Letter from W.Va Governor to FEMA
January 30th, 2014
This letter is a must read — thanks to Kelly Fuller for posting:
In this letter, West Virginia’s Governor is begging for help. He spends quite a few words explaining a need. Why is this even necessary? Is it not obvious?
Yet despite the best efforts of the company and government many people no longer view their tap water as safe and are continuing to demand bottled water to meet their potable water needs. It is impossible to predict when this will change, if ever.
There is little hope that these costs can be recouped by the party found responsible for this event. The company that was storing the contaminants has filed for bankruptcy and there are several pending suits against that company. It is very unlikely the state will ever receive any reimbursement for its costs from the responsible party.
This is exactly the sort of situation where they must pierce the corporate veil and go after them individually, civilly and criminally, and hold them accountable. What are they waiting for?
From NPR:
Other articles:
West Virginia Chemical Mystery: Who Runs Freedom Industries?
West Virginia Official says residents are breathing cancer-causing agent after chemical spill
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…
January 29th, 2014
Maybe, just maybe, there has been some progress in the glacier that is MNsure. Yesterday at the CARE Clinic, I was told the computer was down, the woman there had just come back from reaming out the unknowing toady who answered the phone. She couldn’t help me because she had no access, but did offer some advice. DEMAND TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR, and DEMAND COVERAGE NOW!
Oh, OK, I can do that.
So I dealt with my poor bloody nose, took a couple of Azithromycin tabs, a squirt of steroid up the schnozz, and got belted into my chair (it’s still dizzy out, but better). Called and listened to that horrible soprano sax elevator music again, finally was connected to “Mubarak” (sp?), who then sent me to “Eric” with a “warm transfer” (see, aren’t we feeling better already?), who said I should send in a hard copy application. Now will someone explain why it took MONTHS to get to this point? And so here this guy answering the phone, telling me to send in a hard copy and giving me an email ends up being the savior! It’s that simple?!?! We’ll see.
So fuzzy and dizzy, I got it done, sent it in.
Just got confirmation that he got it, and is sending it off to the bowels of St. Paul to be masticated and spindled and mutilated, and, again, we shall see. But one step accomplished.
Guess I’ll unpack my bag for the sit in at MNsure that I was ready to begin — it’s feeling that positive. Maybe it’s just my drugs kicking in. But I am so upset about having to lose a weel of my life to feeling like this when it’s so easily solved and I should be able to get in to see a doctor about something so obvious. And no, unlike a suggestion over the wire yesterday, I’m not about to go into the ER for something like this, no way can I afford that, people without health “insurance” get charged three times as much as anyone else and it would be well over $1,000 for ER treatment.
And yes, today I am better, was able to get downstairs without any swan dives, let the poor dog out and didn’t skate around the back yard. Two more days and I’ll be back in fighting form.
Thank you to Eric, the hero of the day! Week! Maybe even month!
Sinus infection, of course
January 28th, 2014
As always, it sinus, all I needed was my stupid nose spritzer, which they wouldn’t refill a week ago because it was too old, and the clinic wouldn’t call it in. So a week of my life shot to hell feeling like regurgitated dog shit. Z-pac and nose spritzer here we go.
And then there’s MNsure, the computer was down. Couldn’t do anything. But the helper there said that there is no restriction on people being married to apply together, when applying you’re supposed to include “an unmarried spouse who needs coverage.” Gave me the instructions for the written application. DOH! I am really tired of being run around and around in circles.
I’m about ready to tell MNsure to fuck off and die!
January 27th, 2014
So here I am, the typical self-employed person without health “insurance” (because I’ll be damned if I’ll pay an INSURANCE company for “coverage” with a $5-10,000 deductible massive premiums every month and get nothing for it). I’m excited about MNsure, ja, you betcha.
