Most voters don’t approve of the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation of news reporters, and a plurality now thinks the department’s boss, Attorney General Eric Holder, should resign. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 25 percent of likely U.S. voters have a favorable opinion of Holder, while 47 percent view him unfavorably. In other news, townhall.com noted, “As Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius continues to bribe private companies to fund ObamaCare, the majority of Americans say they don’t want more health insurance but rather a larger paycheck, according to Rasmussen: While employers wrestle with ways to meet the requirements of President Obama’s health care law, most Americans want the option of less health insurance coverage and more take home pay. If they had a choice, 59% of likely U.S. voters would choose a less expensive health insurance plan that covered only major medical expenses and a bigger paycheck. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 31% would opt instead for a more expensive insurance policy that covered just about everything and receive a smaller paycheck.”
Other news:
- Some doctors have found the cure to the Obamacare blues: They’ve stopped accepting insurance, newsmax.com reports. With the cost of filing insurance reimbursement skyrocketing, many already have taken a scalpel to their staff, laying off everyone whose job is to fill out paperwork for health insurance companies. Two to three decades ago, physicians’ offices paid out 15 percent to 30 percent of their revenue to filling out insurance forms, Business Insider reports. Today, it’s above 60 percent and expected to climb once the Affordable Care Act takes effect in January 2014. Dr. Michael Ciampi, a family physician in Portland, Maine, stopped accepting all forms of insurance in April. That included Medicare and Medicaid. “We’re asking people to pay at the time of service just like you would pay at your garage or your lawyer or your plumber,” Ciampi told the Bangor Daily News. “Now, I work for patients. I don’t work for the government and I don’t work for insurance companies.” Ciampi says he’s been able to cut his prices—sometimes in half—because he has less overhead. But he’s also lost patients, as have other doctors who have made the switch. And they also have to cut staff, partly because they have no need for people to file insurance paperwork and partly because they lose patients in droves. Dr. Robert Tomsett of Nashville cut staff after losing 75 percent of his patients, but noted, “I am able to spend more time with each patient than any other time in my career.” According to a 2012 survey, 26 percent of primary physicians already have cut services for Medicaid patients. In the next two years, half plan to cut some patient access, and about 7 percent say they’ll go either to cash-only or so-called concierge practices, where patients pay an annual retainer for unlimited access to their doctor.
- President Barack Obama has vowed to keep pushing for new gun control measures and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the failed gun vote in the Senate was “just the beginning.” However, the latest Reason-Rupe national poll finds just 33 percent of Americans feel the “Senate should debate and vote on gun control legislation again,” while 62 percent want the Senate to “move on to other issues,” patriotupdate.com reports.
- A 6-year-old California boy was allowed to perform a Christian song at his school’s talent show last week after a legal group stepped up in his defense, The Christian Post reports. “We were extremely pleased, we’re glad the district was so quick to respond,” said Amanda Stroberg, the boy’s mother, after the Salt Creek Elementary School in Chula Vista, Calif., decided to reverse its decision. The kindergartener, Austin Stroberg, had been practicing on his acoustic guitar to perform the song “Our God Is Mercy” by Christian worship leader Brenton Brown at his school’s talent show, but was initially told by school officials that he would not be allowed to sing on stage with a religious song. The mother decided to stand up for her son’s right to sing the Christian song, and contacted a law group, the Pacific Justice Institute, which took up the family’s case and sent a letter to Salt Creek Elementary School’s principal: “The Constitution clearly protects students from being silenced and censored simply because of the religious nature of their speech—or in this case, the religious nature of their song.” The law group’s letter apparently pointed out that since the school allows students to sing songs from other faiths, such as Jewish and Knwanza songs, banning a Christian song could be seen as a violation of equal protection under the law. In other news, a Southeast Texas school district is appealing a court ruling that allowed high school cheerleaders to display at football games banners emblazoned with Bible verses, Fox News reports. The Liberty Institute, a religious rights group representing the cheerleaders, called the appeal “unfortunate.”
- The New York City Health Department’s NYC teen website now includes an app that teens can download to their smartphones to get information on “sexual health,” including where they can get birth control and abortions, cnsnews.com reports. Meanwhile, a state constitutional amendment ballot initiative passed by Colorado voters in the 2012 elections approved the legalization of marijuana, and Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the regulations around the recreational drug today, bighealthreport.com reports.
- Two pastors, Matt Chandler and David Platt, are prominently preaching that single men should search for a godly wife, The Christian Post notes. Both pastors say that men in the church are often waiting when they should be taking the initiative to find a wife. David Platt said, “Resist the ever present trend and temptation in our day to prolong adolescence and consequence, singleness into twenties and thirties. Grow up. Some of you stop playing videogames and get a date.” Proverbs 18:22 teaches us, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Platt has additional dating advice for men: “If she rejects you, then make that as easy as possible for her, humbly bow out, and seek somewhere else.” Matt Chandler preaches that God created marriage after seeing that is was not good for Adam to be alone. God gave Adam a wife to help him fulfill the task God had for him.
