Thursday Themes

Big meeting today on Exchanges, about as wonky a subject as there is! But first, the news:

President Obama criticized the GOP deficit reduction plan during a town hall meeting at and on Facebook yesterday. The LA Times also blasts the plan as burdening the neediest and the sickest. Here's what they say about the President's plan.

But here's what has me scared, big time. The GOP is stepping up its demands on the debt limit. America will hit its debt limit some time in the next couple of months, the experts say. If we don't increase the debt limit, we default in our debt, which could lead to an economic crisis that goes beyond anything we've seen. But the GOP won't vote to increase the debt limit unless they get some major concessions. Will they really play a game of chicken when the stakes are so high? I'm not the only one who's worried -- Wall Street knows that a default would kill the economy, so they are lobbying hard for increasing the debt limit.

The Obama Administration is urging graduating college students to learn about their health insurance options; in most cases, that means joining their parents' policy.

In a fascinating discovery, scientists now believe that, in addition to there being 4 distinct blood types, there also are 3 distinct bacterial types or enterotypes. This may lead to being able to determine what drugs will work best for someone and so on.

And here in Connecticut, the parties have reached a deal on the SustiNet plan, allowing municipalities and some nonprofits to buy into the state employee health plan, but not opening the plan to the public ... at least for now. I don't think we can call this a victory since the plan won't be open to the uninsured, and the whole point of SustiNet was universal coverage -- but I suppose a first step is better than none.

And that's pretty much it -- a slow news day. Have a great day! Jennifer