Studies show women pay up to 50% more than men in health insurance premiums when they buy individual policies in Colorado. It's not just because of maternity coverage:

They pay more even when maternity coverage is not included. And in many cases, a female nonsmoker pays more for health coverage than a man who smokes.

Pending federal health care legislation would change that. What do the insurance companies say?

... the insurance industry warns that lowering premiums for younger women could mean higher premiums for most everyone else.

...Insurance companies probably would have to raise prices on other groups to make up the difference if they were forced to lower prices for younger women, said Tom Gosselin, director of small-group underwriting at Anthem.

[More...]

We've had Driving While Ambien'ed, Eating While Ambien'ed (more here) and now, there's Killing While Ambien'ed.

Some stats here. Lots of people take Ambien. Colin Powell once responded to a reporter, "You don't use Ambien? Everybody here uses Ambien."

Drinking and Ambien are known to cause problems. I wonder if anyone has studied whether Toking while Ambien'd also causes problems? Maybe the makers of Ambien could fund one with the $800 million (pdf, p. 85) in sales generated in 2008 from the sleeping aid. Maybe it's the alcohol and not the Ambien that's the problem.

What will Obama do? It is quite remarkable it seems to me that whether Obama will support a public option is an open question. It's one thing to be a bystander, quite another to wade in in favor of Snowe's trigger. And yet, it appears that privately that is what the President is doing. Harry Reid is going to bring a public option to a vote. Will Obama lobby against it publically? I think he might. Amazing.

Speaking for me only

HuffPo:

President Barack Obama is actively discouraging Senate Democrats in their effort to include a public insurance option with a state opt-out clause as part of health care reform. In its place, say multiple Democratic sources, Obama has indicated a preference for an alternative policy, favored by the insurance industry, which would see a public plan "triggered" into effect in the future by a failure of the industry to meet certain benchmarks.

Two Dem Senators confirm this reporting. One 11 Dimensional Chess player accepts this reporting and argues that it is a good thing. I disagree.

Speaking for me only

Some good games this Sunday. The best one is Minnesota at Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a 6 point favorite. I like the Brett Favres (+6).

The Bears play at Cincinnati. A pick 'em game. I like Chicago (pick).

The Falcons travel to Jerry World. I like Atlanta (+4.5).

The Giant host Arizona. I love New York (-7). More . . .

"When We Were Beautiful", the new Bon Jovi rockumentary premieres tonight on Showtime, followed by 15 minutes of their Madison Square Garden concert. He's got the best face in rock and roll, so I'll be watching.

HBO is airing Milk, with Sean Penn.

What's on your agenda and minds tonight? This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

As more states look to privatizing prisons to save money, Troy Hooper at the Aspen Daily News begins a series on abuses in the prisoner transport system. Read this one, it will turn your stomach.

The company is California-based Court Services Inc. (CSI), which denies the allegations. In the case Hooper explores today, a prisoner being transferred from San Diego to Aspen, Sheriff Bob Braudis is not only refusing to pay the company's fee, he's reimbursing the prisoner's mother and sister for their travel expenses to Aspen, where they went to protest what happened.

In other words, the sheriff's office is bankrolling the protest of its own jail.“We’re going to pay for their expenses out here,” said [Undersheriff Joe] DiSalvo, estimating the cost at around $1,300. “They should be compensated for bringing something that’s really important to us — a human rights issue — to our attention. If they hadn’t picketed, we probably would’ve kept using that service.”

[More...]

Early with this today as I have to go out. Today is the 4th Saturday in October. Apparently in the SEC, math is not a strong suit, as the Alabama-Tennessee game is today, instead of the traditional 3rd Saturday in October. Alabama is probably the best team in the country. Bama's RB Mark Ingram is clearly the best player in the country. Tennessee has a good defense. Vols QB Crompton played great against Georgia (most QBs have). The game is in Tuscaloosa. Bama is a two touchdown fav. I like the VOLS (+14) to keep it close.

LSU hosts Auburn, which is reeling after a strong start to the season. Strangely, this is not the ESPN SEC game tonight (Florida- Miss State is). I think AUBURN (+7.5) bounces back tonight and wins outright. More . . .

Bernie Kerik remains in custody in the Valhalla County Jail. His trial, which was supposed to begin Monday, has been delayed indefinitely. His lawyers filed an appeal today of the court's order revoking his bail.

According to the trial court pleadings on PACER, the reason for revoking Bernie's bail was the Government's assertion that he committed a crime while on release -- criminal contempt, which they allege he committed by providing pleadings discussing non-public information to an attorney who had been advising him on matters related to his criminal case, but who was not a part of his criminal defense team, in violation of the court's 2008 protective order.

The appeal will be heard by a panel of the Second Circuit on Thursday.

Reacting to the reports that the White House is pressuring Harry Reid to give up on the public option, White House aide Dan Pfeiffer said:

The report is false. The White House continues to work with the Senate on the merging of the two bills[.] We are making good progress toward enacting comprehensive health reform.

What report is false? That the White House is pressuring Reid? Ok, let's accept that. Here's a question for an intrepid reporter to ask - what exactly IS the White House saying to Reid? Pfeiffer does not say. To pass the hot potato back to Reid, the White House - ALL of it - will have to be Jarrettesque (I'm looking at you "top Administration officials" Rahmbo and Messina.)

Speaking for me only

The Sheriff of Larimer County, CO has released the search warrant documents in the Balloon Boy case, including the Affidavit for the Warrant and the return showing what was seized, to the public. No charges have yet been filed in the case.

The documents are available here. According to the Affidavit, Mrs. Heene told authorities on Oct. 17th that the incident was a hoax that she and her husband devised two weeks earlier; they told the kids to lie; they knew 6 year old Falcon was hiding in the house; and they did it to make the family more marketable.

Mr. Heene's attorney, David Lane, responds: [More...]

Brian Beutler:

Multiple sources tell TPMDC that [. . .] the White House is pushing back against the [public option], in a bid to retain the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). "They're skeptical of opt out and are generally deferential to the Snowe strategy that involves the trigger," said one source close to negotiations between the Senate and the White House. "they're certainly not calming moderate's concerns on opt out."

This new development, which casts the White House as an opponent of all but the most watered down form of public option, is likely to yield backlash from progressives, especially those in the House who have been pushing for a more maximal version of reform.

The good news is Harry Reid is up for reelection next year. As I have written before, Obama has to publically take the heat for this if he wants it to happen. Reid can not, and imo, will not do Obama's dirty work for him.

Speaking for me only