Category: Health

OBBB Has Hit A Snag

Apparently the ‘beauty’ is choke full of ugly!

Donny super bill, One Big Beautiful ill the OBBB has hit a snag in the Senate…the Medicaid part has shown to be in violation of Senate rules….

The Senate parliamentarian has advised that a key Medicaid provider tax overhaul that’s central to President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” doesn’t adhere to procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow to Republicans rushing to finish the massive package this week.

  • Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled on Thursday that the section of the tax cut and spending bill covering the Medicaid cuts and tax overhaul violates the Byrd Rule, which determines what legislation can be passed with a simple majority through the budget reconciliation process, the Hill reports.
  • Guidance from the parliamentarian is rarely ignored, and it forces GOP leaders to consider options, the AP reports. Senate leaders could try to revise it or strip the iffy parts from the package. Otherwise, the provision could be challenged during floor votes, requiring a 60-vote threshold to keep it—a tall order in the narrowly split 100-member Senate. Democrats are unified against the bill.
  • The provision cracks down on states’ use of health care provider taxes to collect Medicaid funding, ABC News reports. The House-passed bill would freeze the provider taxes at current levels, while the Senate proposal goes deeper by reducing the tax that some states are able to impose.
  • Republicans scrambled to respond, some politically attacking the nonpartisan parliamentarian, while Democrats said her decision would prove devastating to the GOP package. Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said the GOP proposal would have been as much as a $250 billion cut to the health care program, “massive Medicaid cuts that hurt kids, seniors, Americans with disabilities, and working families.”
  • Some Republicans even called for challenging, or firing, the parliamentarian, who has been on the job since 2012 as the chief arbiter of the chamber’s historic and often complicated rules. But GOP leaders had already been struggling to rally support for the change. Several GOP senators warn it would harm rural hospitals that depend on the funds. Hospital organizations have been warning it could wipe out their balance sheets and lead to hospital closures.

The Parliamentarian has been busy with the OBBB….she also took on the oil lease provision of the bill….

Critics of Republican efforts to continue wrecking the planet celebrated some small victories after the U.S. Senate parliamentarian on Monday advised that multiple provisions cannot be passed as part of a megabill that only requires a simple majority.

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough found that some GOP legislative proposals about offshore drilling and mandatory public land sales could not be included in the package due to the so-called Byrd Rule, which bars provisions considered “extraneous to the purpose of implementing budget resolution policies.”

Specifically, MacDonough axed a provision that deems offshore oil and gas projects as automatically compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), nullifying their environmental review processes. She also ruled against a proposal requiring offshore fossil fuel leases to be issued to successful bidders within 90 days after the sale, and a separate mandate for the sale of millions of acres of public land.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-public-lands

Read about all the problems (so far) with the OBBB according to the Parliamentarian…

https://www.commondreams.org/news/senate-parliamentarian-2672439563

This ought to chap Donny’s ass.

Do tell…..what changes will be made?

Will Donny try to flex his wimpy muscles?

Will the MAGA worshipers find a way to save Donny’s baby?

Is the bill dead until after the 4th of July break?

Where will it go….do tell.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Factory Farms And The Next Pandemic

WE all have suffered through the bird flu…..eggs prices shot up and have remained up although they have come down a bit since the beginning of the crisis….there has been some concern with beef cattle, swine, etc….but what is causing this ‘scare’?

Throughout human history, zoonotic diseases, illnesses that jump from animals to humans, have shaped civilizations, triggered pandemics, and rewritten the course of economies. The Black Death, which ravaged Europe in the 14th century, originated from bacteria transmitted by fleas that lived on rats. Ebola, HIV, and SARS-CoV-2, which caused COVID-19, all had animal origins. As humanity’s relationship with animals has become increasingly industrialized through factory farming, the risk of zoonotic spillover has escalated.

Some diseases are transmitted through direct contact with animals, such as rabies from a bite or tuberculosis from infected cattle. Others spread through the consumption of poorly cooked meat, contaminated dairy products, or wet markets that sell live animals. Vector-borne diseases, where insects like mosquitoes and ticks act as intermediaries, transfer pathogens from animals to humans.

