A Government Grant Program That Is Suppose To HELP People?

I have a blog called Grant Basics 101 where I blog about different grant programs that are available.

Most of my blog posts on the above-mentioned blog are about individual grant programs but there are times when I come across information about grant programs, that while they are not for individuals or for-profit businesses, they will hopefully be of benefit to individuals.

Here is one of those programs:

Some states will get government grant funding to help boost oversight of health insurance premiums. The $1-million grants will help many expand public access to information about rate hikes and hire experts to review proposed charges. The grants will enable many states to expand public access to information about rate hikes and to hire experts to review what insurers want to charge.

More than a dozen states also plan to seek additional authority to block insurance premium increases they deem unjustified, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Fewer than half of state insurance commissioners have comprehensive "prior approval" authority, which gives them the power to review insurance company records and stop proposed rate increases in the individual and small-group markets. Some states do not even require insurers to publicly report proposed rate hikes.

The Obama administration and many consumer advocates had hoped that the new healthcare law would give all states full rate review authority. But, blocked from including such a provision in the final legislation, the administration has urged state leaders to push forward on their own.

Commissioners in several states with a history of minimal oversight such as Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana and Montana are doing just that. And many states that already have prior approval authority — including Florida and Maryland — are taking steps to strengthen their oversight.

The District of Columbia also will receive a grant. Said a spokesperson, "the grants would "restore some basic fairness to the health insurance market."

But expanding government power remains controversial in many states. And the insurance industry, which opposes prior approval authority for regulators, has been a powerful force in many state capitols.

Arizona, Connecticut, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia have no comprehensive authority to block rate hikes and do not plan to seek legislation to bolster their oversight powers, according to the Health and Human Services Department.

Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota and Wyoming did not did not receive grants because they did not seek them.

In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration specifically ruled out seeking prior approval authority. Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group, urged the administration to reject California's grant application, saying the grant would "prevent, not develop, any effective state regulation of health insurance rates." California nonetheless received its grant, which is to be used to streamline collection of data on proposed rate hikes.

The administration would continue to work with states to enhance their oversight even if they did not apply for grants.

What I take this to mean is that some states will be provided with grant money to help reveiw the cases where there are proposed hikes in healthcare premiums and if they oppose such a hike or receive enough negative feedback from the public (who are the ones that would have to pay such increases!) - hopefully the states (well at least some of them) will be able to step in and do something about it!

I have read and seen (and heard) many comments about how high a price people are paying for their health insurance and hopefully this grant program will be able to help!

People Asking For Help

Asking For Help

"I am a single mother with her back up against the wall in desparate need of money to help send my son to college this fall. He needs $7400.00 in addition to the loans he has been able to receive.I have did all I know how to do my credit won't allow me to help him. Please help me help him. He promised he would finish school and stay out of trouble. He's done his part, Please help me make my word good."


This seems to have all gotten started when I posted the blog post about asking Oprah for money. It seems that people have mistaken my blog for Oprah's blog but such is not the case.

I surely do hope that you get the help that you are asking for. I also suggest that you take a look at my Grant Basics 101 blog which has blog posts about government grant programs and other ways that you may be able to get money to help you.

"
I would like to Ask for Help for my Family. My daughter is 1 and has been diagnosed with Microcephaly, she will be disabled for the rest of her life. we currently live with my husbands family in a small house our two sons share a room and me and my husband share the smallest room with our daughter. We have no room to breath or walk. We tried to get a home but have been turned down due to not enough funds. We live paycheck to paycheck. I have been looking for work the last 5 months and no one will hire me.

We are asking if people would please help us get a home of our own. we would like to raise $30,000 I know its a lot to ask for but our family wont even help us. I can not keep going like this it will cause us to split or loose what we have. Even if you live in Powder Springs Ga and would donate a house to us we will take it no matter the condition. Please some one out their help us. And yes I have tried the grant thing its all scams and they do not give money away tried everything and get turned down.

please email me at c~~~~@gmail.com if you would help

As someone that does grant research for a living I can assure that the grant thing is not all scams! I have a blog about grant programs called Grant Basics 101 and I also have a website about grant programs as well.

I have also seen many websites online created by people who are asking for money and donations. I even read an online article about a woman who was able to save her and her family's house - what she did was create a website asking for donations and she got enough money to save her home from foreclosure.

I really do hope that you get the help that you are asking for.

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Job Opening - Security Officer

The Fork Union Military Academy is seeking an evening TAC Officer to provide additional security and the monitoring of dorms in the evening.

The position will not entail training.

Responsibilities include:

• performing physical headcounts while patrolling the assigned dorm
  
  

• reporting any medical emergencies to the Infirmary or other serious incidents as defined to the Commandant and Deputy Commandant
  
  
• and completing evening journal entries while on shift.

The hours are Monday through Friday from 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM with periodic weekends from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM. The place of duty for this position is assigned dorm with periodic patrol of the outside area/campus. Please submit resume and qualifications to Al Williamson, Upper School Commandant at williama@fuma.org or fax to 434/842-4242.

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To read more about this just click below:

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