U.S. insulin costs per patient nearly doubled from 2012 to 2016: study

Stephan:  Yet another example, if such were needed, that we do not have a healthcare system in the United States, we have an illness profit system. You, your family, your parents, your kids, are just little cows to be milked of cash. Your wellbeing is not a priority. In fact, it's more profitable for this system if you are sick, and chronic illness is best of all because it goes on for a long time. What regularly amazes me these days is how docile Americans are. As long as we have our little shiny things to distract us we stand out in the fields of our lives chewing our cuds, like the Angus I used to breed that stood in my family's fields.

A person with type 1 diabetes incurred annual insulin costs of $5,705, on average, in 2016. The average cost was roughly half that at $2,864 per patient in 2012, according to a report due to be released on Tuesday by the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).

The figures represent the combined amount paid by a patient and their health plan for the medicine and do not reflect rebates paid at a later date.

The increasing cost of insulin has led some patients to put their own health at risk.

In recent months, anecdotal stories have cropped up from family members and patients describing the rationing of the life-saving medication because they could not afford out-of-pocket expenses for insulin. That has also led to some protests outside company headquarters of insulin makers.

HCCI said the jump in spending was driven primarily by higher insulin prices overall and, to a lesser extent, a shift toward more expensive insulin products. Average daily insulin use rose only 3 percent over the same five-year period, the report found.

“It’s not that individuals are using more insulin or that […]

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The red state that loves free college

Stephan:  Here is some lovely good news, and from a most unlikely source. I like this story for many reasons, particularly though because it is a clear proof of the Theorem of Wellbeing.

Motlow State College

LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE – Politically and culturally, the capital of Moore County is about as red-state America as you can get. Its rolling green hills are dotted with farmhouses, old barns and beaten-up trucks; the tiny town square features two barbecue joints and a “Dixie Outfitters” shop hawking Confederate memorabilia. Donald Trump drew 80 percent of the vote, and the county went Republican for the four elections before that.

“It’s a very conservative area,” said Ray Tucker, president of Lynchburg’s Chamber of Commerce. “Farmers and all are typically stand-on-your-own-ish. They don’t believe in social programs. They believe in ‘You eat what you kill.’”

So it might come as a surprise that at Motlow State Community College’s Moore County campus, every local attends for free. In fact, anyone from Tennessee can go for free, courtesy of the state government.

The whole idea of free college in America is a linchpin of progressive politics, pushed by Bernie Sanders in his 2016 campaign and endorsed by any candidate trying to burnish his or her progressive […]

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Solar Farms Shine a Ray of Hope on Bees and Butterflies

Stephan:  Here is some unexpected good news about the bee crisis, as well as another proof of the Theorem of Wellbeing.

NREL scientist Jordan Macknick and Jake Janski, from Minnesota Native Landscapes survey a pollinator test plot planted underneath the photovoltaic array at the Chisago Solar Site, part of the Aurora Solar Project in Minnesota. Credit: Dennis Schroeder National Renewable Energy Lab
Credit: Flickr

The tidy rows of gleaming solar panels at Pine Gate Renewables facility in southwestern Oregon originally sat amid the squat grasses of a former cattle pasture. But in 2017 the company started sowing the 41-acre site with a colorful riot of native wildflowers. The shift was not merely aesthetic; similar projects at a growing number of solar farms around the country aim to help reverse the worrying declines in bees, butterflies and other key pollinating species observed in recent years.

Up to $577 billion in annual global food production relies on pollination by insects and other animals such as hummingbirds and bats, according to the United Nations. But more than half of native bee species (pdf) in the U.S. have seen their numbers drop sharply since 2005, […]

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My Evangelical Church Is Gaslighting Me, But I Refuse To Fall For It Anymore