The intensification of industrial agriculture has amplified these risks. The crowded, high-density conditions of factory farms create a breeding ground for disease. Animals raised in confined spaces experience high levels of stress, which weakens their immune systems and increases their susceptibility to infections. When a pathogen emerges in this environment, it can mutate rapidly and spread with alarming efficiency.

This is particularly concerning with influenza viruses, which frequently originate in birds and pigs before adapting to humans. Bird flu has been detected in sheep, raising concerns about the virus’s ability to cross species boundaries. Such a discovery underscores the unpredictability of zoonotic diseases, particularly in terms of cross-species transmission and the potential for rapid evolution of health threats.

Philip Lymbery, author and global CEO of Compassion in World Farming, thinks the danger is serious: “Factory farms are a ticking time bomb for future pandemics,” he says. “Hundreds of coronaviruses are in circulation, most of them among animals including pigs, camels, bats, and cats. Sometimes those viruses jump to humans.”

Antibiotics, widely used in industrial farming to promote growth and prevent disease, exacerbate the issue. Overuse has led to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can jump to humans through direct exposure, contaminated food, or environmental runoff from farms. The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that antibiotic resistance could become one of the greatest threats to human health, rendering common infections untreatable. COVID-19 was a wake-up call, but it was not the first time a zoonotic virus wreaked havoc on global health. The HIV/AIDS epidemic, which originated from nonhuman primates, has killed over 40 million people since it emerged in the 20th century.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/06/13/factory-farms-and-the-next-pandemic/

What are the chances of a new pandemic waiting for a time to strike?

I say they are pretty good because there is an administration that seems to care little for prevention or safety and that lack of concern could exacerbate the rise of another major impact on the food supply.

Any thoughts on this possibility?

On a side note–there is a farmer in Wisconsin suing the Trump administration….

A Wisconsin dairy farmer alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities.

The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust.

Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in the USDA’s Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan.

The new lawsuit alleges the government has continued to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. The Wisconsin Institute wrote to the USDA in April warning of legal action, and six Republican Wisconsin congressmen called on the USDA to investigate and end the programs.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-republican-usda-dei-lawsuit-5a524fedc611cb201a43c1967e3f12bf

Seriously an administration that hates brown people and women would choose them over some white dude?

I am hoping that anyone in Wisconsin can shed some light (Hopefully Grouchy Farmer will enlighten us)

Any thoughts on this possibility?

And life goes on in the wacky world of Trump and MAGA.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Good News!

Had my 6 weeks update from the oncologist….scans showed the cancer in my left lung is a bit smaller so infusions will continue….the tumor in the prostrate is nearing remission….treatment for that one will continue as well and will be re-evaluated in 3 months.

The news was so good I have decided to stop for a few beers to celebrate.

I want to thank all my readers that have been so supportive…..you guys have help me get through the loss of Sue and my struggle with cancer…I do not think I would have made it without your support and please know that it is all much appreciated.

I should be ready to get back to regular writing and posting tomorrow.

Thanx again for everything you guys have done.

 

Retirees And Their Money

As a retired old fart I keep my eyes on news that would impact new retirees and those near retirement….just my way to impart some FYI to help them navigate the complexities of retirement.

Regardless how attractive the ads are for some of these Medicare plans they are most likely a money trap that provides little in the way of help.

Plans like ‘Zero’ premiums and free dental, vision and hearing…..they are a trap and should be avoided….but here is why….

Choosing the right Medicare plan is one of the most important financial and health decisions older adults make. With so many plans promising lower premiums, free perks, and wide coverage, it’s easy to get drawn in by attractive marketing. But all too often, these plans hide critical limitations in the fine print, from unexpected out-of-pocket costs to restrictive provider networks. Knowing which plans to approach with caution can save retirees from serious financial and medical headaches. Here’s a look at 10 Medicare plans that seem helpful at first glance but often leave enrollees feeling misled.

https://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2025/06/03/10157823_10-medicare-plans-that-look-helpful-until-you-read-the-fine-print.html

It is common knowledge that I do not support these so called Medicare Advantage plans because to me they are a money trap and provide little…..but I am not alone….many retirees dump these plans once they see just how bogus they are….

