Well, damn. I just received a notice that my Medigap plan will be going up by $60/month next month. And yes, I can afford it, and yes, I have the best plan that is offered, but sheesh, that's a big jump.

#Medicare #Medigap #USHealthCare

CounterPunch.org | Idiot Speak: Elon Musk’s Plans for Gutting Social Security and a Universal High Income by Dean Baker

AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.

Dean Baker ridicules Elon Musk’s contradictory rhetoric, noting that Musk’s call for a “universal high income” to offset AI‑driven job loss clashes with his warning that the U.S. government is “going bankrupt” and needs massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Baker points out that if the Treasury could afford generous universal payments, it could also cover existing benefit obligations, and suggests that higher taxes on the ultra‑wealthy or reduced government contracts would address any deficit concerns. He also debunks Musk’s exaggerated claims about millions of dead people receiving benefits and non‑citizens voting, labeling them as absurd and evidence of Musk’s lack of understanding of basic government finance. Ultimately, Baker argues Musk’s statements are nonsensical, contradictory, and unworthy of serious consideration.

Read more: https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/20/idiot-speak-elon-musks-plans-for-gutting-social-security-and-a-universal-high-income/

#ElonMusk #SocialSecurity #Medicare #Artificialintelligence #economics

"A new HHS health advisory committee met very briefly Monday to introduce its members and outline its broad goals for reshaping large parts of the healthcare system...The committee's first meeting, which was livestreamed on Monday afternoon, was slated to run from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m...lasted for only 30 minutes, mainly because several sections took much less time than they were allotted."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/healthpolicy/121328

#healthcare #HHS #cms #medicare #medicaid #CHIP #ACA #obamacare

"President Donald Trump earlier this year bought as much as $680,000 in stock of Eli Lilly, the maker of blockbuster obesity drugs, as the agencies he oversees undertook an agenda that largely benefited the company."

https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/trump-stock-trades-eli-lilly-glp-1-weight-loss-drugs-invest-ethics-disclosures/

#healthcare #PrescriptionDrugs #CMS #medicare #medicaid #USpol #corruption

"Drugmakers and insurers are aiming to take advantage of lawmakers’ worries about affordability to convince them it’s the hospitals they should regulate, and not them, if they want to bring down Americans’ bills. Some of the changes the drugmakers and insurers are pursuing would pad their own profits."

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/17/hospitals-affordability-drugs-insurers-health-care-00924303

#healthcare #hospitals #PhRMA #PrescriptionDrugs #insurance #insurers #medicaid #medicare #CostsOfCare #DrugPrices

#SCOTUS rejects appeals from drug manufacturers, leaving in place Biden-era #Medicare drug price negotiation program

https://www.wavy.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-supreme-court-rejects-appeals-from-drug-manufacturers-over-medicare-price-negotiations/

#Health #BigPharma #USpol