Tag Archives: Healthcare

Ran across two articles on conservatives, a presidential candidate, and the US Gov. pushing people towards Medicare Advantage plans. I thought I could combine both articles on one post using snippets of information from each. It was too exhausting to do so. I will keep them separate and write each independent of the other. Since I have been writing on healthcare for a while, I typically add my own comments as taken from other sources. This...

Not all genes, their mutations, and the conditions caused by those mutations are overwhelmingly complex. We’ve known for decades that sickle cell disease is caused by a specific nucleotide change at a specific position in the human adult beta globin gene, and we can predict the consequences to a patient with the disease to a high degree of accuracy. The fact that there are so many CRISPR trials underway now is testament to the clarity of our...

Shot an email off to Kip Sullivan to see what he was up to with Medicare. He returned my email with a copy of a letter he wrote Much going on in this letter I was not aware of and am assuming many other are not aware of either. Still they persist in corporatizing Medicare and private practices into commercialized medicine such as Medicare Advantage. Kips message back to me . . . I’ve been very busy monitoring and commenting on four studies...

I guess the US is not the only place having issues with the rising costs of healthcare. Swiss healthcare is rising at a faster rate also. However, I suspect Switzerland has greater control over those costs than the US does. However, the industry is attempting to pass along higher costs. The cost of compulsory health insurance in Switzerland rose by 4.6% in 2023 compared to the previous year, raising the bill per insured person to CHF4,513. ...

Once again, there are efforts made to the US Senate urging Senators to support Medicare Advantage plans. The facts against Medicare Advantage for seniors have been stated over and over again by Kip Sullivan, myself, and others as well. PNHP President has authored a counter letter to the Senate explaining some of the issues and problems with Medicate Advantage. Many of which come to bear once the enrollee is a part of the Advantage programs....

My dad died a few years ago with dementia. The diagnosis was Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia (FTD), based on a psychiatric evaluation and brain imaging. After he died, we had a brain autopsy done, which returned a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. So which was it? As far as I know, it could be both. But what this little anecdote illustrates is the tension between diagnosis of dementia in a living patient and the use of histopathological diagnostic...

Disadvantaging the VA: How VA Staff View Agency Privatization and Other Detrimental Policies I use the VA as I am eligible for it. I need to apply for my two+ years in and out of Camp Lejeune. Just have not done. My disorder comes and goes and Rituxan seems to put it into remission. There are others there who have far more serious issues than I. The VA does offer good care in spite of what you hear. These reports as shown here are not made up. If...

I am attempting to present a simple way to portray the costs of healthcare in the US. Using pie charts, a bar chart, and a graph gets the measures of cost across and at the same time presents different discussion points. Merrill Goozner presents the same data as did Peterson and draws a different conclusion. Healthcare costs do not appear to be outstripping economic growth. The issue still remains that we can manage our healthcare costs in a more...

Abortion is a tough topic to write about as both sides get a bit mean. The one side forbidding it more so then the supporters of reproductive choice. Maybe it has to do with the thought or thinking behind it. Women decide and the males shut up, except for the orange one. Abortion in the news, GoozNews, Merrill Goozner There’s only one health care issue that will be on the ballot this November, and that’s abortion. Health care pundits like...

Mission of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs The following is Mark Cuban’s pitch on supply drugs. If you do not have healthcare insurance which pays for drugs you more than likely going to pay list unless you have a drug store discount such as GoodRx. Mark Cuban talking pharmaceuticals and costs: We started Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company because every American should have access to safe, affordable medicines. If you don’t have insurance or have a...