One year ago today, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (or as the Republicans call it “the Job-Killing Health Care Bill) into law.  Unfortunately, a year later, the most helpful aspects of the law have yet to take effect.

In fact, it’ll be another three years before the exchange – which would allow us all, regardless of pre-existing condition, to buy insurance – is up and running.

This dubious anniversary comes as I’m still reeling from a tooth extraction and its costs, both physically and financially.

As someone with a few of those pesky pre-existing conditions, I pay an inconceivable amount for insurance that doesn’t cover my current ills, and has a $2000 deductible before it pays out one cent.  A “high-risk pool” has been set up for those of us with these pre-existing conditions (btw, is there anyone over 50 who doesn’t have one? I didn’t think so…), but unfortunately, you have to be uninsured for six months before you’re eligible. Some of us are too responsible to consider going without insurance for six months, so we pay out the ass, and are shit out of luck.

To mark the anniversary, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is tweeting “a benefit every hour” today. Oh goodie. I can’t wait to hear how it’s working out for me today.  Many of us can’t really wait another three years to get help!

I have to leave the show a few minutes early today – ironically enough – to go to a doctor’s appointment. So, during the last half-hour of the show, we’ll flash back to one year ago today, when then-Congressman Alan Grayson called in to talk about the new law.

But we started today’s show with some current news.  Greg Mitchell of The Nation has been live-blogging wikileaks for 116 days now. Somewhere in there, he’s also had time to pen a few books!  His newest, Bradley Manning: Truth & Consequences, was released yesterday as an e-book. The print version will be very soon.

I spoke with attorney Ed Blizzard, a trial lawyer talking the company who manufactured  and kept selling defective hip replacements – even after they knew they were defective and were effectively poisoning recipients!  Should you be walking around with one of these DePuy hips, you might want to contact Ed Blizzard at 713-844-3750 or though www.blizzardlaw.com.

And finally, we need more Congressmen like Dennis Kucinich.  I reached out to him to talk about our involvement in Libya, and his intention to introduce legislation to defund the operation.  Dennis Kucinich is always worth listening to!