#Enrollment Period 2023

[accesshealthcarephysicians]

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[veersnz]

News of a new Beginning

I am beyond exhausted right now but I wanted at least try and write something tonight. And where do I even begin… I’m overwhelmed by emotions right now, good ones I promise.

As today marks the day I finally graduated high-school. And some may wonder; « but Veer, you’re 22, how come you’re only graduating now ? »

The story is a little complicated but yes, I did start high-school just like everyone else my age over 8 years ago. 8 years ago was also when I started my recovery journey, and as with any journey, nothing is ever goes smoothly and to fulfill it I had to drop out of school. I tried my best over the years to go back and finish my education but I faced many challenges that made it nearly impossible. I managed to finish two of the three years of high-school over a period of 7 years between many hospital stays and periods of great difficulties. In my heart I knew I was getting too old to go back to high school, the gap between me and my peers was widening each year and with it grew the fear of going back, of feeling out of place, alone and crushed by the weight of my own expectations. I was raised believing my academic achievements made my worth and I’m sure many will relate to that, this fear of never being enough. So I almost made peace with never having the future I wished for. But truthfully, this future I had imagined for myself wasn’t mine, it was someone else’s dream. And I was left stranded on the shores of those wishes, not having the faintest idea of what my life would become. And I almost made peace with that.

I clung to those realizations until last September when I enrolled in this special needs school far away from my home. One last time, I thought, one more chance. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after that, if I even managed to stay until the end. But it didn’t matter, my family believed in me, so did my therapist and my friends, even after so many failed attempts they kept their faith intact. And this love, I think that’s what helped me make the decision.

So I took that leap of faith, got a small room and started living on my own for the first time while pursuing my education. I would lie if I said it was an easy ordeal, many obstacles came in my way and I almost gave up, many times. But with the help of my family, friends and the incredible people I met at this school I persevered. I am very aware of the incredible luck I had that September of 2023, being surrounded by so many loving and caring people. I couldn’t be more grateful. And you all count to, it may seem silly because this is « just a kink community » but I’ve met so many brave souls, incredible people and so much love even from afar. Having this positive presence in my life has brought me strength and respite sometimes from the outside world, even just for a moment sometimes. And for that I am eternally grateful.

And so after 11 months I am graduating with the highest honors and finally putting an end to this journey of 8 years. Of course the path to recovery will continue on, but I am turning to a new page of my life’s story and I couldn’t be happier and grateful. I’m still probably in shock and the realization will settle over me in the next few days. But today, today I know that I’ve reclaimed my future.

I know there will be many more challenges, uncertainty and pain to face but tonight I am basking in the happiness of having accomplished something my past self could only dream about. And I hope the parts of myself I left behind are proud of me.

Thank you ❤️

[old-powwow-days]

The first major solo museum presentation of fourth-generation Navajo weaver Melissa Cody (b. 1983, No Water Mesa, Arizona) spans the last decade of her practice, showcasing over 30 weavings and a major new work produced for the exhibition. Using long-established weaving techniques and incorporating new digital technologies, Cody assembles and reimagines popular patterns into sophisticated geometric overlays, incorporating atypical dyes and fibers. Her tapestries carry forward the methods of Navajo Germantown weaving, which developed out of the wool and blankets that were made in Germantown, Pennsylvania and supplied by the US government to the Navajo people during the forced expulsion from their territories in the mid-1800s. During this period, the rationed blankets were taken apart and the yarn was used to make new textiles, a practice of reclamation which became the source of the movement. While acknowledging this history and working on a traditional Navajo loom, Cody’s masterful works exercise experimental palettes and patterns that animate through reinvention, reframing traditions as cycles of evolution. Melissa Cody is a Navajo/Diné textile artist and enrolled member of the Navajo/Diné nation. Cody grew up on a Navajo Reservation in Leupp, Arizona and received a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts and Museum Studies from Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe. Her work has been featured in The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia (2022); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR (2021); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (2019–2020); Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (2019); SITE Santa Fe (2018–19); Ingham Chapman Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (2018); Navajo Nation Museum, Window Rock (2018); and the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe (2017–18). Cody’s works are in the collections of the Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; and The Autry National Center, Los Angeles. In 2020, she earned the Brandford/Elliott Award for Excellence in Fiber Art.

Melissa Cody: Webbed Skies currently on exhibition at MoMA PS1 through September 9nth, 2024

IDs Under the cut

Top to Bottom, Left to Right: White Out. 2012. 3-ply aniline dyed wool. 17 × 24″ (43.2 × 61 cm)

Deep Brain Stimulation. 2011. Wool warp, weft, selvedge cords, and aniline dyes. 40 x 30 3/4 in. (101.6 x 78.1 cm)

World Traveler. 2014. Wool warp, weft, selvedge cords, and aniline dyes. 90 x 48 7/8 in. (228.6 x 124.1 cm)

Into the Depths, She Rappels. 2023. Wool warp, weft, selvedge cords, and aniline dyes. 87 x 51 9/16 in. (221 x 131 cm)

Lightning Storm. 2012. 3-ply aniline dyed wool. 14 × 20″ (35.6 × 50.8 cm)

Pocketful of Rainbows. 2019. Wool warp, weft, selvedge cords, and aniline dyes. 19 x 10 3/4 in. (48.3 x 27.3 cm)

Path of the Snake. 2013. 3-ply aniline dyed wool. 36 × 24″ (91.4 × 61 cm)

[shitpostingperidot]

How old is Carol Danvers???

(Inspired by a post by @blindluck which was in turn inspired by a post by me and @marvelsassbutts )

So I just found out the official Captain Marvel wiki places Carol Danvers’s birth date in 1965. At first I thought “that’s ridiculous” for reasons that will become clear through this long ass post. But then I saw they cited drawings by the assistant art director on Captain Marvel, found on her portfolio! That’s pretty official!

Wait what’s that at the bottom…

1984???? For Carol’s USAFA basic training???? This is impossible, the movie is wrong, and here’s why.

(Excerpt from my future video essay incoming)

There are no dates in Higher, Further, Faster; the marketing text on Amazon, Liza Palmer’s website, etc just says “80s.” So, we need to do some detective work.

We know that the 2019 film Captain Marvel takes place in 1995. Since it takes place in Southern California and Louisiana, the warm weather doesn’t tell us much about the time of year. Personally, I believe it takes place on March 8, 1995, because that’s the exact day I was born, and my birthday is the day the movie was released on to coincide with International Women’s Day. Regardless, Monica Rambeau is eleven years old in the film, putting her birth in 1983 or 1984. So, Maria’s pregnancy must have begun in 1982 or 1983.

Here’s a “fun” fact about US military academies: until less than one year ago (summer 2023, a full three years after Captain Marvel came out), cadets at USAFA who became pregnant were required to either drop out, have an abortion, or relinquish their parental rights to their child.

