Latest news with #lawdegree
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion: A smarter, fairer way to fund Medicaid for people like me
In 2004, I broke my neck and became a quadriplegic. I was 24 years old and completely paralyzed below my shoulders. Without Medicaid, I wouldn't have survived those early years — let alone gone on to earn a law degree. But I also wouldn't have stayed poor as long as I did. That's the problem with how Medicaid currently works for people with disabilities. To keep Medicaid, you often have to stay below poverty-level income and asset thresholds. Want to work? You risk losing your coverage. Want to save for a car? Not so fast. We need a Medicaid model that guarantees coverage for vulnerable populations and recognizes both the dignity of independence and the value of work. Here's my proposal: shift the primary responsibility for funding Medicaid to the states, while the federal government reimburses the states for Medicaid spending on: • Children in low-income families • Low-income elderly adults • People with disabilities ages 16-64 who are either progressing students (full reimbursement) or working (reimbursement up to the amount of their taxable income) The states would be required to provide Medicaid coverage for all people with disabilities regardless of income, assets, and work or student status, but both the states and federal government could require people with significant income to obtain private supplemental insurance — relieving states of some Medicaid costs. This plan does three essential things. First, it aligns financial incentives. Under current rules, the states have little reason to invest in helping disabled adults live meaningful lives, including pursuing education or working. Under this model, the more someone earns or pursues valuable education, the more their state receives in federal reimbursements. Helping disabled adults enter and remain in the workforce becomes not just morally right but also financially sound. Second, this plan unleashes human potential. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2024 labor force participation rate for people with disabilities ages 16-64 was a tragically low 40%, compared to 78% for those without disabilities. The unemployment rate among people with disabilities was 8%, more than double the less than 4% rate of those without disabilities. These disparities aren't simply the result of individual limitations — they reflect a system that undermines work for people with disabilities, trapping them in poverty and limiting their potential. My plan removes that disincentive. Third, this plan brings fiscal discipline to Medicaid. In 2024, total Medicaid spending was over $900 billion, with about two-thirds covered by the federal government and one-third by the states, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. We can target those funds better. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's 2021 data, adults with disabilities ages 18-64 account for about one-third of Medicaid spending. My proposal would incentivize states to use Medicaid to help people with disabilities to pursue education, employment and independence, while encouraging state-led innovation to deliver those services more efficiently. States are better equipped to tailor care programs. They are 'laboratories of democracy.' With clearer authority and direct financial incentives rewarding their success, states will be free to pursue innovative care models: consumer-directed services, telehealth, supported employment or customized in-home care, whatever works best for the people of their state. Critically, this approach also elevates education as a path out of dependency. If a student with disabilities is making 'substantial academic progress' — a term that could be precisely defined in federal regulation — their state would qualify for full reimbursement of their Medicaid costs. This rewards long-term investment in human potential and acknowledges the added effort it takes to pursue education while managing a serious disability. For someone like me, this is more than policy — it's personal. Medicaid made my education possible. But the rules also penalized me for every financial step forward. That's not just inefficient — it's inhumane. We can do better. We can fund Medicaid in a way that values work, education and independence — while targeting federal dollars more precisely and empowering states to find better ways of delivering care. Let's stop trapping people with disabilities in poverty and start treating them as full participants in our economy. Let's build a Medicaid system that sees us not as burdens, but as investments.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
JAN MOIR: Seeing Kim Kardashian up close in court has raised troubling questions about her new career
It is quite a journey from sex tape to law degree, via launching one of the world's most successful lingerie ranges, but Kim Kardashian has made that trip her own. From panting to pants to big fat briefs it has sure been a frilling ride, in one way and another. The influencer and reality star passed her California law exams this week, taking six years to complete a three-year course.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Kim Kardashian celebrates as she finally graduates from law degree after SIX years
