Healthcare Archives - The Minnesota Sun

Roughly 40 Percent of Americans Say They Recently Suffered Financial Difficulties, Study Shows

October 19, 2021October 18, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Soldiers assigned the Ohio National Guard’s HHC 1-148th Infantry Regiment – 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the Ohio Military Reserve, give the thumbs-up for troopers assigned to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, to send more vehicles through the line at a drive through food distribution event at the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank, May 9, 2020. The food bank teamed up with the Ohio National Guard and the Highway Patrol to conduct the first-ever drive through event at the food bank. More than 700 Ohio National Guard and Ohio Military Reserve members were activated to provide humanitarian missions in support of Operation Steady Resolve COVID-19 relief efforts, continuing The Ohio National Guard’s long history of supporting humanitarian efforts throughout Ohio and the nation. To date, the Ohio National Guard has assisted in the distribution of more than 9.9 million pounds of food and pantry items to Ohioans in need. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker)

Over 40% of U.S. households said they experienced severe financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing difficulties paying bills, credit cards and draining their savings, according to a Harvard University report.

The survey conducted by the Harvard T.H.Chan School of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the National Public Radio asked roughly 3,600 participants between July and August about problems they faced during the pandemic and how it affected their lives in recent months. Respondents were asked about financial, healthcare, education and personal safety concerns.

Roughly 30% of adults interviewed said they used up all or most of their savings during the pandemic, while 10% reported they had no savings before the pandemic began, according to the report. About one in five households had difficulties paying credit cards, loans, and other debts as well as utilities.

Commentary: BidenCare Blows ObamaCare Costs Out of the Water

September 2, 2021September 1, 2021 RealClearWire

PolitiFact’s 2013 “Lie of the Year” came from former President Barack Obama selling ObamaCare, his massive government takeover of healthcare. “If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it,” Obama said. That was a lie. Now President Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) want to expand that lie through their $3.5 trillion federal spending blowout pending in Congress.

Obama also said we could keep our doctors under ObamaCare. Obama lied to me and millions of other people. When I left a full-time job in 2013 for contract work, I switched to an ObamaCare exchange plan. And no, I didn’t get to keep my doctor on that new plan. I also saw the cost of my ObamaCare plan increase by double digit rates for 2014.

Commentary: Instead of Tightening Government’s Grip on Healthcare, Give Americans a Personal Option

August 11, 2021August 10, 2021 RealClearWire

As America begins to put the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview, the lesson from this once-in-a-generation crisis couldn’t be clearer: We need less, not more, central planning in our lives.

For example, a study earlier this year by health economist Casey Mulligan revealed that economic lockdowns mandated by government were counterproductive, given the significant steps workplaces took to prevent the virus from spreading.

The same is true with health care. By now, most folks know the story of how Operation Warp Speed — the previous administration’s unprecedented plan to trim bureaucracy from the vaccine development process — resulted in the creation of multiple safe and effective vaccines in record time. But an equally important storyline is how states took a sledgehammer to their own bureaucracies to expand access to care for those in need.

SCOTUS Rejects Challenge to Obamacare

June 18, 2021June 17, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Supreme Court slammed Texas and other Republican-led states’ attempts on Thursday to take down Obamacare.

The 18 Republican states challenged whether the individual mandate, a requirement by law for people to purchase healthcare, can be cut from the rest of the law or if they can repeal the legislation in its entirety.

‘I Still Felt Incomplete’: Detransitioned Men, Women Describe How Frighteningly Easy it Was to Get Trans Surgeries, Hormones

May 25, 2021May 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Multiple men and women who have detransitioned described how easy it was for them to get transgender surgeries and hormones in a new CBS segment — and how the surgeries or treatment negatively impacted them.

As lawmakers across the country introduce and pass bills focused on gender transitions, Lesley Stahl interviewed multiple medical experts and former or current transgender people who expressed fear that transgender surgeries and hormone treatments, often irreversible, are too easily attainable.

The CBS host said that the program “interviewed more than 30 detransitioners, who say they also had experienced regret, including these four, who hadn’t met before now.”

Tennessee Becomes Second State to Ban Trans Hormone Treatments Before Puberty

May 22, 2021May 21, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation Tuesday that bans hormone treatment for prepubescent minors.

SB0126 goes into effect immediately, making Tennessee the second state to ban trans procedures for minors, NBC reported. The Arkansas state legislature overrode Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s veto of a bill banning transgender surgeries and procedures for minors in April.

Arkansas’ “Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act,” otherwise known as the SAFE Act, prohibits physicians from performing gender transition procedures, such as puberty blockers or “top” and “bottom” surgeries, on minors before puberty. Transgender surgeries include vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, breast implants, and facial surgeries.