Dropping out also means reimbursing the government for your tuition for all classes you’ve taken up to this point, and giving up your ability to be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force upon graduation. Definitely not an option someone as driven as Maria wants to consider. In fact, we know this isn’t what happened, because this news article Carol hung up in her spaceship in The Marvels says that Maria Rambeau is a USAFA graduate.

We also know that Maria didn’t have an abortion, because, well, Monica Rambeau herself is tangible evidence. Theoretically, it is possible for Maria to have given up parental rights and adopted back her own child after graduation. Before the policy change in 2023 that allowed cadets to be parents, many found this to be their best option (see the article I screenshotted above). However, this process is really expensive and takes a lot of work with a lawyer over a period of months or years. From the little we know of Carol and Maria’s life pre-crash, (it was busy, they lived in an expensive area, and Maria only had Carol for support), I think we can assume that it’s less likely that Maria was forced to adopt her own daughter than that Maria graduated USAFA before becoming pregnant in 1982 or 83.

That still doesn’t answer the question of when this book takes place, though. The exact year is important, as the military had some major differences under the Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan administrations of the 70s and 80s, and one of the things I want to assess this book on is accuracy.

Oh wait, what’s that? Another discriminatory policy that helps us date this book? That’s right, USAFA didn’t enroll women as cadets until Public Law 94-106 went into effect in 1976.

What’s more, Carol and Maria cannot have been part of this first group of women cadets, because in the book, there is an upperclassman character who is a woman. Officer Cadet Chen is one of the leaders of Basic Training for Carol and Maria’s flight, a position cadets aren’t allowed to hold until their third or fourth year at the Academy.

So, Carol and Maria must enter USAFA no earlier than 1978 to be two or more years younger than Chen, and must graduate no later than 1983 for Monica to exist. To comply with the marketing blurb’s declaration that this book takes place “in the 80s”, let’s say that Carol and Maria’s first year is the 1979-1980 school year.

(End excerpt)

In conclusion, Maria and Carol were born in 1960 or 1961 (with pretty equal likelihood of which birthday makes them 18 at the start of the book, since USAFA basic happens the summer before the school year), not 1965. It would be impossible for them to have done basic training in 1984 as in the production drawing, because they would have to have already graduated and be well on their way to test pilot school which is a whole other policy can of worms before Monica’s birth in 1983 or 1984.

In conclusion conclusion, Carol is ~34 in Captain Marvel and ~64 in The Marvels, and the MCU should hire fans to fact check for them.

[kingofbodyrolls]

BTS fic recs: September 2023

I want to thank each and every writer on this list for creating such wonderful stories and art - you are truly amazing ✨ All the fics on this list hold a dear place in my heart 🥹

❗Most of these fics are smutty as hell, so minors dni.❗ 

If you read anything on this list and you like it, please leave a comment to the writer or reblog the original fic’s post 💜And if you want more fic recs you can follow me to stay updated 🙂

BTS fic rec index → May | Jun | Jul | Aug | 💜 (jjk)(knj) | Oct (pjm) | Nov (*) | Dec (ksj)(kth) |

Emoji meaning → angst = 🌩️, smut = 🥵, fluff = 🥰, comedy = 😂, personal favorites = 💯. 

Namjoon

⭐The Interpretation of Dreams 💯 by @ppersonna // knj x f.reader // phd mentor!namjoon, university!au // 🥵🥰

📝 He’s the man of your dreams, the an you’ve spent over 6 years pining over.  and he’s also your Ph.D. mentor and in charge of your very future.

🗨️ Looking for a smutty, slutty, funny and comforting fic? Well, look no further! 🌟 This really delivered 👏🏾 really, really good. The sexual tension between reader and Namjoon 💯 and then best friend Jimin, being the best chaotic slutty wingman EVER 🥵

⭐Deep End by @here2bbtstrash // knj x f.reader // established relationship, period!smut // 🥵🥰

📝 Your boyfriend suggests a new way to relieve your period cramps.

🗨️ Awww, this was so cute and sweet 🥺💖💯

⭐Baby Fever by @95rkives // knj x f.reader // established relationship // 🥰🥰🥰

📝 What was supposedly a peaceful morning stroll in the park, an unexpected encounter triggers namjoon’s intense desire for a baby, turning him into an adorable, baby fever-filled mess.

🗨️ Gosh this was cute - and wonderfully fluffy 😍

⭐All Night 💯 by @luaspersona // knj x f.reader // college!au, brother’s best friend!au, s2l // 🥵

📝 When your brother bails on you, you have to find another way to entertain yourself for the night and Kim Namjoon just so happens to be a great company.

🗨️ This was the most perfect, pure masterpiece of fucking gold writing 🤌🏾🥵 it is insanely filthy, so deliciously smutty!! Like I think my soul has left my body 🥵 the writing, story and the characters were brilliant ✨ this is hands down one of my new favorites and I WILL read this again soon, I promise you! Don’t sleep on this sweet bad boy Namjoon, okay 🥵 such an easy recommendation for me to make - do yourself a favor and read it if you haven’t (and if you have, then read it again!) ♥️💯

⭐Love Language 💯 by @rmnamjoons // knj x f.reader // soulmate!au // 🥵🥰

📝 Exactly one year before one meets their soulmate, their love’s first words spoken to them appear as a tattoo on their wrist. When Namjoon’s tattoo appears, however, it’s not of words, but of the most beautiful set of eyes he’s ever seen.

🗨️ I know that most of this was just pure smut, but damn it was cute 😭🥺💖

Yoongi

⭐Oh, darling! [series; ongoing] 💯 by @yoongiofmine // myg x f.reader // university!au, non idol au, professor!yoongi, student!reader // 🥰🌩️🥵

📝 Starting your second semester at one of South Korea’s most prestigious universities should be stressful enough. Between juggling classes, good grades and a social life, your plate was full. Hoping to spice up your academic career, you thought it was a good idea to enroll as an assistant for your literature professor, whom you’ve held a very secret and very forbidden crush on for the past several months. What will happen now that you’re forced to work closely together? And what if your crush isn’t as one sided as you thought? 

🗨️ Holy fucking shit 🥵🫣😳 I am speechless. My soul have left my body 🥵 it’s so good! ‘Kay bye 🫣 There’s only one chapter left!!!

⭐The Road Not Taken [series; ongoing] by @prodagustd // myg x f.reader // Brother’s best friend, pinning, lawyer!Yoongi x actress!reader // 🥰🌩️🥵

📝 This doesn’t have a summary, so here my take: it’s about OC’s pining for her brother’s best friend, Yoongi. Her life is quite messy, but her love for Yoongi has always stayed the same through all the years and hardship. He just doesn’t see her as anything other than his best friend’s sister (or does he???).

