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MS Coverage Under Obamacare May Be as low as $8/month
By RonniMottMississippi health-insurance rates could be as low as $8 a month after tax credits.
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Obamacare Proving an Early Success in... Kentucky?
By Todd StaufferThe deeply "red" state of Kentucky -- the folks who put both Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul as in Senate (and, excruciatingly, on our TVs) -- is also the only Southern state that has expanded Medicaid in accordance with the Affordable Care Act.
They also implemented their own ACA online exchange, instead of relying on the Feds.
The result?
Kentucky’s experience has been exemplary: In its first day, 10,766 applications for health coverage were initiated, 6,909 completed and 2,989 families were enrolled. Obama himself bragged that Kentucky led the nation with its glitch-minimized performance.
Kentucky's opt-in attitude is the result of their Democratic governor, Steve Beshear, who has done end-arounds on his GOP-lead state Senate and poked his finger in the eye of the Tea Party. Focusing on the moral implications of improving healthcare access for the citizens in his state, Beshear is perfectly willing to tell the national media why he's willing to make ACA compliance a signature accomplishment of his tenure.
“[T]o those more worried about political power than Kentucky’s families, I say, ‘Get over it’…and get out of the way so I can help my people. Here in Kentucky, we cannot afford to waste another day or another life.”
And why is ACA popular in-of-all-places Kentucky? Is it because it gives people an opportunity to buy into their own health security and that of their families? Is it because it's an actual market-based solution -- a Republican idea from a few decades back, polished up and implemented first by Mitt Romney in Connecticut -- that might help lessen the burden on families, small businesses and, ultimately, on state coffers?
Time will tell, but it should be a cautionary tale for "red" state politicians -- such as, oh, Governor Phil Bryant -- who have taken the path of least resistance within their own party and buckled to their Tea Party and Talk Radio constituencies.
If Obamacare works -- especially since it now looks like the GOP is pretty much out of tricks to block it from getting started -- then folks like Phil are going to be on the losing end not just of a moment in political history, but of actually doing the right thing for the citizens of their state.
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CHICK: One for the People
<i>Bingo goes in search of 'nekkid chicks' in Clinton.</i>
I was listening to Z106 the other day when the disc jockey started crowing approvingly that he had never had a Playboy Playmate on his show before. I soon learned …
Story
Buying the News
Everybody does it. That's essentially the explanation ABC broadcaster Chris Cuomo gave for the television network's practice of paying for photographs—a tricky way of paying sources to speak.
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8 Toddler Pitfalls to Avoid Christmas Morning
Regardless of your nostalgic, Christmas-morning-frenzy memories, you'll quickly learn that a no-holds-barred approach doesn't go over well with your toddler--especially on the most anticipated morning of the year. Don't wing …
Story
Legislators Make Child-Selling Illegal
A 2008 case where a Yalobusha County woman attempted to sell her granddaughter for $2,000 and a car prompted legislators to enact a law making selling children in Mississippi a …
Story
Testimonial: Spirit Freedom
Leading up to the 2010, the Jackson Free Press asked domestic-abuse survivors to tell their stories. This is one of the pieces we received, republished verbatim.
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It's the Weekend!
Today, Amazin' Lazy Boi performs during Live at Lunch at 11:30 a.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art's Art Garden (380 S. Lamar St.). Bring or buy lunch; call 601-960-1515. …
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[Ask JoAnne] No License, Little Equipment
Q. I watched the "short-necked clam battle" the other night on Food Network, and one or two of the dishes they cooked up looked pretty good, and I thought I …
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Miss. to Vote on U.S. Offices, State Judicial Seats
Mississippi voters are preparing to choose one U.S. senator, four U.S. House members, four state Supreme Court justices and one judge for the state Court of Appeals.
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Radio JFP at Noon Thursday; Crisler May Appear
Councilman Marshand Crisler is joining Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer today at noon for Radio JFP on WLEZ-FM (103.7 or http://www.wlezfm.com for a live stream)—if he can get out of …
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Tell me it isn't true. Okay, I will. It isn't.
This morning I was playing on the "Focus on the Family" Website. I like to get on there and see what they are ANGRY about. (This also includes why I …
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[Pass The Mic] Receding Hair Rock
On a recent lazy afternoon, I was becoming one with the couch, mindlessly staring at the tube, when hair-metal has-been Bret Michaels appeared. Bret told me that finally I, too, …
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[Drive] Cat-Like Reflections
Does your car say something about you? It's a question I can't seem to get out of my head, even though, intellectually, I'd prefer not to worry about it. Unwittingly, …
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Symbiotic
Green is en vogue, and I don't mean the color. Sporting purses and jewelry made from recycled materials, celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Christina Applegate, Sienna Miller and Katherine Heigl are …
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Business
New Directions for UMMC, Viking Corp
On Monday, Gov. Phil Bryant and University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones helped usher in what they believe will be the first step to a healthier population in the state.
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Books
Back to Green
There is something exhilarating about the process of filling a shopping cart full of fragrant new crayons and crisp new paper and the coolest backpack characters of the season.
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Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 4/8
Battlefield Baseball League
Mayor Announces Two Housing Initiatives this Week. Mayor Johnson had the pleasure of sharing the details for two new Employer Assisted Housing Initiatives this week that will benefit employees of …
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City & County
Mayor Lumumba Announces $89 Million Settlement from Siemens
"Today, I am pleased to announce that we have recovered every penny that was taken from our community by the Siemens Corporation. We have settled with Siemens for the full …
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Best of Jackson
So You’re Single on Valentine’s Day ... Try the Best
For single people, Valentine's Day may not be all it's cracked up to be. But that doesn't mean you can't celebrate the holiday anyway.
