The ACA, Guns and Tests, Oh My
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Amazing Blood Test
What if a single blood test could detect or predict over 60 different diseases, from multiple myeloma to celiac disease, years before symptoms appear? Promising results from a new study demonstrate that this could become a clinical reality.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 42,000 UK Biobank participants, identifying specific protein “signatures” in blood that can signal the presence or risk of 67 conditions. For many diseases, these protein markers were more accurate predictors than traditional clinical assessments.
The study found that for 163 diseases, a biomarker signature of just five proteins predicted disease as well as clinical models. Remarkably, 30 diseases could be identified using a single protein.
This could be particularly useful for detecting rare or hard-to-diagnose conditions. For example, celiac disease, currently diagnosed through invasive testing, could potentially be identified with 80% accuracy using this new test.
Lead author Dr. Claudia Langenberg explained the potential of this research: “We are currently checking how early before disease onset protein changes that are evident at or after diagnosis are seen.” This suggests that these protein signatures could detect diseases years before symptoms appear.
While this research is still in its early stages, it opens up exciting possibilities for preventive medicine. Early detection could lead to earlier interventions, potentially improving outcomes for a wide range of conditions.
However, it’s important to note that this test isn’t available yet. While we await further developments, the study, published in Nature Medicine, demonstrates how rapid advances in medical science will deliver far more personalized, proactive healthcare in the future.
To learn more about this research and its implications for disease detection, jump to “Blood test may detect ‘signatures’ to predict onset of 67 diseases.”
Affordable Care Act Subsidies Set to Expire
Temporary subsidies were originally passed as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021, which included two years of enhanced subsidies (2021 and 2022). The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which passed in 2022, extended these enhanced subsidies for an additional three years, ending after 2025.
The IRA and ARPA’s enhanced health insurance subsidies both increase the amount of financial help available to those already eligible for assistance under the ACA and also newly expand subsidies to middle-income people (with incomes over four times the poverty level, $103,280 for a family of three in 2024), many of whom were previously priced out of coverage. These subsidies, combined with increased funding for outreach and marketing, have led to record-high enrollment in the ACA Marketplaces.
Examine the Kaiser Family Foundation chart below. A single person making anything less than 4 times the federal poverty level would have to cough up almost an extra $1000/year. That will make health insurance unaffordable and unobtainable. When that happens and illness strikes all of us will be responsible for the debt they can’t pay.
The cost of the subsidies is about $33.5 billion/year. Look that’s a lot of money that will be paid to private insurance companies for a bandaid solution to try and keep people healthy. The system is not designed to do that at an affordable price.
Universal Health care does keep people healthy at an affordable price - $400 billion LESS EVERY YEAR (according to the 2020 non-partisan Congressional Budget Report.
Let’s put this under the noses of our Members of Congress and our Senators.
ACTION
Call or email your Senators and Members of Congress and tell them that If they can’t manage ro enact Universal Healthcare, like HR 3421 to save lives and really save money, then they need to extend the subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. .You can reach them at this link, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
Or use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or by texting SIGN PFNYMM to 50409 on your cell phone to send this message.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know that Affordable Care Act subsidies are scheduled to expire in 2025. According to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, that will raise the premiums for these plans by almost $1000 for a single 45 year old when they make less than about 4 times the federal poverty limit.
These subsidies only cost about $33.5 billion yearly and are worth it to make sure that people can stay healthy. It is far more expensive for everyone to allow people to become sicker without insurance, because then we all wind up paying the cost.
Let me point out that the 2020 Congressional Budget Office report on Universal Healthcare discovered that by employing any one of 5 different strategies of a national single payer insurance plan for healthcare that we would save $400 billion EVERY YEAR ON JUST OVERHEAD and that doesn’t include the savings from negotiating every drug’s price. Here is the link for your reference, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56898.
Universal Healthcare would be the best answer for all of us. But at the least I expect you to make sure that those ACA subsidies to not expire. Thank you.”
Firearms Risk
Recall that firearms pose a public health risk, according to the US Surgeon General.
Firearm violence is an urgent public health crisis that has led to loss of life, unimaginable pain, and profound grief for far too many Americans,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “We don’t have to continue down this path, and we don’t have to subject our children to the ongoing horror of firearm violence in America. All Americans deserve to live their lives free from firearm violence, as well as from the fear and devastation that it brings. It will take the collective commitment of our nation to turn the tide on firearm violence.”
There are 72,000 non-fatal firearm injuries yearly, about 200 every day. That’s about one every 7 minutes, 24 hours/day 7 days/week. And that does not count the fatal 48,830 (2021) injuries.
Those 72,000 people mainly wind up in the emergency department taking time from other patients.
Look, this is a safety issue, a public safety issue. Compare, if you drive a car you have to be proficient and pass a test regularly. You have to have insurance. You have to register your car. And only 42,915 (2021) people died in cars.
Extra Credit Action
Use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or by texting SIGN PRSMEA to 50409 on your cell phone to send this message.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know that gun violence has a cost. In 2021 48,830 people died from guns about 6000 more than were killed by cars. And 72,000 suffered non-fatal injuries, about 200/day. That’s about 200 extra people in the hospital emergency room every day.
I want you to take action. We need mandatory gun training and licensing just as we have for cars. We need mandatory liability insurance, just as we have for cars. And we need a universal background check before every gun changes hands.
We sent you there to help us. Now do it. Thank you.”
Lecture/Notes on Private Equity
I have delivered lectures on private equity in the healthcare industry to communities that were seeking to keep public facilities public. If you’d like my presentation or would like me to present to your group just let me know in the comment section.
Resources
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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