🗨️ I really like the back story in this so far, and damn, I feel like OC’s life is just a mangled puzzle of lies. Like she hasn’t found her thing yet, or what makes her truly happy in life 🥺 Only the first chapter is out, but it’s already good!🌸❤️

Jimin

⭐Exhaust by @jungk0oksthighs // pjm x f.reader // breakups, rebound sex - frenemies to ??? // 🥵

📝 Stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dead cell, you were overjoyed to see another car pull up to the rescue. However when the owner of that car knocked on your window, you were faced with the one person you once vowed you never wanted to see ever again. Park Jimin. 

🗨️ It was too good 😭 and it says part 1 of 4 but I can’t find other parts to it 😭 gosh, it’s still good and the open ending is fine with a one shot, but damn I want more! 😂 I have questions that I want answers to, more stuff than I want to see unfold 🫣 but alas, it works fine as a standalone, and it was a good read ♥️

⭐Wait for Me 💯 by @jiminniethemarshmallow // pjm x f.reader // established relationship, pwp // 🥵

📝 This one doesn’t have a summary, but it’s about Jimin just wanting to fuck OC, but she has homework – it’s just really good pwp!

🗨️ This 🥵 OMG! If you value dirty talk, this one is definitely for you! ♥️ The smut was perfection and Jimin was just such a tease 😜💯

⭐Sleepless Night by @kwanisms // pjm x f.reader // cheating!au, work!au, coworker!Jimin // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 Y/N’s first business trip was supposed to be easy. She and her co-worker, Jimin, were to deliver a presentation for a client then return to the airport to catch a flight home but no one expected a blizzard to roll in. After having their flight cancelled Christmas Eve due to the storm, Y/N and Jimin are forced to share the only remaining hotel room with one king size bed.

🗨️ I think I’ve read this before – It’s really good. Although I’m not really into cheating!aus, I found it a good read 🙂

⭐Something Sweet by @moni-logues // pjm x f.reader // established relationship, pwp, tattoo artist!Jimin // 🥵🥰

📝 You've had a frustratingly slow day at the cafe and Jimin has had a no-show. There's only one thing for it, and that's to get busy yourselves.

🗨️ This was sweet and smutty and also hilarious (something happens that I won’t spoil). It’s a good read ❤️‍🔥

⭐Worth the Wait by @noona-la-la-la // pjm x f.reader // idol!au, virgin!Jimin, soft and romantic smut // 🥵🥰

📝 You aren’t sure why your boyfriend Jimin has taken things so slowly but you are now finally ready to have your first night together.

🗨️ This was actually really sweet, how Jimin wanted the night to be special 🥹

⭐The Bucket List, Prologue by @jeonggukingdom // pjm x f.reader // established relationship // 🥵🥰

📝 Friday nights at the club are a common routine for you and your boyfriend but when you decided to go out that night with your usual group of friends, you had no idea Mina would tipsily confess to him the existence of a sexual bucket list you both made when you were still in college. And you sure as hell did not expect for your boyfriend to propose to help you fulfil every single wish written on that old piece of paper as soon as he got his hands on it.

🗨️ Holy fucking shit 🥵 🫣 this was so incredibly good, the smut was superb, and the promise of the the bucket list was just so enticing! The only thing I didn’t like, is that this is the only part there is 🤣 but as a discontinued series, this has brilliant potential, and it also works just fine as a one-shot (which is why I’m recommending it 😉).

Jungkook

⭐When the End Comes [series; ongoing] 💯 by @oddinary4bts // jjk x f.reader // breakup!au, slice of life!au, photographer!Jungkook x lawyer!reader // 🌩️🌩️🌩️🥵

📝 Seven years after you've started dating Jungkook, long distance creates a wedge in your relationship. When the only solution seems to be breaking up, you go your separate ways even though love still lives in the two of you. Will you find a way back together, or has the end come for you and Jeon Jungkook?

🗨️ This is a sequel to ‘The Forgotten Spaces’, which was just *chef’s kiss* 😘This has a lot, and I mean A LOT more angst in it – but it is worth it! I cannot describe how much I genuinely adore this couple with all my heart, I just want them to be happy! There’s only one chapter left of the series. The sequel is heart wrenchingly beautiful, it truly is. When you read it, stock up on tissues before hand 😉💜

⭐Stretch You Out 💯 by @chateautae // jjk x knj x f.reader // college!au, s2f2l, gym employee!namjoon, gym employee!jungkook // 🥵🥰

📝 You have a plan for your crappy, diabolical ex who’s set on ruining your life; making him jealous by snagging a raunchy photo with two hot employees at the gym. what you didn’t have a plan for? befriending the mischievous pair to aid in your revenge and ending up underneath not just one, but both of them.

🗨️ Holy fucking shit 🥵 🫣 this was so exceptionally good! So deliciously filthy, it really delivered on every freaking aspect 💯 incredible 👏🏾 perfection 👏🏾 💎

I feel like I haven’t read that much this month – which is understanding because I’ve been writing a lot. But gosh, I miss reading all of the amazing stories out there and my reading list is still hella long 😂 I am moving in the beginning of October, so I don’t know how much I’ll get to read (or write for that matter), but I hope I’ll have some time here and there 😀

Borahae 💜

[misfitwashere]

If You Don't Know Medicare Advantage Is a Scam, You're Not Paying Attention

We’re on the edge of the open enrollment period for Medicare, and the Advantage scammers will be carpet-bombing America with advertisements over the next few months. Don't be fooled about what it is—and who is profiting.

Thom Hartmann

Oct 07, 2023

Common Dreams

President George W. Bush and Republicans (and a handful of on-the-take Democrats) in Congress created the Medicare Advantage scam in 2003 as a way of routing hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of for-profit insurance companies.

Those companies, and their executives, then recycle some of that profit back into politicians’ pockets via the Citizens United legalized bribery loophole created by five corrupt Republicans on the Supreme Court.

Just the overcharges happening right now in that scam are costing Americans over $140 billion a year: more than the entire budget for the Medicare Part B or Part D programs. These ripoffs — that our federal government seems to have no interest in stopping — are draining the Medicare trust fund while ensnaring gullible seniors in private insurance programs where they’re often denied life-saving care.

Real Medicare pays bills when they’re presented. Medicare Advantage insurance companies, on the other hand, get a fixed dollar amount every year for each of the people enrolled in their programs, regardless of how much they spent on each customer.

As a result, Medicare Advantage programs make the greatest profits for their CEOs and shareholders when they actively refuse to pay for care, something that happens frequently. It’s a safe bet that nearly 100 percent of the people who sign up for Advantage programs don’t know this and don’t have any idea how badly screwed they could be if they get seriously ill.

Not only that, when people do figure out they’ve been duped and try to get back on real Medicare, the same insurance companies often punish them by refusing to write Medigap plans (that fill in the 20% hole in real Medicare). They can’t do that when you first sign up when you turn 65, but if you “leave” real Medicare for privatized Medicare Advantage, it can be damn hard to get back on it.

