Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs improperly accessed the medical records of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and Democrat vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, both veterans.
At least a dozen employees are now under criminal investigation for violating federal health privacy laws, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/30/vance-walz-medical-records-breach-va/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Officials from the VA notified the Vance and Walz campaigns about the records breach after it was discovered.
“We reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records. We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records,” VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/30/us-news/va-staffers-improperly-peeked-at-medical-records-of-vance-and-walz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post. “Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Sources familiar with the investigation told the Washington Post that employees of the agency’s healthcare sector, the Veterans Health Administration, accessed the records.
The office of the VA inspector general reportedly provided evidence to federal prosecutors showing multiple employees accessing the information. Among those who accessed the information were a physician and a contractor who looked through the candidates’ medical files.
The files were accessed using VA computers from government offices, and investigators are trying to determine whether either of the candidates’ health records have been shared.
The breach was uncovered last month during a routine review of the department’s high-profile accounts, the Post reported.
It is currently unclear what motivated the individuals to access the files, though some have said they were merely curious. Those who accessed the medical files reportedly didn’t have access to disability compensation records, which are kept more securely.
When VA Secretary Denis McDonough learned of the breach, he sent a department-wide memo reminding employees about privacy.
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“Veterans trust us to respect their privacy and protect the confidentiality of their information,” he wrote, according to a copy obtained by the New York Post. “We earn this trust by adhering to our core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence in everything we do – and by making sure that that we follow all laws and policies when accessing and safeguarding Veteran data.”
If found to have violated federal privacy laws, the employees could face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
This is the first election since 1996 in which both vice presidential candidates are veterans. Vance is a Marine Corps veteran who worked in public affairs and was deployed to Iraq for six months between 2005 and 2006. Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years and retired after learning his unit could be sent to Iraq, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walz-embellished-and-selectively-omitted-facts-about-his-military-career-retired-national-guardsmen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. He also repeatedly lied about his rank when he retired, as he failed to meet the conditions to maintain a Command Sergeant rank and, therefore, retired as a Master Sergeant.

Veterans Affairs

Veterans Affairs Scandal: Medical Records Of VP Candidates Vance And Walz Improperly Accessed

Department of Veterans Affairs

Health

JD Vance

Politics

Tim Walz

Drew Pinsky, commonly known as Dr. Drew, spoke with Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro on the latest episode of the “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/the-decay-of-the-american-medical-establishment-dr-drew-pinsky-member-exclusive">Sunday Special</a>” and discussed the media’s silence on the health questions surrounding President Joe Biden and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 
Dr. Drew, who was heard on the radio and seen on network television for decades, revealed to Shapiro how the higher-ups at HLN and CNN started to censor him beginning in 2016. 
“What lines did you cross at CNN and HLN that made you persona non grata over there?” Shapiro asked. 
The doctor said that he was a regular guest on Don Lemon’s CNN show during the 2016 presidential election and was frequently asked about Donald Trump’s state of mind. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/the-decay-of-the-american-medical-establishment-dr-drew-pinsky-member-exclusive">WATCH THE ‘BEN SHAPIRO SHOW SUNDAY SPECIAL’ WITH DR. DREW</a>
He told Shapiro that CNN also asked him to give his analysis of then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s health. Dr. Drew said there were multiple things in Clinton’s public medical records that concerned him and he addressed them in a 30-second clip.
“I had lots of questions about what her doctors were doing,” he said. “So I did 30 seconds on why I thought there were concerns about her medical care, not that she was unfit for office, not that there was anything wrong with her physically or mentally, just that these medical records made me very concerned.” 
Dr. Drew said his analysis of Clinton’s health questions was picked up by news outlets and aggregators, including Drudge Report, the next day. After his comments on Clinton&#8217;s health, Dr. Drew said “the highest echelons at CNN&#8221; started telling him to &#8220;Shut up.”
He added that following his comments on Clinton’s health, he “was never allowed to speak again on that network.” 
Shapiro chimed in saying that in 2008, when Republican John McCain was running for president at 72 years old, it was perfectly fine for people to raise questions about his health. But in 2016 and 2020, speculating about Clinton after she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhf1HGaAFfg">appeared to collapse</a> getting into a van and about Biden as he struggled to speak, “was considered completely out of bounds.” 
“You were not allowed to talk about [Biden’s] age … and then for three long years, we were told that you’re not allowed to ask anything about what’s going on with him,” Shapiro added. 
Dr. Drew said that medical students train by watching videos of people who show signs of Parkinson’s “like Joe Biden,” adding that it’s not a diagnosis of Parkinson’s, but rather “describing what we’re seeing.” 
“We’re seeing Parkinsonism,” he said.