KIM Kardashian has finally graduated her law degree after six years of hard work. The 44-year-old fashion and beauty mogul, has completed a legal apprenticeship and is now eligible to take the BAR exam. 6 6 6 Kim passed her baby BAR exam in December 2021, with her passing on her fourth attempt, with her now expected to take the BAR exam in due course. On Wednesday, the entrepreneur posted an Instagram post on her stories from a small private ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Donning a graduation cap and smiling, Kim looked as glamorous as ever as she displayed her brains and beauty. Sitting pretty on the stage, Kim wore a black miniskirt, some sheer pantyhose and a gray jumper. "All of you guys have been on this journey with me," she said in her speech during the ceremony hosted by family and friends. One of her mentors called her law journey "the most inspiring" as she gushed over the reality star's academic success. They said: "Six years ago, Kim Kardashian walked into this program with nothing but a fierce desire to fight for justice. KIM'S DETERMINATION "No law school lectures, no ivory tower shortcuts, just determination." She then revealed that Kim had dedicated "8 hours a week, 48 weeks a year for six straight years" to getting her diploma. "That's a total of 5,184 hours of legal study," she said. Watch as Kim Kardashian tells off security guard after he steps on her Met Gala dress "That's time she carved out while raising four children, running businesses, filming television shows and showing up in courtrooms to advocate for others." Reacting to the news of Kim graduating law school, fans have flooded social media with support for the SKIMS founder. "Wishing Kim the best of luck in tackling the actual bar exam this summer or next year, I can't wait for her to pass and become California's hottest lawyer," said one person on X. Another added: "Major congrats to Kim Kardashian, six years of hard work and now a law school graduate! That's dedication and hustle." A Quick Look at Kim's Business Empire SKIMS is just one part of Kim Kardashian's multi-million dollar business empire. The reality TV star makes money from a multitude of jobs. The Kardashians on Hulu - 2022 to present SKIMS - an underwear, loungewear and shapewear brand founded in June 2019 SKKN - skincare and makeup line Kim has also acted on American Horror Story, received endorsements from numerous companies, and more making her net worth a little above $1 billion A third person then said: "She was building skims, raising four kids, running an empire and studying law…this is her legally brunette era and i support it." TRAINING HARD While a fourth wrote: "Law School is not easy, it's quite impressive. She's accomplished a lot." Kim, who has been training to become a lawyer since 2019, has been studying hard for several years. She is keen to follow in the footsteps of her late dad Robert, who was a high-profile attorney who died aged 59 in 2003. Back in 2023, Kim revealed how she often made jokes to her mum Kris Jenner about "retiring" as a celebrity to pursue her law career. While speaking at the TIMxE100 Summit, she also added that her dad would have "got such a kick" out of her going to law school. Speaking at the star-studded event two years ago, the business woman and mom-of-four said: "There's a lot that's out there on TV but my friends know we really value our private time. QUITTING BEING A CELEB "I would be just as happy being an attorney full-time. "The journey just really opened up my eyes so much." She went on: "It gets overwhelming because there's so much to be done. "I brought my sister Khloé [Kardashian] to a prison for the first time last week, and that was really eye-opening for her." Kim then spilled: "I always joke with my mum — who's my manager — I say Kim K. is retiring, and I'm just going to be an attorney." 6 6 6
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
I coach women with ADHD – here are the five things I tell them
Five years ago, I was crouched over my kitchen table working late into the night, as I so often would be, when a whole lifetime of stress and overwhelm hit me at once. I was trying to finish an essay that was due for my law degree, and at the same time file some transactions for my accountant. I felt like I had an enormous amount on my plate and I burst into tears. Why did I find it so hard to get such simple things done? I knew that I was intelligent and capable but in that moment, I really did feel stupid. Now I know that I have ADHD. Severe ADHD, in fact. I had looked for answers online after I hit rock bottom emotionally, and I quickly came across social media posts about ADHD and burnout, and low rates of diagnosis in women. It all resonated, so I booked an appointment with a psychiatrist. At my appointment, it was immediately clear to both of us what had been underlying my symptoms. I was 31, so my diagnosis explained a lifetime of struggle. Medication works well for many people who are diagnosed with ADHD, but when I was offered it on the spot I didn't want to take it. I knew I had ADHD, but I also knew that a lot of what I was struggling with came from my lifestyle and the fact that I was living out of alignment with how my brain works. Medication alone wouldn't fix that. When you're constantly exhausted, overworked, not eating properly, not sleeping well – and trying to force yourself into routines that don't suit your brain – your ADHD symptoms will only worsen. That's why I wrote my book, Healthy Happy ADHD. It's aimed at women with ADHD, like me, who want to get more out of life and be happy and healthy – mentally, emotionally, and physically. Productivity is often the focus when medication comes into the picture, but there's so much more to being well than this. I'm the best version of myself thanks to the principles in my book. It combines everything I've learnt about ADHD with my background as a health and fitness coach, having set up a women's only gym in Ireland 13 years ago and coached thousands of women through their transformations since. Here's how I've learnt to thrive with ADHD, and how you can too. 1. Change your routine People with ADHD experience boredom intolerance, the flip-side of our reputation for being impulsive and thrill-seeking. It's much harder for us to tough out things that are monotonous and uninteresting, compared with other people. In fact, it's hard for us to even get started on something that can bore us, no matter how urgently it needs doing. Everyone with ADHD is different, and is bored and excited by different things. The first thing I'd recommend is that you spend time really reconnecting with yourself and working out what does interest you. For women with ADHD that can be buried under layers of shame because we've told ourselves that we should be interested in more 'important' things. A lot of us get trapped in careers and lifestyles we don't really want. Those of us with ADHD get frustrated with routine more quickly so we have to follow our interests. If you're trying to exercise, follow what appeals to you in the moment. Sometimes it's skipping as fast as you can for 20 seconds; other times it's listening to a podcast on a long walk. You can switch it as soon as you get bored. Don't feel that you have to stick to one thing forever to be fit or productive. 