Biden Administration Facing Media Scrutiny for Not Allowing Press Access to Child Migrant Detention Facilities

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Reporters in the White House Press Briefing Room expressed frustration on Wednesday with the Biden Administration for failing to provide proper information or press access regarding the increasingly overflowing migrant detention facilities on the southern border, as reported by Breitbart.

One reporter grilled White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on this issue, asking “It’s now been three weeks since….you were first asked about getting us some press access” to these facilities, which have been filling up with child migrants in particular. “Why have we still not seen any images inside these facilities?”

Psaki dodged the question, and instead tried to claim that Biden himself is receiving such information in briefings, saying that “he talks to plenty of officials.” Psaki also continued blaming other factors for the lack of information, including various restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the privacy of children who occupy these facilities.

Teachers Union Boss who Fought to Keep Schools Closed Caught Dropping Kid off at in-Person Preschool

March 2, 2021March 1, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Remember the Chicago teachers union bigwig who defended school closures while wearing a bathing suit in Baja? We’ve got another one.

In Northern California, the same guy who has been claiming schools are too unsafe to reopen apparently doesn’t practice what he preaches.

A video posted by a Twitter account called “guerillaMomz” shows the president of the Berkeley teachers union dropping his daughter off at in-person preschool.

Pandemic Delays Democrats’ Plans to Expand Health Care

December 29, 2020December 28, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Democratic state leaders around the country who planned on introducing expanded health care measures such as a public option have now been forced to delay those plans as a result of pandemic budgetary difficulties.

Commentary: Vice President Biden, Don’t Take Away Our Healthcare Choice

October 16, 2020October 15, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Donald Trump recently painted a picture for the American people of what healthcare reform would look if given a second term in office.

Trump made a passionate argument for a framework anchored in choice and transparency, elements that stand in stark contrast to Obamacare—which used the power of the federal government to force people to purchase something simply for being alive: government-sanctioned health insurance.

Assistant HHS Secretary Michael Caputo Takes a Temporary Medical Leave of Absence

September 16, 2020September 16, 2020 Admin

Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Caputo announced Wednesday he is taking a temporary leave of absence.

The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network obtained a copy of the statements Caputo released to the press Wednesday afternoon.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Bernie Sanders Push Bill Taxing Billionaires 60 Percent to Fund One Year of Healthcare for All

August 9, 2020August 8, 2020 Corinne Murdock

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) introduced a bill Friday to tax billionaires sixty percent of their pandemic-earned assets. The proposed bill, “Make Billionaires Pay Act,” would use the tax money to cover individual healthcare expenses for one year.

In a tweeted video, Sanders argued billionaires have profited off the coronavirus pandemic while the rest of the country has suffered.

Doctors Rate Hydroxychloroquine ‘Most Effective’ Coronavirus Therapy in International Poll

April 5, 2020April 4, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

A newly released international poll has found that doctors around the world prefer using hydroxychloroquine, the drug touted by President Trump, to treat patients with the coronavirus, according to the Washington Times.

U.S. Court of Appeals Panel Strikes Down Medicaid Work Requirement

February 17, 2020February 16, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

A panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a lower court’s decision Friday blocking the Trump administration’s work requirements for Medicaid recipients.

Commentary: Billionaire Know-It-Alls Side with Insurance Companies on Surprise Medical Billing

February 4, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

You may have never heard of them, but there is a new, young billionaire couple determined to leave their mark on society. John and Laura Arnold are not interested in the type of philanthropy that builds libraries and college buildings or feeds, clothes, shelters, and educates the poor. No, like George Soros, the Arnolds are on a mission to “change the country,” whether we like it or not. When these arrogant elitists are not busy trying to erode our gun rights, promoting abortion, funding spying on citizens, or trying to upend our electoral system, they are busy trying to cut medical professionals pay. Specifically, the liberal power couple wants to address the issue of surprise medical billing by reducing the amount of money that medical professionals are paid for providing out-of-network care to patients.

Commentary: California Now Pushing Free Health Care for Illegal Immigrant Seniors

January 20, 2020January 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

California is at it again with a proposal to extend free health care to illegal immigrant senior citizens.

Where the Top Democratic Candidates Stand on Health Care

January 14, 2020January 13, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Pete Buttigeig, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders

Of all the public policy issues the top-tier Democratic presidential hopefuls have addressed, health care stands out as the one that separates them the most.

Trump Administration Tells Supreme Court Not to Fast-Track Obamacare Challenge

January 13, 2020January 12, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Trump administration told the Supreme Court there is no reason to fast-track its consideration of two petitions seeking review of a lower court decision that struck down the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.