Medicare coverage doesn’t just mean signing up for government insurance. In fact, more than half of Medicare recipients now get their coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan, or Medicare Part C plan, which is offered by a private insurer.

Advantage plans are an alternative to original Medicare, replacing Part A (hospital coverage), Part B (outpatient care coverage), and sometimes Part D (prescription drug coverage).

Enrollment in these plans is expected to grow to 60% of the eligible population by 2030, with many people drawn to them because they’re often marketed as “zero premium” plans with out-of-pocket limits, while Medicare Part B has uncapped spending and charges premiums. The Trump administration strongly favors the expansion of Medicare Advantage plans.

Yet, while Advantage Plans seem like a good alternative, a substantial number of older Americans who sign up for them don’t stick with them. In fact, among those who signed up between 2011 and 2022, around half left their plans within five years.

Recent research published in the journal Health Affairs helps demonstrate why so many are opting out of their Advantage Plan during open enrollment, either by switching to a different Part C plan or by returning to traditional Medicare instead. Since these Advantage plans are less likely to attract beneficiaries over the long term, the study warns that such plans will likely have less incentive to cater to participants with chronic conditions.

https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/medicare/should-you-ditch-your-medicare-advantage-plan-most-people-do

Please do not fall for the BS do your research before you retire and do not be swayed by promises that will not be fulfilled.

The way things are going you will need all your retirement to just exist so do not fall for the BS that could eventually put you into the poor house.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“Make America Healthy Again”

What an absolutely pitiful acronym, MAHA, apparently the brain (I use the term loosely) child of HHS leader RFK,Jr….an idiot at best.

The new report was issued last month and it was not met with glowing approval….

During his election night party, President Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. do whatever he wants to “make America healthy again.” With Kennedy as America’s top health official, that process is now well underway. The Make America Healthy Again Commission that Trump established after taking office released its first report on Thursday and Kennedy, the commission’s chair, described it as a “diagnosis” of what the report calls America’s “chronic childhood disease crisis,” USA Today reports. He said the commission will now work on policy recommendations for the White House. “The prescription comes in 100 days,” he said. At a White House event, Kennedy said the report was a “call to action for common sense,” adding that America has “relied too much on conflicted research, ignored common sense, or what some would call ‘mother’s intuition.'”

  • A “unifying theory.” Axios describes the report as seeking to set out a “unifying theory around what’s causing conditions like obesity, autoimmune conditions, and behavioral disorders in kids”—though it also seeks to strike a balance with economic interests, especially when it comes to pesticides.

  • The 69-page report was split into four sections dealing with ultra-processed food, chemicals in the environment, children’s screen time, and the “over-medicalization of our kids.” Health experts praised the report’s focus on the importance of whole foods, the Washington Post reports. But the widely anticipated hard line against pesticides was watered down after pushback from farm groups and chemical companies, the Post reports. The report did, however, say an updated assessment on the herbicides glyphosate and atrazine will be released next year, USA Today reports.

    The “overmedicalization” warned of possible long-term risks of psychiatric and weight-loss drugs. It also criticized the growth of the childhood vaccine schedule and said parents are worried about the “appropriate use of vaccines and their possible role in the growing childhood chronic disease crisis.”

  • More criticism. The report “reflects some of Kennedy’s bugbears where science is unsettled, but argues research ‘demonstrates the need for continued studies,’ such as on fluoride in water and electromagnetic radiation,” Jessica Glenza writes at the Guardian. She notes that the report compares US life expectancy and healthcare costs to other wealthy nations, but “it does not mention how other nations typically finance healthcare for all citizens: often at minimal or no cost.”

This report like I stated was not met with open arms and after the document was analyzed more BS has been detected….

