July 30, 2012

Medical Debt Collecter to Settle Suit for 2.5 Million

Source: New York Times

Accretive Health, one of the nation’s largest collectors of medical debt, has agreed to pay $2.5 million to the Minnesota state attorney general’s office to settle accusations that it violated a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care, even if patients cannot afford to pay.

The company has not admitted wrongdoing.

As part of Monday’s settlement, Accretive Health is also banned from contracting with hospitals within the state for at least two years, effectively ending its business at three Minnesota hospitals. For four years after that, the company will have to obtain permission from the attorney general before resuming business in the state.

In April, Lori Swanson, the Minnesota attorney general, disclosed hundreds of Accretive’s internal documents that outlined aggressive collection tactics, including embedding debt collectors as employees in emergency rooms and pressuring patients to pay before receiving treatment.

“A hospital emergency room should be a sanctuary for the sick and wounded, not a hunting ground for collectors,” Ms. Swanson said in an interview Monday.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/business/medical-debt-collector-to-pay-2-5-million-settlement.html?_r=1&hpw

---

These people are the ultimate assholes.
I cannot say enough about them...
I might get banned for calling them ..; M..... Fu...rs ;..actually that is what they are..

Oh, and it should have been 250 million...


another Link:

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/164313776.html

at the Star Tribune quote:

"Swanson obtained sworn statements from about 60 patients, many who said they were asked to pay up front while in the emergency room, lying on a gurney or hooked up to morphine. One woman said she was asked for payment while she was having a miscarriage."

July 29, 2012

Romney Doesn't Know if He Paid a Tax Less than 13.9 per cent..(sure, and I am Queen Elizabeth II)

Source: Think Progresss

Romney Doesn’t Know If He Paid A Tax Rate Lower Than 13.9% | Mitt Romney has thus far refused to heed the call from a growing number of people within the Republican party to release more tax returns. And during an interview with ABC’s David Muir from Israel, the former Massachusetts governor revealed that the documents may show that he paid very little in taxes:

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/07/29/602501/romney-doesnt-know-if-he-paid-a-tax-rate-lower-than-139/


He knows damn well he paid very little taxes.(probably none)
....2009 probably or some other year..he hasn't released...
asshole, liar ...(sorry to insult all assholes out there)

July 28, 2012

After London, there is a chance..that the bigwigs are rethinking him.

Is it possible that they will pick someone else?
It is a month away, and more can happen.
The last few days have shown how really stupid he is. (to quote other people who post here)
It is still the future, and anything can happen.
Sounds crazy? well......

five years ago, I would have thought an Afro-American President was "crazy"
I was wrong, so were many others..

July 23, 2012

I saw something strange at Nate Silver's "538" Florida is slightly blue..

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/

Nate projects that Florida has a 51.6 chance of going for Obama.
(I have to remember this is late July, still)

July 22, 2012

Cop Shoots and Kills Son after Mistaking Him for An Intruder

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/22/12890014-cop-shoots-and-kills-son-after-reportedly-mistaking-him-for-an-intruder?lite&__utma=14933801.1632040111.1342392689.1342888108.1342997063.18&__utmb=14933801.2.10.1342997063&__utmc=

By NBC News staff


An off-duty police officer shot and killed his son after mistaking him for an intruder, New York State Police said.

Michael Leach, 59, an officer with the Parry Police Department in Wyoming County in western New York state, was staying at a motel in Old Forge. He called 911 early Saturday to say he just shot someone he thought was an intruder, troopers said, according to The Syracuse Post-Standard.

The victim turned out to be his son, Matthew S. Leach, 37, of Rochester.

Troopers said that the elder Leach used his department-issued .45-caliber Glock handgun in the shooting. He was hospitalized after the shooting for what for what troopers described as a "medical issue."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Very sad.

July 22, 2012

Maureen Dowd: Parterno Sacked Off his Pedistal

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/opinion/sunday/dowd-paterno-sacked-off-his-pedestal.html?_r=1&hp

Maureen Dowd
New York Times
7/22/12

Is it right to pull down Joe Paterno’s statue, as though he were Saddam Hussein?

Since the scorching Freeh report came out, plenty of people have weighed in on the best thing to do with that triumphant seven-foot statue of the late coach, symbolizing nearly half a century of pride in Penn State football.

Should it be torn down? Melted down? Moved away from Beaver Stadium? Turned to look the other way, as Paterno did? Left as a reminder that coaches and athletes can be tin idols? ....

(further down in story)...

"But Freeh learned the sulfurous truth: that it was Paterno who persuaded Graham Spanier, who was the university president, Gary Schultz, a vice president, and Tim Curley, the athletic director, not to report Sandusky to state authorities. Eager to protect the brand and their cash cow, they decided to rationalize. Euphemistically, they said they wanted to do the “humane” thing; so they warned Sandusky to stop bringing children onto campus. As far as the noble coach was concerned, Sandusky could simply switch the venue of his child rapes. "

July 22, 2012

Just as a point of information, Not the first Mass Killer named Holmes..

This one is H.H.Holmes.
He was also meticulous in his planning. Read his bio ( Many know of him]...
Be warned..it isn't pretty..Some say he killed over 200..but that was in 1893.
During the Chicago World's Fair..

If you want to know more...
Larson, Erik (2003). The Devil in the White City. Crown. ISBN 978-0-609-60844-9.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._H._Holmes

July 17, 2012

"Obama Campaign Goes for the Jugular On Romney's Taxes " Sam Stein

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/obama-romney-taxes_n_1678254.html


Sam Stein
Huffington Post
Posted: 07/17/2012 6:04 am Updated: 07/17/2012 6:05 am


WASHINGTON -- Democrats have entered the go-for-the-jugular stage of the presidential race, with President Barack Obama's campaign, the Democratic National Committee and an allied opposition research group all releasing videos today attacking Mitt Romney for his refusal to release more tax returns.

The videos are distinct. The Obama campaign clip will air on television in Pennsylvania, where Mitt Romney is campaigning today. The DNC's version craftily uses Sarah Palin to suggest that John McCain was so nervous about Romney's taxes that he made a historic roll of the dice with his running mate pick in 2008. The video put together by America Bridge 21st Century is a sharp edit job of all the prominent GOP officials and pundits who have begun groaning about Romney's handling of the matter.

All three videos hit at the same theme: Romney's obstinacy on tax returns has become a crippling problem for his campaign and one that Democrats are intent on compounding. Romney has released his completed return for 2010 and his estimated return for 2011, showing an effective 2010 tax rate of 13.9 percent and financial accounts in Switzerland, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

"Until he releases additional years of tax returns, the American people won't know why he kept his finances offshore in the Cayman Islands and set up a shell corporation in Bermuda," emailed Ben LaBolt, Obama's campaign press secretary. "Romney would be the first nominee in decades to release only one full year of tax returns. He recently said that his campaign has “put out as much as we’re going to put out” -– which makes you wonder: What is Mitt Romney hiding?"
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Obama's Campaign is doing exactly what it needs to do. Tell the truth and destroy this guy, cause he would destroy us.
It is that simple.

July 17, 2012

Governor Perry: Mitt We Need You to Release Your Tax Returns

&feature=player_embedded

July 16, 2012

Thom Hartmann quoted from this list today..

It was in the first hour of his show, and read it, and gave credit to Democratic Underground..
Yes..I heard it on the radio...