Fox News on insurance cancellations: blame insurance companies, not Obamacare

A recent opinion piece by a Fox News analyst provides some insight into the cancellation of health insurance policies as the Affordable Care Act (a/k/a Obamacare) goes into effect. He shares our view that pre-ACA, health insurers and their CEOs "made money by finding any excuse, any loophole to deny coverage to the sickest and most vulnerable people in our society." He points out that CEO pay at some of these insurers tops $36 million. We previously reported on how many health insurance company executives make more in a day than most Americans do in a year.

The Fox News analyst blames insurance companies for the cancellations, arguing that the insurers were providing inadequate care. He makes several good analogies about how regulation, including regulation of insurance companies under the ACA, make us all safer: 

You should be blaming your insurance company because they have not been providing you with coverage that meets the minimum basic standards for health care.

Let me put it more bluntly: your insurance companies have been taking advantage of you and the Affordable Care Act puts in place consumer protection and tells them to stop abusing people.

The government did not “force” insurance companies to cancel their own substandard policies.The insurance companies chose to do that rather than do what is right and bring the policies up to code. 

This would be like saying the government “forces” chemical companies to dispose of toxic waste safely rather than dumping it in the river. 

Or the government “forces” people to drive with intact windshields and working brake lights.

How dare they “force” drivers to pay money to get those things fixed if they are broken?

If you are rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, the ACA says your insurance company has to pay for the ambulance ride. 

If your son or daughter has a bout with depression or suffers from panic attacks, the ACA says your insurance company needs to pay for their medicine and treatment from a mental health professional.

People should be angry that their insurance companies were not paying for these humane, common sense benefits all along. 

It baffles me that people are directing their anger at the ACA which rights these terrible wrongs.

I think it's safe to safe that Fox News is generally regarded as a pro-business, anti-regulation news outlet. So when Fox News is accusing an industry of profiteering on the backs of ordinary Americans, you know they're doing something wrong.

Hilary scheduled to teach Continuing Education across Arkansas

I will speak about my experience as a Bipolar attorney for CLE credit at two locations in Arkansas.  On Friday, November 1 at 2:30pm I'll speak at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.  On Monday, November 18 I'll present at 12:00pm at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen School of Law.  My talk is approved for 1 hour of Ethics CLE and it is free.  The talk is titled "Through the Open Door: A Bipolar Attorney Talks Mania, Recovery, and Heaven on Earth."  I'll have copies of my book of the same name for sale at the CLE for $12.00 (also available for purchase at Amazon).  The target audience is law students, professors, and attorneys, but both talks are open to the public.  

By speaking about my own struggles and eventual triumph over Bipolar Disorder, I hope to shine a light on mental illness and help remove the stigma associated with it.  Mental illness is not a death sentence, and with the proper treatment and support, anyone can beat mental illness and become a professional, spouse, parent, advocate, and friend.

I volunteer for Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program which provides free treatment for lawyers, judges, and family members suffering from mental illness, addiction, and a variety of other illnesses.  I have found that advocating for mental health awareness and offering counsel to those suffering is a tonic, and as close to a cure as you can get.  

My personal insight into mental illness has proved a powerful tool in securing Social Security Disability benefits for my clients.  Few attorneys can relate to a client's manic or depressive episodes.  However, I can offer the compassion and understanding that clients seek and deserve.  

If you would like for me to speak to a group about my story, please contact me at the Chaney Law Firm.

Hilary presents to statewide mental health group

Hilary was the keynote speaker at the annual conference of the Arkansas chapter of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The meeting took place at the Starving Artist Cafe in North Little Rock this past Friday and featured a loaded silent auction, a terrific dinner, and many bright and energetic volunteers. 

To coincide with its annual conference, NAMI Arkansas sponsored a continuing education class for mental health professionals at St. Vincent's Education Center in Little Rock on Saturday morning. Hilary again served as a speaker on how mental health issues affect business professionals.

If you're interested in learning more about how Hilary is educating others using her personal story, feel free to check out her book on Amazon.

Hilary publishes a book!

We are pleased to announce that Hilary recently published a book! From the back cover: 

In Through the Open Door, award-winning author Hilary Chaney takes you places you can only imagine: a psychiatric hospital, a manic state, and Heaven on Earth. She chronicles her battle with and subsequent triumph over Bipolar Disorder, including her travails in law school and her ups and downs through two pregnancies. Hilary doesn't just report her story; she also offers coping tools for fellow Bipolars. Through the Open Door also offers a gift to those on the quest to find Heaven: it imparts the revelations Hilary experienced during her manic episodes, when she walked in Heaven on Earth and experienced a post-religion utopia. The imaginative and poetic writing sets this book apart, and few manic biographies give the reader an actual glimpse of the Bipolar brain like Hilary does, for she has included her manic journal in the addendum. The journal is raw and riveting, and recorded exactly as it flew from her fingertips. This book is a must read for those struggling with the scourge of mental illness and for those who have ever sought spiritual answers to our most profound mysteries.

You can order yours today on Amazon.

Hilary to teach CLE at the Arkansas Bar Meeting

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Hilary will be presenting a CLE entitled "Through the Open Door: A Bipolar Attorney Talks Mania, Recovery, and Heaven on Earth" at the Annual Arkansas Bar Meeting on June 13 in Hot Springs. She has told this personal story via speaking engagements over the last year, and she has written a book of the same title about her experiences which is due out on Amazon this summer.

Hilary calls upon her own triumph over bipolar disorder when advocating for her disabled clients who are seeking to secure disability benefits. She takes cases for clients suffering from a wide variety of impairments and will appeal merit-worthy cases to the highest court for disability cases. Hilary also gives back to the community when it comes to mental health advocacy: she is a volunteer and committee member for Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program.

Please contact Hilary if you would like for her to speak at your event, and call our law firm if you need her to represent you in your disability appeal process.