From Pine View Farm

Health and Sanity category archive

Vampire Capitalists 0

Rebecca Watson warns that hedge funds are coming for your medical care.

Or you can read the transcript.

Share

Medicare Disadvantage, Reprise 0

Share

Medicare Disadvantage 0

Over at Delaware Liberal, retired Delaware State Representative John Kowalko explains in detail why Medicare Part C, also called “Medicare Advantage,” is a con and a scam less desirable alternative than traditional Medicare (Medicare Parts A and B, plus a “stopgap” policy).

If you or someone you care about is using or considering using “Medicare Advantage,” the post is well worth a read.

Share

The Medicine Show 0

Or you can read the transcript (that’s what I usually do).

Share

The Privatization Scam, Medicare Disadvantage Dept. 0

Share

Still Rising Again after All These Years 0

Thom shares the backstory of why the United States is the only major industrialized country that does offer universal health care.

America’s original sin of chattel slavery continues to exact its toll.

Share

Vaccine Nation 0

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gene Collier comments on Florida Man’s losing a suit about propagating mis- and disinformation about the severity of the COVID pandemic in Florida. Here’s a couple of snippets; follow the link for the details.

Prior to the ig­ni­tion of the Delta vari­ant that sum­mer (2021–ed.), Flor­ida’s health de­part­ment rou­tinely fur­nished the pub­lic with de­tailed in­for­ma­tion on a daily ba­sis. But with the num­ber of cases mul­ti­ply­ing across the state and the gov­er­nor de­clar­ing “Flor­ida’s open for busi­ness!” the Depart­ment changed the way it was re­port­ing data to the Centers for Dis­ease Con­trol.

The new method made it ap­pear the vi­rus was in­stead de­clin­ing just as DeSan­tis was run­ning for a sec­ond term for gov­er­nor and keep­ing no se­crets about his White House am­bi­tions.

(snip)

All of this could be sloughed off as com­mon Flo­rid­ian slap­stick­ery if it weren’t for, you know, all the dy­ing.

Share

Vaccine Nation 0

PoliticalProf cites (in)credible sources that lead him to express a concern that he may have become zombiefied by yesterday’s emergency alert test.

Aside:

Y’know, he may be onto something. It’s pretty clear that something is eating away (some of) this country’s brains.

(I also got the alert. I guess I’m a zombie too.)

Share

“Influencer” Idiocy 0

At Psychology Today, Tamara Sobel looks at mounting evidence that “social” media isn’t. Here’s a tiny excerpt; follow the link for the article:

Troubling research from this year (as well as what we glean from our children, students, patients, and selves) shows us that exposure to advertising by influencers on social media is directly related to lower satisfaction with ourselves.

Share

The Medicine Show 0

Share

Still Rising Again after All These Years, Reprise 0

Disparate treatment in the Sunshine State. Who woulda thunk?

Share

The Medicine Sham in This New Gilded Age 0

Thom takes a look at how truly inefficient and ineffective America’s health care system industry oligarchy actually is.

Share

Inventorying Ignorance, Vaccine Nation Dept. 0

At the Tampa Bay Times, Stephen Neely and Kaila Witkowski report on the results of a survey that they conducted regarding Floridians’ beliefs about COVID and vaccines. Among other things, they found a significant split on party lines:

Consistent with the stark politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic observed over the past three years, we found significant differences in misinformation belief based on political affiliation, with Republican voters being more likely than their counterparts to report belief in each misinformation theme.

Follow the link for the numbers.

Share

Twits on Twitter X Offenders 0

Snopes unpacks (yet another) lie about vaccines.

In related news, self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk is making noises about suing the Anti-Defamation League for ” (wait for it) exercising free speech.

And we have another example that “social” media isn’t.

Share

The Fee Hand of the Market 0

Woman to pharmacist:  What's the most common side effect of this drug.  Pharmacist:  Bankruptcy.

Click for the original image.

Share

Vaccine Nation 0

The stupid. It metastasizes.

Researchers found that 30 percent of the 2,200 dog owners surveyed believed that canine vaccines were medically unnecessary and more than 20 percent believed that they were ineffective. Nearly 40 percent believed dog vaccinations to be unsafe, with 37 percent expressing the belief that some vaccines could even cause “canine autism”, despite no scientific evidence for vaccines causing this in dogs or humans.

Details of the delusional at the link.

Share

The Worst National Bunk 0

Rebecca Watson debunks RFK Jr.’s bunk.

Or you can read the transcript.

Share

Vaccine Nation 0

Incubators of infection.

Share

“But It’s the Only Possible Explanation” 0

The Los Angeles Times’s Michael Hiltzik points out that facts will never satisfy those committed to conspiracy theories.

Share

Vaccine Nation 0

Honest to Betsy, these lying liar anti-vaxxers will latch onto anything to promote their perfidies and imperil the polity.

One more time, “social” media isn’t.

Share