2. Simplify everything to get more done You'll often hear from productivity gurus that you should get the hardest task of the day out of the way first. When you have ADHD, though, you need to make everything as easy as you can for yourself. This gives you the energy to power through your to-do list and cuts through executive dysfunction, a feature of ADHD that makes it harder to plan and organise things and to get things done as your mind is racing and your interests constantly shift. I often advise women to simplify their relationship with food when they're trying to eat healthily. Sometimes, cooking a complicated meal can feel overwhelming (especially when online recipes come with dozens of ingredients that you don't have at home). Instead, have easy options for your meals that you can do on autopilot. For breakfast, I know that I'll either have scrambled eggs with avocado or porridge made with protein powder. Knowing that when I wake up means that I reliably feed myself well. I call these 'ADHD easy meals', and there are more examples of them in my book. It's the same with arriving on time to appointments and to work. I stress myself out over this: just last week I was a day early to a visa interview. I was so anxious about missing my slot that I had over-corrected dramatically. But I have found ways to cope with every-day tasks. Set alarms on a physical timer rather than your phone, which is a distraction machine, so that you don't get sucked into it. Time yourself putting on your shoes and coat in the morning so that you know how long it really takes for you to leave the house, and factor that into your route. Don't force yourself to change and be un-distractable – just learn how to work with your brain. 3. Move your body to feel less anxious A huge amount of women with ADHD suffer with anxiety: nearly three quarters of us report regularly feeling anxious, some research suggests, compared with around 5 per cent of women who don't have ADHD. For us, the best way to handle these 'on edge' feelings is often through exercise. Anxiety isn't just in your head, it's also in your body; it can be your body's way of saying, 'I need to move' so that you can regulate it. Often, it's a build-up of excess energy – something that's pretty typical when you have internal hyperactivity, a feature of ADHD – and getting that energy out through movement makes a huge difference. I know that it can be easier said than done, but fitting in movement can be simple and doesn't always mean a long, intense gym session. For example, sometimes I love to skip with a skipping rope while I wait for my dinner to cook, or to go on a Lime bike ride down the river in London, where I live. Being outside is especially helpful: the world passing by you on both sides is a form of bilateral stimulation for your brain, which is proven to help calm you. 4. Eat for your ADHD When you have ADHD, what you eat is really important. A 'balanced' diet is helpful, but it's worth bearing in mind that you have different needs to neurotypical people, because your hormones work differently in your body, and food is fuel for your hormones. As women, whether we're still having periods or have reached the menopause, our hormones have a bigger role in our health. Healthy fats are especially important to hormone production (which is also interrupted by anxiety and stress,because of the release of cortisol as part of your body's stress response). I always include a source of healthy fats in my meals: avocado, full-fat yogurt, olive oil and nut butters are all good examples. Protein is crucial too as it keeps you satiated and energised. If you struggle to eat healthily, try starting by putting your protein intake first – about 1.5-2g per kilogram of your body weight is best for your health. Not only will you feel better physically, but this also cuts the mental load of calorie counting that so many women carry around, meaning you can focus on fuelling yourself properly. 5. Build your self esteem As a woman with ADHD, it's so easy to get worn down by others' expectations, and do yourself down for struggling to meet them. The best way to counter this is to develop healthy self esteem. One way you can do this is by asking yourself questions instead of beating yourself up for making mistakes: things like 'why did that happen?' and 'how often does this happen?' can help you create better routines that fit your way of being. This practice can also put issues in their proper place and see that they don't always reflect on who you are as a person. It can also be really helpful to picture your future self, all the things she enjoys and wants to do and how she feels about herself. This can make it a lot easier to get where you want to be. It doesn't have to mean picturing your dream job or body – it can just be visualising your perfect morning and the happiness you would feel in simple moments of peace and joy. This helps your brain to understand that things can change for the better and that you're capable of living the life you want to live, full of health and happiness, even as someone with ADHD. Healthy Happy ADHD, by Lisa Dee, is available to buy now.
