Thread about end of life decisions: #EOL
A couple weeks ago, I had a good friend diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma (brain tumor). She underwent surgery. Of course they couldn't get it all and I visited to help her and her children decide on the next steps. 1/x At her follow up, we didn’t know the official diagnosis. Based on the odds I did all the research on glioblastoma treatments. I figured once we had the full picture, we could decide the next steps. Despite surgery, her brain worked well and she had an excellent attitude. 2/x

Why this is a load of 💩💩💩💩💩💩
A short thread...
1. Half of illness has nothing to do with lifestyle. Autoimmune disease, cancer, and even cardiovascular disease in some people is just bad luck.

https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1346105372579397634

2. Yes, lifestyle is an issue in a lot of disease. Try exercising and eating a healthy diet when you work two jobs to make ends meet because you make minimum wage.

And now, for all my #MMT friends and the rest of the world, I continue my review of “The Deficit Myth” by @StephanieKelton – Chapter 5 - “Winning at Trade”
THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE CHAPTER SO FAR. I learned so much. 1/x

https://twitter.com/CarolynMcC/status/1244001106658824192

She starts the chapter explaining current trade dogma and how Trump won the election on trade. @StephanieKelton then explains the bad side effects of NAFTA and how tariffs do nothing to bring jobs back – they just increase the cost of goods. 2/x

I tweeted my review of Chapter 3 of “The Deficit Myth” by @StephanieKelton last week. For a break from reading #CaresAct, emailing our small business clients, and checking on my butterflies, I shall now tweet my review of Chapter 4 “Their Red Ink Is Our Black Ink” 😁 #MMT 1/x

https://twitter.com/CarolynMcC/status/1240080042216038400

In this chapter, @stephaniekelton skewers the myth of “crowding out” and “loanable funds” (Which @PaulKrugman happened to mention these topics in a series of tweets this week. It seemed like he was rationalizing, but I’m not an economist.) 2/x

https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/1243515643531534338

My anger has been simmering for years and now I'm furious. I've written for 8 years about our decimated primary care/public health care system, including lack of preparedness for epidemics. @commonwealthfnd sums it up nicely. #coronavirus 1/x long thread! commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/coro… I first wrote about our lack of preparedness in 2012 @Forbes. A good part of the ACA? Funding had been greatly increased for public health. Guess what? That funding was the first to get cut in the arguments over the ACA. 2/x #pandemics #COVID19 forbes.com/sites/carolynm…

@blacknbluebird9 @StephanieKelton @HyllCris And now we return to Chapter 3 of"The Deficit Myth"
Chapter title "The National Debt (That Isn't)"
@StephanieKelton shares an eye opening fact - our politicians have no idea how our monetary system really works. 1/x @blacknbluebird9 @StephanieKelton @HyllCris Also, politicians love to use the deficit as a scare tactic to get their policy dreams fulfilled, so they have no reason to stop the stupid game of "Woe is me, the deficit is so high!"
2/x

Another story from my clinic for the working uninsured.
62 y/o woman with high blood pressure. Husband had a stroke last year - now home bound, can't work. Was main breadwinner. No insurance, no savings, so thankfully he could get on Medicaid. However... 1/x Wife now working, but can only work part time. Why? If she works too much, he gets kicked off Medicaid. There isn't a job out there she is qualified for that has good health insurance and pays enough to cover the loss of Medicaid. Friends and family help cover their rent. 2/x

Quick story from our free clinic for the working uninsured where I volunteer every other Saturday. cc: @SenSanders @ewarren @StephanieKelton @GOP @JoeBiden @PeteButtigieg @SenSanders @ewarren @StephanieKelton @GOP @JoeBiden @PeteButtigieg Patient - "contract" shrimper in late 50's. We see him for diabetes, high blood pressure. He fell on the boat he worked for early this summer. Really messed up his back - verified by imaging. 2/a few.

Little thread from our free health clinic for the working uninsured:
To be a patient, you must have a job. Most have jobs that put them out of the cost sharing benefit of the ACA, so they would have $6,000 deductibles which they cannot afford since most have chronic illness. 1/x The majority of what we see is diabetes, hypertension, heart and lung disease. Patients are bus drivers, construction workers, cleaning people, landscapers, etc. 2/x

So I have an acquaintance who audits hospital bills. She shared some of the numbers with me. Sickening and shocking. Short thread
cc: @jrovner @KHNews @JoanneKenen An IV bag of Diflucan 200mg - $3,200. But, you can get a 400 mg bag for....
$248. Holy crap. Give someone half a bag.

Thank you for starting the conversation @dawgs_my - you are stating policies here, not really what your goal is for the end result. Let's discuss each of these and see if I can understand your goals and see if we can agree on policies to reach these goals.

https://twitter.com/dawgs_my/status/1095851508053172224

I’ll do one a day, as I have to go to work and be a productive citizen. We’ll tackle your “stop the murder of babies” goal today. From that, I think you mean “stop abortion”, am I correct? cc: @DrJenGunter @PPFA @DrLeanaWen