Ben Shapiro/Dr. Drew

Dr. Drew, Ben Shapiro Discuss How Legacy Media Censored Questions About Dems’ Health

Ben Shapiro

Hillary Clinton

Joe Biden

Legacy Media

Sunday Special

A group of nearly two dozen state attorneys general is warning the American Academy of Pediatrics that it may be breaking the law by continuing to recommend puberty blockers to children who are unhappy with their biological gender despite evidence the drugs cause harm.
On Tuesday, the 21 attorneys general, led by Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, sent a <a href="https://attorneygeneralofidaho-my.sharepoint.com/personal/isaac_considine_ag_idaho_gov/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fisaac%5Fconsidine%5Fag%5Fidaho%5Fgov%2FDocuments%2F00%20%2D%20PR%2F2024%2D09%2D24%20AAP%20Letter%2F2024%2D09%2D24%20AAP%27s%20Compliance%20with%20State%20Consumer%20Protection%20Laws%2Epdf&amp;parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fisaac%5Fconsidine%5Fag%5Fidaho%5Fgov%2FDocuments%2F00%20%2D%20PR%2F2024%2D09%2D24%20AAP%20Letter&amp;ga=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> warning the Academy that it may be violating a slew of state consumer protection laws.
The group put the Academy &#8220;on notice for possible violations of state consumer protection statutes over its evidence free standards on gender dysphoria care for minors,&#8221; the attorneys general <a href="https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/attorney-general-labrador-challenges-american-academy-of-pediatrics-to-disclose-gender-dysphoria-guidance-and-methodology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement.
&#8220;Most concerning, AAP claims that the use of puberty blockers on children is safe and reversible,&#8221; the group wrote, calling that claim &#8220;misleading and deceptive.&#8221;
The Academy&#8217;s guidance is based &#8220;more on political pressure and agendas rather than medical efficacy and sound medical judgement,&#8221; the group wrote.
The attorneys general are demanding the Academy submit specific documentation for its ongoing recommendations of the powerful drugs for gender dysphoric children.
&#8220;Telling parents and children that puberty blockers are &#8216;reversible&#8217; at the very least conveys assurance that no permanent harm or change will occur,&#8221; the attorneys general wrote in their letter. &#8220;But that claim cannot be made in the face of the unstudied and &#8216;novel&#8217; use of puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria.&#8221;
&#8220;We expect you will address this matter with the same seriousness that we are, and we look forward to receiving your response soon,&#8221; the group wrote.
The Academy represents 67,000 pediatricians across the country.
Puberty blockers can <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/in-depth/pubertal-blockers/art-20459075">affect</a> bone growth and density and cause sexual dysfunction, voice damage, and infertility, among other issues. Cross-sex hormones, often given to children after they take puberty blockers, which can be estrogen or testosterone can <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/transgender-young-people-in-u-s-have-nearly-doubled-recently-report-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cause</a> infertility, deadly blood clots, heart attacks, increased cancer risks of the breasts and ovaries, liver dysfunction, worsening psychological illness, and other serious conditions.
In Europe, several countries including England, Finland, and Sweden have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/puberty-blockers-ban-upheld-by-british-court">pumped</a> the brakes on transgender medical interventions for children, including both puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
The attorneys general cites the Cass review, the landmark <a href="https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> commissioned by England’s National Health Service, which recommended halting the prescription of puberty blockers due to their effects on brain development and bone health.
In April, the Tavistock clinic, England’s only youth gender identity clinic, officially closed its doors after being dogged by controversy for years.
The clinic, the biggest in the world, <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2024/03/inside-the-collapse-of-the-tavistock-centre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">referred</a> thousands of children for puberty blockers. In its last years, Tavistock began to see an increasing flood of young girls with gender-related distress asking for drugs despite having other mental issues like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and histories of abuse.
In May, a British high court upheld Britain’s ban on puberty blockers.
At least 25 U.S. states have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nebraska-supreme-court-upholds-bans-on-abortion-transgender-surgeries-for-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> restrictions on transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors.
The Cass review also warned that children who are referred to gender services come with high rates of abuse and neglect, including sexual abuse and parental substance abuse.

Hormonal pills after gender reassignment

‘Evidence Free’: Puberty Blocker Recommendation May Break Law, 21 AGs Warn Pediatrician Group

'Evidence Free': Puberty Blocker Recommendation May Break Law, 21 AGs Warn Pediatrician Group

