In addition to mRNA vaccines and CAR-T cell therapy, semaglutides and tirzepatides offer transformative therapies, in this case for obesity and associated type-2 diabetes. But the drugs aren’t cheap, so access is a problem in the US. “Medicare will cover semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound) for their weight management indications for people with obesity, President […]

Here’s a 50-state reality check of whether that is true or not as discussed by Veterans Healthcare Advocate Suzanne Gordon The Illusion of Choice Republicans say that VA patients can get equivalent private-sector care anywhere in the U.S. Here’s a 50-state reality check. At his confirmation hearing in January of 2025, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, […]

 – by New Deal democrat As I have done since the beginning of the government shutdown, the number of initial and continuing claims can be calculated notwithstanding, because it is based on reporting by the States, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Then by applying the same adjustment as was used for the […]

This piece is over two months old. It still has relevance to the current issue of an understaffed VA and still pertinent. The issues with the VA have been ongoing for years. It is not something new. However, the situation has worsened under the Tru_p administration as they have taken a more aggressive role to […]

Probably the best analogy is duck hunting, where they use decoys to fool the ducks. “If the past is any indication, sellers working for insurance companies, some with household names, others not, will snare new recruits into Medicare Advantage plans, possibly omitting in their sales pitches that they will be locked into an MA plan […]

 – by New Deal democrat The ISM manufacturing and services reports assume heightened importance this month in view of the continuing federal government shutdown. These two, along with the regional Feds’ manufacturing and services reports, are our best sketch of the economy until the more thorough federal reports resume (hopefully?) We already have the regional Feds’ […]

The embolden part is emphasis by Thom and not by myself. This does make sense in that employers are sharp enough to know they can cut wages so as to profit from what is paid to Labor through government aid to it. It becomes a trade off with government assistance trade off to company labor […]

Brief rundown on how manufacturing has evolved over the past 40 years. Moving from solely Labor to less Labor at a higher value. One worker at a CNC machine can do the manufacturing of multiple workers at separate stations performing one or two functions. Lower Labor cost, faster throughput, and a promise of less inventory […]

Years ago, I was course director for a first-year medical school course on genetics and molecular biology. I was and am still an enthusiast for problem-based learning (PBL). Together with an MD colleague, I wrote up a case on hereditary deafness. It was through this process that I learned about deaf culture and the conflicts […]

 – by New Deal democrat As I’ve reiterated several times this month, the two items of information I am paying the most attention to in the absence of official federal economic data are the Regional Fed Banks and the ISM, for both of their manufacturing and services reports. I should add that earlier this week […]