October 3, 2013. I started to get ready, don’t cha know. I have all my income info at the ready, I get online, and… NERRRRRRRRRRRK! Reject, they can’t find info on me to set up an account. I’m told I need to mail the form in by snail mail, and they’ll mail back info to get the account going. I print it out, make copies of driver’s license and passport and mail it in. (3+ hours)
December 31, 2013. Info comes back and on New Years’ Eve, I get online again, fill out the application, and am told I can have the privilege of paying $1,106.74/mo for “coverage” with a $12,000 deductible (100% covered after that). Or $1,380.93 for $6,600 deductible (60% covered after that), or $1,661.77 for $300 deductible (70% covered after that). Oh, right, sure, OK… NOT! I got on the horn with a major WTF, and they tell me it makes no sense, that I qualify for deductions and what not. OK, fine, just get me there. They can’t, said that I qualified for MN Care and they’d send me forms. (6+ hours over 2 days)
January 2, 2014. Happy New Year. I get a letter in the mail, “Health Care Notice” which says over and over and over, “DOES NOT QUALIFY” “DOES NOT QUALIFY” “DOES NOT QUALIFY” “DOES NOT QUALIFY” “DOES NOT QUALIFY” “DOES NOT QUALIFY” “DOES NOT QUALIFY” “DOES NOT QUALIFY” MNsure, I get your drift. But you said I qualified. More WTF moments, they said that I’d not checked the box for credits, deductions and what not, so I couldn’t get any. She said I should request that the application be withdrawn. OK, fine, what does that take? ??? Doesn’t know. EH? Said I should call back in a week and they’ll see what they can do (4+ hours on phone).
January ?, 2014. I call back. I learn that not only do I not qualify, but Alan and I are not a household. ??? It says “household,” and doesn’t say you have to be married to be a household. NO WHERE IN THE APPLICATION DOES IT SAY YOU HAVE TO BE MARRIED TO BE A HOUSEHOLD. Fine, whatever, what do I have to do to redo the application? They can’t say. Notice says “I’m supposed to receive another notice in the mail telling me the reason I don’t qualify.” Nada… I’m told, again, to call back in a week (4+ hours on phone).
January 21, 2014. I’m sick. Really sick. It feels like the last time my allergies went wacky and I couldn’t talk for two months. More hours on the phone, to learn that they didn’t understand why I got that notice, issued 1/1 @ 12:19 when it says that as of 1/1 @ 1:39 p.m. I was covered. WTF? And I was supposed to just sit and wait, “you don’t need to do anything.” And I says, I’m sick, I do need to do something, what do I do to see a doctor? How can I get verification I’m covered somehow, somewhere? They suggested I call Minnesota Care. So I did, the folks at MN Care had no verification of me being in the system. That only took over an hour to find out. Back to MNsure. By this time I’m writing down names, and spent about an hour before “Kevin” picked up the phone and told me that “No, you’re not covered by MN Care, I don’t know where they’d get that information, there’s nothing here about that.” Great, now we’re getting somewhere… NOT. I said that I’d been told I’d not checked the right box and needed to have my application withdrawn and start over, and I got the dead silence. He said they’d check into it, and to call back in about a week. OK, and if I die first, should the dogs handle it for me? (2+ hours, 1+ hour, 2+ hours).
Today, just now, Alan brought up the mail. From Minnesota Health Care Programs, a “Giving Permission for Someone to Act on My Behalf.” “Why am I getting this letter? You asked to give permission to another person to act on your behalf.” Ummmm… NO!
Tomorrow, Tuesday, I can go to the Care Clinic, and not only can I see a Dr. or Nurse Practitioner, but I can work with an “assister” on MNsure, and share the pain.
Now I’m going to bed to drink myself into a Nyquil stupor. This kind of “care” I don’t need.
Freedom Industries takes “freedom from accountability” route
January 17th, 2014
Freedom Industries, has filed bankruptcy. Yes, it’s the same Freedom Industries which contaminated water in the Elk River, in West Virginia, and now all that contamination is drifting downriver to Ohio, making water unusable for how many hundreds of thousands of people, animals and plants for how long? And it’s not over yet, not by a long shot.
Bankruptcy? How dare they. It’s time for them to go to jail. NOW!
Freedom Industries Files Bankruptcy After Elk River Spill
Freedom Industries files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; lawsuits against company on pause
Some of the gory details in the West Virginia Gazette:
Freedom Industries files for bankruptcy
Under the bankruptcy code, Chapter 11 permits a company to reorganize and continue operating. Chemstream Holdings Inc. is the sole owner of Freedom Industries, according to the filing. Gary Southern, who is identified as Freedom’s president, signs all of the bankruptcy documents.Mark Freedlander of McGuireWoods LLP in Pittsburgh is representing Southern. Documents in the filing allege that a water line break adjacent to the Barlow Drive facility may have contributed to the ground beneath a storage tank to freeze during frigid temperatures in the days immediately preceding the incident.