The doctors’ group Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) just published a shocking report on the extent of the Medicare Advantage ripoffs — both to individual customers and to Medicare itself — that every American should know about.

The report, titled Our Payments, Their Profits, opens with this shocking exposé:

“By our estimate, and based on 2022 spending, Medicare Advantage overcharges taxpayers by a minimum of 22% or $88 billion per year, and potentially by up to 35% or $140 billion. By comparison, Part B premiums in 2022 totaled approximately $131 billion, and overall federal spending on Part D drug benefits cost approximately $126 billion. Either of these — or other crucial aspects of Medicare and Medicaid — could be funded entirely by eliminating overcharges in the Medicare Advantage program. “Medicare Advantage, also known as MA or Medicare Part C, is a privately administered insurance program that uses a capitated payment structure, as opposed to the fee-for-service (FFS) structure of Traditional Medicare or TM. Instead of paying directly for the health care of beneficiaries, the federal government gives a lump sum of money to a third party (generally a commercial insurer) to ‘manage’ patient care.”

With real Medicare and a Medigap plan, you talk with your physician or hospital and decide on your treatment, they bill Medicare, and you never see or hear about the bill. There is nobody between you and your physician or hospital and Medicare only goes after the payment they’ve made if they sniff out a fraud.

With Medicare Advantage, on the other hand, your insurance company gets a lump-sum payment from Medicare every year and keeps the difference between what they get and what they pay out. They then insert themselves between you and your doctor or hospital to avoid paying for whatever they can.

Whatever you decide on regarding treatment, many Advantage insurance company will regularly second-guess and do everything they can to intimidate you into paying yourself out-of-pocket. Often, they simply refuse payment and wait for you to file a complaint against them; for people seriously ill the cumbersome “appeals” process is often more than they can handle.

As a result, hospitals and doctor groups across the nation are beginning to refuse to take Medicare Advantage patients. California-based Scripps Health, for example, cares for around 30,000 people on Medicare Advantage and recently notified all of them that Scripps will no longer offer medical services to them unless they pay out-of-pocket or revert back to real Medicare.

They made this decision because over $75 million worth of services and procedures their physicians had recommended to their patients were turned down by Medicare Advantage insurance companies. In many cases, Scripps had already provided the care and is now stuck with the bills that the Advantage companies refuse to pay.

Scripps CEO Chris Van Gorder told MedPage Today:

“We are a patient care organization and not a patient denial organization and, in many ways, the model of managed care has always been about denying or delaying care – at least economically. That is why denials, [prior] authorizations and administrative processes have become a very big issue for physicians and hospitals...”

Similarly, the Mayo Clinic has warned its customers in Florida and Arizona that they won’t accept Medicare Advantage any more, either. Increasing numbers of physician groups and hospitals are simply over being ripped off by Advantage insurance companies.

Not only is the Medicare Advantage scam a screw job for healthcare providers and people who are on the programs and are unfortunate enough to get sick, it’s also preventing Americans from getting expanded benefits from real Medicare.

As the PNHP report notes, for real Medicare to provide comprehensive vision, dental, and hearing benefits to all Medicare recipients would cost the system around $84 billion a year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Instead, though, the Medicare system is burdened with at least that amount of money in over-payments to Medicare Advantage providers — over-payments that have no health benefit whatsoever and merely inflate the companies’ profits.

A hundred billion dollars in excess profits can be put to a lot of uses, and the health insurance industry is quite good at it. The former CEO of UnitedHealth, “Dollar” Bill McGuire, for example, made off with over $1.5 billion dollars for his efforts.

And, because five corrupt Republicans on the Supreme Court legalized political bribery with their Citizens United decision, some of these companies allocate millions every year (a mere drop in the bucket) to pay off loyal members of Congress and to dangle high-paying future jobs to high-level employees of CMS who have the power to keep the gravy train going and thwart prosecutions.

As PNHP noted:

“Medicare Advantage is just another example of the endless greed of the insurance industry poisoning American health care, siphoning money from vulnerable patients while delaying and denying necessary and often life-saving treatment. While there is obvious reason to fix these issues in MA and to expand Traditional Medicare for the sake of all beneficiaries, the deep structural problems with our health care system will only be fixed when we achieve improved Medicare for All.”

We’re on the edge of the open enrollment period for Medicare, and the Advantage scammers will be carpet-bombing America with advertisements over the next few months. Representatives Pocan, Khanna, and Schakowsky have introduced the “Save Medicare Act” that would ban Advantage companies from using the word Medicare in their advertising.

They made a video about it that’s well worth sharing with friends and family:

As Schakowsky, Khanna, and Pocan note, “Only Medicare is Medicare.” Don’t be fooled by the Medicare Advantage scam.

And now that you know, pass it on and save somebody else’s health!

[beardedmrbean]

There are over 3,600 students enrolled at the University of Helsinki who have not completed any coursework in the past year, according to the educational institute's data.

This number of 'ghost students' has nearly doubled in three years, rising from just under 2,000 in 2021.

However, this figure includes students with multiple study rights, numbering in the dozens, as well as those who enrolled in courses before 2005, who have perpetual study rights.

There are a total of over 30,000 students at the University of Helsinki.

A similar situation has been noted at Tampere University, where about 2,500 enrolled students earned zero credits in the 2023–2024 academic year, marking a slight rise in the number of 'inactive' students.

According to Anu Haapala, Director of Development at the University of Helsinki, the students' situations are diverse and many factors contribute to this situation.

Financial challenges may drive students to work instead of studying, family situations can change, and health-related reasons could disrupt studies. Sometimes, students may need time to consider if their chosen field is right for them.

"As a university, we aim to enable smooth progression of studies. However, it is ultimately up to the student to decide how and when they will complete their studies," Haapala said.

Enrolling in courses for student benefits and discounts

Those with a student card in Finland are entitled to significant discounts on meals, public transportation, gym memberships, and various retail purchases, as well as access to subsidised health services, university IT resources, and professional union memberships with insurance coverage.

Yle spoke to Jani, 33, who after graduating with a master's degree in engineering from the Tampere University of Technology in 2017, applied for a new degree in mechanical engineering at Lappeenranta.

He was accepted into the programme and registered as an active student at the beginning of the following autumn without any intention of completing his studies.

Jani, who lives in southwestern Finland, said having a student status gives him access to numerous discounts and benefits for the many services he regularly uses in his daily life.

He estimated that he saves around 2,000 euros a year from these discounts and benefits.

While Jani acknowledged that his actions might be seen as depriving other students of a study spot, he said that any system will inevitably be exploited by some individuals.

"It may require a bit of moral flexibility. I personally feel that since the system allows this, I am just as entitled to use student benefits as anyone else," he said.