REPORT: Google Is Working on Secret Project to Collect Personal Health Data on Millions of Americans

November 12, 2019November 11, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

Google is reportedly partnering with the second-largest health care system in the U.S. in an effort to collect health data on millions of Americans, according to people familiar with the matter.

Obama-Appointed Judge Blocks Trump’s Health Care Rule For Immigrants

November 4, 2019November 3, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

A federal judge has, at least temporarily, blocked the Trump administration from implementing a rule that would require immigrants prove that they have health insurance or can afford to pay for it.

Judge Michael Simon of the federal district court in Portland, Oregon, issued a nationwide temporary restraining order Saturday, barring President Donald Trump from implementing his health care requirement for foreign nationals applying for legal permanent status.

Commentary: Our Epidemic of Prescription Meds Is Expensive and Dangerous

September 30, 2019September 29, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

Pop. Pop. Pop.

STUDY: ‘Medicare for All’ Will Further Lower Physician Morale

August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

Last week, the administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, spoke at The Heritage Foundation on the effect “Medicare for All” would have on American health care.

Poll: 59% of Americans Oppose Government-Provided Health Insurance for Illegal Migrants

July 2, 2019July 1, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Chuck Ross Nearly 60% of Americans oppose making government-provided health insurance available to illegal immigrants, according to a CNN poll released Monday. “Do you think health insurance coverage provided by the government should or should not be available to undocumented immigrants living in the United States?” reads a…

California Set To Give Full Health Care Benefits To Low Income Illegal Immigrants

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Molly Prince California lawmakers released a final draft of the state’s 2020 budget late Sunday evening that would expand health care to illegal immigrants and cost taxpayers nearly $100 million per year. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom reached an agreement with Democrats in the state legislature to become the first…

States, Cities Sue to Block Health Care ‘Conscience’ Rule

May 22, 2019May 21, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

A coalition of 23 U.S. states and municipalities sued the Trump administration Tuesday to stop it from enforcing a rule that would make it easier for doctors and nurses to avoid performing abortions on religious or moral grounds. The lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James said…

Poll: Most Americans Don’t Want Medicare for All Once They Understand Costs

May 19, 2019May 19, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Bethany Blankley Most Americans oppose a Medicare for All program once they understand what it means and how much it would cost, a Health Tracking poll conducted by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reveals. The poll found that a majority of people – 56 percent –…

Arizona’s Rep. Andy Biggs Drops Bill to End Tax Deduction for Abortions

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Rachel del Guidice An Arizona congressman plans to introduce a bill Wednesday that would end a tax deduction for abortions. “For years, the pro-abortion movement has marketed abortion as a form of reproductive health care,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal. “But…

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis Set to Sign Cost-Reducing Drug Importation Bill

April 30, 2019April 30, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Evie Fordham Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears set to sign a bill creating a program to import prescription drugs from Canada after the Republican-backed legislation passed the state Senate. The bill passed the GOP-controlled Florida House 93-22 on April 11, reported The Associated Press. The Washington Examiner characterized the legislation…

Commentary: Ignore Medicare for All Advocates’ Claims on Life Expectancy in US.

April 19, 2019April 18, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Robert Moffit Ponder this: If self-styled “progressives” in Congress impose total government control over health care, will ordinary Americans enjoy a longer life span? Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chief sponsor of the Senate “Medicare for All” bill (S. 1804), often reminds us that the United States spends roughly…

Trump Continues to Hammer Health Care Messaging, Ropes Four Senators Into His Fight

April 2, 2019April 1, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Evie Fordham President Donald Trump continued with criticism of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and touted four Republican senators he said will fix the ACA, colloquially known as Obamacare, in a tweet Monday. “The cost of ObamaCare is far too high for our great citizens. The deductibles, in…

Dr. Carol M. Swain Commentary: Congress’s Role in Creating America’s Healthcare Crisis

December 29, 2018January 2, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Dr. Carol M. Swain In 2017, President-elect Donald Trump sent pharmaceutical stocks into a nosedive by speaking an important truth. Drug companies, he said, are “getting away with murder” with their pricing of lifesaving drugs. True to his word, the president, since his election, has pushed for needed reforms aimed at…

Dr. Carol M. Swan Commentary: Congress’s Role in Creating America’s Healthcare Crisis

December 29, 2018January 2, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Commentary: Healthcare Will Follow the Dangerous Politicization of Big Tech

December 27, 2018December 26, 2018 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Tho Bishop As tech executives continue to be grilled in front of Congress, the growing Bernie Sanders-wing of the Democratic Party is preparing to push its misnamed “Medicare for All” into the political mainstream after its political gains in the midterms. While these two stories seem to have…

