WASHINGTON – Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than ,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fines will raise around billion over 10 years. Senate aides said the penalties would be modeled on the approach taken by Massachusetts, which now imposes a fine of about ,000 a year on individuals who refuse to get coverage. Under the federal legislation, families would pay higher penalties than individuals.

In a revamped health care system envisioned by lawmakers, people would be required to carry health insurance just like motorists must get auto coverage now. The government would provide subsidies for the poor and many middle-class families, but those who still refuse to sign up would face penalties.

Called "shared responsibility payments," the fines would be set at least at half the cost of basic medical coverage, according to the legislation. The goal is to nudge people to sign up for coverage when they are healthy, not wait until they get sick.

In 2008, employer-provided coverage averaged ,680 a year for a family plan, and ,704 for individual coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual survey. Senate aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the cost of the federal plan would be lower but declined to provide specifics.

The legislation would exempt certain hardship cases from fines. The fines would be collected through the income tax system.

The new proposals were released as Congress neared the end of a weeklong July 4 break, with lawmakers expected to quickly take up health care legislation when they return to Washington. With deepening divisions along partisan and ideological lines, the complex legislation faces an uncertain future.

Obama wants a bill this year that would provide coverage to the nearly 50 million Americans who lack it and reduce medical costs.

In a statement, Obama welcomed the legislation, saying it "reflects many of the principles I’ve laid out, such as reforms that will prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and the concept of insurance exchanges where individuals can find affordable coverage if they lose their jobs, move or get sick."

The Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions bill also calls for a government-run insurance option to compete with private plans as well as a 0-per-worker annual fee on larger companies that do not offer coverage to employees.

Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said in a letter to colleagues that their revised plan would cost dramatically less than an earlier, incomplete proposal, and help show the way toward coverage for 97 percent of all Americans.

In a conference call with reporters, Dodd said the revised bill had brought "historic reform of health care" closer. He said the bill’s public option will bring coverage and benefit decisions driven "not by what generates the biggest profits, but by what works best for American families."

The Congressional Budget Office, in an analysis released Thursday evening, put the net cost of the proposal at 7 billion over 10 years, down from trillion two weeks ago. Coverage expansions worth 5 billion would be partly offset by savings of billion, the estimate said.

However, the total cost of legislation will rise considerably once provisions are added to subsidize health insurance for the poor through Medicaid. Those additions, needed to ensure coverage for nearly all U.S. residents, are being handled by a separate panel, the Senate Finance Committee. Bipartisan talks on the Finance panel aim to hold the overall price tag to trillion.

The Health Committee could complete its portion of the bill as soon as next week, and the presence of a government health insurance option virtually assures a party-line vote.

In the Senate, the Finance Committee version of the bill is unlikely to include a government-run insurance option. Bipartisan negotiations are centered on a proposal for a nonprofit insurance cooperative as a competitor to private companies.

Three committees are collaborating in the House on legislation expected to come to a vote by the end of July. That measure is certain to include a government-run insurance option.

At their heart, all the bills would require insurance companies to sell coverage to any applicant, without charging higher premiums for pre-existing medical conditions. The poor and some middle-class families would qualify for government subsidies to help with the cost of coverage. The government’s costs would be covered by a combination of higher taxes and cuts in projected Medicare and Medicaid spe

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul

I do not have any insurance for myself or my family, and heres why. Since I am self employed it will cost me 0 per month to cover my family. If by chance a member of my family needs a doctor then I pay for the services right then. I have a tear in my abdominal muscle just above my belly. Now here’s my complaint. I went to the Dr. and he said it will cost me 00. just for him but since i’m uninsured he will do it for 0. Since i’m uninsured I had to contact each person myself to set things up. The hospital told me it will cost me ,000. to rent a hospital room, nurse and the tools the Dr. will need, but since i’m uninsured they will rent me everything for ,000. Then the same for the anesthesiologist, 00 but he’ll cut it to 00. for his service. Now this ,500 surgery will cost me ,000 out of my pocket. Now if they could do it for less then half since i’m uninsured, why couldn’t it be that price to begin with? Then insurance would be affordable.

Your company is an established retailer who wishes to have a presence on the WWW as well as be able to market & sell products. You are a member of a search committee taskd with recruiting a full time employee who will be responsible for ensuring the security your network, your database, as well as the security associated with your website including transactions.

Mr. John Draper has submitted his application for the position.

Would you recommend to hire him? Why or Why not?

The division of labor plays out in Loop steakhouses and Wrigleyville sports pubs: Taking the order or seating the clients is the girl next door, most likely white, while a cadre of young Mexican men construct the meal behind the scenes.

In a first-of-its-kind survey released this month, a Chicago labor advocacy group detailed the segregation of restaurants and the unequal pay and working conditions that exist between the front and back of the house. It found that nearly 80 percent of whites work in the front, nearly two-thirds of Hispanics in the back.

Highlighting the issue, the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Chicago teamed with the Working Hands Legal Clinic this month to file its first federal lawsuit, against an Andersonville eatery that allegedly mistreated its kitchen staff. Meanwhile, the McCormick & Schmick’s chain recently paid .1 million to settle a class-action suit by black employees who said they were passed over for jobs as hosts and servers.
But alleged bias explains only part of the story. For restaurateurs, choosing which employees are their establishment’s public face involves complex perceptions of race and class. In some cases, they also are searching for a precise skill set necessary to help a customer pair the right Pinot with the filet mignon.

Sometimes, that process holds back not only minorities but white workers who don’t have a model’s good looks. Many immigrant busboys and dishwashers cannot realistically hope to become servers because they lack legal status or haven’t mastered English.