While he is no longer a student at Lappeenranta, Jani enrolled in the University of Tampere in 2021 to study mathematics and statistics. After his study period ends, he plans to apply to another university.

"Sometimes I wonder how much longer I will dare to eat at the student canteen," he said.

Jani wished to be anonymous in the story due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

Anu Haapala told Yle that she is not in a position to assess the extent of the exploitation of student discounts and benefits.

"The message I get from student organisations is that the benefits and subsidies could be much better so that they better support the promotion of studies," she said.

[santiagonex]

I can’t sleep. Let’s talk about the four sacred top fives of 2022 as in top 5 gay movies, top 5 gay tv ships (or shows as whole), top 5 short gay movies and for the next one, let’s change it up a little bit and I’ll provide you with top 5 upcoming gay movies (2023) I’m looking forward to and are currently in the process of pre-production, production or post-production.

Top 5 Gay Movies of 2022

5. La Santa Piccola - very different from your usual gay movies, but the scenery is gorgerous and the story made me feel things 4. Badhaai Do - amazing queer representation in Indian Cinema, "gay guy and a lesbian woman enter into holy matrimony to appease their families”... just pure comedy and romance and the friendship is beautiful 3. Fire Island - a classic rom-com, must-see 2. In from the Side - rugby gays, affair, romance... all of that 1. Sublime - since it’s finally available on VoD, I had a chance to watch it this weekend and the soundtrack and story got me... Mi mejor amigo vibes but actually gay

Top 5 Gay Ships/TV Shows of 2022

5. Heartstopper - a classic, it was honestly hard to rate the shows because they’re all equally brilliant in my eyes 4. Heartbreak High - australian Sex Education, obsessed 3. The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself - magic, witches, gays... c’mon 2. Prisma - very important show 1. Patrick/Iván in Élite - they’re literally everything to me, if you get it you get it, if you don’t you don’t, if you know you know and if you don’t know I honestly feel bad for you like I literally cannot explain it, I don’t have the vocabulary to sit here and explain like either you get the vibe or you don’t

Top 5 Gay Shorts of 2022

5. Catalina - a queer man and his two childhood best friends reunite for a weekend camping trip on Catalina Island... could there be sumn more? 4. Too Rough - Nick wakes up next to his boyfriend Charlie and must conceal him from his own homophobic and dysfunctional family... very sad 3. Jean est tombé amoureux - two football players of opposite teams falling in love... mm very good! 2. Swim - two swimmers develop a strong friendship during their weekly sessions, but their relationship is tested outside the pool, when true identities are revealed... this one fawked me up good 1. Hard - Mikey experiences awkwardness and struggles to navigate the uncertainties of his sexuality after his first time with a girl doesn't go as expected, forcing him to confront his feelings of desire for his best friend... this was so much fun to watch

Top 5 Upcoming Gay Movies in 2023

5. The History of Sound - Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor in a gay romance period drama? We’re looking forward to that actually! Anyways, they were supposed to film it this year, but they had busy schedules. Current plan is next year. Also Paul was hanging out with the director last month, so maybe something’s cooking. 4. Glitter & Doom - described as a summer romance musical feature told with the iconic tunes of folk duo Indigo Girls. Film follows a musician who wears charisma as camouflage and a carefree guy about to run away with the circus as they fall in love at first sight. Sounds fun. 3. Nuovo Olimpo - any Ferzan Özpetek fans? Any Manuel from Un professore fans? Well, looks like we won. Period drama set in Italy, following two men who have a chance encounter and then fall deeply in love, and then are torn apart. The film then follows them both over the next decades as they attempt to find each other again. 2. Strangers - yes, another one with Paul Mescal... yes, I’m crazy. And hi Andrew Scott. Directed by Andrew Haigh (Weekend, HBO’s Looking). Word on the street is that their characters will be romantically involved since Mescal's character corresponds to a woman who has a romance with the protagonist (Scott) in the original novel. We will be tuning in. 1. Bonus Track - film set in 2006, follows a small-town boy with dreams of being a gifted musician. When the son of an iconic musical duo enrols at his school, a powerful bond between the boys begins to grow. Based on an original story by Josh O'Connor (yes, him) and Michael Gilbert.

Anyways, that is it. There are a lot of movies that weren’t released THIS year yet, and I’m looking forward to them (Punch, Aristotle and Dante, Spoiler Alert,...). But I would be just repeating myself, so I’m not gonna talk about that.

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Mercury retrogrades back into Sagittarius

Timeline (current events in bold)

Saturday, November 25, 2023, 12:40 UT - transiting Mercury enters pre-retrograde shadow, 22°11’ Sagittarius

Friday, December 1, 14:31 UT - transiting Mercury enters Capricorn

Monday, December 4, 19:34 UT - transiting Mercury’s greatest eastern elongation, 3°32’ Capricorn

Saturday, December 9 - transiting Mercury enters Storm

Wednesday, December 13, 07:09 UT - transiting Mercury stations retrograde, 8°29’ Capricorn

Friday, December 22, 18:54 UT - Sun-Mercury inferior conjunction, 0°39’ Capricorn

Saturday, December 23, 06:18 UT - transiting Mercury retrogrades back into Sagittarius

Tuesday, January 2, 2024, 03:08 UT - transiting Mercury stations direct, 22°11’ Sagittarius

Monday, January 8 - transiting Mercury exits Storm

Friday, January 12, 19:32 UT - transiting Mercury’s greatest western elongation, 28°48’ Sagittarius

Sunday, January 14, 02:50 UT - transiting Mercury re-enters Capricorn

Sunday, January 21, 04:03 UT - transiting Mercury exits post-retrograde shadow, 8°29’ Capricorn

===+++===

First, here is our checklist from Chrissie Blaze’s book Mercury Retrograde:

Curb your urge to travel; instead travel mentally by learning about new countries and different cultures.

Investigate new courses of study - but don’t enrol yet.

Spend an active but relaxing day at the beach or at the spa.

Call an elderly relative and lift his spirits.

We could probably call this time period “consequences” - from sloppy thinking, to reliance on luck (instead of putting in the hard work), to having good intentions but zero follow-through or (again) not putting the work in. It’s so much more fun to talk and rant about doing things, rather than actually to do them!

A timeline for the week:

Saturday, December 23:

Mercury Rx/Sagittarius (29°20’) semi-square Pallas Athene/Scorpio (14°20’)

Mercury Rx/Sagittarius semi-sextile Pluto/Capricorn, 29°06’

Mercury Rx/Sagittarius opposite Vesta Rx/Gemini, 29°04’

I can see all this as kind of a regretful “no wonder I can’t (fill in the blank), I didn’t (fill in the blank)!”

