News — health care

Jim Hightower article

 "Three special-interest groups: Insurance company profiteers, Big Pharma price gougers – and the political insiders who’re hooked on funding from those corporations."

Ed Yong is a wise person concerning the virus. He wrote the neat book, I Contain Multitudes. He has a new article in the Atlantic. We need fast tests, contact tracing, a good health care system,  and  paid sick leave. Article There is also a Democracy interview Democracy Now.

Health insurance company CEOs (united health care, anthem, aetna, humana, Cigna, centene, healthnet)  make out like bandits.- they get paid up to $36 million per year.  They refuse to pay for medical treatments and drugs, lay off workers, cut costs, boost drug price bills,  etc.  Big Pharma CEOs get paid $15 million to $41 million before Covid.  They prevent the import of cheaper drugs from Canada. 

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article This refinery leaks PFAS next to lower income homes in Denver.  many people are getting cancer in the neighborhood.  The oil refinery also leaks benzene.

article Medical records are oriented towards billing, not to diagnosing the problems.  Financial incentives are given when more tests, shots, etc are giver.  For example, 100x more can be charged to patient if a Cat scan is prescribed.  So some hospitals and doctors may push extra procedures.  They could be for real reasons or not.

Here is comprehensive Ed Yong article on the Corona virus.  He says that we need to emphasize  disease prevention and science; to have leadership from the top on wearing masks, testing, gloves, aprons, contact tracing, quarantining- not self-centered blaming, distraction , and inaction.  Now there are some virus  cases where the patients suffer long lasting waves of severe symptoms without ever being sick enough to go to the hospital. I Contain Multitudes is his amazing book on how microbes such as bacteria and fungi combine to make our immune system and digestive systems work.  More articles by Ed Yong.