The Make America Healthy Again commission led by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued an exhaustive report last month prescribing changes for Americans’ health. It was crammed with more than 500 footnotes citing studies to buttress its findings—but multiple outlets have found that many of those studies don’t actually exist. The best guess is that the MAHA report made use of artificial intelligence that hallucinated them into existence, or morphed them with actual studies. Some examples from coverage:

  • The news outlet NOTUS first reported on the nonexistent studies, finding at least seven of them. It even tracked down some of the supposed authors. “The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,” Columbia University epidemiologist Katherine Keyes tells the outlet when asked about a study cited from JAMA Pediatrics on adolescents and anxiety that she supposedly authored.
  • The Washington Post counts 522 footnotes but finds that 37 were repeated multiple times. “Other citations include the wrong author, and several studies cited by the extensive health report do not exist at all,” per the story. The Post also notes that the report includes the word “oaicite” in some of the reference URLs, a telltale sign of the use of OpenAI.
  • The White House acknowledges the mistakes but characterizes them as minor gaffes that will be cleaned up. “I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday, per the AP. “But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government.”
  • However, the NOTUS analysis also asserts that some of the legit studies cited were mischaracterized. For example, the report cites a study asserting that therapy is better than psychiatric medicine, but a study author says they made no such comparison. Kennedy has long criticized the use of medication for mental health.
  • All in all, outside experts say the multiple mistakes call into question the report’s credibility. “It makes me concerned about the rigor of the report, if these really basic citation practices aren’t being followed,” Keyes tells the New York Times.

This report is full of BS just like most anything that is released by Donny and/or his minions that will do whatever it takes to brown nose the prez.

Nothing about this man nor his policies/reports is going to make America healthy again….if anything it will just increase the chances of death by disease.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Agroterrorism

Agroterrorism?

Not a term that is batted around too often in the news here….but apparently it is a problem to consider….

But first a little background into this upcoming situation….

The United States enjoys a safe, plentiful, and inexpensive food supply. Americans spend only 11 percent of their income on food compared with the global average of 20 to 30 percent.1 The nation’s agricultural abundance helps drive its economic prosperity. As many as 1 of 6 jobs are linked to agriculture, a trillion-dollar industry. Agriculture-related products comprise nearly 10 percent of all U.S. exports, amounting to nearly $68 billion in 2006.2

Terrorists consider America’s agriculture and food production tempting targets. They have noticed that its food supply is among the most vulnerable and least protected of all potential targets of attack. When American and allied forces overran al Qaeda sanctuaries in the caves of eastern Afghanistan in 2002, among the thousands of documents they discovered were U.S. agricultural documents and al Qaeda training manuals targeting agriculture.

A subset of bioterrorism, agroterrorism is defined as “the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant disease for the purpose of generating fear, causing economic losses, or undermining social stability.”3 It represents a tactic to attack the economic stability of the United States. Killing livestock and plants or contaminating food can help terrorists cause economic crises in the agriculture and food industries. Secondary goals include social unrest and loss of confidence in government.

https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/agroterrorism-threats-to-americas-economy-and-food-supply

Now that there is some clarification of the term….what started me on this line of research was a story I read the other day and it is news….

Two Chinese nationals are facing federal charges after allegedly smuggling a crop-destroying fungus—deemed a potential agroterrorism weapon—into the United States. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are facing federal charges in Michigan over the fungus, Fusarium graminearum. Authorities allege Liu attempted to bring the fungus through Detroit’s airport to study it at a University of Michigan lab where Jian, his girlfriend, worked, the BBC reports. They say Jian may already have been handling the fungus at the lab without the necessary federal permits, the Guardian reports.

The fungus in question is known to cause disease in major crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice, with the potential to destroy yields and contaminate food supplies, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Its presence can lead to vomiting and liver damage if it enters the food chain and is ingested, and officials note the pathogen is cited in scientific literature as a possible “agroterrorism weapon.” It can also cause reproductive defects in both humans and livestock. It’s blamed for economic losses in the billions across the globe annually.

