The LuLac Edition #3363, November 29th, 2016

MEDICARE PRIVATIZATION AT HAND

Representative Tom Price, tea party guy!!! (Photo: CNN)

Mike Pence's running mate is set to name Congressman Tom Price as Health and Human Services Secretary. You'll hear a lot about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act but not a lot about Medicare. Well, his job will be to manage an overhaul of Medicare, the health-care system for the elderly and disabled, that’s planned by Republican lawmakers.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, has proposed to privatize Medicare and provide seniors with vouchers to help cover health-insurance premiums. Price said Nov. 17 that Republicans plan to use a procedural measure known as reconciliation to make the changes to Medicare in 2017.
Here's what reconciliation involves, it is an instruction is a provision in a budget resolution directing one or more committees to submit legislation changing existing law in order to bring spending, revenues, or the debt ceiling into conformity with the budget resolution. The instructions specify the committees to which they apply, indicate the appropriate dollar changes to be achieved, and usually provide a deadline by which the legislation is to be reported or submitted. They can change the law just like that!!
I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before, right??
To those seniors who voted for Mike Pence and his running mate.....good luck.

COUNTY CHILDREN AND YOUTH GETS THIRD DOWNGRADE

Luzerne County going sideways again.

Hey more great news on how Luzerne County is doing. News comes that the Children and Youth Agency is going on its third provisional license.
There was an inspection in the summer and the agency was found wanting again.
A provisional license means they don’t stop operating but rather they have the state giving them guidance. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services will get a plan of correction from the county, they will peruse it and then work with the county to try and meet their goals.
They don’t know their goals? They can’t meet them? Well I guess you have to know them to meet them.
The issue seems to be that the part of the agency that handles child protective services and abuse is coming under scrutiny. That’s the most difficult part of the agency work. It also is the most crucial. There are reports that case notes are not complete or the writing can’t be understood.
Plus there are openings that the Council has not yet filled. Most likely looking for some crony’s kids to graduate.
What happens if the agency fails again? That’s a good news/bad news thing. The bad news is they still will have proven they can’t get out of their own way. The good news is the agency will be taken over by the Department of Human Services who will run the place until they think the County can handle it.
Most likely this outstanding county agency will screw it up again but I hope not. I understand that these are tough jobs but it seems to me that there are unforced errors being made here. Legible notes? Missing data? Late reviews? If this was private industry, ALL of those things would be firing offenses. That data used would be for products and cargo in the private sector. 
With ramifications for people, human  beings, children at risk, the data needs to be clear and accurate. 
Let's hope this gets resolved one way or another.