Stephan:  Over the weekend I read several dozen amazing stories by supposed Christian leaders in support of Trump. I say supposed because personally on the basis of their words and actions I don't consider these people Christians at all. It all culminated when I came across a report on a letter they are signing in support of Steve King. Yes, that Steve King. And, then, this morning, I came across the following report from inside the christofascist bubble. Oh, who signed that letter supporting King? Here's the list up to this morning. Tom DeLay Former Majority Leader United States House of Representatives Dr. James Dobson Janet L. Porter President & Founder Faith2Action Dr. Rick Scarborough Founder Vision America Dick Bott Founder, Bott Radio Network Andy Schlafly Phyllis Schlafly Eagles Troy Newman Operation Rescue Matt Barber Co-Founder and General Counsel Christian Civil Rights Watch Stephen Strang CEO Charisma Media Pastor Paul Blair President Reclaiming America for Christ Lance Wallnau CEO Lance Learning Group Rena Lindevaldsen Professor Liberty University School of Law Dr. Jim Garlow Rosemary Schindler Garlow International Pro-Family Leader Pastor Stephen E. Broden Black Pro-Life Coalition President Protect Life and Marriage Mary Drabik President South Florida Bible College Sandy Rios Director of Governmental Affairs American Family Association Steven F. Hotze, M.D. Conservative Republicans of Texas John R. Diggs, Jr., M.D. National Conservative Leader Cynthia Dunbar National Committeewoman RNC Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter, Executive Director Help Rescue Our Children Father Stephen Imbarrato LifeMinistriesUS Frank Gaffney Founder and President Center for Security Policy Bill Johnson President American Decency Association James Michael Francis Komaniecki President, CEO Restore American Liberty Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt, PhD Pray in Jesus Name Ministries Nationally Syndicated PIJN NEWS (in 54 million homes) Ed Martin President Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagles Beni Johnson Bethel, Redding, CA Bill Federer Best Selling Author, National Speaker Joe Shrewsbury The Obadiah Fellowship Pastor Rodney Lord Sr. Pastor Freedom Gate Church Marietta, Ohio Randall Murphree, American Family Association Journal Larry Pratt National Conservative Leader Pastor Kevin Folger Cleveland Baptist Church Rachelle Heidlebaugh Witness Scott Lively President Scott Lively Ministries Brian Camenker President Mass Resistance Art Ally President, The Timothy Plan Lori Viars Chairman Warren County Republican Party Central Committee Pastor Ernie Sanders What’s Right What’s Left Radio Ministry (12 million) Golda Ross Morningstar Willem McAndrews Obadiah Fellowship Ann C. Eubank Alabama Legislative Wachdogs Caleb Moore President Conservative States of America PAC Mauren Hendricks Intercessors of South Carolina Cathy Martin Fort Mill, Republicans South Carolina Thom Smith President Early Light Fund Peter Han LA House of Prayer Pastor Mark Valenti People’s Baptist Church Lisa Pannett The Sanity Project Jim Walchle Films4Flyovers, Inc. Marian DuVall Freedom Gate Church Steve Baer Former President United Republican Fund of Illinois Ron Feathers Washington County Ohio Commissioner Mike Foreman Pastor Rejoicing Life Church Stacy Lynn Harp Bible News Radio Twanna Aman Executive Director Broward County Right to Life Scott Ross President Healed by Love Amy Contrada Research Director, Mass Resistance Pastor Justin Perry MorningStar Fellowship Church Pastor Dean The Life Center Tom Trento President & Founder The United West Craig Bergman President Fair Taxation for America Bonnie Jones Bonnie Jones Ministries July Busby President and Founder Malachi Stephanie Cartin Global Intercessors Mark Gurley Director Michigan Oak Initiative Pastor Jeff and Mary Jane Kolodziej Founders Psalmist Global Jason Jones President Movie to Movement Rev. Bill Niesmith Founder & President Harvest Light Ministries Glenn Newman Past President Ohio Liberty Coalition Founder Marietta OH 9-12 Project Founder GOV Connector Monica Rylski Turn Around Toys Kayla Moore President Foundation for Moral Law Peter LaBarbera President and Founder Americans for Truth Judd Saul Vice President Patriots for Christ Melanie Moore Director Ashland Pregnancy Care Center Monica Rylski Turn Around Toys Rich Swingle Actor, International Speaker Jeremy Salupo President & Founder Elevate Larry Cirignano 40 Days for Life Capitol Hill Dr. Joel Brind Co-founder Breast Cancer Prevention Institute Natural Food Science, LLC. Gregory Quinlan President The Center for Garden State Families Bobby Radeck Former State Director Concerned Women for America of Ohio V. Rev. Dr. Mark Hodges Saint Stephen Orthodox Church, The Orthodox Church in America Pastor Mark Able Senior Pastor Southview Grace Brethren Church Tom Trento President & Founder The United West Martin Angell A Choice for Every Child Foundation

I don’t sleep through the night anymore. I suffer from near daily panic attacks and almost constant anxiety. The source of my joy, my security and my identity has vanished, leaving me with an angry grief that almost no one in my immediate circle understands. I have relationships that were once life-giving but have turned toxic. I feel manipulated, deceived and abused. And why?

The church that raised me is gaslighting me.

I am a 39-year-old, white, straight, suburban mom. And I am a Christian ― at least I think I still am. I grew up in a privileged bubble, in deep red Republican country, where identifying as a Christian didn’t set me apart from the majority of my peers. Being a Christian certainly wasn’t any risk to my life or reputation. I spent my childhood in Sunday school, church camp and youth group, learning Bible stories about heroes who battled a giant with a slingshot, survived a lions’ den due to unshakable […]

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Twins get some ‘mystifying’ results when they put 5 DNA ancestry kits to the test

Stephan:  DNA profiling to get your family history is the new hot thing. The problem is what you get may be bogus. On what evidence do I say this? Read this story. Buyer beware.

Marketplace host Charlsie Agro, left, and her identical twin sister, Carly, check out some DNA ancestry results.
Credit: CBC

One set of identical twins, two different ancestry profiles.

At least that’s the suggestion from one of the world’s largest ancestry DNA testing companies.

Last spring, Marketplace host Charlsie Agro and her twin sister, Carly, bought home kits from AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA and Living DNA, and mailed samples of their DNA to each company for analysis.

Despite having virtually identical DNA, the twins did not receive matching results from any of the companies.

In most cases, the results from the same company traced each sister’s ancestry to the same parts of the world — albeit by varying percentages.

But the results from California-based 23andMe seemed to suggest each twin had unique twists in their ancestry composition.

According to 23andMe’s findings, Charlsie has nearly 10 per cent less “broadly European” ancestry than Carly. She also has French and German ancestry (2.6 per cent) that her sister doesn’t share.

The identical twins also apparently […]

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