HEALTH

Robert Reich -  A recent report found that the for-profit US healthcare system ranks last among peer nations. We spend twice as much per capita on healthcare and have the worst health outcomes. Reminder that Medicare For All would save $450B in health care costs and 68,000 lives per year. 

Hartmann Report - The recent assassination of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare — the health insurance company with, reportedly, the highest rate of claims rejections (and thus dead, wounded, and furious customers and their relations) — gives us a perfect window to understand the stupidity and danger of the Musk/Trump/Ramaswamy strategy of “cutting government” to “make it more efficient, run it like a corporation.”

 Consider health care, which in almost every other developed country in the world is legally part of the commons — the infrastructure of the nation, like our roads, public schools, parks, police, military, libraries, and fire departments — owned by the people collectively and run for the sole purpose of meeting a basic human need.

The entire idea of government .... is to fulfill that singular purpose of meeting citizens’ needs and keeping the nation strong and healthy. That’s a very different mandate from that of a corporation, which is solely directed (some argue by law) to generate profits.

The Veterans’ Administration healthcare system, for example, is essentially socialist rather than capitalist. The VA owns the land and buildings, pays the salaries of everybody from the surgeons to the janitors, and makes most all decisions about care. Its primary purpose — just like that of the healthcare systems of every other democracy in the world — is to keep and make veterans healthy. Its operation is nearly identical to that of Britain’s beloved socialist National Health Service.UnitedHealthcare similarly owns its own land and buildings, and its officers and employees behave in a way that’s aligned with the company’s primary purpose, but that purpose is to make a profit. Sure, it writes checks for healthcare that’s then delivered to people, but that’s just the way UnitedHealthcare makes money; writing checks and, most importantly, refusing to write checks. More

Think about it. If UnitedHealthcare’s main goal was to keep people healthy, they wouldn’t be rejecting 32 percent of claims presented to them. Like the VA, when people needed help they’d make sure they got it.

Newsweek - A recent study found that drinking coffee daily was associated with an extra 1.8 years of life (read more)

Axios -  Cancer treatment rates jumped among adults younger than 50 between 2020 and 2023, Axios' Tina Reed writes from a FAIR Health analysis. The report reflects a puzzling rise in the rates of certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer, among younger patients. The most common types of cancer among younger adults include cancer of the skin, breast and thyroid.  More

 8 Tips for Getting Through Intense Medical Treatments, According to Folks Who Have Been There

Nice News - More than just hubs for bookworms, libraries are becoming destinations for nourishing your mind and body (and possibly your soul in the process). Public health programs are making their way into libraries across the U.S., offering everything from fitness classes to blood pressure monitors to group discussions about loneliness. The best part? Most of these services are free, and everyone is eligible to partake in them.
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For some, these visits mark a turning point in their health journey. “We have patrons that say, ‘Because I used the blood pressure monitor at the library, I went and saw my physician for the first time in a long time,’” Jaime Placht, a health and well-being specialist at the Kansas City Public Library system, told the Associated Press, noting that these locations are “the last true public institution.”
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Libraries for Health, an initiative offering mental wellness services in central Texas, has received over $3 million from St. David’s Foundation — and it’s focusing on advancing health equity in the state. “It’s in no way taking the place of clinical-directed psychologists,” Abena Asante, the foundation’s senior program officer, told Public News Service. “It’s just one community response in addressing the lack of mental wellness resources in rural communities.”  Interested in getting involved? Contact your local library or community center to see if they’re offering any of these free services.