Prosecutors say Jian is a member of China’s Communist Party and received Chinese government funding for her research on the fungus back in China. US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. called the case a matter of the “gravest national security concerns,” claiming the scheme involved using a university lab to further unspecified goals. The case comes at a time of heightened US-China tensions, following new visa restrictions for Chinese students announced by the Trump administration and trade disputes between Washington and Beijing. Jian has appeared in court, but Liu returned to China after being turned away at the Detroit airport last year.

This will add a new twist to the prevention of terrorism and one that we all should think about for if even a portion of our food supply is tainted it will lead to more hunger and we know what hunger can do to a people….(think French Revolution)

Just something else that we can worry about in these troubling times.

As long as we are speaking of terrorism….meet the new head of terrorism prevention for the WH….

When Thomas Fugate graduated from college last year with a degree in politics, he celebrated in a social media post about the exciting opportunities that lay beyond campus life in Texas. “Onward and upward!” he wrote, with an emoji of a rocket shooting into space.

His career blastoff came quickly. A year after graduation, the 22-year-old with no apparent national security expertise is now a Department of Homeland Security official overseeing the government’s main hub for terrorism prevention, including an $18 million grant program intended to help communities combat violent extremism.

The White House appointed Fugate, a former Trump campaign worker who interned at the hard-right Heritage Foundation, to a Homeland Security role that was expanded to include the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. Known as CP3, the office has led nationwide efforts to prevent hate-fueled attacks, school shootings and other forms of targeted violence.

Fugate’s appointment is the latest shock for an office that has been decimated since President Donald Trump returned to the White House and began remaking national security to give it a laser focus on immigration.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-dhs-thomas-fugate-cp3-terrorism-prevention

Good to see Donny is consistent….he hired an person with no experience in the field of terrorism prevention….in other words yet another damn amateur….

I feel so much safer now that we have a high schooler in charge of preventing terrorism (can he spell ‘terrorism’)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Your PSA Is Essential

It is the end of the month and a good time for some FYI….I try to keep an eye on health news so I may pass it on to my readers….

Since I suffer from prostrate cancer I am always looking for info on the disease and write about it with the hope that more men will take it seriously and have their PSA tested….and this is an IST FYI post….I hope it helps.

PSA is from a blood sample and is an indication on how healthy your prostrate is at the time of the sample.

But the PSA test is not conclusive…..

News that former President Joseph Biden has advanced prostate cancer has revived long-standing questions about the benefits versus the harms of a blood test that screens for the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the U.S.

Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, screening tests are an imperfect tool for detecting prostate cancer, doctors and public health experts say.

Part of the problem is identifying and treating aggressive cancers like Biden’s while not unnecessarily treating men with slow-growing cancers unlikely to sicken them. Autopsies found the disease to be so widespread that more than one-third of white men and half of Black men in their 70s had prostate cancers that would never do any harm.

“PSA testing alone leaves a lot to be desired as a cancer screening test,” said radiation oncologist Dr. Brent Rose, an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.

The test measures the level of PSA, a protein produced by normal as well as malignant prostate gland cells, in the blood. Elevated PSA can be a marker for cancer. It also can signal a false positive or an inactive cancer, triggering a painful biopsy, and leading to overtreatment with punishing side effects, including impotence, incontinence and bowel dysfunction.

“PSA screening is beneficial,” Rose said. “There are risks, though, and so it is a personal decision whether or not to do PSA screening.”

The key is to target and treat aggressive cancers while waiting and watching cancers that might never become troublesome, Rose and other oncologists told NPR. Physicians have been walking this tightrope since they began regularly using PSA tests to screen for prostate cancer in healthy men in the 1990s. There is no other test that effectively screens for prostate cancer — the second deadliest cancer for American men, oncologists said.

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/05/21/nx-s1-5405613/prostate-cancer-psa-test-age

AS we men get older it is a good chance that something will go wrong in your prostrate…..please talk with your doctor about this test and ask as many questions as you can think of at the time.

As long as this is an FYI and about cancer…..let us look at another problem….colon cancer and what we eat…..