Tuesday, December 26 - Wednesday, December 27:

Mercury Rx/Sagittarius semi-sextile Venus/Scorpio, 25°24’

Mercury Rx/Sagittarius square Neptune/Pisces, 25°00’

Mercury Rx/Sagittarius conjunct Mars/Sagittarius, 24°21’

Mercury Rx/Sagittarius trine Eris Rx/Aries, 24°10’

The conjunction to Mars and trine to Eris give us a lot of angry mental activity, but Neptune fogs everything up and “makes” us lose our way. Kind of like the character Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, when he’s making everyone chase after themselves in the forest. Perhaps we’ll clue in, that a more disciplined approach is very useful.

[accesshealthcarephysicians]

Your 2023 Guide to Medicare Annual Enrollment Period - Access Health Care Physicians, LLC

Access Health Care Physicians, LLC presents your 2023 Guide to Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, helping you make informed choices for your healthcare coverage.

[lcdrarry]

LCDrarry 2023 Round-Up Post | Week 3

On Sundays during our posting period, we won't post a new work, instead you have time to catch up on the works that posted during the week and hopefully leave lovely comments for our creators.

Happy reading, commenting and sharing! ;)

~Your LCDrarry Mods

PS: Please have a look at the author notes and tags on AO3 for additional information. Thank you!

PPS: Please share far and wide! Thank you!

***

Art

***

Don’t Worry, He’s Got This

Prompt: "Legally Blonde", 2001, Robert Luketic Prompted by: lettersbyelise Artist: Anonymous Art Medium: Digital Art Rating: General audiences Warnings: None

Summary: Draco enrolls in a muggle university to prove he’s changed. Harry’s not convinced.

View it now on AO3.

***

no daylight

Prompt: "Black Sails", 2014, TV Show Prompted by: Sitp-recs Artist: Anonymous Art Medium: Digital Art Rating: General audiences Warnings: None

Summary: After Draco loses his leg saving a crewmate, Harry teaches him how to fight. He's teaching him how to defeat him, too.

View it now on AO3.

***

History Maker

Prompt: “Yuri on Ice!”, 2016, TV Series/Show Prompted by: quackquackcey Artist: Anonymous Art Medium: Digital Art Rating: General Audiences Warnings: None

Summary: He's done it! Harry Potter has caught the snitch, winning the League Cup for the Pride of Portree for the first time in three hundred years! And—what's this? Potter's personal trainer, Draco Malfoy, is running out onto the pitch! And he's—! My goodness, did he just kiss Potter?! -- Screencap redraw of Yuuri & Victor's kiss from episode 7 of Yuri On Ice featuring Harry as Yuuri and Draco as Victor for Lights, Camera, Drarry 2023

View it now on AO3.

***

When I Close My Eyes

Prompt: "Millennium Actress", 2001, Satoshi Kon Prompted by: omgkatsudonplease Artist: Anonymous Art Medium: Digital Art Rating: General Audiences Warnings: None

Summary: Because I like who I am chasing him." 「だって私、あの人を追いかけてる私が好きなんだもの」

Read and view it now on AO3.

***

Fic

***

The Breakfast Club

Prompt: "The Breakfast Club", 1985, John Hughes Prompted by: Ladderofyears Author: Anonymous Length: 7,827 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: None

Summary: Draco Malfoy is forced to endure a Saturday detention with four other students, including the Golden Bad Boy himself, Harry Potter. Over the course of the day, and under the watchful eye of Filch, the seemingly disparate group form a budding alliance and discovers that they have a great deal more in common than they thought. And Draco discovers that sometimes, he can not only get what he needs, but he just might also get what he wants.

Read it now on AO3.

***

The Rifts that Reveal Us

Prompt: "The Notebook", 2004, Nick Cassvettes Prompted by: ladderofyears Author: Anonymous Word Count: 8,539 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: None

Summary: Harry wrote to him. For 365 days. Today, Draco visits him. But learning why Draco didn't write back is just the beginning.

Read it now on AO3.

***

A Different Kind Of Attention

Prompt: “Yuri on Ice!”, 2016, TV Series/Show Prompted by: quackquackcey Author: Anonymous Word Count: 10,706 words Rating: Mature Warnings: Alcohol Use, Drunkenness, Off-screen Pet Loss

Summary: Last year's Grand Prix Final hadn't been easy for Harry. And France's top skater, Draco Malfoy, hadn't made it any easier. This year, however, Harry is determined. He wants that gold medal! But things don't ever go to plan if it comes to Harry James Potter, do they?

Read it now on AO3.

***

Deep Dive

Prompt: "Heartstopper", 2022, TV Show Prompted by: edaniels0221 Author: Anonymous Word Count: 13,448 words Rating: General audiences Warnings: None

Summary: When fourteen-year-old Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his fourth year, he learns that the school will be hosting the first-ever European Wizarding Student Cup. He is excited for a year of just Quidditch, without Voldemort or any mortal danger. But it doesn’t take long before an unexpected connection with a competitor complicates what was meant to be a worry-free year.

Read it now on AO3.

***

I Couldn't Love You More

Prompt: "P.S. I Love You", 2007, Richard LaGravenese Author: Anonymous Word Count: 73,706 words Rating: Mature Warnings: MCD, grief, mourning, AU- No Voldemort, drinking alcohol, brain tumor, five stages of grief, dead dove don't eat, sex toys, sad moments, unrequited love (not Draco), Draco shares brief kiss with another man, bars and pubs, Harry is dead before the fic begins, he doesn't come back to life.

Summary: Their plan had been a simple one: to stay together for the rest of their lives. When Harry and Draco met, their attraction was instantaneous. They couldn't be without each other and eloped to marry as soon as they could. They wore each other's clothes. Finished each other's sentences. They were going to be together until they were old and grey. None of their friends could imagine one without the other. But, on Valentine's Day, 2010, Harry died. Draco was left devastated. The only light in the darkness is ten letters that Harry has left, labelled with the remaining months of the year. As the letters are opened, Harry shows Draco that life goes on and that he is much stronger than he ever knew. With a lot of help from his friends. Draco realises that, while his life might be very different from what he'd planned, it can still be special.

Read it now on AO3.

***

Please help promote the fest by sharing your favourite submissions, so more people can enjoy all the amazing new Drarry works of LCDrarry. Thank you!

Creator reveals are on 15 June.

