Good afternoon --
The OBAMACARE has been in the news a lot recently -- and increasingly for the right reasons.
The law is working: (WELL WE KEEP CHANGING IT ON A DAY BY DAY BASIS) More than half a million Americans have enrolled through HealthCare.gov in the first three weeks of December alone -- and 800,000 more are on track to get Medicaid through their states. These are people for whom health insurance might not have previously been an option -- people who in the past might have been discriminated against for simple medical conditions like asthma, or who may have been dropped from their coverage just because they got sick.
Now, thousands of Americans are signing up for coverage every day. That matters. It means financial security for families all across the country. It means freedom from the fear that one illness or accident might cost you everything you've worked so hard to build.
If you don't have health insurance, go to HealthCare.gov right now and sign up. You can compare plans based on your own needs and budget, and you can sign up for coverage.
And if you do it before December 23rd, you can be covered on the first day of the New Year.
Now, if you already have health insurance, I'm asking you right now to help make sure that your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and the people you go to college or church with know the facts about how they can get covered, too. Moms and dads, remind your kids this holiday season. And if you've recently signed up, tell your friends.
Whether you talk to a family member, share a photo or a story on Facebook, tweet using the hashtag #GetCovered, or walk a friend or colleague through the website -- your effort will make a difference right now.
That's because the most important source of information about this law isn't going to be me, or anyone here at the White House. It's going to be you, telling the people you know to check out HealthCare.gov for themselves, and make their own decision about getting covered.
Thanks for your help.
President Barack Obama
The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111
Government Opening Free Gas Stations in Poor Neighborhoods
Oct 29, 2013
First 'Obamastation' Debuts in Detroit, Seventy Planned Nationwide
As the battle over Obamacare rages in Washington, the White House is quietly using a little known provision of the law to roll out a nationwide network of free gas stations for minorities and the poor.
According to a report in The Detroit News this morning, the administration is using its authority under the Affordable Care Act to "improve transportation routes to hospitals" to dispense gasoline free of cost in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The $2 billion-a-year program aims to distribute 40 million gallons of free gasoline each year through 70 new gas stations constructed in major metropolitan areas. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) will be responsible for operating the network, whose first station opened yesterday in Detroit.
"It's not something we're publicizing very much, for obvious reasons," explains Dori Salcido, assistant DHS secretary for public affairs. "But under the law we are well within our rights to offer this service, and we think it's good public policy.
"How are people supposed to get to the doctor's office if they don't have gas in their cars? Health insurance is worthless if you can't make your appointment. This is just another fine example of government stepping in and solving big problems."
No Gas for You
Although some developing oil-rich nations like Venezuela and Indonesia subsidize gasoline for the poor, the practice has never before been tried in the United States. The plans are proving controversial with some taxpayers who are loathe to see their money go to subsidize others.
"So basically I'm being punished for not living in the ghetto," says Colin Blair, a white person from the affluent Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills. "I have three kids and a mortgage. Life isn't cheap for me either. I could use some free gasoline too."
An investigation into the station's operations, however, reveals that Blair is unlikely to be able to use the service.
"Supposedly access to the station is determined by income," says Ebony Jackson, manager of the first Obamastation. "But it's pretty unrealistic to do an income check on each and every driver. So what we do is basically let all the black people pump for free, and charge all the white people the market rate."
The Obamastations scandal was uncovered by Nolan Finley , a conservative Detroit News columnist widely lauded for his groundbreaking exposé on Obamaphones. Finley says the blatant racial bias in the program is only one of its many outrageous aspects.
"The stations have Obama campaign logo on them and giant photos of the president," he explains. "He's trying to buy votes ahead of the midterm elections. This is something you normally only see in third world countries. I've never been more scared for our democracy."