American Academy of Pediatrics

Attorney General

Gender

Health Care

Transgender

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Washington state now requires physicians to take health equity classes on a regular basis or lose their licenses.
Doctors, nurses, dentists, veterinarians, and <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=18" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite%3D18&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1727315846806000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Uts3k0Zr6kDUqTrU522U4">other</a> health professionals are required to complete health equity &#8220;continuing education&#8221; under a new state law that went into effect in December.
Proponents of health equity claim that health differences between demographic groups are the result of systemic oppression and discrimination.
The health equity classes <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=43.70.613" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite%3D246-12-830&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1727315846806000&amp;usg=AOvVaw32qxq4RTvn-tag8G5kRfKA">teach</a> doctors about &#8220;structural factors&#8221; like &#8220;bias, racism, and poverty&#8221; that manifest as &#8220;health inequities.&#8221; The classes must also involve &#8220;self-reflection&#8221; on how a doctor&#8217;s &#8220;social position can influence their relationship with patients.&#8221;
Depending on the class, doctors will also take &#8220;implicit bias training&#8221; to reduce their bias during diagnosis, learn how to ensure &#8220;equity and antiracism&#8221; in caring for their patients, and learn &#8220;structural humility.&#8221; Doctors will also learn how to recognize &#8220;patterns of health care disparities&#8221; and how &#8220;communication styles differ across cultures,&#8221; as well as take &#8220;cultural safety training.&#8221;
&#8220;These skills enable a health care professional to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities, varying in race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, religion, age, ability, socioeconomic status, and other categories of identity,&#8221; the new law <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=43.70.613" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>.
Healthcare workers must take at least two hours of health equity training every four years, although some Washington medical boards require more hours, the Washington Department of Health confirmed in an email.
One of the available health equity classes is <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/public-health-provider-resources/healthcare-professions-and-facilities/health-equity-continuing-education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">titled</a> &#8220;Racism, Bias, and Other Determinants of Health,&#8221; and another is &#8220;Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals.&#8221;
Washington&#8217;s health department is clear that &#8220;equity and equality are not the same.&#8221;
&#8220;Equality gives everyone the same resources while equity gives people the resources they need,&#8221; the health department&#8217;s website <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/public-health-provider-resources/healthcare-professions-and-facilities/health-equity-continuing-education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>. &#8220;With equity, everyone has the same opportunities as others. Research shows that inequities are part of the health care system and have always existed.&#8221;
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become ubiquitous in many workplaces, including the corporate world, education, and government. In recent years, health equity has popped up more in state and hospital medical policies.
One Boston hospital <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/updating-system-policies-perinatal-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited</a> &#8220;health equity&#8221; in its decision earlier this year to stop filing child abuse reports for pregnant mothers using drugs because &#8220;Black pregnant people are more likely to be drug tested.&#8221;
Back in 2022, at least three states, New York, Minnesota, and Utah, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/food-and-drug-administration-drives-racial-rationing-of-covid-drugs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prioritized</a> minorities for often scarce COVID remedies like monoclonal antibodies and oral antivirals.
Affirmative action, another DEI objective, was struck down by the Supreme Court last year, but some are still <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-mayo-clinic-lawyer-helps-medical-professionals-push-dei-despite-supreme-court-ruling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushing</a> for doctors to be recruited based on their race.
The Mayo Clinic&#8217;s legal counsel was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-mayo-clinic-lawyer-helps-medical-professionals-push-dei-despite-supreme-court-ruling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caught</a> on audio last month saying that without a &#8220;diverse medical staff,&#8221; they &#8220;can’t effectively provide the best culturally competent care to our patient population.&#8221;
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Rear view of doctors standing arms crossed

Doctors Must Do Equity Training To Keep License In Washington State Under New Law

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Equity

LGBT

LGBTQ

Race

Social Issues

Washington

The Trump campaign is looking into reports of rallygoers in Tucson, Arizona, experiencing a mysterious illness and what appear to be chemical burns after attending former President Donald Trump&#8217;s campaign event last week.
Around 20 people who were sitting on stage near where Trump entered the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall on September 12 said that in the hours after the rally, they became sick, the Arizona Globe <a href="https://arizonaglobe.com/fl/tucson-trump-rally-sparks-backlash-mysterious-illness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Most of those who reported a mystery illness were a part of the &#8220;Latinos for Trump&#8221; group. Symptoms included swelling in the face, blurred vision, and burning eyes.
NBC 4 Tucson reported that 48 people were allowed to sit on the stage behind Trump as he spoke, and it appeared that the only people who reported experiencing severe symptoms were sitting on Trump&#8217;s right. Trump&#8217;s Tucson rally took place just three days before the Secret Service fired on a gunman who appeared to be sitting in wait to take shots at the former president at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
A local pastor, Eli Moreno, and his wife, Francesca, said they were both affected by the illness. Pastor Moreno had opened the rally in prayer before he joined his wife and others who were seated on stage. Francesca said her nose started running, her face swelled, and her vision became blurry as they were driving home from the Trump rally. The couple reportedly stopped at a Walgreens store to find something to ease Francesca&#8217;s discomfort and met another person with similar symptoms who had attended the rally.
Another Trump supporter, Mayra Rodriguez — a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-worked-at-planned-parenthood-for-17-years-heres-why-i-am-saying-no-to-kamala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former Planned Parenthood employee</a> and Hillary Clinton supporter — said she went to the emergency room after experiencing burning eyes and an intense headache and couldn&#8217;t even open her eyes after making it to the hospital. A doctor evaluated Rodriguez and said she had suffered a chemical burn, the Arizona Globe reported.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
&#8220;The emergency room staff [were asking] &#8216;Are you sure you weren&#8217;t sprayed by anything? Your symptoms look like you were sprayed by something.'&#8221;
Rodrigeuz told NBC 4 in an interview the morning after the Trump rally that she &#8220;can&#8217;t see anything,&#8221; adding that &#8220;it hurts a lot to open my eyes.&#8221; Rogriguez also said she told the Trump campaign about her symptoms and was informed that the campaign is looking into it.
&#8220;The Trump campaign has been collecting information. We remain committed to the countless patriots that attend our high-energy, high-impact rallies across the country,&#8221; Senior Trump Campaign Adviser Danielle Alvarez said.
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A MYSTERIOUS TOXIN AT THE TRUMP RALLY IN ARIZONA LAST WEEK SENT 20 AUDIENCE MEMBERS TO EMERGENCY ROOMS
Around 20 people at Trump’s Tucson rally suddenly fell ill, reporting blurry vision and swelling. One person was even diagnosed with a chemical burn!
All of them were seated… <a href="https://t.co/ZtTFqI6ggO">pic.twitter.com/ZtTFqI6ggO</a>
— Rob Vendetti (@rob_vendetti) <a href="https://twitter.com/rob_vendetti/status/1836612972967239858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump Speaks On The Economy In Tucson, Arizona