[sywisy-official-logs]

some of the story :3

So it Starts in November of 2023 allll the way in Virginia. There is this group of friends in their junior year of high school. Ben, Eli, Jax, and Oliver. Eli doesn’t really consider them friends though, but that’s bc he’s honestly kind of a bitch early on. so the school they go to is having a lot of student disappearances. One day when Ben and Oliver are walking home, being the silly little ADHD guys they are, go into the forest to try to find their old treehouse that they used to have as kids. But they ended up finding dead bodies, and someone nearby spotted them. They went back to school literally terrified, because the person who saw them was likely the person who did that, and also likely a person who went to their school. Now focusing on a different group. Same time period and school and everything. Ada and aylex. Ada and aylex are friends, and they have been since third grade. Brief fun fact/psa/wyv: aylex isnt pronounced how it’s spelt. His name is pronounced Alex, but it’s spelt with a y because his parents liked it better that way. Anyways. One day they’re walking home together, and they see a group of kids who look their age. The kids are all wearing like, baggy white shorts, baggy sweatpants, and no shoes. They each had a tattoo on the back of their hand. They ended up being lab experiments (number and lab experiments has literally nothing to do with stranger things, I swear. The lab experiments are FAR from stranger things characters) Focusing on another group, the three lab experiments!!11 So the lab expirements each have a thing tattooed on the back of their hand. One says J11506, another is X41327, and another is M77869. J11506 says that they have to blend in and so they have find out how to enroll in school. So they find out how to do that, and they manage to steal money from people on the streets to buy clothes, food, etc. they then find another former lab experiment who offers them a place to live. They each chose a different name for themself. M77869 chose Ale xis, X41327 chose Zachary, and J11506 chose aura, because he wanted to be different and emo (/j /lh). But the thing about aura is that the lab workers have him something when he was born that makes him feel no emotions. The reason they did this was because aura was an experiment focused on intelligence, and they didn’t want any emotions getting in the way of decision making. So they alllll enroll in school. People usually find aura really annoying though, because usually he is very rude without realizing it. He can’t feel emotions, so he can’t “imagine how you would feel if someone said that to you,” so he has like, no filter. And now we yet again, focus on another group. This time it’s a family though. The Ezthics. This is Jax’s family, and it is wild tbh. So, Jax’s older brother Mason is ONE of the two people responsible for the school murders and disappearances. He’s working with this girl named Eden. There also is another Ezthic sibling, Michael, who later helps with the murders, but in the timeline rn he’s only like 10 or something, so he doesn’t join for another 5 or so years

[obiwanwhumpminibang]

FAQ

What is a mini bang? How does this work?

This event is mainly a form of collaboration between fandom artists and writers. The event will start with writers creating a summary of their fic and a short excerpt which participating artists will then make artwork inspired by these fanfictions in return. During the reveal timeframe, these works will be made available to the fandom.

You might have taken part in a big bang event before, but this event is intended to be a scaled down version of this. Our word count minimum for participating writers is 3K words and the upper limit will be approximately 20K words. This event will also only span the length of three months in total.

Who can participate? How do I sign up?

Anyone (18+ though)! We do not have any requirements other than age for writers or artists, but we do ask that you join the event in good faith. 

Sign-up dates and links to google surveys are listed in the Event Information post pinned to this blog. If you wish to confirm you have successfully enrolled in the event, please contact the mods and will make sure you are. 

What level of complexity is expected for art pieces? 

We welcome any skill level for this event! All we ask is that your piece is fully complete at the time of posting and is more than just a sketch. 

Can I sign up as both a writer and an artist?

Absolutely! In fact, we’re encouraging it! As many of us in the Clone Wars/Prequels/Obi-Wan fandom circles are likely aware, there are not as many artists as there are writers in this particular fandom. We want to ensure all the writers participating are able to get artwork to go with their fanfic.

Can I sign up to make art for multiple fanfics?

Yes, we are also encouraging this! If you are an artist willing to make more than one piece for the event, we would love to be able to use this as an option in the case our writers outnumber our artists (which is very likely). When filling out your sign-up, please answer the prompt regarding how many pieces of art you are willing to make for the event. 

Keep in mind, even if you are willing to make multiple pieces, there is a chance this will not be necessary based on the sign-ups from other artists. 

Will I need to fill out two sign-up forms if I am planning to be both an artist and a writer?

No, please just indicate on the sign-up form you would like to be both when prompted. 

Are the mods planning to participate in the event?

Yes, we are both participating.

What is considered to be “whump?”

We would like the fics and artwork to be whump-centric. What do we mean by that? Well, you just need to hurt Obi-Wan really. It’s up to you whether you want to comfort him or not. We aren’t looking to limit your creativity, just as long as Obi-Wan gets some good old fashioned pain & suffering. 

Consider some of the following tags on Ao3 if you want to get a better idea of what we’re looking for: Hurt/Comfort, Whumptober 2023, Chronic Illness, Sickfic, Major character injury, Major character death, Injury Recovery, Whump, Disability

Is shipping permitted?

We would like to keep the primary focus of the event on whumping Obi-Wan. Can that include a relationship? Sure, but we encourage participants to keep this as a secondary aspect of the fic. We want to make sure artists are able to find fics that match their interests and it will be more difficult if most of the fics include ships and our artists are not interested in those particular ones. 

Can fanfics and art be NSFW? 

Yes. Artists will need to ensure writer prompts and fic information fit within what they are comfortable with during the claims process. 

Are there other rules regarding what can/can’t be written about?

No, as long as everything is tagged appropriately. Go buckwild. We encourage violence and crimes (committed against Obi-Wan, of course). 

And because it needs to be said, the mods subscribe to the “don’t like, don’t read” policy. 

How do artists pick/claim writer prompts?

Before the claims period (exact dates TBD, but the first week of February or January 31st) writers will be required to submit both a summary of their fic, as well as a short excerpt that helps to give artists a good idea of the content of their fic. Additionally, writers will list what rating their fic is planned to be and any warnings artists should be aware of before choosing to work on the fic.

During the claims period, artists will review the writers submissions (which will be anonymous for the sake of fairness) and report which prompts they would most like to work on. From there, mods will match artists to prompts based on their votes. 

How long do writers have to finish their fics?

Writers will have approximately 11-12 weeks to fully complete their fics. However, there is an expectation that a summary and excerpt (100 to 500 words) are finished in time for the artist's claims. Currently, the due date for the summary and written excerpts is January 31st. The remainder of the fic can be worked on continuously up until the reveal week. 

How long will artists have to finish their pieces?

Artists will have approximately 7-8 weeks to finish their pieces. 

Will there be a discord server for the event and is it mandatory to join?

Yes and yes. Sorry dudes another discord for another event. Mostly, it makes it easier for mass communication purposes and will be the main way us as mods will communicate with participants. You are required to join the server and the mods will send a link to the server to you once your sign-up has been approved. 

As an aside, we will not be communicating via email throughout the event other than to send a link to the discord server if you would like to receive it this way. Though the sign-ups will require an email address, our expectation is all event communication will take place on discord. 

Can fics be shared outside of the event before the reveal week?

No. All fics and artwork should only be discussed with event participants until the reveal week. The only exception to this rule is beta readers, but remind them to practice discretion. 

Are there any check-ins?

There will be one check-in for both writers and artists each. This will take place about one month from the reveal week and will serve the purpose of ensuring everyone is on track to finish their work in time.

