Interesting

Looking forward to it.

The ACA (the non Medicaid expansion part) was 100 percent a GOP developed plan until they decided that they could score political points by opposing anything Obama did.

I think the problem was that an ever-increasing number of people were going without health insurance, either because they couldn't afford it or because the cost-benefit analysis didn't seem to work in their favor. Therefore, the government had to step in and subsidize policies in order to preserve the insurance industry's profits. This also solved the problem of hospitals giving too much uncompensated ER care to the poor. Healthcare systems, like insurance companies, donate a lot of money to "our" politicians.

It's a pity this couldn't have been done in a way that would actually extend regular healthcare to the subsidized policyholders, but since that was a secondary concern, no one seems to have paid much attention to it. It really doesn't help a poor person to give them a free insurance policy with an $8,000 deductible; they still won't be able to afford doctor visits, or they'll have to pay for them out-of-pocket, same as they were doing while uninsured. They'll only benefit if they have a catastrophic expense, but then they most likely wouldn't have been paying for that anyway. (As the old saying goes, "Can't get blood out of a turnip.")

If you're going down town it's on the side with the railroad tracks kinda underneath the bloomfield bridge I think.

No good pictures on Google of the whole thing but I think this is what OP is referring to: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1X58F50jKE/UMFjvNmkOPI/AAAAAAAAJkk/BokaJ3QMlzU/s1600/IronEden-Astrolab-Patio-DuBloo-4001-Lorigan-St-Pittsburgh-PA-15224.jpg

My sister has taken one of his classes and loved it. She said he was the real deal.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's opinions on it though

I just Googled Iron Eden, and I'm so confused. All of the Google results for "Iron Eden" are for a welder. Are you guys talking about the location of a business called Iron Eden? I take the bus on the busway to and from downtown 3 days a week, and I have no idea what the original post is talking about. I don't remember seeing any kind of space-age looking structure from the bus. Is this on the same side of the bus as the railroad tracks?

the issue, and this is far beyond the scope of r/pittsburgh, is that most aca compliant policies are trash and society was ending up paying for the results of underinsurance, no insurance, or filling in the gaps of terrible policies.

Thanks! Was iron Eden originally on Liberty Ave? Or were there two of them? When we were looking to buy a house here 12+ years ago we actually stayed at Iron Eden on Liberty; it was rentable for short term stays.

If you’re heading downtown and looking out the windows on the right hand side of the bus, there’s a ramshackle space-age kind of building. It’s cool. It’s easy to miss if you’re not looking out of the windows at the right moment.

I think the above posters are right who suggest it’s Iron Eden.

They want cyclists to stop existing and every road to have as many lanes as necessary to allow unimpeded traffic everywhere they go. Every second lost to traffic and bicycles is an infringement upon their personal autonomy.

I ride the p1 down there 5 days a week and can't even picture what you're talking about. I'm interested.

I signed up for one of the survival courses last year, but it was canceled due to lack of enrollment so I didn't get to go. (Or rather, everyone who signed up cancelled at the last minute--courses regularly sell out.) The guy who runs it was very prompt in answering my questions before signing up, and the info packets and waivers he sent were comprehensive. I'll definitely try to attend again the next time I have a chance. I realize this isn't especially helpful, but hey, hopefully it'll help if no one who's actually completed a course responds.

> because it shrunk the size of the pool

Which is another way of saying, "It allowed people to buy much less expensive policies that they preferred to the ACA-compliant ones."

The horror!

>Insurance companies were always allowed to sell off exchange plans.

Yes, but before Trump repealed the individual mandate, you would be fined if you didn't buy an ACA-compliant plan. The cost of the fine most likely erased any savings that could be achieved by buying a noncompliant plan.

This is the answer

8773958930 State Wide Customer Service Center

> I've talked with DHS about this before, and they said you would have at least 30 days' notice. Most likely, from other conversations and don't quote me on this, they're going to wait until your annual review before making a new decision. When in doubt, call the state helpline. They don't tend to have wait times, and NY experience has always been friendly and helpful. Let them guide you. You don't have to do it on your own.

• /u/tricksterloki

I hope that info is right, because I just quoted you

^(I am a bot, please downvote to remove or contact me to remove it)

I've talked with DHS about this before, and they said you would have at least 30 days' notice. Most likely, from other conversations and don't quote me on this, they're going to wait until your annual review before making a new decision. When in doubt, call the state helpline. They don't tend to have wait times, and my experience has always been friendly and helpful. Let them guide you. You don't have to do it on your own.

They also have counselors you can contact to help navigate the system.

> all that gets sorted out at year end

Which is terrifying ... never knowing how much you may owe until tax time! :-o

They could have done this before the ACA was partially gutted. If anything getting rid of the individual mandate raised prices because it shrunk the size of the pool and increased risk for insurance companies. Insurance companies were always allowed to sell off exchange plans.

It's great to have insurance .. maybe someday we'll get insurance with co-pays and deductibles low enough that we can actually afford some healthcare.

Luckily I got hurt at work this year as was able to see a doc for the first time in 5 years since it was covered by worker's comp! The doc was cool ... "Anything else you'd care to discuss while you're here?" Oh boy would I ever!

I believe it is still technically illegal, but the Trump administration removed the part of the individual mandate that fines you if you don't have it. So there's no penalty for being out of compliance!

> We can thank SCOTUS and the GOP for this in one

Absolutely! When the individual mandate went away during the Trump administration, my then-boss and his wife were able to purchase an off-marketplace plan that saved them $800 a month. They used some of their savings to give me a raise. :-)

I've never gone to this one in particular... but I did a course with a guy in Ambridge who owns a "survival" shop.

The "class" was mostly a waste. He did everything himself - not explaining steps. He did use his platform for a bunch of rants about WHY we'll be needing these skills in the near future (spoiler: it was liberals).

If this is more strictly, "here's how to light a fire, find shelter, etc." I'd probably go.