Team Trump ‘Collecting Info’ After Rallygoers Report Blurred Vision, Burning Eyes, Chemical Burn

Trump Campaign 'Collecting Info' After Rallygoers Report Blurred Vision, Burning Eyes, Chemical Burn

2024 Election

Arizona

Donald Trump

Trump Supporters

Major pharmacies were urged on Monday by 17 Republican state financial officers to disregard calls from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> officials to start offering the widely-used abortion drug mifepristone for sale.
In letters to the CEOs of Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, and McKesson, the Republican officials said that selling mifepristone would be a bad business decision that would alienate customers. They argued that the pharmacies would be wading into political activism if they started offering mifepristone, which is used in more than half of all abortions. 
“This radical position ignores all of the business decisions that go into whether to sell a particular product — decisions that should be made by Albertsons’ leadership based on how it will serve their customers. Your competitor, Costco, also recently admitted that there was no material demand for the drug,” they wrote in a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/SFOF-Letter-re-NYC-Comptroller-ALBERTSONS.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran.
The letters come after NYC Comptroller Brad Lander <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/nyc-comptroller-presses-pharmacy-giants-to-provide-abortion-medication-or-risk-losing-investor-confidence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> the retailers in July to move to offer mifepristone for sale or risk losing consumer confidence. Lander noted that NYC pension funds have about $1.3 billion in ownership in the retailers.
“Companies do best when they provide excellent goods and services to their customers, not when they adopt divisive stances on contentious political issues. We are calling on Albertsons to fulfill that purpose and to ignore activist efforts like the New York City Comptrollers,’” the financial officers wrote. 
The letter was signed by the financial officers of Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. 
“As public officials who oversee various aspects of the financial interests of our own states, state employees, and citizens whom we represent, we find these actions to be inappropriate,” they wrote. “Pushing political issues onto companies harms business, weakens investor fiduciary standards, and is detrimental to the ultimate beneficiaries who depend on strong economic results for their retirement.”
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Last month, Christian and conservative investors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservative-investors-urge-retail-giants-not-to-sell-widely-used-abortion-drug" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a similar call</a> for the pharmacies to rebuff Lander’s recommendations.
Mifepristone has been increasingly used for abortions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, especially in conservative states with strong pro-life protections where abortion has largely been banned. 
A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-leftist-networks-flood-red-states-with-risky-abortion-pills-with-no-consequences" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Wire investigation</a> earlier this year found that a network of Left-wing activist groups are flooding red states with abortion pills. People can ​​circumvent state laws with access to the internet, a willingness to make payments online, and a shipping address.

Grand Opening At A New Wal-Mart Store

GOP Officials Urge Pharmacies To Rebuff New York’s Call To Sell Abortion Pills

Abortion

Costco

New York

Pro-Life Movement

U.S.

