you don't intend to enact anyway.

Check out Trump's plan vs what Biden wants you to read:

# ? Aug 24, 2020 13:57

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 1, 2024 05:52

PeterCat: Apr 8, 2020; Believe women.

AreWeDrunkYet posted:

You're comparing a speech and an agenda. Here is the Democrats' adopted agenda position on healthcare, but keep pretending they're the same thing:

I literally copy and pasted Joe Biden's plan from his website.

But thank you for making my point that no one is going to read that mass of poo poo you just posted vs 5 bullet points

PeterCat fucked around with this message at 14:06 on Aug 24, 2020

# ? Aug 24, 2020 14:04

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > August 2020 current events featuring Mr. Nice!

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