Regular readers of this blog know I love to read. In 1998 I made the only New Year’s resolution I’ve ever kept by reading at least two books per month or 24 books for the year. I’ve kept that resolution for 26 years and have read over 1000 books in that time. (1051) That discipline has immeasurably brightened my life and increased my knowledge of this world we live in; much more than watching television ever could.

It’s become a tradition in recent years for me to publish my list of favorite books I read in the last year. These books are listed in no particular order, but only the best made the list.

1. The Wager – David Grann – This is a terrific book about the shipwreck of the H.M.S. Wager, a British war ship, that ran aground off the coast of South America in 1741. The fate of the ship’s crew should convince any doubters that man is basically evil and needs a Savior to overcome his sinful nature.
2. Red Handed – Peter Schweizer – A very insightful book by the six-time New York Times bestselling investigative journalist. Schweizer presents his most alarming findings to date by revealing the secret deals wealthy Americans have cut to help China build its military, technological, and economic might. Shocking!
3. Trust – Henry Cloud – A fascinating read that helps us all understand the basic currency of all human relationships is TRUST. This renowned psychologist has extensive experience with people in the business world and has used his training and talent to help many solve their human relationship challenges.
4. The Courage to Be Free – Ron DeSantis – As a Floridian, I especially enjoyed this autobiographical book about our Governor who is also a candidate for President. He has great leadership instincts and his success in Florida has made it the #1 state for immigration of Americans from other states.
5. Authentic Influencer – Jonathan Murphy – This is a wonderful book on the life of Barnabas, a leader in the early church, as recorded in the book of Acts. Dr. Murphy gives the reader 15 principles that we can learn from Barnabas to ensure we have a Godly influence on those around us.
6. American Prometheus – Kai Bird and Martin Sherwood – This book chronicles the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Father of the Atomic Bomb, and was the inspiration for the recently released movie “Oppenheimer.” The movie doesn’t really do justice to the complexity of this poorly understood and savagely treated genius who made sure that America won the race to build the first atomic bomb.
7. Killers of the Flower Moon – David Grann – A fascinating read about a segment of our American history that few have heard before. It tells the true story of the murders of dozens of members of the Osage Indians of Oklahoma to steal their sudden wealth when oil was discovered on their tribal lands. It is another example of how men will react given the temptation to steal and even kill when there is no accountability. Also gives the history of the founding of the FBI.
8. Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You Respond – Charles R. Swindoll – A Biblical view of how we tend to respond to life’s ups and downs and how the influence of Jesus in our lives can give us the power to overcome despair through faith. We learn how to make the best of whatever our circumstances.
9. Desert Star – Michael Connelly – If you’re a Harry Bosch fan like me, this book was a much-needed fix. Bosch teams with Renee Ballard to close some very old cold cases of the LAPD. Here’s hoping they’ll make more Bosch films for television.
10. Never Give an Inch – Mike Pompeo – A great read by this former CIA Director and Secretary of State during the Trump administration. He gives valuable insights into the operations behind the scenes of the Trump White House and the many successes they had in foreign policy during those years. Considering the multiple chaotic situations we’re facing now, it definitely gives you a feeling of nostalgia. It also makes you yearn for a leader like Pompeo who “won’t give an inch” when asked to compromise the mission or the principles that made this country great.

That’s it for this past year. I’m looking forward to many new great books in the year ahead. Happy New Year! May you have many happy hours of reading in the year to come.

The Biden Administration war on drug prices is failing; prices are rising, not falling as they would have you believe. I wrote about this in an earlier post in September of this year, called Biden’s War on Drugs.

Just three months later we can already see the disastrous effects of the Biden Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that was supposed to lower drug prices. The Wall Street Journal editorial board says the Medicare drug rebates are actually raising the cost of medicines.

The Biden White House recently proclaimed that the IRA’s drug rebates are already saving seniors money: “President Biden’s prescription drug law cracks down on price gouging from Big Pharma.” What do they mean?

Under the IRA, drug makers must pay Medicare rebates if they raise list prices more than the rate of inflation. If a company increases the price of an immunotherapy by, say, 8% while inflation is increasing at 3%, it must pay Medicare the 5% difference. Co-insurance payments made by patients are then based on the inflation-adjusted price. Sounds good, so far, right?

Rebates are actually deposited in the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance Fund, which is mainly financed by general tax revenue. In other words, politicians, not seniors, are the real beneficiary of the rebates. But the White House doesn’t spin it that way.

Heres’ what the WSJ editors say: “According to the Administration, IRA drug rebates save seniors “as much as $618 per average dose on 47 prescription drugs” (our emphasis). This is deceptive marketing. It’s possible that Medicare co-insurance as a result of the IRA could be hundreds of dollars less on a cancer drug that costs tens of thousands of dollars per dose and whose list price increases by double digits. But most Medicare patients will see little benefit.”

But the real losers are those patients not on Medicare. Privately insured patients will likely pay much more for drugs owing to the rebates. Democrats tacitly conceded this when they drafted the law. They initially planned to apply the IRA inflation rebates to the private insurance market too. That’s because employers worried that drug makers would offset the cost of the Medicare rebates by raising prices for their workers.

