VA counsels veterans on health care options

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Veterans enrolled in Veterans Affairs (VA) health care programs do not need to take additional action on their health insurance before Jan 1, 2014, to become compliant with the Affordable Care Act.

President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires people who can afford health insurance to have coverage in 2014, or otherwise pay a fine.

The bottom line is that veterans who enrolled in the VA health care system are covered by the conditions of the Affordable Care Act, as far as having insurance, said Stephen Gaither, public affairs officer for Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Columbia.

They dont really have to do anything, as long as theyve maintained their enrollment with VA Health Care, he said.

The VA health care programs include the Veterans Health Care Program, the VA Civilian Health and Medical Program and the Spina Bifida Health Care Benefits Program.

Gaither said the VA is encouraging veterans and other beneficiaries who are not enrolled in the VA health system to do so.

Check it out, fill out an application and submit it, he said. Now, they may not be eligible, but the only way to really find out is to fill out the application and submit it.

The VA health care application can be submitted online at http://www.va.gov.

You can also pick up the form at a local VA health care facility, such as the outpatient clinic there in Jefferson City or the medical center here in Columbia, Gaither said. Also, there are credentialed service officers for veterans service organizations, such as the Missouri Veterans Commission, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion and a lot of other additional organizations.

More information can also be found at http://www.va.gov/healthbenefits and http://www.va.gov/aca.

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VA counsels veterans on health care options

Health care law's fate could hinge on political climate in states

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Article updated: 10/20/2013 6:52 AM

The greatest threats to the ultimate success of the new health care law come not from the technical problems that have plagued its rollout, but from a hostile political climate in many individual states and from potentially serious weaknesses in its design.

Those are the conclusions of a cautionary report just published by the Brookings Institution's new Center for Effective Public Management.

The authors are center director Elaine C. Kamarck, who served as a top policy adviser in the Clinton administration, and Sheila P. Burke, who was chief of staff and top health care adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan..

"The highly politicized environment in which this law takes effect means that in the short-term people will see what they want to see," Burke and Kamarck wrote.

To an extraordinary degree, they argued, the Affordable Care Act's fate has been put in the hands of individual states and therefore, will be subjected to political forces within those states.

Its launch also coincides with an election year, which means that the agendas of the two parties will come into play. The law that is the signature achievement of Barack Obama's presidency was passed by a Democratic-led Congress without a single Republican vote.

"Going forward, politicians are hoping to use the health care issue to impact the midterm elections of 2014," Burke and Kamarck wrote. "For Republicans, the hope is that the long-standing skepticism about the law will be reinforced as it is implemented and yield a political bonus in the 2014 midterm elections. Democrats obviously hope that a positive start will help reduce barriers to implementing the law and improve their political prospects."

State elected officials have moved in partisan directions as they have exercised their options within the law. Among those choices: whether to expand their Medicaid programs to cover the poor, whether to set up their own health insurance exchanges or rely on the federal one, and how aggressively to promote the new coverage options.

Most Democratic governors have built their own state exchanges, expanded their Medicaid programs, and are devoting intense effort toward making the Affordable Care Act work. Generally, their efforts have been proceeding relatively smoothly thus far.

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Health care law's fate could hinge on political climate in states

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom Official Trailer #2 (2013) – Idris Elba Movie HD – Video

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AP CEO: Press freedom v. security a 'false choice'

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The Associated Press Gary Pruitt, president and CEO of The Associated Press, speaks about press freedom at the 69th General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association at a hotel in downtown Denver on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

By COLLEEN SLEVIN/Associated Press/October 20, 2013

DENVER (AP) Governments that try to force citizens to decide between a free press and national security create a false choice that weakens democracy, and journalists must fight increasing government overreach that has had a chilling effect on efforts to hold leaders accountable, the president and CEO of The Associated Press said.

Gary Pruitt told the 69th General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association on Saturday that the U.S. Justice Departments secret seizure of records of thousands of telephone calls to and from AP reporters in 2012 is one of the most blatant violations of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the 167-year-old news cooperative has ever encountered.

The Justice Department action involving the AP resonated far beyond the U.S., including Latin America, where journalists for decades have fought to exercise press freedoms under authoritarian regimes, Pruitt said.

The actions by the Department of Justice could not have been more tailor-made to comfort authoritarian regimes who want to suppress the news media. The United States does it too, they can say, Pruitt said.

A free and independent press differentiates democracy from dictatorship; separates a free society from tyranny, he said.

Governments who try to set up a situation where citizens think they must choose between a free press and security are making a mistake that will ultimately weaken them, not strengthen them. Its not a real choice. It is a false choice.

Pruitt said he was encouraged by proposed Justice Department guidelines, introduced after the records seizure, that would give news media advance notice of subpoenas so the press can challenge those actions in court; protect not just phone records but reporters email, text messages and other forms of electronic communication; and guarantee that journalists wont be prosecuted for doing their jobs.