It’s often recommended as part of a balanced diet, but Italian researchers suggest too much of this meat could raise certain health risks.

It may be well known that vices such as smoking and drinking alcohol can up your risk for cancer, but so can your diet. What you eat or drink could potentially affect your health more than you’d think, as past studies have confirmed how sugar-sweetened beverages or processed meats could also increase cancer chances…and now another type of meat is getting a closer look.

The peer-reviewed journal Nutrients in April published the results of a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Gastroenterology in Bari, Italy. Reviewing data from 4,869 participants residing in southern Italy, researchers set out to see “for the first time” if there was a link between white meat consumption, gastrointestinal cancers, and all other causes of death, “focusing on the effects of poultry consumption.”

More than a quarter of all new cancer cases around the world are gastrointestinal, says a 2023 JAMA Network Open article. These include cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, small bowel, colon, rectum, and anus. Notably, colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute.

A Surprising Meat Has Been Linked With Colon Cancer in a New Study

These two cancers can be very common so please as you grow older consult your doctor about ways to help you detect these killers early.

Please try to have a lovely weekend and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

United Healthcare In The News (Again)

Can you remember awhile back when the CEO of United Healthcare was shot on the streets of NYC?

Well United Healthcare is not through with being the target of investigation….

It seems that the insurance giant may have committed Medicare fraud….(was this on the list of fraud that Elmo had compiled?)

UnitedHealth Group is facing another government investigation, this one reportedly centered on possible criminal Medicare fraud. Since at least last summer, the Justice Department has been investigating the health insurance company for fraud related to its Medicare Advantage business, reports the Wall Street Journal. Medicare Advantage insurers receive extra payment for covering especially sick patients, meaning there’s an incentive to document patients’ diagnoses. Previous reporting by the Journal revealed “questionable diagnoses by UnitedHealth added billions to taxpayers’ costs,” the outlet notes.

Earlier reports described a DOJ civil fraud investigation related to UnitedHealth’s Medicare billing practices. In a statement, UnitedHealth says it wasn’t informed of the “supposed criminal investigation reported” and stands “by the integrity of our Medicare Advantage program,” per Reuters. It previously disputed the Journal‘s reporting as “inaccurate and biased,” saying Medicare Advantage “provides better health outcomes and more affordable healthcare for millions of seniors” than traditional Medicare. But the criminal probe based in New York presents another headache for a company that has seen its stock fall almost 50% in the last month.

The greedy bastards were not deterred by this investigation and continued abusing the people that depended on them for help….

UnitedHealth Group, the healthcare conglomerate facing a criminal investigation over possible Medicare fraud, secretly paid nursing homes thousands of dollars in bonuses to cut hospital transfers for ailing residents, risking patient health while it saved millions, per a Guardian investigation. The outlet identified numerous cases where nursing home residents needed immediate hospital care but failed to receive it after UnitedHealth’s intervention. In one 2019 case out of Washington state, a nursing home resident was showing textbook symptoms of a stroke, indicating immediate hospitalization was needed. But a remote UnitedHealth employee wanted a less-serious condition ruled out first and asked for an update in, not minutes, but four hours.

In a similar case that year, a remote UnitedHealth employee delayed requesting a hospital transfer for a patient with stroke symptoms, forcing facility nurses to bypass the system. It took an hour and the patient suffered permanent brain damage, per the Guardian. Other UnitedHealth nurses say they faced pressure to persuade Medicare Advantage members to adopt “do not resuscitate” orders—an effort to prevent costly hospital stays—even when the patients had expressed a desire to seek all available treatments.

“A lot of times the [facility] nurses want to send people out and we have to go in and try to stop it,” a UnitedHealth nurse tells the outlet. “And if we don’t … they take us out onto the carpet.” “The sense is: ‘Well, they’re medically frail, and no one lives for ever,'” says another nurse. “No one is truly investigating when a patient suffers harm.” Though internal emails reference “budgets” outlining how many hospital admissions a nursing home had “left,” UnitedHealth denies that its employees prevented hospital transfers or inappropriately pushed patients to change their DNR status. It says nursing homes receive bonuses for preventing unnecessary hospitalizations that are harmful to patients. The company’s shares fell almost 7% Wednesday following the report, per Reuters.