This practice is widespread with Medicare in hospital and physician fees. Because Medicare typically pays less than the cost of care, often much less, providers charge privately insured patients more to compensate. While some commercial insurance providers will not pay the higher rates, many do which raises the cost of healthcare. Private health plans paid hospitals 224% of Medicare rates in 2020, according to a Rand Corp. study. Between 2013 and 2018, prices paid to providers increased at double the rate for commercial insurers as for Medicare fee for service.

How does the IRA cause this?

Medicaid’s mandatory rebates—23.1% for brand drugs and 13% for generics off the average manufacturer price—save Medicaid tens of billions of dollars a year. But drug makers have raised prices that privately insured and Medicare patients pay to offset those Medicaid rebates, especially for drugs used mostly by low-income patients. Medicaid rebates have also reduced the already slim margins for making generic drugs, contributing to the current shortages.

While Biden is bragging that the IRA is lowering prices, the facts don’t support his narrative. Prescription drug prices have increased at a faster rate since the IRA passed, even as overall inflation has moderated. Prescription drug prices increased by 2% during the Trump Presidency owing to greater generic competition, yet they’ve increased 5.5% so far under Mr. Biden. In November they rose at an annual rate of nearly 6%.

The WSJ editors ask: “Has the White House considered that the reason Americans don’t believe that the President’s policies have helped them is because they haven’t?”

The Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare, was passed in 2010 without a single Republican vote. One of the provisions of this disastrous healthcare legislation was the federal enticement to expand Medicaid in every state.

In the original form of the bill, every state would have been forced to accept changes in Medicaid. But the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could not coerce the states into conformity. Therefore, each state has to decide on their own if they want to accept the Medicaid changes under ObamaCare.

The ObamaCare “hook” promised “free” Medicaid expansion for the first three years with declining support thereafter. Initially, 27 states accepted this offer – mostly blue states with Democratic governance. But shortly thereafter they began having “buyer’s remorse.” The Associated Press reported in July, 2015, “At least 14 states have seen new enrollments exceed their original projections, causing at least seven to increase their cost estimates for 2017.”

In a 11/10/15 post I wrote, “The AP says that California expected 800,000 new enrollees after the state’s 2013 Medicaid expansion. The real number was 2.3 million. In New Mexico, new enrollment exceeded estimates by 44%. In Oregon actual enrollment exceeded expectations by 73% and in the state of Washington by more than 100%.” 

In my home state of Florida, there was a vicious battle over this issue. I wrote then, “The battle in the state of Florida was even more heated. The Florida Senate tried to fold Medicaid expansion into the state’s annual budget. According to the Florida Senate Committee on Appropriations, the cost to the state taxpayers would be $96.6 million in the first two years, and a yet-to-be-determined amount when the state assumed its full 10% share in 2020.”

Fast forward to today and the issue is still being debated. But now we have ten years of experience to analyze. Brian Blasé, writing in The Wall Street Journal, says, “North Carolina has become the 40th state to succumb to federal cash and adopt ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion for able-bodied working-age adults. A new study from the Paragon Health Institute shows there is little to celebrate. Overall health is unlikely to improve despite this massive increase in public welfare. . . .The evidence against the policy is overwhelming: Expansion leads to a surge in spending but reduces healthcare access for traditional Medicaid enrollees such as low-income children and people with disabilities. And it doesn’t improve health.”

Florida has maintained its resistance to expanding Medicaid and now we who live in Florida can thank Governor Ron DeSantis. Here’s how Blasé describes it: “The Paragon study contains specific estimates for Florida, one of the most populous states that have resisted the policy. If Florida expands Medicaid, some 2.5 million people would newly enroll in the program. Three in 10 Floridians would be on Medicaid, and there would be only 1.5 workers for every Medicaid enrollee. Among people who join Medicaid, 65% would replace private coverage. The cost of expansion to Florida’s state taxpayers would reach $2 billion by the end of the decade. To pay for that, the state would need to raise its sales tax from 6% to 6.4% or significantly cut other public priorities such as education.”

Some might argue that the cost is justified to improve healthcare for low-income residents. I would counter that Medicaid is the worst form of healthcare insurance – and there is evidence that having no insurance at all is better!

Avik Roy, health care blogger for Forbes magazine, has reported the following studies:

• A University of Virginia study found that individuals enrolled in Medicaid are almost twice as likely to die after surgery as privately insured patients, and about one-eighth more likely to die than the uninsured!
• A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that Florida Medicaid patients were 6 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer at less treatable, later stages than the uninsured. Medicaid enrollees were nearly one-third more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and 81 percent more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma at a late stage than the uninsured.
• A study in the journal Cancer found that the mortality rate for Medicaid patients undergoing surgery for colon cancer was more than three times as high as for the privately insured and more than one-fourth higher than for the uninsured
• A study in the Journal of Vascular Surgery found that Medicaid patients treated for vascular problems, including plaque in their carotid arteries and femoral arteries, fared worse than did the uninsured.

The undeniable fact is that being enrolled in Medicaid is worse than having no insurance at all!

Blasé concludes that those 10 states who have avoided the Medicaid expansion have saved their residents from higher taxes that don’t improve healthcare. But it takes courageous state leadership to stand up to the false narrative promoted by our federal government.