Our Kenyan President

If these stupid fucking "birthers" won't shut up about Barack Obama's birth certificate, I say, let's embrace them. I, for one, fully support our Kenyan president and applaud his efforts to promote the interests of Kenya (and Indonesia) above all else.

America is a spoiled, mostly white, evil country that pollutes the world with its ideas. I solidly pledge allegience to the flag of the United States of Kenyamerica(Indonesia).

"If you just ate brown rice"

I heard a woman today on Brian Lehrer moaning about how unhealthly Americans are and how as a Very Healthy Person she doesn't need a public health option (or health insurance at all) and she doesn't want to pay for all these people who live in this culture of sicknesss, blah, blah blah....

My thought was, of course, and what if you get hit by a bus?

(LOLCat by me, btw)

Screw you, United Healthcare Vision

Although you rarely hear Republicans talk about how superlative the U.S. healthcare system is anymore, like they did a few years ago, there's still this weird idea that just about anything wouldn't be better.

Now that I'm gainfully employed, with benefits, I figured I'd take my healthcare plan for a spin and get some contact lenses. I hadn't had an eye exam in over a year, so I'd have to do that before ordering the lenses.

I called up my old eye doctor's office and asked them if they take United Healthcare. "Sure," they said, "come on in!"

I got the exam and then we went to deal with the billing. They looked me up in the UHC database and I didn't exist. So we called up our friends at United. After a lot of back and forth, the doctor put me on the phone with the representative. She helpfully explained that my doctor was part of United Healthcare, but I was covered by United Healthcare Vision, which used to be something called Spectera, but now it's part of United Healthcare. So if it's part of United Healthcare, I asked, why aren't I covered? "It's just a name change," the representative offered. "Yes, but names mean something," I explained, "that's the reason I came to this provider, because my vision insurer is called United Healthcare." "United Healthcare Vision," she corrected me. Eventually, she insisted that I'd have to pay for everything and file a claim for an out-of-network visit. Which will cost me more money, of course. I told her that I was hopeful that we get a Public Healthcare Option soon, and said goodbye.

I started to think about it. What a brilliant/evil business move on UHC's part. Buy an ailing vision insurer that most providers have dropped, change the name to something resembling your company's, but don't incorporate your own providers, and don't tell anyone. That will lead to confusion for patients, which in our fucked up health insurance system always means profits for the insurer!

Congratulations, you assholes. You got me.

Can I haz Public Option now?

Things Marketing People Like

First there was Stuff White People Like, now we have Things Marketing People Love. There are a couple of lulz over there.

Corner of 6th Street & Avenue B, Manhattan, 1980s

Matt Taibibi's Must Read...

This little article in Rolling Stone succinctly describes how we're all just little pawns in Goldman Sachs' would-be-criminal-if-they-didn't-make-the-law racketeering game and how there's nothing we can do about it.

Oh, FUCK THE RICH.