Story
Obama to Address Widespread Health Care Problems
President Barack Obama is expected to acknowledge that widespread problems with his health care law's rollout are unacceptable, as the administration scrambles to fix the cascade of computer issues.
Story
National
Mascara Exempt from U.N. Mercury Treaty
Under a new global treaty that limits the use of mercury, some light bulbs will be banned. Some batteries, thermometers and medical devices will be banned too. But mascara is …
Story
Person of the Day
Lucas Simmons
Jackson's beer culture has vastly improved in the last 10 years, thanks in part to Lucas Simmons and the company he helped start: Lucky Town Brewing Company.
Story
Snowden: No Classified Documents Taken to Russia
Former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden says that he did not take any secret NSA documents to Russia and that intelligence officials in China as well as Russia …
Story
Federal Shutdown Affected U.S. in Ways Unseen
How did the shutdown alter our daily routines? Here's a look at a day in the life of the 2013 government shutdown.
Entry
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.
Story
Business
Pay for Hospital CEOs Linked More to Technology, Patient Satisfaction than Quality, Study Finds
A new study of CEO pay at nonprofit hospitals finds that executives at institutions that have a lot of fancy medical technology and high patient satisfaction are paid more than …
Story
Report: NSA and CIA Collaborate on Drone Strikes
The National Security Agency has been extensively involved in the U.S. government's targeted killing program, collaborating closely with the CIA in the use of drone strikes against terrorists abroad, The …
Story
Story
Save People, Not Just Boobies
Every October, almost every company in the country suddenly—and suspiciously—cares about the health of womenfolk and wants to stop breast cancer.
Story
Senators Seek Budget Deal, House GOP Effort Flops
Senate leaders are optimistic about forging an eleventh-hour bipartisan deal preventing a possible federal default and ending the partial government shutdown after Republican divisions forced GOP leaders to drop efforts …
Story
As Gitmo Plods, Obama's Winning the Case for Court
Four years after his failed effort to bring the 9/11 mastermind to New York for trial, President Barack Obama has reinstated the federal courthouse as America's preferred venue for prosecuting …
Story
House GOP to Try to Counter Senate Debt Limit Plan
House GOP leaders unveiled their own plan Tuesday to counter an emerging Senate deal to reopen the government and forestall an economy-rattling default on U.S. obligations.
Story
Events
Community Events and Public Meetings
Blues by Starlight is Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. in Highland Village.
Story
Default Looming, Day 14 of Shutdown, No Solution
The United States moved perilously closer to an economy-rattling default and a partial government shutdown entered its 14th day as Senate Democratic and Republican leaders remained at odds over spending …
Story
Poll: Health Exchange Rollout Gets Poor Reviews
The debut of the government's health insurance marketplaces drew a huge audience—and underwhelming reviews.
Story
City & County
Farish Street Flap Heats Up
Since developer David Watkins responded to a flurry of criticism over his handling of the Farish Street renovation project with a letter yesterday afternoon, his camp has ratcheted up its …
Story
Health Care
Costliest 1 Percent of Patients Account for 21 Percent of U.S. Health Spending
Five percent of patients account for 50 percent of all health-care expenditures.
Story
House GOP Leaders Seek Short-Term Debt Extension
House Speaker John Boehner planned to ask fractious Republican lawmakers on Thursday to support a six-week extension of the government's ability to borrow money, even as Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew …
Story
Music
Filter the Noise
While cover songs have been the primary focus in recent months, Filter the Noise didn't set out to be a cover band.