But you can bet that we will be watching closely to make sure they are implemented and enforced, Pruitt said.

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AP CEO: Press freedom v. security a 'false choice'

How can Sandwich build better beaches, pay for them?

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Selectmen in a public-forum section of their Thursday night meeting were asked to consider ways in which beaches might be upgraded in town and how that might be funded.

Better beaches? That takes better revenue flow, the board was told.

How to improve beaches? Well that might start at Town Neck with an upgrade there and a start to pay for the work by increasing stickers issued to one-time day users. That fee this past summer totaled $10.

Selectmen were told such an approach pivots on conducting a needs cost-benefit analysis of beach revenue and its future potential.

Selectmen did not respond to the ideas, but Town Manager Bud Dunham said his office might be able to generate fiscal data related to beach revenue that could be extrapolated in new ways.

To be clear and put things in some sort of perspective, Sandwich generates about $220,000 in total revenue, Dunham said. In contrast, the Town of Barnstable collects over $1 million at Sandy Neck alone.

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How can Sandwich build better beaches, pay for them?

JULIANA’S WORLD TRAVEL AND TOURS Celebrity Millennium Star Chef Dancing With The Stripes – Video

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CASIS Issues Request for Proposals: Remote Sensing From the International Space Station

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (October 17, 2013) - The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization managing research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, today issued a solicitation for proposals in the field of remote sensing.

This solicitation seeks proposals focused on terrestrial benefit via Earth observations, atmospheric science, planetary science or remote sensing of space. CASIS aims to (1) use existing hardware or (2) develop and deploy new sensors or instrumentation for remote sensing on the National Lab.

The National Lab provides a premier vantage point from which to conduct studies of Earth. Its specific location in low Earth orbit make this platform advantageous; it covers 90% of Earth's population, and imagery captured from station has improved spatial resolution and variable lighting when compared with many traditional Earth observation platforms. The introduction of this improved platform has great implications for the field of remote sensing.

Remote sensing is a diverse and profitable field with top segments grossing into the billions. Major segments include weather forecasting, right-of-way investigations, intelligence gathering, public health and agriculture. Industry experts indicate that the space station is well suited for use in right-of-way inspections, urban planning and forestry remote sensing applications; but it is not limited to these categories. Through access to the National Lab, CASIS provides a unique and affordable opportunity to advance the field of remote sensing and address unmet needs in many segments.

"This solicitation will not only result in additional uses for the National Lab but also bring innovation to the entire field of remote sensing," said CASIS Director of Portfolio Management Warren Bates. "Utilizing the unique vantage of the ISS to observe and research Earth opens a new window of possibilities and breakthroughs to better understand our planet."

For additional information about this RFP, including instructions and information regarding remote sensing research, CASIS and the ISS please visit:

http://www.iss-casis.org/Opportunities/Solicitations/RFPRemoteSensing.aspx

Letters of Intent must be submitted electronically by 5pm EST on November 21, 2013 via the CASIS solicitations website page.

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CASIS Issues Request for Proposals: Remote Sensing From the International Space Station

Weird space cloud spotted outside space station

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NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins tweeted photos of a weird looking cloud in space. It was a Russian missile launched in space, according to Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano.

Astronauts on the International Space Station have beamed home photos of an eerie space cloud outside their orbital home, a strange sight apparently created by a recent missile launch.

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The astronaut photos were captured on Oct. 10 by NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano whotook to Twitter under their pen names (@AstroIllini and @astro_luca, respectively) to share the unnatural looking space cloud formation with Earth.

"Saw something launch into space today," Hopkins wrote. "Not sure what it was but the cloud it left behind was pretty amazing." At first, Hopkins wasn't sure what created the odd looking cloud outside the window of the orbiting laboratory, but Parmitano cleared up the confusion with a Twitter post of his own. [Amazing Space Photos by Astronaut Luca Parmitano]

"A missile launch seen from space: an unexpected surprise!" Parmitano wrote in a post on Oct. 11. One of the Italian astronaut's photos shows a curving contrail left in the missile's wake and another features a wispy cloud formed in space after the missile disintegrated.

Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces launched the missile, according to a blog post on RussianForces.org. The Topol/SS-25 missile launched from Kapustin Yar to the Sary Shagan test site in Kazakhstan.

"According to a representative of the Rocket Forces, the test was used to confirm characteristics of the Topol missile, to test the systems of the Sary Shagan test site, and 'to test new combat payload for intercontinental ballistic missiles,'" RussianForces.org wrote on Oct. 10.

Russia also conducted a similar test from Kapustin Yar to Sary Shagan in June 2012, RussiaForces.org said.

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Weird space cloud spotted outside space station