Starting in October of this year, Americans without access to affordable health coverage through their jobs will be able to purchase insurance through various state-run exchanges. 

 

Today, the government announced the unveiling of the forms prospective buyers will fill out to apply for health insurance from private insurers under the Obama healthcare law. The United States Federal Government will not start accepting and processing applications for Obamacare until later this year. 

 

The form of applicants is three pages, which is a marked improvement from the 20-plus page draft version that circulated earlier this year. 

 

The revised application for benefits, which was unveiled by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, requires potential applicants to file personal information, citizenship status, employment status, income details, current health coverage, Social Security number, and other information that is subsequently verified by other federal bodies. Those applying for family coverage under the program will be asked to fill out an 11-page application that asks for additional information. Those individual who do not require financial assistance may file the three-page form that does not require applicants to disclose their income. 

 

This application will be used in the 33 states with federally managed exchanges. The application will also be made available in the other 17 states that chose to establish their own healthcare packages. 

 

The state-based insurance exchanges are a flagship of the Affordable Care Act, which is the formal name given to Obamacare. The United States Congressional Budget Office forecasts that 7 million people will receive health benefits through the exchanges in 2014; this number is expected to increase to 24 million by 2016. 

 

The U.S. Federal Government; however, has a long way to go to convince individuals to sign up for benefits under Obamacare. Roughly 42 percent of Americans do not even realize the law is in effect, including many who thought that the U.S. Congress or the Supreme Court had struck it down. In addition to these individuals, merely half do not understand how the new law will affect them or their families. 

 

 

Source:whitehouse.gov

 

In 2011, President Obama announced a challenge to the private sector to train or hire 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013. 

 

Today, President Barack Obama, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden participated in a Joining Forces Employment initiative at the White House. 

 

President Barack Obama established a goal when asking the private to train or hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the latter stages of 2013. Today, the First Lady announced that domestic businesses nearly tripled this goal and did so 8 months in advance of the target date. The private sector has already trained or hired over 290,000 veterans and military spouses. 

 

In addition to this fantastic news, the First Lady also announced that domestic companies have committed to train or hire an additional 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years. 

 

Some of the American companies that stood out with regards to training or hiring military veterans include:

 

• The BNSF Railroad committed to hire 5,000 veterans and spouses over the next five years

 

• UPS committed to hire over 25,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years

 

• McDonald’s committed to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years

 

• Home Depot promised to hire 55,000 veterans and military spouses through 2018

 

• Deloitte has promised to double its veteran hiring over the next three years

 

• AT&T promised to create an online military talent exchange to facilitate military hiring

 

• The BlackStone Group urged each of its 50,000 managers to hire at least one veteran in its affiliated businesses 

 

In addition to these announcements, the First Lady also shared stories from veterans who have successfully transitioned into second careers. With the Iraq war finished and the war in Afghanistan nearing its end, more than one million service members are expected to transition back to civilian life within the next couple of years. Respectable civilian jobs will not only help our military families manage their transition to normalcy, but will also demonstrate that our nation truly appreciates their service. 

 

 

Source: whitehouse.gov

 

Starting today, committed same-sex couples in every community and corner of the Centennial State will gain access to the fundamental protections they require to take care of themselves and the ones they love. 

 

Colorado’s Civil Union Law passed in March with bipartisan support in both houses of the state’s General Assembly; the bill was then signed into law by Governor Hickenlooper. Advocates at several Colorado gay rights organizations and initiatives worked tirelessly to ensure that the bill would secure approval and subsequently be passed in a timely fashion. 

 

One Colorado, which was the leading advocacy group in ensuring the success of this bill, put together a streamlined application form, equipped with Frequently Asked Questions, and an assortment of other tips for couples seeking civil unions. 

Colorado, through the passing of this law, becomes the eighteenth state—in addition to Washington, DC—to offer comprehensive state-level benefits, rights, and obligations to same-sex couples.

 

Currently, nine states in the U.S. (Connecticut, Maine, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Washington, and Vermont), along with Washington DC issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples. Moreover, as of May 1st, nine states (Colorado, California, Hawaii, Delaware, Nevada, Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Oregon) will provide the equivalent of state-level spousal rights to homosexual couples within state borders. 

 

For more information on trends, upcoming votes, and state sentiment regarding the passing of laws that extend rights to homosexual citizens, please visit the Human Rights Campaign website at www.hrc.org. 

 

 

Source: Human Rights Campaign

 

Last week, the Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee offered a policy that would establish a nondiscrimination policy to eliminate its longstanding discriminatory ban on gay Scouts, while maintaining several discriminatory practices in place for lesbian and gay parents, employment opportunities, and Scout leaders. 

 

The resolution offered by the Boy Scouts of America proposes a policy where, “no youth shall be denied entry into the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of their sexual orientation.” This policy is national in scope as opposed to the organization’s previous approach that placed the membership decisions on the shoulders of local sponsoring organizations. The new proposed resolution will face a vote by approximately 1,4000 leaders of the organization during their National Council Meeting, which is set to take place on May 22nd through the 24th. 

 

“It is welcomed news that the leadership of the Boy Scouts of America is open to terminating the ban on gay scouts; however, this resolution must contain more protections for the gay community,” said Chad Griffin, the President of the Human Rights Campaign. “Adults and Parents of good moral character, regardless of sexual orientation, must be allowed to volunteer their time to mentor the upcoming generation of Americans. What message does this proposal send to the homosexual scout who, as an adult, wishes to continue a lifetime of scouting by becoming a leader in the organization?” 

 

Unanswered in the proposal is the issue of employment discrimination; currently the job application for a leadership position with the organization explicitly says homosexual cannot apply. The application, which is uniform throughout the nation, reads: “The Boy Scouts of America will not employ agnostics, atheists, avowed or known homosexuals.”

 

In anticipation of a universal resolution, the Human Rights Campaign issued a petition asking its supporters to call on their local Boys Scouts of America councils to vote in favor of a policy which prohibits discrimination against homosexual scouts, parents, and leaders of the organization. The petition aims to generate messages to local council representatives, so they hear how the ban on homosexuals harms members of their own community. 

 

 

Source: Human Rights Campaign