[kp777]

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

Oct. 4, 2023

"Medicare Advantage is just another example of the endless greed of the insurance industry poisoning American healthcare," says a new report from Physicians for a National Health Program.

A report published Wednesday estimates that privately run, government-funded Medicare Advantage plans are overcharging U.S. taxpayers by up to $140 billion per year, a sum that could be used to completely eliminate Medicare Part B premiums or fully fund Medicare's prescription drug program.

Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), an advocacy group that supports transitioning to a single-payer health insurance system, found that Medicare Advantage (MA) overbills the federal government by at least $88 billion per year, based on 2022 spending.

That lower-end estimate accounts for common MA practices such as upcoding, whereby diagnoses are piled onto a patient's risk assessment to make them appear sicker than they actually are, resulting in a larger payment from the federal government.

But when accounting for induced utilization—"the idea that people with supplemental coverage are likely to use more health care because their insurance pays for more of their cost"—PNHP estimated that the annual overbilling total could be as high as $140 billion.

"This is unconscionable, unsustainable, and in our current healthcare system, unremarkable," says the new report. "Medicare Advantage is just another example of the endless greed of the insurance industry poisoning American healthcare, siphoning money from vulnerable patients while delaying and denying necessary and often lifesaving treatment."

Even if the more conservative figure is accurate, PNHP noted, the excess funding that MA plans are receiving each year would be more than enough to expand traditional Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and vision. Traditional Medicare does not currently cover those benefits, which often leads patients to seek out supplemental coverage—or switch to an MA plan.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that adding dental, vision, and hearing to Medicare and Medicaid would cost just under $84 billion in the most costly year of the expansion.

"While there is obvious reason to fix these issues in MA and to expand traditional Medicare for the sake of all beneficiaries," the new report states, "the deep structural problems with our healthcare system will only be fixed when we achieve improved Medicare for All."

Bolstered by taxpayer subsidies, Medicare Advantage has seen explosive growth since its creation in 2003 even as it has come under fire for fraud, denying necessary care, and other abuses. Today, nearly 32 million people are enrolled in MA plans—more than half of all eligible Medicare beneficiaries.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration took steps to crack down on MA overbilling, prompting howls of protest and a furious lobbying campaign by the industry's major players, including UnitedHealth Group and Humana. Relenting to industry pressure, the Biden administration ultimately agreed to phase in its rule changes over a three-year period.

Leading MA providers have also faced backlash from lawmakers for handing their top executives massive pay packages while cutting corners on patient care and fighting reforms aimed at rooting out overbilling.

As PNHP's new report explains, MA plans are paid by the federal government as if "their enrollees have the same health needs and require the same levels of spending as their traditional Medicare counterparts," even though people who enroll in MA plans tend to be healthier—and thus have less expensive medical needs.

"There are several factors that potentially contribute to this phenomenon," PNHP's report notes. "Patients who are sicker and thus have more complicated care needs may be turned off by limited networks, the use of prior authorizations, and other care denial strategies in MA plans. By contrast, healthier patients may feel less concerned about restrictions on care and more attracted to common features of MA plans like $0 premiums and additional benefits (e.g. dental and vision coverage, gym memberships, etc.). Insurers can also use strategies such as targeted advertising to reach the patients most favorable to their profit margins."

A KFF investigation published last month found that television ads for Medicare Advantage "comprised more than 85% of all airings for the open enrollment period for 2023."

"TV ads for Medicare Advantage often showed images of a government-issued Medicare card or urged viewers to call a 'Medicare' hotline other than the official 1-800-Medicare hotline," KFF noted, a practice that has previously drawn scrutiny from the U.S. Senate and federal regulators.

PNHP's report comes days after Cigna, a major MA provider, agreed to pay $172 million to settle allegations that it submitted false patient diagnosis data to the federal government in an attempt to receive a larger payment.

Dr. Ed Weisbart, PNHP's national board secretary, toldThe Lever on Wednesday that such overpayments are "going directly into the profit lines of the Medicare Advantage companies without any additional health value."

"If seniors understood that the $165 coming out of their monthly Social Security checks was going essentially dollar for dollar into profiteering of Medicare Advantage, they would and should be angry about that," said Weisbart. "We think that we pay premiums to fund Medicare. The only reason we have to do that is because we're letting Medicare Advantage take that money from us."

[holycatsandrabbits]

Hey Good Omens fans! We tend to have big participation from creators and bidders in Fandom Trumps Hate, but there's always room for more! In fact, there's room for everyone! <3

Please consider getting involved in the Fandom Trumps Hate auction!

Info: FTH Carrd ~ @fandomtrumpshate ~ FAQ

What is Fandom Trumps Hate?

FTH is an online auction of fanworks, with the proceeds going to small, progressive nonprofits that are working to protect marginalized people. We began FTH in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 Presidential Election, and over the course of the last 6 years have raised over $192,000 for a range of amazing organizations.

2023 nonprofits

How do I participate in the auction? Become a creator and/or bidder and/or volunteer:

Creator signups for the auction will open on February 6th. We use google forms for signups; the link will be available here and across all our other social media sites as well. (dreamwidth) (pinterest) (carrd) (twitter)

The auction itself will be hosted on Dreamwidth, on a separate site dedicated solely to this year’s auction offerings. This site is not available yet: it will be publicly visible at the start of “browsing week,” which is the 3-4 day period before the auction officially opens.  But if you’re wondering what these auction posts look like, take a look at last year’s auction site for some examples. Although we update our tagging system every year, the tags for the 2023 auction will work pretty similarly to those on last year’s site.

What types of fanwork can I offer?

You can offer any type of fanwork that can be delivered digitally, including:

written fanworks (fic, poetry, remixes, etc.)

digital art, which includes but is not limited to gifsets, manips, moodboards, etc.

podfics

fanvids (including fancams)

fan labor, which includes but is not limited to betaing, brit/japan/america-picking, or offering specialist expertise.

For the truly uncategorizable, we also have an “other fanwork” category.

And/or, join the ROFL:

The Regiment of Fan Laborers (ROFL) aims to connect FTH creators with beta readers, expertise-pickers, and other kinds of fan labor support. The ROFL is a group of fan laborers who – in addition to offering individual fan labor auctions – have volunteered to make their services available to anyone creating fanworks for FTH over the course of the year. Fan laborers who sign up to offer their services in the FTH auction can opt-in to the ROFL, or they can join without offering an auction by emailing fandomtrumpshate at gmail dot com. Note that fan laborers who sign up for auctions are NOT automatically enrolled in the ROFL.

How to make an invitation post like this for another fandom (or you can just copy this one)

[highpriestessofchildsacrifice]

No bc I love being left on read in direct and pressing cxn w one of the most pivotal periods of my life. I love my future being mildly subject to the whims and fancies of a professor in 2023 when I have not been enrolled in an university for over 2 years. Love this all