Even as Chicago Restaurant Week showcases the city’s culinary ambitions, Garcia has his own dreams. Next week, he will begin a course that teaches the basics of becoming a waiter, skills such as taking an order clockwise around the table.

"I would have a new path, a way to keep moving forward," said Garcia, a legal immigrant.

At Pequod’s Pizza, owner Keith Jackson said he hates that other Lincoln Park restaurants want servers to look like fashion models. Jackson, who wears a ponytail and tattered T-shirt under a sport jacket, says servers can sport tattoos as long as they are personable.

But Jackson echoed the frustration of other restaurant owners, that young U.S.-born workers do not want the demanding jobs of dishwasher or line cook. He watched scores of applicants swarm a recent hiring fair: The prospective servers came in all ages and races; the young Spanish-speaking men on a side bench hoped to work in the kitchen.

Still, Jackson tries not to fall into stereotypes, using his own scruffy exterior as an example.

"You look at me and you’d think I couldn’t pay my bill. I could probably buy your business 10 times over," Jackson said. "I don’t want to follow all the other places who make a judgment based on how you look."

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/race-gap-seen-in-restaurant-hiring.html

Let’s see, they leave a country and come to another because they can’t get work in their own then when they are here and working all they want to do is complain about it ?

please put a number next 2 ur answer so i know which one ur talking about.

these r examples
should skate boarders be allowed to endanger people by doing stunts on city park walkways.

misleading by emphasizing possible danger

So, out of these OPTIONS, what would you do?
1) Ignore it and just go back to work
2) Quit the company and just not say anything
3) Quit the company and turn the customer into the authorities
4) Ignore what the boss said and turn the customer in anyways

***I know this seems like a lot of info but your cooperation is greatly appreciated!!!

(CNN) — It fizzes. It quenches. And it could also contain fecal bacteria.

Nearly half of the 90 beverages from soda fountain machines in one area in Virginia tested positive for coliform bacteria — which could indicate possible fecal contamination, according to a study published in the January issue of International Journal of Food Microbiology.

Researchers also detected antibiotic-resistant microbes and E.coli in the soda samples.

"Certainly we come in contact with bacteria all the time," Renee Godard, lead author of the study and professor of biology and environmental studies at Hollins University, a private liberal arts college in Roanoke, Virginia. "It’s simply that some bacteria may potentially cause some disease or gastrointestinal distress. One thing we hesitate with is that people get afraid of bacteria. Many of them are benign or helpful, but certainly, I don’t want E.coli in my beverage."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking-water regulations require that all samples test negative for E.coli.

Many of the soda beverages from the dispensers fell below U.S. drinking-water standards, according to the findings.

"The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern… and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced," the authors wrote.

Godard and her colleagues acquired 90 beverages of three types, (sugar soda, diet soda, water) from 30 fast food restaurants in a 22-mile area near Roanoke, in southern Virginia. They surveyed beverages from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines and the samples were tested.

There were no reported outbreaks of food-borne illness related in the Roanoke area at the time of the study.

They found that 48 percent of beverages obtained from soda fountains contained coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli (which are mostly harmless, but some can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia), and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (which could sicken newborns or adults with weakened immune systems).

Dean Cliver, professor of food safety emeritus at University of California Davis, said it would be premature to draw broad conclusions about all soda fountains from a localized study.

"How sanitation regulations are promulgated and enforced in a community are different," Cliver said. "Some communities are more on to it than others. How much of a threat it represents? It’s probably limited. Once again, it’s a matter of what regulations are in place, who pays attention and whether it’s being followed."

The samples were contained in petri dishes and the bacteria multiplied within 48 hours, so much so that they became visible to the naked eye as 300 to 400 tiny dots, Godard said.

A Hollins undergraduate microbiology student accidentally discovered that water from a restaurant beverage dispenser contained bacteria while completing a homework assignment. When the results came back, this piqued the interest of faculty and students.

The researchers are uncertain how the bacteria got inside the beverage machines.

"It could be from dispensing with a hand that wasn’t clean or using wet rags to wipe down the machine," Godard said. "We haven’t done the work to really identify those potential sources and how these bacteria get established."

Manitowoc Foodservice, one of the leading manufacturers of ice and beverage equipment, did not have the opportunity to review the study, but released this statement in response to CNN.com’s questions: "We emphasize in our product support material proper methods for and the importance of frequent, thorough cleaning and sanitizing of foodservice equipment. In food equipment as in any environment where microorganisms can occur naturally or be spread by contact, it is essential to follow proven steps for cleaning and sanitizing."

The National Restaurant Association, a business association for the restaurant industry, e-mailed this statement in response to the findings: "While the results of this study are disconcerting, we feel that it isn’t representative of our industry and that our guests can safely enjoy beverages from dispensers and single-serve containers alike."

The American Beverage Association made this statement: "Fountain beverages are safe. Consumers can rest assured that our industry’s fountain beverages pose no public health risk." The organization, which represents hundreds of beverage producers, distributors, and franchise companies stated that "Importantly, our industry meets, and often exceeds, all government health standards in bringing its products to market."

Whether other outbreaks have occurred because of contaminated soda machines is difficult to determine, because food-related illnesses are notoriously challenging to

But it’s not simply better take-home pay. Federal workers also enjoy far better benefits. "The average private sector employer pays ,882 per employee in annual benefits, while federal government pays an average of ,115 per employee," writes Sherk. When factoring in these non-cash benefits, which include the coveted Federal Employees Health Benefit Program, federal employees are earning approximately 30 to 40 percent more in total compensation.

This all adds up. Sherk found that if federal employee compensation mirrored that of their private sector counterparts, federal spending would be reduced by billion in 2011 alone.

That’s right, that’s billion in savings if federal workers were paid like those in the private sector.