A historic, massive health care overhaul was passed into law this week. That sounds great and all, but after a House bill, a Senate bill, a presidential proposal, a Republic counter-proposal, and a year of bickering, who can really keep track of just what exactly the new law really means? And what impact will it have on teens? Here are a few of the elements of the new legislation that will affect you. (Statistics and facts are from the official
white house website.)
1.
Insurance companies will be required to cover you on your parents' insurance until you're 26. So if you don't find a job right out of high school or college, you can still be covered. Yay! And you really do need it, even if you're healthy - anybody can find themselves in dire need of medical attention after a ninja pirate zombie attack/unexpected illness/bus accident.
2.
Your parents don't have insurance? The new law will help over 95% of Americans get coverage by 2014. Insurance companies will be required to charge premiums that are tied to the actual costs of medical care in your area, and quit just making up insanely high numbers. Also, they have to provide a decent quality of coverage, and they can't toss you out on your butt if you have the gall to actually get sick. Still can't pay? The government will help all but the wealthiest families pay their premiums.
3.
Pre-existing condition? No worries. Maybe you've already been denied coverage on your own or your parents policy because of a chronic condition like asthma or some pesky recurring sports injury. In 2014, that will be illegal. Everybody can get the same coverage for a fair rate. Because insurance is supposed to, you know, insure sick people. What a thought.
4.
Everybody will be required to have health insurance. This is called the individual mandate, and it's very controversial. Being forced to buy insurance if you don't get it through a relative or job sounds scary, but it's also what makes healthcare affordable and available to everybody. (Read an MSNBC article about how the individual mandate works
here.) If you or your parents are low on income, the government will help you pay.
This is an introduction to the big issues directly affecting teens, but there are lots of other provisions in the law. Want to learn more? Check out
http://www.healthreform.gov or
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform - or ask your friendly neighborhood librarian to help you find the facts!
We'll be accepting Teen Video Contest Entries until 11:59pm tonight, so don't forget to enter for your chance at the Flip MinoHD™. Finalists also receive Infamous for Information t-shirts!
We're accepting entries into our third annual video contest, and this year, your options are wider than ever before - and not just because there are more books to choose from! This year you can make a video promoting the Sno-Isle Libraries, too.
You may have missed your chance when Monroe Library had a digital photo scavenger hunt earlier this month, but you still have three (3!) chances to challenge your friends to a wild day in your community:
A historic, massive health care overhaul was passed into law this week. That sounds great and all, but after a House bill, a Senate bill, a presidential proposal, a Republic counter-proposal, and a year of bickering, who can really keep track of just what exactly the new law really means? And what impact will it have on teens? Here are a few of the elements of the new legislation that will affect you. (Statistics and facts are from the official white house website.)
ad will explode if I have to wait one second longer for Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay. Of course, once it does come out, I'll read the whole thing in one night and then be sad that I don't have any more Hunger Games. Are you too suffering from impatience or end-of-a-series depression? Here's what gets me through: fan fiction.
at if Bella had never met Edward? What would the Hunger Games have looked like if the story were told from the perspective of Foxface? What if Voldemort had an heir? You never have to leave your favorite stories, even long after the author has ceased to write them.
The random drawing chose this comment from Alex Stapay!:
Just a few days ago, Jackie was raving about Carrie Ryan's wonderful zombie books, and that she has a new one coming out. Well, it looks like she is on tour to promote The Dead Tossed Waves, so you can actually meet her in person!
If I wasn't working today, I would totally be at the Emerald City ComiCon. We are lucky to have such a great comic book show here in the Northwest! And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. This year there are a TON of great comic book illustrators and writers, plus all kinds of fun celebrities such as Stan Lee, Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's original Spock), and Lou Ferrigno (TV's Incredible Hulk). Plus there is gaming, costumes, and tons of fun booths where you can shop for cool anime and comics related stuff. I love meeting all the artists and writers best of all. They are great people and most are super nice when you get talking to them.
specially wish I was there so I could get one of these adorable Owly shirts!
I'm not going to lie. I just squeed a little when THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES by Materials by Carrie Ryan landed on my desk a few minutes ago. I don't think I even realized that the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth was coming out so soon.
I could wax poetic for many, many minutes about how fascinating I find this type of literature and how it reveal the current fears of our society, but, for your sake, I'll skip all that mumbo-jumbo and just give those of you who read like I do a list of some of my favorite post-apocalyptic books I think you'll like:
Do your friends just not understand your love of books? Are you searching for the right community to get your nerd on in safe online anonymity? Well, the publisher Sourcebooks may have the social network for you. 
"Willamette Writers' goal is to provide and encourage a creative environment and support system for current and aspiring writers."
I have one Rick Riordan-signed paperback copy of Percy Jackson #2, The Sea of Monsters. 
Based on how many of you ask me for The Uglies Trilogy, I suspect there's a healthy cadre of Westerfans out there. Therefore, I figure you should know that Scott Westerfeld is the featured author at readergirlz this month. They are talking Leviathan.