Category: Health

Hooray– Oh, Wait

Bureaucracy, Corporate Fuckery, Gummint, Health

Here’s some good news:

Drugs used to treat cancer, diabetes and other chronic conditions are among 15 picked for negotiations that could result in lower prices for patients, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Friday.

The 15 drugs selected by HHS are all covered under Medicare Part D and represent the second round of negotiations between drug companies and the department, with a goal of lowering costs for Medicare patients.

And the good news:

Popular diabetes drugs Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy, which are also used for weight loss are among the 15 announced Friday.

Hooray!  Let me tell you, as one who has to take Ozempic for diabetes (at $60 per shot per week), this is welcome.

But wait!  There’s more!

Negotiations between the government agency and drug companies will take place this year with any agreed upon price changes taking effect in 2027.

…by which time I could be dead.  How nice.  Even better:

Drug manufacturers can choose whether or not to enter negotiations with the government for a collective price for Medicare patients.

Any bets as to who will decline the offer?

Feelin’ Groovy

Health, Old Age, Old Fartism

This is one of those boffins’ studies which ordinarily make my eyes glaze over (MEGO):

Drawing on data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, the findings reveal that today’s older adults demonstrate better physical and mental functioning than their counterparts of earlier generations at the same age.

…but in my case, I have to say that I agree with the thing’s conclusion, just by comparing myself now to myself back then.

I not only feel the same as I did when I was 60, a decade ago, but I actually feel better.

In no small degree, I think this is because I’ve lost so much weight (thank you, Ozempic) and my health stats seem to have massively improved.

My mood has improved since November 2024 too (for obvious reasons) but beyond that, I feel as though I haven’t aged at all.  Hell, sometimes I think I’m better off now than I was at fifty.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the range.  (No, not to the gym;  the hell with that shit.)

Seasonally Appropriate

Health

Seeing as health insurance companies are in focus all of a sudden, this seems appropriate:

And (from Sarah):

More on this topic later in the week.  I see that they’ve apparently caught the asshole who shot that CEO in NYfC, so there’s that.  But there’s a deeper issue, which I want to explore.

Medical Advice

Health, Men & Women

Via Insty:

The article talks about “90 seconds” in terms of its duration, but who the hell can keep going for that long?  We’re not animals, you know.

So ladies:  the next time the old man asks for a little quickie, he’s really doing it for your own good.  Even better if it’s cowgirl.

Annual Physical Time

Health

Off to the doctor’s office…

Update:  all good, subject to the blood test results.  I have to admit in passing that physically, I feel better than I have in years.  I feel better now, in fact, than I did in my late 50s.

Healthy Drinks

Health

…or not, as recently revealed by A Doctor:

A Harvard and Stanford trained gastroenterologist has revealed four scary facts about diet soda — and why you may not want to drink them anymore.

I’ll spare you the need to click on the link.  Diet pops (Diet Coke, -Pepsi, whatever) mess with the following:

  • Heart
  • Kidneys
  • Gut biome
  • and make you crave chocolate (or something like that)

Of course, they all taste like shit, without exception, so there’s also that.  In my experience, people who claim the opposite have generally been drinking them for an extended period — i.e. their taste buds have become accustomed to that battery acid tang.  I tried a couple of them, many years ago, and found that they made me thirstier than I was before drinking them.

For those who read John Sandford’s Prey  novels, this will come as Bad News to ace detective Lucas Davenport, who seemingly chugs a Diet Coke with every meal.  Then again, he also drinks that foul Leinenkugel beer, so his taste in drinks is questionable at best.