Walmart

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jamie-foxx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Foxx</a> said he will open up about the “serious health scare” that landed him in the hospital in 2023 at his upcoming stand-up show, “One More Chance: An Evening with Jamie Foxx.”
In a post on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_bajeySJuO/">Instagram</a> from the 56-year-old actor/comedian, Foxx wrote with a tease: “What Had Happened Was”: “An Evening with Jamie Foxx” that will take place October 3, 4, and 5 in Atlanta.
“Join us for an unforgettable one-man show as Jamie Foxx takes the stage to share his journey through a serious health scare, filled with humor, heart, and inspiration!” the post read.
“Experience Jamie Foxx like never before in this intimate and engaging performance, as he opens up about his struggles, triumphs, and everything in between,” it added. “Get ready for a night of laughter, reflection, and genuine connection.”
It comes more than a year after the actor was hospitalized in April 2023 for what, at the time, was described as a “medical complication” by his daughter, actress Corrine Foxx, in a post on Instagram.
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<a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_bajeySJuO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jamie Foxx (@iamjamiefoxx)</a>
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In Corrine’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actor-jamie-foxx-hospitalized-due-to-medical-complication">original post</a>, she wrote, “From the Foxx Family: We wanted to share that, my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday. Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time. Much love, The Foxx Family.”
Since that time, very little information as to what Foxx went through those weeks in the hospital has been released.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-L2DitSaIUj5wz8v0bgxx">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jamie-foxx-talks-health-scare-says-he-awoke-waking-with-no-memory-of-how-he-landed-in-hospital">Foxx</a> was caught on camera while in Phoenix speaking a bit about what he went through, sharing with fans that he recalled asking for an Advil because of a headache and woke up 20 days later with no memory of what happened.
“April of last year, I had a bad headache,” Foxx said in a clip posted on <a href="https://x.com/ArtOfDialogue_/status/1807761080455995750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1807761080455995750%7Ctwgr%5Ea944989a1f4a308e65ee370aa56e951375f9764a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vibe.com%2Fnews%2Fentertainment%2Fjamie-foxx-2023-hospitalization-reason-1234890802%2F">X</a>. “I asked my boy for an Advil.”
Foxx then snapped his fingers and told the crowd, “I was gone for 20 days … I don’t remember anything.”
“So they told me, I’m in Atlanta, and they told me, my sister and my daughter took me to the first doctor,” Foxx continued, saying that the doctor ended up giving him a cortisone shot.
“Next doctor said, ‘Something is going on up there,’” Foxx added as he pointed to his head.
Foxx did not want to say what exactly the doctor said.
“Yeah, I don’t want to say on camera, but it was…” he added as he trailed off.
During the star’s acceptance speech in March at the 7th Annual AAFCA Special Achievement Awards, Foxx promised to open up about what he went through in 2023.
“I’m so thankful and I get emotional because it’s beyond the scope,” Foxx said during an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dire-straits-jamie-foxx-promises-to-open-up-about-near-death-health-scare">acceptance speech</a>. “I had some people in my life that really made sure I was here because it was dire straits.&#8221;
&#8220;I take things differently now because you just don’t know,&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/extratv/status/1764753722599788812?s=20">added</a>. “Everybody wants to know what happened and I’m gonna tell you what happened but I got to do it in my way.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jamie-foxx-talks-health-scare-says-he-awoke-waking-with-no-memory-of-how-he-landed-in-hospital" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Foxx Talks Health Scare, Waking Up With No Memory Of 20-Day Period</a>

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx Says He Will Open Up About His ‘Serious Health Scare’ At Stand-Up Show

Jamie Foxx Says He Will Open Up About His 'Serious Health Scare’ At Stand-Up Show

Celebrities

Comedy

Entertainment

Hollywood

The woman who blew the whistle on child sex changes at Texas Children&#8217;s Hospital says she has been fired.
Nurse Vanessa Sivadge was one of several whistleblowers who reportedly revealed details about the Houston hospital performing sex change procedures on children as young as 11, as well as alleged Medicaid fraud related to sex changes for minors.
Sivadge said she was fired on Friday &#8220;effective immediately&#8221; in a message to City Journal’s Christopher Rufo, who broke the story of her whistleblower allegations. Rufo posted her message to social media on Monday.
&#8220;No regrets,&#8221; Sivadge posted in response.
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No regrets. <a href="https://t.co/0IgFUwPcCQ">https://t.co/0IgFUwPcCQ</a>
&mdash; Vanessa Sivadge (@V_Sivadge) <a href="https://twitter.com/V_Sivadge/status/1825580932385956052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I was fired for blowing the whistle on taxpayer dollars being used to cover cross sex hormones at the largest children’s hospital in the world. My family has taken a hit for speaking out and while I have no regrets, any help would be appreciated: <a href="https://t.co/9pIcsCGZUC">pic.twitter.com/9pIcsCGZUC</a>
&mdash; Vanessa Sivadge (@V_Sivadge) <a href="https://twitter.com/V_Sivadge/status/1825624018382450934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Sivadge said back in May that she requested a religious accommodation to transfer from the endocrinology clinic to the cardiology clinic so that she would no longer have to participate in putting children on cross-sex hormones.
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However, she was put on leave the day after her whistleblower allegations went public. Texas Children&#8217;s cited her claims and her request for religious accommodation, she said.
&#8220;This is unlawful for two reasons: it is retaliation for my coming forward with information on TCH&#8217;s egregious pattern of deception and Medicaid fraud, and this action also illegally disregarded my request to transfer due to my belief that these procedures bring irreversible harm and lifelong regret to children confused about their sex,&#8221; Sivadge said.
Sivadge said she would like to challenge her firing but is currently relying on donations from the public for her legal fees.
Earlier this year, Sivadge went public with allegations that Texas Children&#8217;s was openly committing Medicaid fraud when it came to cross-sex hormones for children.
&#8220;I saw some examples of providers who were intentionally misdiagnosing transgender patients for the purpose of justifying those cross-sex hormones,&#8221; Sivadge <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sJUZPB2yrI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during an appearance on &#8220;Relatable&#8221; with Allie Beth Stuckey last month.
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&#8220;A healthy, 16-year-old male was said to have an estrogen deficiency as the official diagnosis, and that then allowed the doctor to prescribe estrogen to this healthy boy, and vice versa with the female,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;They were not trying to hide this,&#8221; Sivadge said.
Other whistleblower accusations against Texas Children&#8217;s, the biggest children&#8217;s hospital in the country, involve providers inserting an implantable puberty blocker in multiple children, including an 11-year-old girl, City Journal <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/sex-change-procedures-at-texas-childrens-hospital#:~:text=Last%20spring%2C%20executives%20at%20Texas,affirming%20therapy%2C" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last year.
The other children who got “drug delivery implants” inserted were 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 years old, according to the medical records.
Also, the hospital has “activist” doctors and a “culture of fear” around gender treatments for children, whistleblowers alleged.