These incidents are disgusting and illustrate just how uncaring these greedy bastards truly are….

Not to worry though the consumer will be protected…..oh wait the Consumer Protection part of government has been mostly shuddered by the Trump administration and DOGE.

What to do now?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Next Pandemic

In the past we have had information to let the people of this country know when diseases were spreading and since we now have a comnplete idiot in charge of HHS and the lack of importance for keeping the public informed we are facing the next pandemic.

I am sure you have read how measles, whooping cough, etc is gaining the upper hand in our society…..and this could be disastrous for the public.

To accomplish its mission of increasing the health security of the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that it “conducts critical science and provides health information” to protect the nation. But since President Trump’s administration assumed power in January, many of the platforms the CDC used to communicate with the public have gone silent, an NPR analysis found.

Many of the CDC’s newsletters have stopped being distributed, workers at the CDC say. Health alerts about disease outbreaks, previously sent to health professionals subscribed to the CDC’s Health Alert Network, haven’t been dispatched since March. The agency’s main social media channels have come under new ownership of the Department of Health and Human Services, emails reviewed by NPR show, and most have gone more than a month without posting their own new content.

“Public health functions best when its experts are allowed to communicate the work that they do in real time, and that’s not happening,” said Kevin Griffis, who served as the director of communications at the CDC until March. “That could put people’s lives at risk.”

Health emergencies have not paused since January. Cases of measles, salmonella, listeria and hepatitis A and C have spread throughout the country. More than 100 million Americans continue to suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes and breast cancer. The decline in the agency’s communication could put people at risk, said four current and former CDC workers, three of whom NPR is allowing to remain anonymous because they are still employed by the CDC and believe they may be punished for speaking out.

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/21/nx-s1-5387723/cdc-communications-cuts-social-media-public-health

How could this happen in a country as advanced as America?

The answer is misinformation and fake analysis…..

Let’s look at why we fall for the bullshit…..

In today’s digital world, people routinely turn to the internet for health or medical information. In addition to actively searching online, they often come across health-related information on social media or receive it through emails or messages from family or friends.

It can be tempting to share such messages with loved ones – often with the best of intentions.

As a global health communication scholar studying the effects of media on health and development, I explore artistic and creative ways to make health information more engaging and accessible, empowering people to make informed decisions.

Although there is a fire hose of health-related content online, not all of it is factual. In fact, much of it is inaccurate or misleading, raising a serious health communication problem: Fake health information – whether shared unknowingly and innocently, or deliberately to mislead or cause harm – can be far more captivating than accurate information.

This makes it difficult for people to know which sources to trust and which content is worthy of sharing.

The allure of fake health information

Fake health information can take many forms. For example, it may be misleading content that distorts facts to frame an issue or individual in a certain context. Or it may be based on false connections, where headlines, visuals or captions don’t align with the content. Despite this variation, such content often shares a few common characteristics that make it seem believable and more shareable than facts.

https://theconversation.com/why-we-fall-for-fake-health-information-and-how-it-spreads-faster-than-facts-250718

It is time for the attacks on our health to STOP!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Cost Of Your Meds

As an old fart that must take meds daily I am always interested in news that someone is making me spend less money to continue in good health.

Yesterday the news broke that Donny and his Magic Sharpie would go to work to bring down the cost of medication.

Prescription drugs taken by millions could soon become more affordable under a new executive order from President Donald Trump.

Trump plans to revive a policy from his first term that would require drug companies to charge Americans no more than what they charge in other countries.

According to officials familiar with the plan, Trump will sign an executive order next week instructing federal health agencies to adopt a ‘most favored nation’ pricing model for certain drugs covered by Medicare.

The model is designed to lower costs by ensuring the US pays no more than the lowest price charged elsewhere.

In many developed countries, single-payer systems allow governments to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies.

