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His Friend, Christian, Reaches Out For Help

Mason, a retired nurse practitioner, sat down for his first session in my office. If first impressions spoke, I viewed a man who looked drained. His eyes were puffy. I thought allergies or lack of sleep. His friend, Christian, had made contact with me. He was worried about his friend. He’d watched from up close and personal a friend’s marriage deteriorating before his eyes. His friend’s avoidance led Christian to reach out for help. Mason agreed to come alone. Perhaps Christian might join us at another session. Hi Mason. Thank you for coming in today. How are you doing? I believe ...

Things More Dangerous Than Most People Think

COVID-19 has been making its way through populations around the world, including the United States. While it can be deadly, it is not nearly the biggest danger we face in America at the moment. Radical leftism has come out in the open and is a clear and present danger to America. Though ongoing riots in our cities are certainly a big deal, the real fundamental problem is that radical leftists have infiltrated most of our important institutions, from education to sports, from many municipal and state governments all the way to the hallowed halls of Congress. The riots continue only ...

The Surreal Economy

When I looked up the meaning of “surreal,” it seemed to me like a good description of our current economy — unreal, strange, dreamlike. Here we are with double digit unemployment, car sales down, the hotel, hospitality and travel industries on their back, airlines with few passengers…and yet the stock market and the economy seem to be just cruising along. It seems like we are in a dreamworld. What is holding up the economy right now? Stock prices are up and interest rates are at an all-time low. There are also “money” reasons — Wall Street generates a lot of money by ...

COVID-19 Pushed Healthcare Into A New Era

For years, health care systems across the United States, including UPMC, have been pushing for telemedicine integration, which connects patients with medical specialists remotely through a secure internet connection. While state legislation and regulations have been slow to catch up with its advantages, COVID-19 has pushed healthcare into a new era of telemedicine. To prevent the virus’s spread while keeping patients and providers safe, telemedicine has served as a critical tool and allowed doctor appointments to continue. Since COVID-19, UPMC has seen a surge in telemedicine ...

This Healthcare ‘Watchdog’ Is No Friend Of Coronavirus Patients

Finally, there’s a bit of good news in the fight against COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration issued an “emergency use authorization” for remdesivir, an anti-viral drug that could help coronavirus patients recover faster. The medicine isn’t a silver bullet, but it’s the first therapy that has shown success in clinical trials. Yet one self-styled healthcare watchdog seems determined to rain on the parade. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, better known as ICER, routinely analyzes the “value” that new drugs provide. On the same day that the FDA ...

It’s Time To Sunset Federal Tax Credits For Wind, Solar

A decade ago, more than 50 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States came from coal-fired generating plants. But by 2016, coal’s No. 1 status had been replaced by natural gas. At the same time, the deployment of renewable energy sources has grown dramatically in recent years and now accounts for 20 percent of installed capacity nationwide. Wind energy, at 8.6 percent, actually passed hydropower this year while solar now accounts for 3.5 percent of installed generation. According to the Energy Information Administration, renewable electricity generation doubled ...