Doctor examining girl patient with stethoscope

Texas Children’s Hospital Whistleblower On Child Sex Changes Says She Has Been Fired

Texas Children's Hospital Whistleblower On Child Sex Changes Says She Has Been Fired

Children

Texas

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which represents 92% of all board-certified American plastic surgeons, has broken with the general consensus among medical associations, indicating it disagrees with “gender-affirming care” for minors.
In July, ASPS <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/a-consensus-no-longer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">informed</a> Leor Sapir of the Manhattan Institute that it “has not endorsed any organization’s practice recommendations for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria,” adding that there is “considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions” and that “the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty.”
ASPS follows Doctors Protecting Children, a group part of a nonprofit that issued a <a href="https://doctorsprotectingchildren.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declaration</a> on July 6 that stated in no uncertain terms how it felt about “gender-affirming care,” saying:
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Given the recent research and the revelations of the harmful approach advocated by WPATH and its followers in the United States, we, the undersigned, call upon the medical professional organizations of the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the  Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to follow the science and their European professional colleagues and immediately stop the promotion of social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex.  Instead, these organizations should recommend comprehensive evaluations and therapies aimed at identifying and addressing underlying psychological co-morbidities and neurodiversity that often predispose to and accompany gender dysphoria. We also encourage the physicians who are members of these professional organizations to contact their leadership and urge them to adhere to the evidence-based research now available.
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“As the U.K.’s Cass Review pointed out, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the U.S. Endocrine Society were especially important in forging this consensus, and they did so by citing each other’s statements, rather than conducting a scientific appraisal of the evidence,” Sapir noted, adding, “The U.S. is one of the few Western countries where minors can receive gender surgeries, according to <a href="https://aristotlefoundation.org/study/comparing-teenagers-children-and-gender-transition-policy-in-canada-the-united-states-and-europe">a new report</a>.”
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Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Sheila Nazarian told Sapir, “We are physicians with responsibility for the health and well-being of our patients. We can get input from other clinicians, but ultimately the responsibility for determining medical readiness lies with us. That means that we have to examine all the data and studies available to us. Furthermore, you can’t help people by ignoring the reasons they want to go under the knife.”

Breast Cancer Surgery

Major Medical Org Breaks With Consensus, Rejects ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ For Minors

gender-affirming care

minors

Plastic Surgery

The Nebraska Supreme Court upheld a ban on both transgender medical procedures for minors and abortion on Friday.
The <a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Slip/LB574.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a> bans abortions after 12 weeks, as well as transgender surgeries and puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for individuals younger than 18.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which works in Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, filed the lawsuit against the law, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The abortion provider argued that the law violated the state constitution because it dealt with more than one issue. The state countered that both transgender medical interventions and abortion fall under healthcare.
“Ultimately, ‘if a bill has but one general object, no matter how broad that object may be, and contains no matter not germane thereto, and the title fairly expresses the subject of the bill, it does not violate’” the state constitution, Chief Justice Mike Heavican wrote for the court.
Pro-life advocates immediately hailed the court&#8217;s decision.
“This decision is a victory for Nebraska’s unborn children and their mothers who will continue to be protected from second- and third-trimester abortions,&#8221; said SBA Pro-Life America&#8217;s western regional director Adam Schwend, noting that Nebraska saw a &#8220;massive drop&#8221; in late-term abortions last year thanks to the law.
Last year, abortions in Nebraska <a href="https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-abortions-decreased-in-2023-following-12-week-ban-passage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreased</a> nearly 9% from 2022, even with women from Iowa coming in for abortions after Iowa passed a six-week ban.
&#8220;We must continue to guard this protection that prevents abortions of babies who can feel pain and stand firm against the abortion industry’s attempts to roll back the progress we have made in the greatest human rights struggle of our time,&#8221; Schwend said.
Meanwhile, critics have raised the alarm over transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for gender dysphoric children over the last several years. In Europe, several countries have pumped the brakes on these procedures.
Transgender surgeries are not reversible, and both puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones come with serious health risks. Puberty blockers can <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/in-depth/pubertal-blockers/art-20459075">affect</a> bone growth and density and cause sexual dysfunction, voice damage, and infertility, among other issues. Cross-sex hormones can <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/transgender-young-people-in-u-s-have-nearly-doubled-recently-report-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cause</a> infertility, deadly blood clots, heart attacks, increased cancer risks of the breasts and ovaries, liver dysfunction, worsening psychological illness, and other serious conditions.
Nebraska joins a number of other states with Republican-controlled legislatures that have banned abortion or transgender medical interventions for minors, or both.
At least 25 states have <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/attacks-on-gender-affirming-care-by-state-map" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> restrictions on transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors, but the bans are blocked in court in Florida, Ohio, and Montana. Several other states have lawsuits proceeding as well, although the bans remain in effect for now.
At least 24 states have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> bans on abortion, although the bans are tied up in court in Montana, Wyoming, and Iowa.

Make the appointment!

