Let Us Pause And Reflect

on all the things we have now that we didn't before Obamacare.

Such as taxes ...............

Obamacare contains 18 separate tax increases. A few of the biggest include a tax on “Cadillac” health insurance plans, which doesn’t take effect until 2018, long after President Obama and many in Congress who voted for the tax in 2010 have departed Washington. Also, there is a tax on health insurance premiums and a higher rate on the Hospital Insurance payroll tax for single filers with incomes above $200,000 ($250,000 for married filers) that also applies to investment income. - Daily Signal

Just Because .....

A real Cinderella story.

This has nothing to do with insurance. Get over it.

Take 3 minutes to read this.

It will do your heart good.

This is a long shot, but I'm looking for a woman that was at Tannehill Premier tonight seeing Cinderella at 7pm. I dropped my teenage daughter, step daughter, and son off at the movie. My son later told me, much to my humiliation and embarrassment, that my girls were rude and obnoxious during the movie.

The woman I'm looking for addressed them and asked them to be quiet and they were disrespectful.

After the movie she approached my girls and told them that her husband had been laid off and this was the last movie she would be able to take her daughter to for a while and my girls ruined that for her.

If you are this woman, please message me. I can assure you that these girls are being strongly dealt with and appropriately punished. This rude, disrespectful, and awful behavior is unacceptable and they owe you an apology. My husband and I are having them write your apology letter tonight and we would like to pay for your next movie and snacks out of their allowance. Please message me if this is you. I apologize profusely for their disrespect. - Facebook via Happy Place

You won't believe what happens next.

Click to read the rest of the story.

Second Verse, Same as the First

Anyone who had a radio in the 60's will remember the British invasion of pop

singers, some more celebrated than others. Herman's Hermits would never rank with The Beatles or Rolling Stones but they did have a few memorable hits if for no other reason than the fact you couldn't get the tune out of your head.

Henry the 8th was one of those songs. Catchy tune combined with a bit of a history lesson about a former king of England.

Must not have been much to say about Henry. At the conclusion of the first verse lead singer Peter Noone said "Second verse. Same as the first".

And so it repeated.

Obamacare seems to be stuck in a Herman's Hermits time warp.

First there was that website (that still doesn't work).

For their next hit we have the IRS snafu.

Some 800,000 tax filers got the wrong information a few weeks ago.

Corrected forms in the mail.

Kind of.

Just like that infamous website, the IRS still can't get their act together.

ObamaCare customers who received the wrong tax form from the federal government this spring will not face penalties if they miss the April 15 deadline, officials announced Friday.

Anyone who have not yet been sent corrected tax forms and are “unable to file an accurate tax return” now have until Oct. 15 to file — as long as they request an extension. - The Hill

As of a week ago, some 80,000 people still did not have the corrected forms.

Yeah, we just can't get that tune out of our head.

Second verse, same as the first.

Blessed Passover

from your Easter friends ............

Death of Sense and Sensibility

Feeling sick today? Want to stay home from work?

No problem.

Just get a doctor's note and you will be excused.

“I have no test for the common cold and therefore believe him, however you feel his time and mine should be wasted by making him sit in the walk in clinic for hours and me spending time writing a sick note that I could be spending on people who genuinely need my attention,” the note continues. “Please reconsider your policy on this - there are surely better ways of wasting your tax dollars.” - Opposing Views

BOOM!

The Last Supper

The Last Supper is never referenced in the Bible as such. The Gospels do describe Jesus telling his disciples to find a place for them to have their last meal but it is never referred to as The Lord's Supper or The Last Supper.

This "Feast of the Unleavened Bread" (seder) was a traditional meal served the evening before Passover. One of Leonardo DaVinci's most famous paintings appears above. Jesus is present, as are all 12 of the disciples, including Judas who would later betray him.

At this meal Jesus made several predictions but most, according to the book of Luke, went unnoticed. The lone exception is when Jesus said that one among them would betray him.

An argument broke out about who it was and most say this moment was appropriately captured by DaVinci. A study of each figure reveal something about their personalities.

Peter (fourth from the left), the impetuous one, is holding a knife as if he is ready to defend Jesus against the betrayer.

Judas (to Peter's left) is clutching what some believe to be a bag containing the pieces of silver he was paid to betray Jesus. He also has spilled a salt cellar which is considered a sign of bad luck.

The food on the table is typical of the seder and included wine, bread and fish. In this case it is eels which were a common fair in the fishing villages where Jesus spent most of his ministry.

This meal effectively blends the elements of the seder and the beginning of a new tradition of what will become communion among the Christian community. Communion celebrates this last meal by reciting scripture from the Bible and conveys specific meaning to the wine and unleavened bread.

Bible scholar and theology professor Henri Nowen explains The Last Supper in this manner.

It is the Christ in us who heals.  Who will be a healing reminder of wholeness?

In his second paper Nouwen explained that not only does the memory of past wounds lead to healing in others but the memory of love sustains us in the present.   In John 16:7 Jesus says to his disciples at the Last Supper, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

How many times in your life have you looked back and said, “Aha.  I never understood why that happened.  But now I can see how the puzzle pieces fit together.”  Although the disciples would grieve Jesus’ absence, only in death would they realize the full impact of Jesus’ life. - Laurie Haller

This painting commemorates old traditions and establishes new ones and also inevitably ties Hebrew tradition with modern Christianity.

This year Passover and Easter intersect as they often do. Friday, April 3rd marks the beginning of Passover, 2015 but also is considered the day Jesus was crucified ("Good" Friday).

Pesach and Easter.

Two wonderful traditions that remind Christians and Jews that we are all brothers with the same heritage.

ADHD and Mortalit ... Hey look, a squirrel!

So, one of my favorite medbloggers, Dr Kevin Pho, has an interesting post up at his blog about ADHD and early death. Written by Dr Claudia Gold, it's about a recent study that purports to show that "diagnosis with ADHD doubles the risk of early death." Dr Gold then goes on to discuss the clinical issues involved (although not clinically - it's actually a very fascinating article, and well worth the read).

I had an immediate, visceral reaction though: as always when reading these kinds of articles linking Condition X to increased mortality risk, I tend to say "show me the money." That is, the folks who have the most to lose (or gain) from this type of information are those whose actual money is at risk: life insurance carriers.

I quickly checked a couple different life insurance apps; none of them mentioned ADHD by name or acronym. Of course, they all ask about meds, so if one was on Ritalin, for example, then that condition would likely show up.

So, I reached out to one of our esteemed underwriters to see what affect, if any, such information would play in determining insurability. After all, the insurance company stands to make (or lose) a lot of money if they misunderstand the underlying issues.

The good news is that, in and of itself, ADHD is not generally a disqualifying condition, although depending on severity, one's rate may be better or worse than someone without the condition. What was interesting, though, and echoed Dr Gold's take, is that there are often other conditions, such as anxiety or depression, that are often associated with an ADHD case, and that these could very easily affect an underwriters decision.

Folks whose ADHD is well controlled, and who are stable as a result, have little to worry about, especially as adult. Where it gets dicey is in children (and, one presumes, especially teens, although I didn't specifically ask about them).

The bottom line, then, is that the ADHD iteslf is unlikely to be much of a challenge, it's the associated conditions that could cause an underwriter to balk.

Something to consider next time you're shopping for life insurance.