Insurers Offer to End Prices Tied to Illness
March 30, 2009
The health-insurance industry said it would be willing to stop charging sick people more for coverage if all Americans were required to buy insurance.
Tuesday’s proposal, included in a letter to Senate leaders by the industry’s two main trade groups, is the latest move by health insurers to position themselves as constructive participants, rather than obstacles, in the debate over how to overhaul the U.S. health-care system.
Insurers hope to prove the private sector can fix problems on its own. Most urgently, the industry wants to head off momentum for a government-run program that would compete with private carriers.
[...] In the letter, the groups said they could “phase out the practice of varying premiums based on health status” if there was an “effective, enforceable requirement that all Americans…obtain and maintain health insurance.” The industry had already said it was willing to offer coverage to all Americans, even those already sick, as long as it could rely on a requirement that everyone get insurance. But the offer to also stop setting premiums based on illness is new.
The health-insurance lobby didn’t rule out charging varying premiums entirely. The letter added that insurers would still have to be able to set different rates according to age, geography, family size and plan design “to maintain affordability” for many people. And it addressed only the individual market, not that for small businesses
UPDATED TO ADD:
You can see some pretty nasty pics of how badly the prostitute was beaten up here and a full gallery of pics at TSG.
Guess she didn’t love his nuts.
The full report is at thesmokinggun, with a bullet point summarization provided by gawker:
- Shlomi meets Sasha Harris in a Miami club. They go back to his hotel.
- She propositions him for “straight sex.” He pays her a thousand bucks in cash.
- He kisses her.
- She “bit his tongue and would not let go.”
- He punches her in her face repeatedly until she lets go.
- He runs down to the hotel lobby.
- They both get arrested.
I think the part about $1000 in cash shocks me more than the tongue-biting.
Via The Guardian:
The much-loved children’s toy, My Little Pony, has undergone an extraordinary transformation. The new collection sees the ponies mimic a variety of characters from cult films like Batman and Alien.
The creator Mari Kasurinen, who admits she preferred Star Wars dolls to My Little Pony as a child, has been inundated with orders for the quirky toys, which are on sale for a whopping £330 each
The article is in slideshow format, which is evil, so I added all the pictures below. On one page. As Jesus intended.
There’s also a bonus pic of “Pony Stark” by a different artist, and a few more from unattributed artists.
For more cool geeky stuff like this, check out GammaSquad.
Lawmakers want welfare recipients to take random drug tests
March 26, 2009
One of the guys over at Red, White and Dude told me about this Orlando Sentinel article:
60-foot penis painted on roof
March 24, 2009
Via BBC:
An 18-year-old has secretly painted a 60ft drawing of a phallus on the roof of his parents’ £1million mansion in Berkshire. It was there for a year before his parents found out. They say he’ll have to scrub it off when he gets back from travelling.
The family discovered the big penis on the roof when they noticed that Kevin Spacey was flying over their house again and again in a private helicopter.
How I eat my breakfast.
March 24, 2009
In a trophy. Cuz I’m a winner.
Brilliant episode of Top Gear
March 22, 2009
I couldn’t find an embeddable version of the full 10 minute clip, just the 3 minute one above. You can watch the full clip over at CHUD. I promise it’s not sh-
Kevin Spacey is NOT gay.
March 22, 2009
Via queerty:
Totally not gay actor Kevin Spacey, with a guy who is totally not his boyfriend, finds himself drawn [to] The Big Penis Book, a coffee table tome featuring huge wangs.
If you want to see what the cover of the book looks like, you can view it on Amazon (then see what shows up in your recommendations on the mainpage while the boss is looking over your shoulder). Here is an awesome review of the book on Amazon:
Oh dear. I am a 70 year old woman and I just happened across this big penis book in my son’s room. My son is 45 years old and still single. I think he might be gay. That said, his big penis book is now in my room under my bed. So now my 45 year old single son is probably gay and angry. Well, he should get a job anyway or at least go find some real penis and stop reading about them in books like this. Good Lord this is a big penis book. And I love a big penis. And so does my son, apparently. I give this book ten thumbs up. I can’t believe I never knew he was gay. He should get a job. Maybe as a dancer. Anyway, if you like a big penis, you will like this big penis book. Lord there are big penis’s in this book. I mean big. Oh dear.
I want to high-five whoever wrote that. I love you, internet.
