Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

The Legacy of a Retiring Senator

Some history on Senator Joe Manchin III. He has never met a lump of coal he did not like. There is money in the almost black gold. Twenty years of supplying the Grant Town power plant in West Virgina with low-grade coal mixed with rock and clay known as “gob.” And stymieing any interest in […]

Investing tip

It’s bad enough that RFK Jr, the Trump nominee to head HHS, is spreading lies about water fluoridation. He’s also vetting federal health officials based on their willingness to question life-saving vaccines. “Aaron Siri, the lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to […]

Who pays?

Recently, Anthem BCBS rescinded its policy of limiting the amount of anesthesia it would pay for during operations. The policy conjured images of patients waking up before the end of their operations, or later being confronted with unexpected bills. But allegedly, that’s not the intent: “Anesthesia services are billed partially on the basis of how […]

PBMs Countersue FTC

The Big 3 PBMs are Countersuing the FTC. Does Their Argument Have Any Teeth? MedCity News After the FTC filed a lawsuit in September, accusing the three major pharmacy benefit managers of anticompetitive rebating practices related to insulin, the defendants reversed roles and became plaintiffs. In November, they countersued the agency, arguing that its lawsuit […]

The Government Efficiency Chopping Block

10 programs that could be on the ‘government efficiency’ chopping block, Washington Post The programs without separate spending authorization that Ramaswamy would do away with represent more than $516 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The 10 largest make up $380 billion. Here’s a look at what some of those programs do (click on […]

CBO: Not extending IRA subsidies . . .

CBO: Not extending IRA subsidies will cause 3.8M to lose coverage, ~7.9% avg *additional* premium hike | ACA Signups, Charles Gaba Not that this should surprise anyone, but it’s good to have the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) formally chime in: It’s important to keep in mind that the 4.3% average premium hike in 2026, as well […]

Lies, damned lies and RFK Jr.

RFK Jr continues in his crackpot crusade against fluoridated water. There is *zero* evidence that artificial fluoridation of water at or below the approved level (0.7 mg/liter) has any pathological consequences. Why do we fluoridate public water? “Bacteria in the mouth that serve to break down food also create acids that degrade the enamel on […]

Two-Thirds of the Growth in High Intensity Hospital Stays Not Explained by Changes in Patient Demographics or Pre-Existing Comorbidities

This is something Angry Bear has been following for a few years. A person may go to the doctor for one issue and the office wants to expand the visit to other supposed issues. An example being having a comprehensive blood test two months previous and their wanting to repeat the same blood test. The […]

Believing Donald Trump Supports Reproductive Rights

Elon Musk Was Behind Effort To Gaslight Americans Into Believing Donald Trump Supports Reproductive Rights, Above the Law In the waning days of the 2024 presidential election, a curious political action committee, named after the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, ran ads in support of Donald Trump. It, bizarrely, claimed RBG and Trump were […]

Fear of Losing Medicaid and the ACA Healthcare When Trump Takes Office

What state government were to do for their citizens they began doing in 2010 with the expansion of healthcare in the form of Medicaid. The 2010 Affordable Care Act encouraged states to expand Medicaid programs to cover more low-income Americans who did not get health insurance through their jobs. Forty states and the District of […]