BOSTON (AP) — National Republicans cheered former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez’s Massachusetts primary victory, but Democratic Congressman Ed Markey enjoys tremendous advantages in the special election to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry.Tuesday’s primary elections set up an eight-week sprint to the June 25 election.In Markey, the race pits a longtime liberal politician known for environmental advocacy against Gomez, a fresh-faced social moderate with a distinguished biography and untested political skills. On paper, it looks like a competitive contest, but Republicans quietly concede that Markey is the strong favorite in a state where only around 11 percent of voters are registered Republicans.”As we’ve shown before in the state, anything can happen in a special election,” said Republican strategist Ron Kaufman, Massachusetts’ national committeeman.Indeed, little-known Republican state Sen. Scott Brown stunned Democrats in his 2010 special election U.S. Senate victory in a contest that became a referendum on Obama’s healthcare overhaul. So far, at least, this race has drawn little national interest, even before being overshadowed by the Boston Marathon bombings.Continue Reading… … Read More
California officials investigate ‘patient dumping’ allegations against Nevada clinic
The city attorneys for Los Angeles and San Francisco said on Monday they are investigating reports that Nevada’s primary mental health facility has shipped more than 1,500 patients to cities across the country while they still needed care. “This type of conduct is deplorable,” San…
Poll: Weiner trails Quinn in New York City mayoral race
If he decided to run for Mayor of New York City, Anthony Weiner would be in second place behind Christine Quinn in the Democratic primary, according to a new NBC New York/Marist poll.The poll puts Quinn in the lead among Democratic voters with 26 percent, followed by Weiner at 15 percent. NBC New York points out that Weiner would need 40 percent to avoid a runoff against Quinn. Additionally, 50 percent of Democrats surveyed still said they would not vote for Weiner.According to the poll, John Liu trails Weiner at 12 percent, with Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson each getting 11 percent. 22 percent of those surveyed are still undecided.Continue Reading… … Read More
Poll: Weiner in second behind Quinn in mayoral race
If he decided to run for Mayor of New York City, Anthony Weiner would be in second place behind Christine Quinn in the Democratic primary, according to a new NBC New York/Marist poll.The poll puts Quinn in the lead among Democratic voters with 26 percent, followed by Weiner at 15 percent. NBC New York points out that Weiner would need 40 percent to avoid a runoff against Quinn. Additionally, 50 percent of Democrats surveyed still said they would not vote for Weiner.And, as Nate Silver points out:[embedtweet id="324340079025848320"]According to the poll, John Liu trails Weiner at 12 percent, with Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson each getting 11 percent. 22 percent of those surveyed are still undecided.Continue Reading… … Read More
A divide grows in Ohio over Rob Portman’s gay marriage reversal
Republican Sen. Rob Portman’s reversal on marriage equality was applauded by gay rights advocates and others across the country, but conservatives in his homestate of Ohio have denounced the change and mobilized to block his reelection.As reported The New York Times:No one heckled Senator Rob Portman during his first appearance before thousands of Ohioans since becoming the most prominent elected Republican in the country to endorse same-sex marriage… but for some of the Ohioans who acknowledged Mr. Portman, doubts flickered below the surface. “Senator!” said one spectator, Pete Kidnocker, reaching out to shake Mr. Portman’s hand. But after Mr. Portman passed, Mr. Kidnocker said he would vote for an alternative in a Republican primary and accused the senator of “betraying his principles.” “If you’re a Christian and you believe in those principles, whether your son or daughter is a homosexual, you can’t change your principles,” he said.Continue Reading… … Read More
Covered at Reason 24/7: Doctors Turn to Cash Business To Escape Red Tape
Despite much talk about a very real —
and growing ;— problem with access to primary-care physicians
as older doctors leave the profession and the ranks of new
providers thin out, there’s still hope for Americans who don’t want
to wait in line for medical care. There’s hope, that is, for people
willing to pay cash on the barrelhead for services rendered. That’s
because the numbers of doctors refusing third-party payment and
insisting on dealing directly with their patients as customers is
steadily growing. The change not only frees doctors and patients
from bureaucracy, it reduces much of the pressure driving increases
in healthcare costs.
From
Forbes:
Obamacare’s most intrusive changes to the healthcare marketplace
— including the individual mandate whereby Americans must secure
health insurance or pay a fine and its massive expansion of
Medicaid — are less than a year from taking effect.
Many doctors have decided that they’re not interested in seeing
how those changes play out in their own practices. Nearly
two-thirds of doctors say that they or their colleagues will retire
earlier than planned over the next few years, according to a survey
conducted by consulting firm Deloitte.
Others are considering a departure from the current system of
third-party payment. Instead, they’re exploring direct payment,
with patients paying for care on their own.
Patients should welcome this development. Not only does the move
toward direct payment have the potential to reduce health costs —
it could also yield higher-quality care.
Even before Obamacare, direct-pay practices were growing in
popularity. According to the Center for Studying Health System
Change, direct-payment practices increased from 9.2 percent of the
market in 2001 to 12.4 percent by 2008.
Nearly 7 percent of doctors say they are planning to change to
some form of direct-pay care in the next three years, according to
a survey of 13,000 doctors done for the Physicians Foundation. The
consulting firm Accenture projects that one in three doctors in
independent practice will adopt “subscription-based care
models.”
Follow this story and more at Reason 24/7.
If you have a story that would be of interest to Reason’s
readers please let us know by emailing the 24/7 crew at
24_7@reason.com, or tweet us stories at ;@reason247. … Read More
50 year old Navy Veteran Detained for Evaluation, Gun Permit and Firearms Confiscated
“The police came to my home and without any justification whatsoever, hauled me away for a psychiatric evaluation to a local hospital. I submitted to their forceful insistence under duress and fear of arrest or worse. They confiscated my guns and pistol permit.” … Read More