Nebraska Supreme Court Upholds Bans On Abortion, Transgender Surgeries For Minors

Courts

Nebraska

The American health care system has long been a convoluted web for patients to climb through, as they deal with the government, insurance companies, and the high cost of drugs that many people need to live comfortably.
Much of the distaste for the U.S. health care system is centered on drug and insurance companies, but over the past decade, a new player in the health care industry has become more powerful: pharmacy benefit managers. 
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs as they’re commonly called, are the middlemen between drug manufacturers, insurance companies, pharmacies, and by extension, patients. PBMs were originally designed to maintain affordable drug prices for patients while helping drug manufacturers keep their profits, but instead, PBMs have been found to “profit at the expense of patients by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies,” according to a Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/07/ftc-releases-interim-staff-report-prescription-drug-middlemen">report</a> released on Tuesday. 
As PBMs take away many options, independent pharmacies across the country are subject to the dictates of PBMs, which give an unfair advantage to large pharmacy corporations such as CVS, the FTC report found. “PBMs hold substantial influence over independent pharmacies by imposing unfair, arbitrary, and harmful contractual terms that can impact independent pharmacies’ ability to stay in business and serve their communities,” it said.
One independent drug store that has been sounding the alarm on the rise of PBMs is Hayes Barton Pharmacy, which sits in an upper-class neighborhood just north of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Hayes Barton Pharmacy is managed by Brent Talley, who bought the local pharmacy in 2018 and currently employs 17 people. 
Talley, along with other independent pharmacists across the country, has seen firsthand how PBMs have reshaped the prescription drug industry and made it nearly impossible for mom-and-pop pharmacies to fill many prescriptions while maintaining a profit. 
“We have lost customers either because the PBM is requiring them to use another store or financially incentivizing them to do so,” Talley told The Daily Wire. “But at the same time, the quality of care we’re able to provide has far exceeded Walgreens’ and CVS’.”
Talley added that his pharmacy has “moved to diversify” to maintain profits and “stabilize” his business amid the growing power of PBMs. 
“Hopefully that [diversification] will sustain itself, but we already have turned down a lot of prescriptions, so how much more of that can we do? It’s hard to say,” he said. 
The three largest PBMs — owned by CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group — control 80% of the prescriptions in the U.S. A New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html">investigation</a> into PBMs published last month found that instead of lowering drug costs for patients, PBMs often push patients toward pricier prescription drugs and pay independent pharmacies lowball prices for filling prescriptions. Often, small pharmacies will lose money on prescription drugs because the reimbursements they get from a PBM are less than what it costs them to fill a prescription.
“The P.B.M. negotiates with drug companies, pays pharmacies and helps decide which drugs patients can get at what price. In theory, everyone saves money,” the Times wrote. 
“But those savings appear to be largely a mirage, a product of a system where prices have been artificially inflated so that major P.B.M.s and drug companies can boost their profits while taking credit for reducing prices,” the report added. 
One of the largest PBMs is CVS Caremark, a subsidiary of CVS Health, which has pushed leftist ideology in employee leadership training. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-cvs-leadership-training-requires-participants-to-confess-privilege-make-allyship-pledges">reported</a> earlier this year that a required leadership training program at CVS put forward a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) action plan that asked participants to confess their privilege and pledge support for social justice causes. 
The health care giant’s revenue was up 11% in 2023 from the previous year, raking in <a href="https://www.managedhealthcareexecutive.com/view/cvs-s-health-services-revenue-grew-to-186-8-billion">$357.8 billion</a>, a total that includes revenue from CVS Caremark. The company says that “CVS Caremark negotiates lower costs for our customers and expands coverage to affordable medications that people need to stay healthy.” But what started as a way to help patients cover the cost of prescription drugs quickly turned into a nightmare for independent pharmacies and their patients. 
Blake Lamm and April Lamm Blackford run Bailey Pharmacy on Deans Street in Bailey, North Carolina, a more rural area of the state. The pharmacy has been around for over 100 years under different names, Lamm said, and the sibling owners currently pay two full-time workers and one part-time employee. 
Blake and April told The Daily Wire that they have more business now than they ever have, but because of PBMs’ unfair contracts for prescriptions, they often take financial hits for filling prescriptions, a pharmacy’s bread and butter. 
“We have to buy bottles to put the medicine in, the caps, the labels, the machines, the printers, all that kind of stuff that are the cost of business, but when I say I’m losing money on prescriptions, I’m losing money on what it cost to get the drug on the shelf,” Blake said. “That doesn’t even factor in filling the prescription.” 
Blake said that while PBMs have a direct negative effect on local pharmacies, in the end, patients in rural areas will face the brunt of the pain. He added that without a local pharmacy, rural patients would be forced to drive long distances or receive their prescriptions through often unreliable mail orders. 
Asked if he has a timeline for how much longer Baily Pharmacy can stay in business if PBMs are allowed to maintain their control of prescriptions, Blake told The Daily Wire, “I feel like we’ve been fighting it for a while, but we’re treading water right now.” 
“I’m trying to tell people when I see them that April and I want to be here for the next 10, 20 years until we decide to retire,” he added. “But at the rate the PBM thing is going, it’s more like maybe another year or two that I would think that we could possibly stay in business.” 
Some states have sought to take action and regulate PBMs. A 2019 Oklahoma law expanding patients’ ability to choose pharmacies and regulating PBMs was <a href="https://www.duanemorris.com/alerts/tenth_circuit_decision_regulating_pharmacy_benefit_managers_remains_place_oklahoma_appeals_0124.html">put on hold</a> by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, forcing the state to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. 
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), a powerful lobbying group that represents PBMs, argued that federal laws preempt Oklahoma’s law. A case before the Supreme Court appears favorable for states seeking legislation addressing PBMs as the high court <a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/supreme-court-upholds-arkansas-law-regulating-pharmacy-benefit-managers">ruled unanimously</a> in 2020 in favor of an Arkansas law regulating the powerful health care companies.
Tennessee also <a href="https://tnpharm.org/news/news-posts-pages/governor-bill-lee-signs-enforceable-pbm-reform-bill-into-law/">passed</a> a law in 2022 ensuring that patients maintain pharmacy choice and that pharmacies are properly compensated for filling out prescriptions.  
In North Carolina, the state House unanimously passed Rep. Wayne Sasser’s legislation that “would prohibit pharmacy benefits managers from reimbursing pharmacies less than the national average cost of a drug or less than the pharmacy benefits manager would reimburse itself.” 
<a href="https://dashboard.ncleg.gov/api/Services/BillSummary/2023/H246-SMBC-60(e1)-v-2">House Bill 246</a> would also prohibit PBMs “from assessing certain fees and restricting the right of pharmacies to dispense specialty drugs.”
HB 246 has been stuck in committee in the state Senate for over a year, and while Sasser is unsure if the bill will ever be brought to the floor for a vote, he said that he is confident that it would easily pass and be signed by the governor. 
“Basically where we’re at today in North Carolina is the Senate pro tem [Republican state Sen. Phil Berger] has refused to let the bill move. It’s just that simple,” Sasser said. “And all I’ll say is Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina is very powerful.” 
When asked about HB 246’s holdup in the state Senate, Randy Brechbiel — a spokesman for Berger — told The Daily Wire in an email, “Few states have successfully passed legislation implementing the provisions included in House Bill 246, and no states have knowledge of the long-term impacts.&#8221; 
&#8220;Required payments to pharmacies, such as significantly increased dispensing fees, would result in added costs being passed onto consumers and insurance premiums,&#8221; the spokesman added. &#8220;That, and the multiple complexities of the issue, has made finding a workable compromise difficult, but any legislative changes need to be weighed carefully given the impact would touch patients, employers, pharmacies, manufacturers, distributors, and PBMs.”

