Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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It’s now the silly season for insurance rates with government agencies, consulting groups, and the media all speculating about next year’s premiums. Will your insurance premiums go up or down this fall? Never before have I seen such intense interest in insurance rates which editors have usually considered a snoozer of a story. It’s no wonder, though, that insurance rates are hot news. They’ve become as politicized as the Affordable Care Act itself. Supporters of Obamacare have focused on what people pay for health coverage—remember all that...
How many times have you walked away from the doctor’s office with a prescription for an antibiotic to treat a cold? Probably many. Over the decades we’ve been conditioned to believe that antibiotics are sort of an insurance policy against some malady that might be worse than a cold or that they will make the nasty symptoms magically disappear. In recent years, study after study has shown that this “just-in-case” medicine comes with oodles of side effects and serious consequences that might make patients think twice before dashing off to the...
How many times have you heard politicians say that no bureaucrat should come between you and your doctor? You and your physician should decide when you need to go to the hospital or when you might want to wait out that cold before taking an antibiotic. At least that’s been the American ideal of the doctor-patient relationship. The reality is something very different. We are reaching a crossroads in this country in terms of physician autonomy, says Dr. Luis Collar who writes on the blog KevinMD.com. In an essay a couple of weeks ago he wrote: ...
When you next eat at McDonald’s, here’s an exercise in consumer choice: Would you choose a Bacon Club House burger with 750 calories, a Big Mac with 550 calories, or the premium McWrap with bacon and grilled chicken giving you 460? You might think twice if you knew that one option gave you 300 calories more than another and, all by itself, proved you with over one third of the calories you need for the day (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). Beginning in the summer 2015, you’ll be able to figure it out. That’s when a provision in the Afforda...