But in the US, a fragmented, privatized system gives drugmakers broad pricing power — with some medications costing up to 10 times more than abroad.

The order would mark a major shift in how pharmaceutical companies operate and could lead to lower drug prices for American consumers.

Industry leaders warn the move threatens profits and innovation, with one executive calling it the biggest ‘existential threat to the industry and U.S. biosciences innovation.’

Three people familiar with the matter told Politico the proposal is still being finalized and Trump has not approved any plans, but he did tease a ‘very big announcement’ that would be coming next week.

The president said: ‘We’re going to have a very, very big announcement to make — like as big as it gets.

‘It will be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14696157/Trumps-earth-shattering-new-executive-order-thats-set-slash-cost-drugs-millions-rely-on.html

For decades the drug industry has used the old dodge of R&D to justify the high costs of medication prescriptions….and it will be used again and the lobbyists will descend on Congress to stop and progress on making drugs cheaper….

There is a story about one drug….

David Armstrong has been writing about sky-high health care costs and the tactics of Big Pharma for years. His latest story in ProPublica has a far more personal angle: After being diagnosed with cancer—multiple myeloma—in 2023, he started taking a drug called Revlimid made by Celgene. The great thing is that it works. The major downside is that it cost $1,000 for each daily pill, out of reach for many patients. “When I started taking the drug, I’d look at the smooth, cylindrical capsule in my hand and consider the fact I was about to swallow something that costs about the same as a new iPhone,” writes Armstrong. Why so much? That’s what Armstrong wondered, too. Some key points of his investigation:

  • The first thing to know about Revlimid may be a surprise: It’s a derivative of thalidomide, the 1950s drug infamous for causing birth defects. But it’s been repurposed to fight multiple myeloma, and the story explains the mechanics, which involves blocking the growth of new blood vessels.
  • The second thing to know is that it costs only 25 cents to manufacture a single pill, which Armstrong discovered in a deposition marked “highly confidential.”
  • So how do you get from spending 25 cents to make a pill to charging $1,000? Think legal loopholes, FDA red tape, and plenty of doctor schmoozing to mute critics, all of which Armstrong details. In particular, the company’s legal battles have delayed the entry of generic competitors. “Those tactics, detailed in reams of court filings, allowed Celgene to treat Revlimid like a piggy bank, tapping it whenever it wanted,” writes Armstrong.” In fact, the company has hiked the price 26 times since its 2005 launch. The cost increases have only continued since Celgene was bought by Bristol Myers Squibb for $74 billion in 2019.

Will the Magic Sharpie actually make our drugs cheaper?

Damn good question!

I am not sure how this will work and if this will bring down my drug prices….and I am not alone….

…

Trump’s first-term rule—“Most Favored Nation”—was focused on lowering the cost of Medicare payments on certain drugs, but it barely made it out of the White House. The policy was blocked by federal courts shortly after it was announced in late 2020, and was then rescinded by President Joe Biden in 2021.

This time around, Trump’s order sets a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to negotiate lower prices. If there is no deal, then the U.S. will tie its drug prices to those paid by other countries. But as of now, nothing has changed.

Trump reiterated that the U.S. would no longer “subsidize” drug prices in other countries, telling reporters that the “game is up,” while alluding to potentially increasing auto tariffs if they don’t comply.

“If they want to get cute, they don’t have to sell cars into the United States anymore. They won’t get cute,” Trump said. “I’ll defend the drug companies from that standpoint.”

He was also characteristically vague on how much prices would change.

“Drug prices will come down by much more really if you think,” Trump said. “But between 59 and 80 and I guess even 90 percent.”

“We’re getting them down 60, 70, 80, 90 percent. But actually more than that if you think about it in a way, mathematically.”

https://newrepublic.com/post/195126/donald-trump-drug-prices-executive-order-nothing

I am not believing this for a minute, I want to but he has given us nothing in return for our patience….in other words he has lied to us before why should we believe him now?

I will watch and write.

If you depend on meds for your continued good health the surely you have something to say.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”