The Angry Bear

by Bill Gale EconoFact The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) was the most sweeping realignment of the U.S. tax code in over three decades. It lowered tax rates, simplified taxes, raised the government debt, and was regressive, benefitting people who are well off more than the middle-class and the poor. Many provisions of the TCJA expire in 2025 unless action is preserves them. What would the expiration, or the continuation, of these...

As I posted yesterday, Medicare Advantage, which now covers more than half of the Medicare-eligible population, is a rip-off for taxpayers and for policy holders. Apparently, this is finally sinking in for hospitals and health systems across the country:“In 2023, Becker’s began reporting on hospitals and health systems nationwide that dropped some or all of their Medicare Advantage contracts.“Data on this topic is limited. In January, the Healthcare...

An excellent take on taxing the Black poor and the poor in general. It and its attachments are a good read which is why it is here. Taken from an advertisement. Tell the House and Senate: It’s time to make our tax code more equitable. The racial wealth gap has become wider during the past couple of decades. Significant economic events such as the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic have drastically shifted wealth towards the well-off....

Previouly . . . As Dr. Perry Wilson explains; “Different chronic diseases have different patterns of price increases. The biggest increase was seen in diabetes care (1993 – 2013) and driven largely by the rising prices of pharmaceuticals” of which the cost of manufacturing did not increase. Now Secretary of HHS, Alex Azar as the CEO of Eli Lilly raised the price of the century old drug Humalog used to treat diabetes by 345% taking it from...

by Merrill Goozner GoozNews The 2022 Washburn fire nearly reached Grizzly Giant, the giant sequoia thought to be somewhere between 2000 and 3000 years old. Only the heroic efforts of park rangers and firefighters saved the tree: But the fire’s aftermath could be seen throughout the southern portion of the park. Started by man, exacerbated by misguided fire suppression strategies (now abandoned), and fueled by a ten-year drought...

I follow Dean Baker because it is easy to do so. I do not end up pondering whether something written makes sense or not. Perhaps, my agreement is due to my seeing the same issues and understanding them. However let’s face it, bad news media does sell advertisements which pays for this. If I told you everything was rosy as documented at Angry Bear, would you read us? You would probably shrug your shoulders and yawn. If we give you something to...

It should come as no surprise to regular AB readers that the US for-profit healthcare system is a disaster for everyone except the executives and stock-holders. Here’s yet another confirmation:“A report out Thursday shows that the United States’ for-profit healthcare system still ranks dead last among peer nations on key metrics, including access to care and health outcomes such as life expectancy at birth. “The new analysis from the...

I am reading this short piece and wondering how many people will commit to full electric? I do not see this occurring for a while. The batteries just do not last long enough for many people to accept electric vehicles today. Hybrids are going to be around for a while till the technology catches up. I am thinking 5 years out before there is a battery which will handle a large load for a long period of time before needing recharge. How fast can you...

Review: The World without Us by The one-handed economist one-handed-economist.com I just read this 2007 book by Alan Weisman, and it’s encouraging — not because it gives me any hope for humans but for the Earth. Weisman goes on a tour of human impact (and destruction), looking at one problem (plastics, pollution, biodiversity, etc.) or place (the oceans or cities) at a time. The book is packed with facts and useful context. Here are a...

Bit of an Introduction ; The above chart shows the extent of the consolidation of PBMs which also portays the growing lack of competition. The chart comes from the Oklahoma petition filed in the Cleveland County District Court. Cleveland County is the fifth fastest-growing county, encompassing vibrant communities such as the southern part of Oklahoma City, Moore, Norman, Noble, Lexington, Slaughterville, Little Axe, as...