Minnesota House Democrats Set to Introduce a Package of 10 Bills

December 27, 2018January 2, 2020 Andrew Shirley

Minnesota Democratic House Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) announced Wednesday that Democratic legislators are preparing to introduce a package of 10 bills as early as next month. The new legislative session will begin January 8 and the Speaker plans to introduce the package the next day. While the specific bills have yet…

SHOCK: Medical Students’ Surgical Abilities Declining Rapidly in a Growing Digital Age

November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 Admin

by Annie Holmquist Whether it’s for something as serious as cancer or as routine as a kidney stone, no one likes to hear that they have to go under the surgical knife. But such unhappy news is often lightened once a patient has the chance to talk to the surgeon…

Congress Can Slash the Cost of Health Care Premiums by as Much as a Third

October 4, 2018October 3, 2018 Admin

by Doug Badger A proposal to repeal Obamacare entitlements and replace them with grants to states would reduce premiums for individual coverage by as much as 32 percent, according to an analysis by the Center for Health and Economy. The Health Care Choices Proposal also would modestly reduce the deficit, increase the number of…

Deputy UN Chief: Fight Against Tuberculosis Drastically Underfunded

September 28, 2018September 27, 2018 Admin

Tuberculosis (TB) is a vicious epidemic that is drastically underfunded. That was the takeaway message from the first high-level meeting focused on the infectious disease at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Amina Mohammad, U.N. deputy secretary-general, said the disease is fueled by poverty, inequality, migration and conflict, and…

Debbie Stabenow On Single-Payer Health Care: ‘Let’s Get In Office’ So We Can Pass It

September 26, 2018September 25, 2018 Admin

by Evie Fordham Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow appeared to show support for a single-payer health care system, in a video that surfaced Sunday. “There’s no way it is going to go anywhere with Republicans in office, so let’s get in office,” the senator responded when an unknown individual asked Stabenow…

Hospitals’ Secret Contracts With Insurers Are Keeping Health Care Expensive: Report

September 23, 2018September 23, 2018 Admin

by Evie Fordham Hospital systems are making secret contracts with insurers that are keeping health care costs high, a Wall Street Journal report revealed, prompting alternative health care advocates to point out the flawed nature of the U.S. health care system. “Health care is the only industry I can…

Commentary: With His Return to the Senate, Does Arizona’s Jon Kyl Bring with Him Another Chance to Repeal Obamacare?

September 6, 2018September 5, 2018 Admin

by Robert Romano Former Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has been appointed by Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey to replace the late John McCain. With the new appointment comes a new opportunity for Republicans to complete one of their key 2016 campaign promises: To repeal and replace Obamacare before the 2018…

How Medicare’s Private Plans Surpass the Traditional Program

August 8, 2018August 7, 2018 Admin

by Dr. Kevin Pham and Robert E. Moffit Medicare Advantage, a system of competing private health plans, is surpassing the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program in delivering high quality, cost-effective medical care for senior and disabled citizens. The prominent research firm Avalere recently published a major study showing that Medicare Advantage generally outperformed traditional Medicare. This was especially so in caring for the most challenging patients who…

Attorney General Sessions Announces Charges For 601 People In Largest Health Care Fraud Bust In History

July 1, 2018June 30, 2018 Admin

by Steve Birr Federal officials are charging 601 people, including more than 100 medical workers, for fueling opioid addiction in the largest bust of health care fraud in U.S. history. The Department of Justice revealed the charges Thursday, which were brought as part of an annual effort to dismantle…

Advances in Exoskeleton Technology Could Help Some Walk Again

June 4, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

An accident, a stroke, or a disease can leave someone paralyzed and unable to walk. That happens to more than 15 million people around the world each year. But new technological advances and physical therapy could help some of them walk again. Among the most promising is the use of…

Another Government-Run Website Is Failing, and It’s Not HealthCare.gov

June 2, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

by Joel White Another government website is shortchanging consumers with inaccurate information, enrollment details presented in confusing Washington-speak, the unavailability of human support, and no easy way to search for doctors covered under your plan. No, I’m not talking about HealthCare.gov—though its shortcomings are well-documented—but rather, its older, clumsier…

Supreme Silence In Longrunning Immigrant Abortion Controversy May be Coming to an End

May 21, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

by Kevin Daley After six months, the U.S. Supreme Court has not acted on a Justice Department request to vacate a lower court order requiring President Donald Trump’s administration to facilitate an abortion for an illegal alien and punish ACLU lawyers for allegedly unethical behavior. The Court’s protracted silence…

Trump Is Following Through On His Pledge To Lower Drug Prices, Here’s The Plan

May 12, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

by Steve Birr The Trump administration released its blueprint for lowering skyrocketing prescription drug prices Friday, a strategy that has already saved patients nearly $9 billion. President Donald Trump, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, outlined their four-pronged approach to making medications more affordable during an afternoon press…