Pharmacy prescriptions

A Little-Known Health Care Middleman Is Becoming More Powerful. Independent Pharmacies Say That Spells Disaster For Patients.

Big Pharma

North Carolina

Prescription Drugs

According to an exclusive report from <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/medicare-health-insurance-diagnosis-payments-b4d99a5d?mod=hp_lista_pos1">The Wall Street Journal</a>, an analysis of billions of Medicare records showed private insurers connected to the federal government’s $450 billion-a-year Medicare Advantage program issued “hundreds of thousands of questionable diagnoses that triggered extra taxpayer-funded payments from 2018 to 2021.”
The Journal noted that the program currently covers more than half of the 67 million seniors and disabled people on Medicare. It explained that insurers can add their own diagnoses in addition to the ones doctors submit for their patients.
“Medicare gave insurers that option so they could catch conditions that doctors neglected to record,” the Journal stated, adding, “The Journal’s analysis, however, found many diagnoses were added for which patients received no treatment, or that contradicted their doctors’ views. The insurers make new diagnoses after reviewing medical charts, sometimes using artificial intelligence, and sending nurses to visit patients in their homes.”
“They pay doctors for access to patient records, and reward patients who agree to home visits with gift cards and other financial benefits,” the Journal asserted.
Between 2018 and 2021, Medicare compensated insurers roughly $50 billion for diagnoses the insurers had added.
“The government paid all Medicare Advantage insurers more than $700 million from 2019 to 2021 for diabetic cataracts. Most of the diagnoses were added by insurers,” the Journal reported. Over 66,000 Medicare Advantage patients were diagnosed with diabetic cataracts despite the fact they had previously received cataract surgery.
“It’s anatomically impossible,” Dr. Hogan Knox, an eye specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told the Journal. “Once a lens is removed, the cataract never comes back.”
UnitedHealth spokesman Matthew Wiggin responded to the Journal’s report by saying its analysis was “inaccurate and biased.” He stated that Medicare Advantage “provides better health outcomes and more affordable healthcare for millions of seniors” than traditional Medicare. A spokesman for Humana echoed that the Journal’s analysis of treatment rates “is flawed and misleading.”
However, the Journal claimed that more than a dozen experts said the news outlet&#8217;s methodology was accurate.

Medicare part C insurance papers with clipboard and pen.

Private Insurers Made $50 Billion From Medicare For Illnesses Untreated By Doctors: Report

Health Insurance

Medicare

Wall Street Journal

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